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 APPLYING FOR US CITIZENSHIP
NOTE: You can only eligible to apply for US citizenship if you have had your "Green Card"/Permanent residency in USA for 5 years.
Brits keep both passports and become dual British-American citizens. You do NOT relinquish your UK passport or your British citizenship. Unlike Germany, for example, which takes away the citizenship of any German who emigrates to USA and takes out US citizenship, the British Government does no such thing.
FABB Recommends becoming a US citizen--life becomes much easier
for you in several ways. Also, the USA government can seize part of
your estate over $600,000 if you die here as a non-citizen. Ask your
Florida accountant for the specifics on that.
HOW TO APPLY: Unlike getting a Green Card or Work Visa, which you MUST use an
immigration attorney for, applying for citizenship is more
straightforward and most Brits do it themselves. The US Government
encourages you to become citizens and therefore have systems
established and a website to make it easy. Quick, no. Cheap, no. But
possible without an immigration attorney yes. I became a US citizen in
1996 and, if you have made a life here with no intention to live
permanently back in the UK, there are many benefits to becoming a
citizen in this post 9-11 era. Thousands of Brits in Florida have
become US citizens. Brits maintain favoured status with the USA and we
have dual UK-USA nationality. You DO NOT have to give up your British
passport. Ever. Let's face it, we wouldn't be so keen to do it if that
were the case. The citizenship swearing-in ceremony [mine was in Miami]
was quite moving I found. We left with a lettter from President Clinton
congratulating us on becoming US citizens. I liked the way American
authorities genuinely seem to welcome you as a new citizen, poised to
make a contribution to their country. ---PK FABB President
STEP ONE: Get the citizenship application forms.
Complete those, send everything back [photos/fees etc]. Takes about a
year, from the time you mail back forms to day of your swearing-in
ceremony. You get called down for an interview to the nearest  Florida
immigration office. A few weeks after that, you are sworn in as a
citizen with thousands of other foreigners in quite a memorable
ceremony.
FORMS: Get forms by calling INS Hotline 1-800-375-5283. It's often busy so phone outside office hours. OR get forms from INS official website www.uscis.gov Click on Apply for Citzenship. It's an excellent website with everything you need to know.
Florida has its own official immigration website too, for
immigration appointments, info, forms etc. Check that out too. The INS
set this up in 2003 to save people waiting in line from 3a.m. outside
the Miami building with 789,587 Haitians, 56,976 Cubans, 8932
Nicaraguans, 7 French, 9 Brits, 2 Germans and 21 Chinese ....okay I
totally made up these figures but it was almost that bad. WEBSITE is: www.bcis-fla.com
AFTER YOU HAVE BEEN SWORN IN AS A USA CITIZEN---YOU MUST GET AN AMERICAN PASSPORT: You will now need an American passport. Effective June 1, 2005 you can apply for it online, download forms, renew etc. http://www.travel.state.gov/passport.
Or call the National Passport Information Center: 1-877-487-2778 To
find your nearest passport facility you can go in person: http://iafdb.travel.state.gov
and enter your zip code. Or call the National Passport Center. In
downtown Miami, you can get one issued on the same day. [This is only
valaible in major cities around the country]. To get an emergency
passport [for US Citizens travelling within the next 2 weeks], the
federal agency in downtown Miami will issue you one on the same
day---but you have to go in person and wait in line---[I did--quite
easy--walked out with my new US passport--PK]. Address: Claude Pepper
Federal Office Building, 51 SW First Avenue, downtown Miami. But you MUST CALL FIRST to make appointment: 1-877-487-2778 and must bring your original citizenship certificate and other things. They tell you exactly what when you call to make appointment.
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CITIZENSHIP How to Apply 
