This year’s Fourth of July holiday commemorates 242 years since the U.S. adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and will once again see thousands of people naturalized as new citizens around the holiday week.

The process of naturalization, or legally becoming a U.S. citizen, entails a lengthy application process through the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency and is outlined in the Immigration and Nationality Act.