Naturalización por cónyuge de USC (INA 319(a))

INA §319(a) = 8 U.S.C. §1430(a) confers a reduced 3-year continuous-residence track on an LPR who: (1) has resided continuously in the United States as an LPR for at least 3 years immediately preceding the N-400; (2) has been living in marital union with a U.S.-citizen spouse for ALL 3 of those years, with the spouse being a U.S. citizen throughout; (3) has been physically present for at least half the 3 years (>=18 months); and (4) has resided in the State/USCIS district for 3 months before filing. Good moral character, attachment to the Constitution (INA §316), English/civics (INA §312), and the oath (INA §337) apply identically to general naturalization. The 'marital union' requirement is more demanding than mere legal marriage — the couple must actually be living together in a marital relationship for the full period. As of 2026-06-01.

Under INA §319(a), the durational requirements scale to the 3-year period: continuous LPR residence for 3 years, physical presence for at least half (>=18 months), and 3 months in the State/USCIS district. The §316(b) = 8 U.S.C. §1427(b) continuous-residence break rules apply by incorporation: an absence of more than 6 months but less than 1 year creates a rebuttable presumption of a break, and an absence of 1 year or more breaks continuous residence outright absent an approved N-470. Critically, the marital-union requirement runs concurrently with the residence period — a separation or breakdown of the marriage during the 3 years (even short of divorce) can defeat eligibility because the couple must be living in marital union throughout. The §319(b) expedited track, by contrast, carries NO durational physical-presence/continuous-residence prerequisite. As of 2026-06-01.

Primary form: Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, filed on the spouse-of-U.S.-citizen (INA §319) basis. Ancillary forms: Form I-912 (fee waiver) or the reduced-fee request; Form N-648 (medical disability waiver of English and/or civics); and, where relevant, evidence packages rather than separate forms for marital bona fides. Abused-spouse applicants relying on the VAWA exception may have an underlying VAWA self-petition (Form I-360) supporting their LPR status. Form N-426 is NOT used here (that is the military honorable-service certification for INA §328/§329). On a grant, USCIS issues Form N-550 (Certificate of Naturalization). Foreign-language documents (e.g., a foreign marriage or divorce certificate) require a certified English translation under 8 CFR §103.2(b)(3), and foreign public documents are apostilled under the Hague Convention. Editions and fees current as of 2026-06-01.

The §319(a) process mirrors general naturalization with marital-proof overlays: (1) confirm 3-year LPR residence + 3-year marital union with a U.S.-citizen spouse; (2) file Form N-400 (selecting the spouse-of-U.S.-citizen basis) online or paper with fee; (3) attend biometrics; (4) attend the interview, where the officer reviews bona fides of the marriage, the spouse's citizenship duration, and tests English/civics under §312; (5) receive a decision under 8 CFR §335.2/.3; and (6) on grant, take the §337 oath and receive Form N-550. The N-400 may be filed up to 90 days before the 3-year anniversary. For the §319(b) overseas-expedited track, USCIS may expedite adjudication and arrange the interview/oath consistent with the spouse's scheduled departure abroad; the applicant must intend to reside abroad with the spouse and to take up U.S. residence immediately upon the spouse's termination of qualifying employment. As of 2026-06-01.

Section 319(a) cases follow the same administratively-variable processing as general naturalization. The LIVE authority for current adjudication times is the USCIS processing-times tool at egov.uscis.gov/processing-times (filter Form N-400 and the applicant's field office), which must be checked at filing because figures change frequently and vary by office. As a non-binding historical reference, end-to-end processing has typically run in the ~8-to-24-month range, with the 90-day early-filing window measured from the 3-year anniversary; this range is an as-of-2026-06-01 reference, not a guarantee, and the egov.uscis.gov tool is controlling. The §319(b) overseas-expedited track is, by design, faster: USCIS prioritizes scheduling so the spouse can be naturalized before accompanying the citizen spouse abroad, though no fixed statutory deadline applies. The statutory decision framework is INA §336(b) = 8 U.S.C. §1447(b): if USCIS fails to decide within 120 days of the examination, the applicant may seek district-court intervention. Individual cases vary with background-check completion and marital-bona-fides review. As of 2026-06-01, verify current figures at the USCIS tool.

