HI. I'm a US resident and my fiance is Colombian. We are planning on getting married and then moving to Colombia until i can become a US citizen because we are told the process would be too long if i we apply with me being just a resident. What worries me now is that we need to find a co-sponsor since i won't be filling taxes in the time i'll be living in Colombia. Those are the plans so far. I'm working in the Sates right now until i can save enough for the wedding next March. But I don't know if me living in Colombia could become an issue in my process of becoming a US Citizen.
Does any one have a better idea of what we could do? Maybe apply right now even as a resident? Help please this is very confusing!

It is best to post your questions only once so all replies are in one thread.... If your question is not getting answered, we can move it to a better forum... Be patient and give the VJ members time to answer.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...p;#entry1912516

Since you're a legal permanent resident you will not be able to be outside the United States for more than 12 months; but in all honesty, the POE Immigration officers will most likely give you a hard time coming back if it's been more than 6 months.

Now if you're going to set up residence in Colombia, that will give Immigration the idea that you prefer to live in Colombia rather than live in the US and your petition for citizenship might be denied. I don't intend for this to sound like a sermon but being a legal permanent resident in the US is a privilage and Immigration authorities want you to respect that, that is why they want you to reside in the US.

For now you will have to apply for US citizenship if you haven't done so already and that may take up to a year. After that, you can file a petition for either a CR1 or K3 visa for your spouse which can take another year.

But if you want to keep your US residency and become a citizen, the best thing is not to reside in a different country.

Diana

You have to live in the US to apply for US Citizenship.

Probably quickest route would be to get Citizenship asap and then apply. No harm applying as a PR, but 5 plus year wait and you have to maintain US Residency.

1. You have to be a US resident to apply for US citizenship. You are not a US resident if you live in Colombia. However, you can maintain your US residency since you have no intention of immigrating to Colombia and can show that your stay was temporary.

2. Legal Permanent Resident (LPR - greencard holder) must file a US tax return on income earned anywhere in the world even when they are not present in the US. In your case, you will need to file a US tax return on your Colombian income.

5 plus years = temporary?

There's a limit to how much time you spend outside the US when applying for naturalization and you have to be living in the US when you apply. The best thing to do is apply for naturalization as soon as possible. It can take as little as a few months, but sometimes takes well over a year. I've been in precisely the same situation myself once before.