Citizenship through marriage as an asylee

Can I become a citizen through marriage having a green card through political asylum?

  • Total voters
    2
I

inTampa

Registered Users (C)
Hello everyone, I was approved political asylum in 2012 and married a US citizen in 2013. This year, I completed 3 years married to a citizen and 4 years as a permanent resident; the question is, can I apply for citizenship through marriage even though my green card was due to asylee status?

Thanks a lot!

P.S. This forum is amazing, it gave me all the info and guidance I needed when going through my asylum process; thank you all for posting and sharing your experiences.
 
Have any of you guys done it? I just spoke with two different attorneys and they said that since I started my path through political asylum, I have to continue that way and wait the 5 years.
 
inTampa said:
Hello everyone, I was approved political asylum in 2012 and married a US citizen in 2013. This year, I completed 3 years married to a citizen and 4 years as a permanent resident; the question is, can I apply for citizenship through marriage even though my green card was due to asylee status?

Thanks a lot!

P.S. This forum is amazing, it gave me all the info and guidance I needed when going through my asylum process; thank you all for posting and sharing your experiences.
Click to expand...

Hello inTampa,

If you were granted asylum in the United States, a maximum of one year of your time in asylee status counts as permanent residence. If you waited longer than a year to apply for your green card, that extra time will not do you any good – you will still need to wait another four years after your green card approval before applying for U.S. citizenship. If you not sure about this, you may check your eligibility here. Check If You're Eligible

Disclaimer: usimmigration-center.com is a private entity and is not affiliated or approved by any government agency. It does not provide any legal advice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CWH
It's unfortunate that the attorneys you consulted both gave you incorrect information. This is a sign of the quality of legal help.

It doesn't matter how you got your GC. However, it is true that it is easier to follow the 5 year route. If you follow the 3 year route, there might be more scrutiny of your marriage. So, for example, if you and your spouse lived separately for a year, that could cause you trouble if you use the 3 year route because it depends on your marriage to the US citizen. The 5 year route means you'd be independent of this, so there would be less scrutiny even if the marriage might not look genuine.

If your marriage has been (or at least looks like) a standard, happy one, and you don't want to wait, you can go for the 3 year route.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CWH
cafeconleche said:
It's unfortunate that the attorneys you consulted both gave you incorrect information. This is a sign of the quality of legal help.

It doesn't matter how you got your GC. However, it is true that it is easier to follow the 5 year route. If you follow the 3 year route, there might be more scrutiny of your marriage. So, for example, if you and your spouse lived separately for a year, that could cause you trouble if you use the 3 year route because it depends on your marriage to the US citizen. The 5 year route means you'd be independent of this, so there would be less scrutiny even if the marriage might not look genuine.

If your marriage has been (or at least looks like) a standard, happy one, and you don't want to wait, you can go for the 3 year route.
Click to expand...

I agree, it is very confusing, other two attorneys told me the opposite. My marriage is and looks very legit (as far as my concern) we had been living together since I started my asylum process, we share bank account and now we even file taxes together. In fact, we married after I had my green card, I think that's very decisive when considering whether it is or not in good faith.

On the other hand, I called USCIS and the woman could barely answer questions...is like I could do her job better so I gathered all my documents and made an infopass appointment, I hope I can get all the answers in person and go through this very smoothly.
 
So, I just had my appointment and the immigration officer said that if I started my path as an asylee, I need to wait 5 years to apply for citizenship :(
 
Was it just someone at the counter? I was given pretty poor information by such a person before, too, regarding travel with a re-entry permit/refugee travel document. These people are similar to the first level you hit when you call their number.

I guess you also haven't really searched this forum properly, because there are a LOT of posts asking this same question.

Anyway, in the end, if you're not comfortable with it, you will have to make your choice.
 
cafeconleche said:
Was it just someone at the counter? I was given pretty poor information by such a person before, too, regarding travel with a re-entry permit/refugee travel document. These people are similar to the first level you hit when you call their number.

I guess you also haven't really searched this forum properly, because there are a LOT of posts asking this same question.

Anyway, in the end, if you're not comfortable with it, you will have to make your choice.
Click to expand...

I talked to an officer (I'm assuming, the ones you have to get a number and wait for them to see you at the window) and told me this...I agree that they misled people, they have no idea what they're doing...she even told me that I can file 6 months in advance but all sources say 90 days; I even read a post from someone who claims they're application was rejected because he applied 3 days earlier than the 90 days prior to his eligibility date.

As for this forum, I haven't really found the first one claiming that they went through the same exact process (asylee to citizen through marriage) so obviously it makes me uncomfortable thinking that I'm gonna spend $600+ and lose them because it was not the time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top