Income requirements for citizenship

[resident16]

Hi All,

I have some questions regarding eligibility for US citizenship(based on 5 years of living in US on greencard, received through employment). I appreciate your comments/answers.

1) For the five years,is there any requirement for minimum income for every year? Like if say one year,one had almost zero income due to loss in business,would it be a problem?

2) Are there any minimum income guidelines like "poverty guidelines" . Should this minimum income be met every year of the last 5 years or only the latest year,applying for citizenship?

3) Tax returns- how many years of tax returns are necessary. Are three years of "tax transcripts" from IRS sufficient? Do they specifically ask for tax returns during the interview, or they only ask once in a while?

I appreciate your answers.

Thanks
Resident16

 

[bestpal]

No income requirements for citizenship. You can be homeless, no job and still qualifies citizenship if you met the conditions.

 

[hoping in 2009]

As far as the tax return question,, if you are filling under the 3 year married to a US citizen rule then yes 3 years, but if you are filling based on the 5 year rule then you should have 5 years of tax transcripts handy. No they will not always ask for them but they might and this is a case where you want to be better safe than sorry.

 

[USER2345]

No income requirements for citizenship. You can be homeless, no job and still qualifies citizenship if you met the conditions.

It's actually better to be homeless and have no income, so they won't bother with tax questions or anything else they can come up regarding your job.

 

[WBH]

USCIS won't decline citizenship because you have no income. But
if they decline your citizenship for other reasons, will they make a note
in your immigration file that this applicant is inadmissible on
public charge account. They won't deport you because public charge
is only used for admission. But if you travel overseals, you may
be denied entry when you come back

 

[Bobsmyth]

But if you travel overseals, you may
be denied entry when you come back

This is only true for trips more than 180 days outside the US. In other words, an LPR deemed to be public charge can travel as long as the necessary precautions are taken.

www.nilc.org/ciwc/ciwc_ce/pubchgce_9-22-04.PDF

 

[resident16]

Thanks BestPal,Hoping,User,WBH,Bobsymyth for your comments.

So,there is no minimum requirements for income as I understand from your comments? I thought the officer during the interview checks how one supports oneself reasonably. May be I am wrong.

Thanks
Resident16

 

[WBH]

I thought the officer during the interview checks how one supports oneself reasonably.

They do that for granting green card, not for citizenship

 

[Jackolantern]

They do that for granting green card, not for citizenship

They also do it for citizenship. They don't do it formally with an affidavit of support, but if you had no income for a long stretch of time they often will ask you to explain how you were being supported financially, and may ask for proof. They ask this because the stated lack of income is a possible indicator of illegal activities like drug dealing or stealing, or working for cash without paying taxes.

 

[WBH]

They also do it for citizenship. They don't do it formally with an affidavit of support, but if you had no income for a long stretch of time they often will ask you to explain how you were being supported financially, and may ask for proof. They ask this because the stated lack of income is a possible indicator of illegal activities like drug dealing or stealing, or working for cash without paying taxes.

That is for different purpose. Support itself is not a cteririon
for citizenship but it is a criterion for getting green card.

 

[hoping in 2009]

Op maybe you can post your worry a bit more clear to try and help you,,

you stated that in one year due to loss of business you made "almost zero income" Well you did loose a business so they should understand that.

The question is are all your 5 years with very low OR no income at all?? if this is the case then yes they may ask how you are supporting yourself and what you do for a living, then be prepared with documents that back up your story.