nationality after 5 years in eeuu

[robediente]

hello, I am winner of dv 2009, once made the interview, and granted the visa green card. after to travel to the United States and to enter the country, one can leave that country? and to be able to decide on the nationality after 5 years? or i can to never leave the country, to decide on the nationality in 5 years?

 

[Igmu]

Of course you can leave the country.... however, if you leave for longer than 1year (without coming back to US in between), you will lose your greencard status unless you have applied for a re-entry permit before leaving the US. If you are outside the country for more than 6months several times within the first 5years, it takes longer till you can apply for citizenship, but I don't know the exact rules for that.

 

[Gerindo]

The rules is:
As a U.S Permanent Resident, you can leave and come back the U.S anytime as long you don't leave the U.S for more than 6 months straight. If you leave the U.S more than 6 months straight, you might loose your Permanent Resident status and have to re-apply for Permanent Resident. I know people who live in Europe half of a year (6 months), and the rest of the year they live in the U.S.

Once you have been a U.S Permanent Resident for at least 5 years, you can apply for U.S Citizenship. As a U.S Citizen, you can leave and come back to the U.S as long as you like.

 

[mun47]

Hi there,

Is this rule applied only main DV winner or family as a whole ??? What If we came back after entered once first time with all family and go US only myself in every 6 months. Does this way can keep survive my PR.

 

[Gerindo]

Hi there,

Is this rule applied only main DV winner or family as a whole ??? What If we came back after entered once first time with all family and go US only myself in every 6 months. Does this way can keep survive my PR.

It applies to every single person in the family, not just the main DV winner.

Every single person who hold permanent residency in the U.S must show that He/She has an intention to stay in the U.S Permanently. To show this, you must not be out from the U.S more than 6 months out of a year consecutively.

The rules apply more to how long you're out from the U.S instead of how long you're in the U.S. For example, you're a Canadian citizen but is a permanent resident in the U.S. You can go in and out the U.S to Canada every month or even every day as often as you like, as long you're not out from the U.S for more than 6 months. This is why you see a lot of people who live in Canada or Mexico but drive across the U.S border to go to work or/and take their kids to school in the U.S every day.

So, in your case, if you want to retain your U.S Permanent Resident, you and your entire family technically have to be in the U.S and not be outside the U.S more than 6 months in a year. Returning to the U.S for couple of weeks in a year to keep maintaining the Green Card will not work. If they caught you doing that, they might take away your Green Card because you failed to maintain residency in the U.S.

It is not just matter of being present in the U.S to retain the Permanent Resident, you also need to show that you have a residency ties in the U.S like owning/renting a house or apartment in the U.S, having a job in the U.S, or/and regularly paying taxes to the U.S government.

 

[robediente]

ok, then, if I get my visa2009dv, I go to the USA and I enter, after a year I want to come to my country to visit my parents, for example, by two weeks, return to the USA and thus I do annually, equal I can to the 5 years apply to nationalize me?

 

[pharunde2]

ok, then, if I get my visa2009dv, I go to the USA and I enter, after a year I want to come to my country to visit my parents, for example, by two weeks, return to the USA and thus I do annually, equal I can to the 5 years apply to nationalize me?

Yes.
As long as you spend more that 6 months per year in the US, you can apply for citizenship after 5 years!

 

[Tazmania]

I dont remember where I read it, but somewhere is written you can apply for citizenship after 5 year and the minimum time you have to be present is 2.5 years.

 

[Gerindo]

To be present in the U.S doesn't mean you can't go outside the U.S while holding a U.S Green Card. You are free to go in and out the U.S as much as you like. You are not being imprisoned in the U.S, lol! All they want is that you maintain a residency in the U.S aka make the U.S your new home. If they see that you are not making the U.S your home, your Green Card will be revoked.

You shouldn't worry too much in getting U.S Citizenship in the future. It is optional and you can always choose not to be a U.S Citizen even after 5 years of being a Permanent Resident. I know people who have been a Permanent Resident for more than 20 years because they think there is little advantage of being U.S Citizen compare to keep being a U.S Permanent Resident. This is especially true if your country doesn't recognized dual citizenship. It would be a hassle having to get a visa every time you want to go back to your home country to visit parents/family plus the restricted visiting time because of the visa.

Once you live in the U.S, you'll notice almost no difference between a U.S Permanent Resident and U.S Citizen. You'll get the same rights as a U.S Citizen as far as job, education, welfare, taxes, social security, etc. The only big difference is that you have no rights to vote for the government, you can't have a U.S Passport, and you can't sponsor your other family members to come to the U.S. The biggest advantage of having U.S Passport is that when you travel outside the U.S you're able to visit most countries in the world without applying for a visa (visa waiver for U.S Citizen).

 

[LucyMO]

and don't forget that sometimes you cannot obtain security clearance if you are an LPR. You may not get some government jobs that require US citizenship.

 

[alemitmee]

From what I have read also as a US citizen you will have a global tax liability. If you are working in a non tax treaty country you will have to file a tax return on your earnings as a USC. I will have to check out the ins and outs of it.

I have to say, I really don’t know how people can be spending more then 6 months out of the US with the miserable vacation allowance that you get in the US. I have 17days with my new job, a drop of five days!!! Although I am getting paid a good bit more, so I suppose its swings and roundabouts.

For me personally the right to vote is very important, I think its mad that people spend 20 years in a country and leave them selves with out the right to vote! I guess its just personal preference. I have never missed voting in an election here in Ireland, and feel that I owe it to all those who fought and died for democracy to get off my ass and vote on election day. I won’t be able to vote now in the USA until I get citizenship, which at best will be 2013, and the next election after that wont be till 2016!!! The idea of being undemocratically represented for the next 8 years is very disconcerting for me, but I suppose I have to earn citizenship and the right to vote, that just the way it is.