AC21 & Job Change Issues during Naturalization?

[edt370a 3]

I am hoping that knowledgeable forum members like JimmyHou might be able to advise me on this :-)

OK, so I applied for a GC under EB2 category while working at University A. University A was the sponsor listed on my I-140 approval notice.

Three years later I changed employers to University B. Since this happened more than 6 months after my I-485 AOS petition was pending, my lawyer sent USCIS a letter informing them that I was changing employers invoking AC21 provisions, and that my new job was identical to the old one.

Two years after that I got my GC. No RFE was sent by USCIS asking me to verify my employment status, so I am assuming they got my lawyer's AC21 letter (above) and were OK with it.

Five years after receiving my GC I changed employers from University B to University C, where I am currently employed. Once again, new job is pretty much identical to the old one.

My question is, will any of this cause issues with my naturalization process? People say an EB GC holder is supposed to still be working for one's original GC petitioning employer when he applies for naturalization, but in my case as I said I invoked AC21 to change employers long before I even received my GC, not to mention I once again changed employers this year...

[NancyNguyen 1,657]

Not a problem once you are a green card holder.

[dchamero 6]

No, not a problem. Once you are a green card holder, you can change, nowhere it says that you have to keep working for the same employer until you are naturalized...

Now, having said that, it is very advisable to at least keep working for some time (like at least 6 months) for the sponsoring company, but you worked with the same employer for 5 years!! so I don't see any issue at all (besides you are on the same field of work).

I, for instance, also had an employment based GC, and after working for some time at my sponsoring company, I started working on my own (I am self employed) as a contractor (working on the same field, but just as a consultant), Now, my sponsor became my client, but that is just a detail and when I had my naturalization interview, the agent doing the interview did not ask me anything... he just saw that I was self employed, he asked me in what field I was working, and that's it.

Of course, every interviewer is different, and sometimes when they see something peculiar in your file they might want to dig a little more, but again, I don't see any issue in your situation.

[edt370a 3]

No, not a problem. Once you are a green card holder, you can change, nowhere it says that you have to keep working for the same employer until you are naturalized...

Now, having said that, it is very advisable to at least keep working for some time (like at least 6 months) for the sponsoring company, but you worked with the same employer for 5 years!! so I don't see any issue at all (besides you are on the same field of work).

I, for instance, also had an employment based GC, and after working for some time at my sponsoring company, I started working on my own (I am self employed) as a contractor (working on the same field, but just as a consultant), Now, my sponsor became my client, but that is just a detail and when I had my naturalization interview, the agent doing the interview did not ask me anything... he just saw that I was self employed, he asked me in what field I was working, and that's it.

Of course, every interviewer is different, and sometimes when they see something peculiar in your file they might want to dig a little more, but again, I don't see any issue in your situation.

Thank you dchamero for your very enlightening response and example ... hopefully everything will go well!!!