Travel outside of USA

[nixkg 0]

Hi

On the naturalization application, do I need to put Hawaii (I know that Hawaii is considered part of the USA) as a country that I have traveled to outside of the USA?

How about Puerto Rico?

Thanks

[arvinb 17]

Neither of those are countries at all. Hawaii is a state, Puerto Rico is a territory. They're both part of the United States. Your passport wasn't stamped when you went to those places. Personally if I saw you put those down as countries in your N400 I'd deny it on the basis that clearly you don't know your US geography

[JB007 4]

Countries and territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands etc. need to be counted for, says on the N400 form (part 7).

[arvinb 17]

Countries and territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands etc. need to be counted for, says on the N400 form (part 7).

I stand corrected on the Puerto Rico part. Looks like I dont know my geography either

[Dave&Roza 748]

Countries and territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands etc. need to be counted for, says on the N400 form (part 7).

I can understand Puerto Rico being counted as it states "including trips to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean" , but I would still argue that it is part of the US and therefore you have not left the US. To my mind, leaving the US requires going thru and re-entry thru passport control. But I do not see where it states anything about territories in part 7 of the instructions. Not that it will be an issue for us, yet, but I want to make certain I get this part correct when the time comes. Where does it state that Guam and the Virigin Islands are to be counted? I did see where you make your check payable to a different payee if you live in Guam or the USVI, but nothing about counting trip there.

Dave

[Coho 1]

Hi

On the naturalization application, do I need to put Hawaii (I know that Hawaii is considered part of the USA) as a country that I have traveled to outside of the USA?

How about Puerto Rico?

Thanks

Puerto Ricao is one of the five major territories, which is a self governing piece of land under the authority of US Govt. US territories are not states, but they do have representation in Congress.

Each territory sends one delegate to the House of representative. People living in American Samoa are considered US nationals whereas those living in the remaining four territories(Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands,Guam and Northern Mariana Islands) are US Citizens. Citizens of the territories can vote in primary election for president, but they CANNOT vote in the General elections for president..

Hence one can conclude that days spent in the territories should not be considered as days of absence from US. You do not require any travel documents to visit these places when visiting from mainland.

Edited October 31, 2012 by Coho

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

I went to a vacation to the USVI for 2 weeks before becoming a US citizen. We stopped at Puerto Rico and spend a fraction of a day on one of the British Virgin Islands (hell on Earth . . . 100+ degrees and NO air conditioning anywhere). At my N-400 interview I had entered "0" as the days I had spent outside the United States since becoming a Green Card holder. The I.O. and I talked casually about Puerto Rico and the trip to the B.V.I. and zero it was. Those trips are not trips that count as being outside the United States of America.

[Lainie B 465]

Puerto Ricao is one of the five major territories, which is a self governing piece of land under the authority of US Govt. US territories are not states, but they do have representation in Congress.

Each territory sends one delegate to the House of representative. People living in American Samoa are considered US nationals whereas those living in the remaining four territories(Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands,Guam and Northern Mariana Islands) are US Citizens. Citizens of the territories can vote in primary election for president, but they CANNOT vote in the General elections for president..

Hence one can conclude that days spent in the territories should not be considered as days of absence from US. You do not require any travel documents to visit these places when visiting from mainland.

American Samoa, while being a US territory, does has its own immigration system, it is not under the INA, and if you go there you are leaving the US for the purposes of immigration.

[Coho 1]

American Samoa, while being a US territory, does has its own immigration system, it is not under the INA, and if you go there you are leaving the US for the purposes of immigration.

The contents of my message on the "Territories" is quoted verbatim from the booklet " Learn about the US - Quick Civics lessons for the Naturalization Test "

issued by USCIS. I picked up the book when I went for my FP. The book has civics questions and answers with detailed explanation and has an audio CD insert too.

[JohnR! 5,495]

Hi

On the naturalization application, do I need to put Hawaii (I know that Hawaii is considered part of the USA) as a country that I have traveled to outside of the USA?

How about Puerto Rico?

Thanks

You need not mention either. Hawaii - and Alaska for that matter - are as part of the US as are any other of the lower 48. While Puerto Rico is not a state it is still part of the US, and travel to/from PR is deemed domestic.

[Lainie B 465]

The contents of my message on the "Territories" is quoted verbatim from the booklet " Learn about the US - Quick Civics lessons for the Naturalization Test "

issued by USCIS. I picked up the book when I went for my FP. The book has civics questions and answers with detailed explanation and has an audio CD insert too.

My reply was just to clarify the immigration situation with American Samoa. It is a US territory, but it is still not covered by US immigration, and you definitely need travel documents to go there from the mainland, and when you leave American Samoa and arrive in Hawaii you must pass through US immigration and "enter" the US. It is unique in the US territories that it has its own immigration system separate to the US. The Northern Mariana Islands had there own too until 2009.

Whether that means you "left" the US when you go to American Samoa is not clear.

Edited November 1, 2012 by Lainie B

[nixkg 0]

Countries and territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands etc. need to be counted for, says on the N400 form (part 7).

Thank you for your response. I will certainly check the form more carefully as to countries that are counted.

[coloso 6]

yes they belong to US, Puerto rico along with the virgin island are territory of this land and Hawaii I believe is the 50th state...