Resettlement status to US citizenship questions

T

toro45

Registered Users (C)
I am a permanent resident via resettlement status. I moved to the US in 2000 but didn't apply for my permanent residency till mid 2009. I need to apply for my US citizenship ASAP so I can in turn apply for my fiancee's permanent residency... I have the following questions:
1. Is this feasible?
2. Will I be applying for the US citizenship using the N-400 or do I need another form.
3. If using N-400, what do I need to put down for my eligibility?

Thanks for your anticipated responses
 
You need to be a permanent resident for 5 years. Those 5 years are counted from the "resident from" date printed on your green card.
 
toro45 said:
I am a permanent resident via resettlement status. I moved to the US in 2000 but didn't apply for my permanent residency till mid 2009. I need to apply for my US citizenship ASAP so I can in turn apply for my fiancee's permanent residency... I have the following questions:
1. Is this feasible?
2. Will I be applying for the US citizenship using the N-400 or do I need another form.
3. If using N-400, what do I need to put down for my eligibility?

Thanks for your anticipated responses
Click to expand...

By "resettlement status" I think you are saying that you were granted admission as a "refugee". A refugee is eligible to file a greencard after one year in the U.S. When a refugee is granted a greencard, the actual date of admission will be used as the "resident since" date on the greencard. Do the math and if all else is OK, you can file an N-400 now.
 
BigJoe5 said:
When a refugee is granted a greencard, the actual date of admission will be used as the "resident since" date on the greencard. Do the math and if all else is OK, you can file an N-400 now.
Click to expand...

So even though a refugee delayed applying for AOS until 2009 (in this case 8 years after they became eligible to apply), they would still backdate the green card all the way to 2000? I thought they only backdated it by one year.
 
Jackolantern said:
So even though a refugee delayed applying for AOS until 2009 (in this case 8 years after they became eligible to apply), they would still backdate the green card all the way to 2000? I thought they only backdated it by one year.
Click to expand...

As I remember, there is a different between asylees and refugees in this regard: someone who was granted asylum status gets their "resident since" date backdated by one year, but if someone was admitted as a refugee, they get their "resident since" date on the green card backdated to the date of admission as a refugee.

This document (from 2006) mentions this rule explicitly for the refugees (Question 8 on p. 2):
http://cliniclegal.org/sites/default/files/USCISHQ_meeting_Nov2006_0.pdf
 
Jackolantern said:
So even though a refugee delayed applying for AOS until 2009 (in this case 8 years after they became eligible to apply), they would still backdate the green card all the way to 2000? I thought they only backdated it by one year.
Click to expand...

8 CFR has two different sections addressing these two categories:

§209.1 Adjustment of status of refugees.

§209.2 Adjustment of status of alien granted asylum.
 
But as a refugee you are REQUIRED to apply I believe within one year while an asylee its basically your choice.
 
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