I was a student outside the US, am I eligible to apply for US Citizenship?

[Black01]

Hi, all! I'm new to the forum! I search for the topic that applies to me, some of them applied but have not really answered my question.

I have been a lawful resident of the US since Dec. of 1998 but seems applying for US citizenship will be a little complicated and do not an idea if I will qualify or not. So I'm seeking advice and opinion of experienced.

Here's my situation, I've been a GC holder since Dec. of 1998. My concern is that I went out of the US twice to study and had applied for travel documents before I went out of the country. My reason in my application is I'm going out of the country to study which is true, I did not work outside the country and I was a full time student. Here's the break down:

1. I went out in March of 2002 then I came back in the US in April of 2003.
2. I stayed here in the US for almost one year(April 2003-March 2004)
3. I went out of the country again as a student which I stated in my travel document again. I studied again and stayed outside the country for 2 years and then graduated(March 2004-May 2006).

Even since I came back in May of 2006 here in US, I have been working and do not have plans of going out of the country anymore because I already finished my schooling. I want to know if I am still eligible to become a US citizen. Is there any exceptions since I went out of the country as a student and it was stated in my travel document? Thanks alot.

 

[Jackolantern]

You have broken continuous residence and did not have an approved N-470. So you must rebuild 4 years and 1 day of it before being eligible to apply. That would be May 2010.

 

[Black01]

You have broken continuous residence and did not have an approved N-470. So you must rebuild 4 years and 1 day of it before being eligible to apply. That would be May 2010.

Thank you Jack. 4 years and 1 day? Wow that's a long time. A lady told me that I have to wait only for 3 years but I was not sure if that was very reliable or fact. She handles cases like these, she's not a lawyer though but she knows alot about immigration. I was hoping that there are exceptions because I was a student and I filed for it. Other legal opinions/facts? Thanks.

 

[boatbod]

4yrs + 1day is what you'll have to wait. Time starts from the day you reentered the US in 2006.

3yrs would be for citizenship through marriage to a USC.

 

[Jackolantern]

Thank you Jack. 4 years and 1 day? Wow that's a long time.

You're lucky they don't make you redo the entire 5 years of residence.

A lady told me that I have to wait only for 3 years but I was not sure if that was very reliable or fact.

At this point in time, you have less than 3 years left to wait. But it's still 4 years + 1 day since resuming continuous residence in the US.