GC to Citizenship

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dsulemankhan

New Member
My parents got USA Green Card in 2001 and since then they have been living in USA for a year and outside USA for the next year (consecutive i year in US an 1 year in Pak). I mean they live in USA for a year and then in Pak for a year and so on. They have been like 4 times to USA so far. Can they apply for citizenship now? If not, what should they do? currently, they are in Pakistan and going USA in Jan-Feb 2013.
 
To be eligible, during the last 5 years they need to meet the following requirements:

1. Continuous residence requirement: This in general means that there is no trip longer than 6 months each. If there are trips longer than 6 months but shorter than 1 year, they need to provide evidence of proof to ties to the US like paid taxes, mortgage/lease/bank statements etc.

2. Physical presence requirement: They need to be at least 2.5 years (913 days) physically present in the US.

From your post, it looks like your parents could satisfy the physical presence, but given their travel pattern, the officer will most likely doubt the continuous residence and their intend to live in the US. So if they want to naturalize soon, they would need to cut their trips shorter than 6 months each and establish their ties in the US (if they have not already done so). Once they meet both requirements above they can apply.
 
nwctzn said:
To be eligible, during the last 5 years they need to meet the following requirements:

1. Continuous residence requirement: This in general means that there is no trip longer than 6 months each. If there are trips longer than 6 months but shorter than 1 year, they need to provide evidence of proof to ties to the US like paid taxes, mortgage/lease/bank statements etc.

2. Physical presence requirement: They need to be at least 2.5 years (913 days) physically present in the US.

From your post, it looks like your parents could satisfy the physical presence, but given their travel pattern, the officer will most likely doubt the continuous residence and their intend to live in the US. So if they want to naturalize soon, they would need to cut their trips shorter than 6 months each and establish their ties in the US (if they have not already done so). Once they meet both requirements above they can apply.
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Thanks for the reply.... They lived for a year in USA ans spent less than year in Pakistan consecutively for the last ten years. So, they have lived there for around 6 years after green card in the last ten years but not consecutively. they dont live more than one year consecutively in US. Their trips to pakistan are like 11 months. Do they have to live for 2.5 years in USA in one go? or they can leave US for a shorter than 6 months time..??

Moreover, there stay here in Pakistan was mainly due to their dependent kids (my younger sister).... Does that provide them the excuse for not having a consecutive stay (meaning more than 6 months stay, outside US). ??
 
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What matters most is their travel history in the past 5 years.

In the past 5 years, how much time have they spent inside the US? They need at least 2.5 years total in the US in the past 5 years to meet the physical presence requirement.

In the past 5 years, how many trips outside the US of 6 months or more? The longer the trips and the greater the number of long trips, the lower their chances of approval.

Depending on those answers and other facts, they might be eligible to apply next year, or they might have to wait until 2017.
 
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why would they? green card allow them to stay out for one year and law is law. they USCIS doesnt take things personally.
 
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