Who Was Naturalized? Of course, one had to be an immigrant to be naturalized, which reminds us of the importance of really knowing which ancestor in a family was the immigrant. The real problem is that naturalization records have not been created for the majority of immigrants. Even for modern immigrants, most do not appear on naturalization records. There are many reasons for this: Naturalization was not required. North American countries have never insisted that all residents be citizens. Certainly non-citizens are restricted from some activities, notably voting, and in some cases, land ownership. However, the average immigrant could very well live a full life in America without becoming a citizen. Some immigrants did not intend to remain in America. Many modern immigrants, especially those from southern Europe, planned on earning significant sums of money, and then returning home. Indeed, about 25% of foreign born white residents had not begun or completed the naturalization process, according to the 1890 through 1930 censuses. Some immigrants did not live long enough to become citizens. Since naturalization in the United States required five years of residence, some immigrants died before completing the process. Of course, they may have delayed the process, due to a number of factors, and then died before "getting around to it." Married women were not required to become naturalized separately, until 1922. Any woman eligible to become a citizen, and who was married to a citizen, was considered a citizen without going through the process of naturalization. Thus, if an immigrant couple came to America, and the husband later naturalized, there was no need for the wife to do so. Minor children have not been required to become naturalized, if their parent was naturalized before they turned 21 years old. Since 1934, immigrants under 21 years of age are considered citizens after five years residence, without any paperwork. Even children whose parents did not naturalize could, themselves, become naturalized without making a separate Declaration of Intent.