What documents do I need to attach to my N-400 if I lived overseas under military orders for long?

[Zsuzsanna]

Hi Everybody,

There is a question on form N-400 about the time spent outside the US. I was outside the US a lot during the first half of my permanent residency time because my husband was stationed overseas (I never stayed overseas for a year or more continuously though). I was wondering if I need to attach any official documents from the military to prove I was living outside the US as a military spouse due to my husband's assignment? If so, which ones and how can I obtain them? Or do I have to wait until I have absences no longer than 6 months in the past 3 years?

Thank you.

 

[Jackolantern]

Is your husband still overseas and in the military, and are you going back to join him there? If yes, you might be able to obtain expedited citizenship under section 319(b), and those prior absences won't affect you.

But if that doesn't apply, you need to prove ties to the US during those long absences. I expect that accompanying a spouse who is in the US military would be treated as having strong ties to the US. Bring the documents (orders from the military showing where he was stationed, and evidence that you accompanied him) to the interview, don't include them with the N-400.

 

[Me&Me]

Hi Everybody,

There is a question on form N-400 about the time spent outside the US. I was outside the US a lot during the first half of my permanent residency time because my husband was stationed overseas (I never stayed overseas for a year or more continuously though). I was wondering if I need to attach any official documents from the military to prove I was living outside the US as a military spouse due to my husband's assignment? If so, which ones and how can I obtain them? Or do I have to wait until I have absences no longer than 6 months in the past 3 years?

Thank you.

First of all you should write a cover letter mentioning that you are a military spouse, and you've been stationed overseas with your spouse for the last previous years. Your application should be sent to Nebraska Service Center, as it's the one which processes all the military and miltary spouses N-400 application.

Where it asks about your address for the last 5 years, write down the full addresses overseas and between Prentice Military Orders (If you were Command sponsored at your spouse's previous overseas duty stations, other wise it is a different story). It doesn't hurt to send a long your package a copy of your spouse's Command Sponsored Military Orders to the previous duty stations with your name and the DEROS highlighted.

Lastly: Your time out of the US when you are on a government orders doesn't count as a time out of the US, as the overseas assignment is considered an American soil.

Hope that was of a help to your concern.