Filing under 3 year rule but don't live with each other

[317935 0]

Hi all,

I became a permanent resident in 2012 and removed the conditions in 2014. Right now, I am eligible to apply for citizenship under 3 year rule. However, I currently don't live with my wife. Since 09/2014, I moved to a different city (~350 miles away) to attend professional school. We debated a lot whether my wife should go with me or not but we decided my wife would stay because her parents need someone to help out and take care of them (we lived with her parents at that time). Since then, we have been so busy with everything but I was able to visit home like 3 times in a short period of time. We just exchange texts sometimes.

My question is, will the fact that we don't live together at one address affect my citizenship application process? A friend told me we could wait until we could apply under 5 year rule (we will most likely still apart) and that can be easier, but I am not sure. Applying under 3 year rule will be faster but riskier, from what I see.

We have a joint bank account and we have been filing taxes jointly. Since I moved, I still haven't change my address on my driver license because housing contract limits me for 2 years and I have to find another place until i finish my program so I decide to save myself the trouble of changing addresses.

I'm looking forward to inputs from you all. Feel free to ask anything, I'll do my best to clarify.

Thanks.

[Penguin_ie 5,984]

If there is no urgent need for you to become a US citizen, such as wanting to petition family or needing to live abroad for a long time, I would wait for 5 years, as then it will not matter whether you live together.

You can try for it now, but you are supposed to be "living in marital union: to file after 3 years, and you will certainly be asked about why you do not live together and, it sounds like you only had three short visits with your wife in 10 months, that is extremely unusual for a bonafide marriage.

[JimmyHou 610]

I agree with the previous comment. I would guess that your interview could go either way... I've read cases like yours where the applicant was approved and cases where the applicant was denied. At the very least you can expect a lot of questions unless you get a really lax interviewer. If I were you I would apply under the five year rule.