The Form N-400 fee matrix is identical to general naturalization, set by the USCIS 2024 Final Fee Rule (89 FR 6194, eff. 1 Apr 2024): $760 paper / $710 online / $380 approved reduced-fee, with biometrics generally included. A full fee waiver via Form I-912 is available on inability-to-pay grounds. There is no separate or surcharged fee for the §319(a) spouse basis or the §319(b) overseas-expedited track — the reduced residence period and expedited handling do not change the filing fee. VAWA self-petitioners and certain humanitarian categories may have fee-exemption or fee-waiver eligibility on the underlying petition. These figures are pinned to the Evidence Table, not generated from training data; the N-400 fee page was last reviewed 16 Mar 2026, and the matrix is current as of 2026-06-01.

El seguimiento del cónyuge es INA §319 = 8 U.S.C. §1430 (66 Stat. 244), dentro de la INA de 1952 (Pub. L. 82-414, 66 Stat. 163) según enmendada mediante Pub. L. 119-21 (4 de julio de 2025). La subsección (a) es la vía de residencia reducida de 3 años; la subsección (b) es la vía expedita al extranjero para los cónyuges de ciudadanos estacionados en el extranjero; la subsección (d) aborda a los sobrevivientes de ciudadanos que murieron durante el servicio militar honorable; y la subsección (e) (agregada por Pub. L. 110-181 §674(a), vigente desde el 28 de enero de 2008) establece para el cónyuge LPR de un ciudadano miembro de las fuerzas armadas estacionado en el extranjero. La publicación agregó una excepción VAWA para cónyuges maltratados. L. 106-386 (2000). Los números de sección de INA se corresponden con 8 U.S.C. por compensación fija (INA 319 = 8 USC 1430), doblemente citado y verificado por govinfo. Las regulaciones de implementación se encuentran en 8 CFR Parte 319 (Clases especiales: cónyuges de ciudadanos estadounidenses). Vigente al 2026-06-01.

Denial of a §319 N-400 carries the same review architecture as general naturalization: the applicant may file Form N-336 (Request for a Hearing) within 30 days under INA §336(a) = 8 U.S.C. §1447(a) and 8 CFR §336.2 for review by a higher-level USCIS officer; if that hearing affirms denial, the applicant may seek DE NOVO review in the U.S. district court under INA §310(c) = 8 U.S.C. §1421(c). Where USCIS fails to act within 120 days of the examination, INA §336(b) = 8 U.S.C. §1447(b) permits the applicant to ask the district court to decide or remand. A §319(a) denial premised on a finding that the marriage was not bona fide or that marital union lapsed is reviewable on the same de novo standard, since the court re-examines the naturalization application afresh. As of 2026-06-01.

Three statutory exceptions modify the basic spouse track: (1) the VAWA exception (added by Pub. L. 106-386, 2000) allows an abused spouse (or former spouse where the marriage was terminated by death/divorce connected to the abuse) of a U.S. citizen to self-petition and naturalize under §319(a) even where the marital union has ended due to battery or extreme cruelty; (2) INA §319(b) waives the prior-residence and physical-presence requirements entirely where the citizen spouse is regularly stationed abroad in qualifying U.S. government, recognized-research-institution, U.S.-commerce, or qualifying religious employment; and (3) INA §319(e) (Pub. L. 110-181, eff. 28 Jan 2008) provides parallel relief for the LPR spouse of a citizen armed-forces member stationed abroad. The §312 English exemptions ('50/20' and '55/15') waive ENGLISH only — civics is still required — per 8 U.S.C. §1423(b)(2) (VC-11). As of 2026-06-01.