How long can it take to become a US citizen?

Backlogs and human impact

• Several comments highlight that US immigration is so backlogged that many family-sponsored applicants die before getting green cards; waits of decades are common.
• Long-term employment-based applicants live in “limbo,” tied to employer whims and at risk of losing everything in a downturn, with some couples needing 20–30 combined years to reach citizenship.

Is citizenship / immigration a right?

• One side argues citizenship is not a right and sovereign nations can set steep requirements and caps.
• Others counter that birthright citizenship is a constitutional right, and that decades-long bureaucratic limbo is abusive.
• Some say in the long run borders themselves may lose moral legitimacy; others press for a strong right of national self‑determination.

Birthright citizenship and constitutional disputes

• Discussion centers on the 14th Amendment’s “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.”
• Multiple commenters stress that an executive order cannot override the Constitution, and current attempts to limit birthright citizenship are blocked in court.
• Others warn that Supreme Court reinterpretation (e.g., reversing Wong Kim Ark) is possible, which could create a class of US‑born non‑citizens with few protections.

Economics: labor, wages, and business incentives

• One view: the US depends on immigrant labor; removing undocumented workers would cripple sectors like agriculture and housing.
• Counterview: there’s no real skills shortage; employers use immigration (and H‑1B–style visas) to suppress wages instead of investing in domestic workers and social supports.
• Some say big business wants large inflows but prefers immigrants without rights (easier to exploit and blame).

Culture, diversity, and demographics

• Dispute over whether immigration prevents “cultural stagnation” or erodes existing cultural identities and social cohesion.
• Some defend per‑country caps as consciously designed to promote global diversity rather than letting populous countries dominate flows.
• Others see this as unfair to India/China/Mexico/Philippines and note that huge internal diversity within those countries is ignored.
• Long exchanges debate whether cultures are equal, whether immigrant cultures persist over generations, and whether demographic change threatens “national identity.”

Law, morality, and enforcement

• “Just do it the right way” is criticized as moralistic when the legal path is often practically impossible or racially rooted.
• Others insist that no one has a human right to immigrate; laws may be harsh but should be enforced until democratically changed.
• Sanctuary policies are framed either as anti‑democratic nullification or as legitimate 10th‑Amendment limits on federal power.
• Concerns raised about current enforcement practices: lack of due process, racial profiling, and ICE ignoring evidence of citizenship.

Fairness and access

• Commenters note how hard the system is for “honest, hard‑working” people versus how relatively easy it can be for the wealthy to buy access via investment routes.
• Some non‑US examples (Germany, other EU states) show similarly dysfunctional systems that import needed workers, then force them out on technicalities.