New Jersey has a beautiful state to live in, and if you had been residing there on a green card for some time now, no doubt has crossed your mind to apply for citizenship. However, as someone who has already gone through a long and arduous process to attend official residency, you are certainly aware that these things can be time-consuming, expensive, and exasperating. It's enough to make you wonder if you wouldn't just be better off staying in New Jersey on your green card indefinitely, and not bothering with citizenship at all. However, living without citizenship in the United States is a situation always filled with uncertainty, and if you want the full rights, privileges, and protections of living United States for the rest of your life, citizenship is the only way to go.As far as the timing of your citizenship application goes, sooner is almost always better. Keep in mind that over time, immigration law does not ever get simpler - it only gets more complex. Add that to the fact that state laws and federal laws are both in effect, and that state laws are changing all the time, you can see why it would be a good idea to get your citizenship application taking care of as soon as possible. The sooner you get it done, the sooner you don't have to worry about it anymore, and you can begin to enjoy your life as a full-fledged American.You might have thought about contacting citizenship services to help you with your application, or you might have wondered if it would be less expensive and less hassle just to get the immigration forms and fill them out yourself. While you may feel comfortable flying solo at the moment, as you get deeper into the application process things can get complicated very quickly, and unless your case is very simple and very straightforward, it is likely you will get to a point, usually sooner rather than later, when you need legal advice. Having an adequate legal representative from the start can ensure that you don't make any wrong moves, and will greatly increase your chances of having a successful application on the first try.Your lawyer will assess your case before you even apply for citizenship, to make sure that you meet all the requirements and that there is nothing in your case that suggests there might be a hangup. There are, of course, some basic requirements for citizenship; you must be an adult, you must not be a criminal, and you must meet certain residency requirements (five continuous years in most cases, or three years if you are married to an American citizen). However, there are also some less tangible requirements, like having a "strong moral character." A lawyer or citizenship service can look over your documents and advise you if you are not certain how to demonstrate these qualities on paper. You will also have to submit to an interview, and demonstrate your knowledge of the English language and American history and government.