Apply for citizenship and then travel out of US...

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mohar11

Registered Users (C)
My wife and I received our GC in aug/2004. Since then we have maintained full residency and physical presence in US.

Now - the situation is this: My wife would like to travel to India in sept/2009 and stay there for an extended period(atleast 1 year) for personal reasons. She would like to apply for citzenship right away before she leaves, that way she can avoid any future problem for citizenship because of residency/presence issues.

How should we plan this?

1. Apply for citizenship asap - she should be eligible for applying sometime next month - June/2009.
2. Wait until finger print call comes, hopefully before sept/2009. Complete that formality.
3. Apply for a re-entry permit and then travel to india.
4. When citizenship interview notice comes within one year, she can travel back to US and take the oath, get the new passport and travel back to india on new passport.

Questions:
1. Does this plan make sense?
1. Can we apply for citizenship and re-entry permit around the same time?
2. She would be out of the country while the the naturalization process is going on. is that allowed?

Thanks
 
The re-entry permit merely allows her to return after a long absence. It does not preserve residency for naturalization purposes.
 
During the naturalization process is the worst possible time for extended travel. It creates the impression that one has already left the US permanently and is only taking short visits back for the formalities of naturalization (fingerprints, interview, oath).
 
I think I will also use similar approach.
In my case my mother got cancer and my father is old. They need my help. I spent gold years of my life waiting for 4.7 years working for a dumb employer under the rethoric of the this greencard and that was enough attention to the US.

Now I will not allow my life to be hostage of an insane process again. I will simply submit the paperwork and move on. If the immigration officer can't understand that circumstance, so too bad for the US because I have good options elsewhere.


mohar11 said:
My wife and I received our GC in aug/2004. Since then we have maintained full residency and physical presence in US.

Now - the situation is this: My wife would like to travel to India in sept/2009 and stay there for an extended period(atleast 1 year) for personal reasons. She would like to apply for citzenship right away before she leaves, that way she can avoid any future problem for citizenship because of residency/presence issues.

How should we plan this?

1. Apply for citizenship asap - she should be eligible for applying sometime next month - June/2009.
2. Wait until finger print call comes, hopefully before sept/2009. Complete that formality.
3. Apply for a re-entry permit and then travel to india.
4. When citizenship interview notice comes within one year, she can travel back to US and take the oath, get the new passport and travel back to india on new passport.

Questions:
1. Does this plan make sense?
1. Can we apply for citizenship and re-entry permit around the same time?
2. She would be out of the country while the the naturalization process is going on. is that allowed?

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
170 days not a bad amount of time so split her trip she just need 1 more ticket cost only 1 k USD. :)
 
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