One year stay with GC

jwall29@optimum

New Member
I am a naturilized citizen. My husband is a GC holder, he will be working out of the country for a year will he have any problems returning.
 
He will have big problems if he doesn't get a reentry permit.

And if he applies for citizenship, he probably will have problems if he doesn't get an approved N-470. Unless he applies for citizenship more than 2 years after returning from the trip.
 
He has to be in the US to apply. Then, he'll either have to wait for the biometrics appointment before he can leave again, or leave after applying and return for the biometrics appointment. This is for the Re-Entry Permit, which will allow him to remain outside the country for up to 2 years.
 
Thank you, where does he get a re-entry permit. He is in Japan, we don't have clue where to get that. Is that what you mean by N-470?
Being married to a US citizen, he normally would be eligible for citizenship after 3 years of having a green card. But leaving the US for a year would reset that 3 year clock, unless the continuity of residence is preserved with an approved N-470 (but the eligibility criteria are strict, so maybe he can't get it. Download the form and the instructions to check it out).

Reentry permit is a separate thing, applied for via form I-131. That allows preserving the green card for up to 2 years while outside the US. Normally, without the permit the card would become invalidated after an absence of a year. Physical presence in the US is required when the permit is filed (this includes the day USCIS received the application) and again for the fingerprint appointment a few weeks later.
 
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