A. How to Become the Applicant's Designated Representative

• Library: Becoming a U.S. Citizen (Nolo) (2021 Ed.)

A. How to Become the Applicant's Designated Representative

This section is for people trying to help a disabled person who might not be able to make it through the naturalization process on his or her own. Outside help is not only allowed, but welcomed, so long as you have been appointed the applicant's designated representative. Depending on the level of the applicant's disability, you, as the designated representative, may be allowed to help with various tasks, including filling in the Form N-400, accompanying the applicant to the naturalization interview, interpreting, sometimes even answering questions on the applicant's behalf, and more.

Allowing you to assist in these ways not only helps the applicant, but it helps USCIS, whose officers don't want to waste time or mistreat an applicant simply because they didn't understand his or her special needs.

Only one person can act as the applicant's designated representative at a time, so your first task is to make sure that you're the right person for the job. USCIS requires that the designated representative be one of the following types of caretakers, in this order of priority:

• legal

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