Juan Martinez has chased the American Dream, seeking to become a U.S. citizen, for more than 21 years.

On a muggy Sunday morning, the 24-year-old Napa resident took a step toward making it happen during the fourth annual Bi-National Citizenship Fair in American Canyon.

Martinez, a lifting technician at Queen of the Valley Medical Center, was among the three dozen or more permanent legal residents who came to the fair at American Canyon Family Resource Center for help filling out the citizenship application.

Martinez said becoming a citizen will make it easier for him to travel to South Africa — site of the 2010 Fifa World Cup. But Martinez said that is only one reason why he wants to become a citizen.

“It gives you the right to vote, it gives you opportunities,” he said.

At the age of 3, Martinez arrived in Napa along with his three siblings and his mother from their native Tepic, the largest city in the Mexican state of Nayarit. Martinez’s family paid a coyote $2,000 to guide them illegally across the border, he said. Though he was a child, parts of the perilous journey remain in his mind.

“I remember small things (such as) a bunch of people climbing a tree,” he said. “We crossed the river, they put us in a (inner tube).”

Martinez said his family made it safely to Napa, where they had relatives. He grew up in Napa, graduating from Napa High School in 2004, and met his wife, Maribel, here. The couple married and had a son.

The fact that Maribel is a citizen paved the way for Martinez to gain his permanent legal resident status, he said.

The next steps in Martinez’s odyssey involve convincing immigration authorities that he is qualified to take the citizenship exam, and then taking and passing the exam. The same is true for others at the American Canyon Family Resource Center on Sunday, even if their stories are different.

Ruben Padilla, 74, of Napa, said he has been a permanent resident since 1964. Padilla said he had a straightforward explanation for wanting to become a citizen after 45 years.

“To have the right to vote, that is the only reason,” he said.

People like Padilla and Martinez are the reason why organizers incorporated the citizenship fair into Bi-National Health Week, an annual series of health and social service events sponsored by local nonprofit agencies.

Catalina Chavez-Tapia, who coordinated Sunday’s event, said that volunteers who helped fill out applications saved each applicant about $200 — the going rate that consultants charge to help fill out the form. Applicants also must pay a fee of $675, and in about six months will travel to either San Francisco or Sacramento for the citizenship test, in which applicants must demonstrate basic knowledge of American history and government and prove they are of good moral character.

Before taking the exam, some people take preparatory classes at Napa Valley College. Others choose to study the test questions on the Internet. Typical questions, Chavez-Tapia said, are “What are the three branches of the U.S. government?” and “Where is the capital of the United States?”

Once Martinez, Padilla and others cross the finish line, “They will be able to vote,” said Chavez-Tapia. “They will be able to celebrate. There is a need for them to be able to access resources.”