Hey there!
Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this (apologies for the wall of text)!
Now, my case seems to be a bit tricky:
When I was a Junior in high school, my dad bailed on us and left my mom and me with no income. She managed to sustain us on money she had saved in Brazil until I graduated high school (May 2012).
I was an honor roll student, so I got a full ride scholarship to my state university and, because of our financial situation, a full Pell Grant, so college for me is basically free.
However, there was absolutely no way we could stay in the country. Her funds were depleted. My brother was working at Target at the time and his girlfriend was pregnant. My mom doesn't speak English and I wouldn't be able to balance a full-time, minimum wage job and be a full-time student.
Since I didn't want to turn my back on my education (I knew I'd never be able to get into a Brazilian university as I can just barely read/write in Portuguese), I found out my school had an online college program and transferred to it. When I went to Brazil, I continued studying at my university, but online.
We were planning on somehow scraping money together and returning once a year for a month or two, hopeful that, by the time I received my degree, either I would have secured a job in the US or that my brother's financial situation would have gotten better.
Unfortunately, when we made our first trip back (June 2013--after almost 10 months in Brazil), the immigration officer threatened to take our green cards away, saying that if we do so again, it would have become clear that we abandoned our intent to reside in the US.
We immediately filed for a Re-Entry Permits, but I just found out that, if I am able to prove to USCIS that I never abandoned my residency, I could actually gain my US citizenship.
Here's my timeline (I'm now 19):
-Born in Brazil
-Came to US when I was 6, returned to Brazil when I was 8.
-Returned to the US at 11.
-Received green card at 13 (March 2008).
-Left US at 18 (September 2012)
-Returned June 2013 (almost 10 months out of the country).
Some extra facts:
-My grandmother who lives in Brazil has Alzheimer's and a few months after we arrived, my grandfather's heart condition worsened; they are now both completely dependent on others. Luckily for them, while my mom was there, she was able to take care of them (she'd spend about 8 hours Mon-Sat with them). My mom will NOT be applying for citizenship as she has to return to Brazil ASAP to continue taking care of them.
-While there, I found out I had a rare neuro-muscular disease called Myasthenia Gravis. I had to go to the doctor several times for him to monitor my progress.
-My mom did not file a tax return for 2012 because our income, both in Brazil and in the US, totaled $0.
-We always kept our addresses updated to wherever my brother was living.
-I have a car, but it's in my dad's name.
-I kept a semi-active bank account while in Brazil. I also have Netflix and Hulu Plus.
-Our tickets to Brazil were roundtrip.
-I will be staying with my brother and his family while I apply, as he's found a better job. However, I will have to go back to Brazil either with a Re-Entry Permit or (hopefully) US citizenship in hand.
Question time:
1) Do you believe there's a good chance that I'll get my citizenship? If so, what documents should I submit to prove my continuous residency?
2) Do my grandparents' condition or my disease help my case at all?
3) Should I try to not bring up any of these topics?
If you have any suggestions/comments to add, please feel free to do so. Again, thank you so much!
Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this (apologies for the wall of text)!
Now, my case seems to be a bit tricky:
When I was a Junior in high school, my dad bailed on us and left my mom and me with no income. She managed to sustain us on money she had saved in Brazil until I graduated high school (May 2012).
I was an honor roll student, so I got a full ride scholarship to my state university and, because of our financial situation, a full Pell Grant, so college for me is basically free.
However, there was absolutely no way we could stay in the country. Her funds were depleted. My brother was working at Target at the time and his girlfriend was pregnant. My mom doesn't speak English and I wouldn't be able to balance a full-time, minimum wage job and be a full-time student.
Since I didn't want to turn my back on my education (I knew I'd never be able to get into a Brazilian university as I can just barely read/write in Portuguese), I found out my school had an online college program and transferred to it. When I went to Brazil, I continued studying at my university, but online.
We were planning on somehow scraping money together and returning once a year for a month or two, hopeful that, by the time I received my degree, either I would have secured a job in the US or that my brother's financial situation would have gotten better.
Unfortunately, when we made our first trip back (June 2013--after almost 10 months in Brazil), the immigration officer threatened to take our green cards away, saying that if we do so again, it would have become clear that we abandoned our intent to reside in the US.
We immediately filed for a Re-Entry Permits, but I just found out that, if I am able to prove to USCIS that I never abandoned my residency, I could actually gain my US citizenship.
Here's my timeline (I'm now 19):
-Born in Brazil
-Came to US when I was 6, returned to Brazil when I was 8.
-Returned to the US at 11.
-Received green card at 13 (March 2008).
-Left US at 18 (September 2012)
-Returned June 2013 (almost 10 months out of the country).
Some extra facts:
-My grandmother who lives in Brazil has Alzheimer's and a few months after we arrived, my grandfather's heart condition worsened; they are now both completely dependent on others. Luckily for them, while my mom was there, she was able to take care of them (she'd spend about 8 hours Mon-Sat with them). My mom will NOT be applying for citizenship as she has to return to Brazil ASAP to continue taking care of them.
-While there, I found out I had a rare neuro-muscular disease called Myasthenia Gravis. I had to go to the doctor several times for him to monitor my progress.
-My mom did not file a tax return for 2012 because our income, both in Brazil and in the US, totaled $0.
-We always kept our addresses updated to wherever my brother was living.
-I have a car, but it's in my dad's name.
-I kept a semi-active bank account while in Brazil. I also have Netflix and Hulu Plus.
-Our tickets to Brazil were roundtrip.
-I will be staying with my brother and his family while I apply, as he's found a better job. However, I will have to go back to Brazil either with a Re-Entry Permit or (hopefully) US citizenship in hand.
Question time:
1) Do you believe there's a good chance that I'll get my citizenship? If so, what documents should I submit to prove my continuous residency?
2) Do my grandparents' condition or my disease help my case at all?
3) Should I try to not bring up any of these topics?
If you have any suggestions/comments to add, please feel free to do so. Again, thank you so much!