New York · est. 2013Saturday, September 5, 2026
Inside Immigration

Plain-language guides to US immigration, asylum and USCIS procedure.

Forms · Citizenship

Military members and their families

Service in the U.S. armed forces opens routes that are closed to everyone else: naturalisation after one year of peacetime service or immediately during a designated period of hostilities, with no filing fee; parole in place for immediate relatives who entered without inspection; and posthumous citizenship for those who die of service-connected injuries.

Typical time: 3.0 months for military naturalisation and 12.5 months for parole in place in FY 2026.Fees: $0 for military naturalisation, parole in place, military deferred action, and posthumous citizenship. Family adjustment of status still costs $1,390 to $1,440 unless a fee exemption applies.

Who it is for. Current and former members of the U.S. armed forces, their spouses, parents and children, and the survivors of those who died in service.

The forms, in order

8 forms
N-400N-426I-131I-485I-130G-325AN-644I-360
  1. 1

    Naturalise under INA 328 or 329

    N-400N-426

    Who
    The service member or veteran
    When
    3.0 months national median for military naturalisation in FY 2026
    Fee
    $0 - military applicants under INA 328 and 329 pay no filing fee

    Form N-426 must be certified by the appropriate military authority, or certified service records submitted instead.

  2. 2

    Request military parole in place for an immediate relative who entered without inspection

    I-131

    Who
    The service member's spouse, parent or child
    When
    12.5 months national median for parole in place in FY 2026
    Fee
    $0 for military parole in place

    Parole in place cures the entry problem and can make adjustment of status possible.

  3. 3

    Adjust status as the parolee relative

    I-485I-130

    Who
    The relative
    When
    5.9 months national median for family-based adjustment in FY 2026
    Fee
    $1,440 paper or $1,390 online; $0 under the Six-and-Six programme for the service member themselves
  4. 4

    Apply for deferred action if parole in place is not the right fit

    G-325A

    Who
    The service member's family member
    When
    Varies
    Fee
    $0 for military deferred action, including the EAD request
  5. 5

    Seek posthumous citizenship for a service member who died of service-connected injury

    N-644I-360

    Who
    The next of kin
    When
    Within 2 years of the death
    Fee
    $0

    An approved N-644 also supports immigration benefits for the surviving family through Form I-360.

Where it goes wrong

  • Parole in place is discretionary and has been granted less freely since 2025.
  • A service member who naturalises under INA 329 can lose citizenship if separated other than honourably within five years.
  • The military fee exemption for Form N-600 applies only to the service member, not to their children.
  • Veterans who were removed before naturalising face a much harder route back.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

  • Parole in place processing lengthened from 4.5 months in FY 2025 to 12.5 months in FY 2026.
  • Form N-426 has a 03/13/26 edition.
  • Deferred action for military family members remains available but discretionary grants have narrowed.

Related processes

Sources: uscis.gov · uscis.gov · uscis.gov · egov.uscis.gov · uscis.gov