No matter what you do, you should not lie on your citizenship or naturalization application. If you lie, misrepresent facts or conceal information on your citizenship application, you could face serious penalties, including criminal charges, loss of citizenship (called denaturalization) and deportation. If you have any questions or concerns about whether your past will create problems for your citizenship application, you should consult with an immigration lawyer before you submit your application.

For example, in one case a Florida man was denaturalized as a result of having concealed information on his naturalization application. The man was a former member of the Bosnian Serb Army. Some units of the military brigade he had served in have been found to have engaged in war crimes and crimes against humanity. On his application for U.S. citizenship, he concealed the fact that he had served in the military during the Bosnian war. Based on this concealment, a federal judge ordered the man’s denaturalization on May 26, 2010 and the man left the United States on June 1, 2010.

The man originally entered the United States in 1999, received lawful permanent resident status in 2002 and was naturalized in 2004. The man concealed his military service throughout the immigration and naturalization process. He agreed to be denaturalized, to surrender his lawful permanent resident status and to depart the United States in return for having the criminal charges against him dismissed.

The consequences of concealing information during the immigration and naturalization process can be devastating. If you have any concerns about whether your past will have a negative impact on your immigration and naturalization status, you should contact an immigration lawyer to discuss your situation. Your immigration lawyer will be able to let you know if the issues that you are concerned about will cause any problems with your citizenship application.