Is it worth it to be a US citizen now?

[nastra30 1,968]

6 hours ago, Dantrolene said:

I don't owe anything.  I mean the regulations and laws would be strict on citizens more than residents? Or all tested the same?

The regulations are applied equally for both. Don't mess with uncle Sam.

Edited February 16, 2019 by nastra30

[Unidentified 2,930]

13 hours ago, Dantrolene said:

I just got my permanent GC for 10 yrs. Should I apply for citizenship or not yet ?  Is it helpful to be US citizen if I want to live amd work some time overseas ? Is it gonna yield more taxes vs. being just a resident ?  Pros and cons  please ? Other than being able to vote. 

 

 Appreciate all thoughts. 

7

If you don't intend to live here then why have either? If you intend to be out of the country for more than a year then you can, theoretically, lose your residency unless you apply for a returning resident visa. 

 

The whole "live and work sometimes overseas" is currently my nr 1 reason for applying for citizenship as soon as my green card has been approved. My husband has so far had to say no to two job opportunities abroad because we don't want to risk having to go through the immigration process once we decide to come back. Both opportunities would mean we'd be away for 2 years then come back. 

 

Taxes is the least of my concern. 

[Sarah&Facundo 576]

The biggest reason for my waiting for my husband is to become is to leave lol. He hates the US and I am not a big fan either. However, there are many opportunities to work online and remotely as a US citizen which is a plus. I currently work online and make USD no matter where I am, including spending time in my husband's country. US dollar goes pretty far in my husband's home country or wherever else we may choose to travel and live later on. 

As for taxes, you need to claim your earnings but  you won't necessarily owe anything if you spend 330 days outside of the US per year and make more than something upwards of $90k

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

6 hours ago, JFH said:

Jury duty. That’s one of my reasons for taking citizenship later this year. I’m fascinated with legal process. 

😂 my good friend was looking forward to this when she became a citizen. Luckily for her she was on a trial last year. I don’t know any citizens who look forward to jury duty except for her lol 

[Redheadguy03 505]

5 minutes ago, Sarah&Facundo said:

The biggest reason for my waiting for my husband is to become is to leave lol. He hates the US and I am not a big fan either. However, there are many opportunities to work online and remotely as a US citizen which is a plus. I currently work online and make USD no matter where I am, including spending time in my husband's country. US dollar goes pretty far in my husband's home country or wherever else we may choose to travel and live later on. 

As for taxes, you need to claim your earnings but  you won't necessarily owe anything if you spend 330 days outside of the US per year and make more than something upwards of $90k

What exactly are you guys doing for work if you don't mind me asking? 

[Sarah&Facundo 576]

8 minutes ago, Redheadguy03 said:

What exactly are you guys doing for work if you don't mind me asking? 

I work with a company that provides English education to children in China. He is working here, but he is studying coding and programming in college right now in hopes to work with app development and...other tech things that I am not too familiar with.

Edited February 16, 2019 by Sarah&Facundo

[Dantrolene 15]

14 minutes ago, Sarah&Facundo said:

The biggest reason for my waiting for my husband is to become is to leave lol. He hates the US and I am not a big fan either. However, there are many opportunities to work online and remotely as a US citizen which is a plus. I currently work online and make USD no matter where I am, including spending time in my husband's country. US dollar goes pretty far in my husband's home country or wherever else we may choose to travel and live later on. 

As for taxes, you need to claim your earnings but  you won't necessarily owe anything if you spend 330 days outside of the US per year and make more than something upwards of $90k

Hey Sarah..thanks for clarifying the benefits of working overseas while being a US citizen. I am sure it's appreciated in some countries.  So not to owe anything for taxes, you have to live overseas for 330 days and make less or more than $90k a year ?  Is that a personal experience or you heard and read it on the internet? 

[Sarah&Facundo 576]

12 minutes ago, Dantrolene said:

Hey Sarah..thanks for clarifying the benefits of working overseas while being a US citizen. I am sure it's appreciated in some countries.  So not to owe anything for taxes, you have to live overseas for 330 days and make less or more than $90k a year ?  Is that a personal experience or you heard and read it on the internet? 

I work with an accountant who specializes in handling taxes for people who work abroad. Because I typically do spend more than 35 days in the US per year especially now with my K1 husband, I haven't been able to fully utilize this myself, although I know people who have. I have used it partially. Anyway, it is right on the IRS website. And I apologize for saying $90k because I did not realize they raised the cap. it is now a little over $100k. 

 

All the information is stated right here on the IRS site. I would highly recommend using an accountant if you ever go this route in the future just to make sure you have all the details done absolutely correctly if it is your first time.

 

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/foreign-earned-income-exclusion

Edited February 16, 2019 by Sarah&Facundo

[bestluck 71]

 

14 hours ago, Dantrolene said:

I just got my permanent GC for 10 yrs. Should I apply for citizenship or not yet ?  Is it helpful to be US citizen if I want to live amd work some time overseas ? Is it gonna yield more taxes vs. being just a resident ?  Pros and cons  please ? Other than being able to vote. 

 

 Appreciate all thoughts. 

 If you are eligible for a  U.S. passport and are free to travel abroad as often and for as long as you would like. You will generally have no problem reentering the United States because you are now a citizen of this great nation

Edited February 16, 2019 by bestluck

[millefleur 5,035]

2 hours ago, Dantrolene said:

That's interesting.  What if someone is already a citizen and then acquired health problems or become alcoholic or committed a felony or crime, do they revoke their citizenship too?  

There are multiple circumstances under which US citizenship can be revoked:

 

https://www.uscis.gov/policymanual/HTML/PolicyManual-Volume12-PartL-Chapter2.html

[Going through 5,668]

Just keep in mind that USCIS fees for the N400 are only always going to go up....so that's another thing to take into consideration if you're sitting on the fence.

 

One of the reasons that prompted me to finally go for citizenship after being a LPR for 10 years was that the fee for renewing the GC and the N400 was pretty comparable by the time my GC was set to expire...otherwise I was planning on just renewing my GC for another decade.  At least I could finally divorce USCIS, instead of continuing to hand over money to them.

[NikLR 13,220]

There are pros and cons. Mostly the pros outweigh the cons.  But in the end it's a personal decision. 

[bigjailerman 318]

16 hours ago, Dantrolene said:

I agree with you when it comes to travel benefits and easy to return...but the taxation part is the only thing that is bothering me. Why should i pay double taxes ?  I am not sure if being just a US resident will be treated the same as a citizen when it comes to paying taxes while working abroad. Any accurate data ? 

As far as I know, if another country taxes worldwide assets and income, it doesn't matter where you are a citizen from. UNLESS the country has a tax agreement in place. If anyone asks me, they're is no choice to even think about it, being  a US Citizen is the top of the mountain. 

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

2 hours ago, Going through said:

 

One of the reasons that prompted me to finally go for citizenship after being a LPR for 10 years was that the fee for renewing the GC and the N400 was pretty comparable by the time my GC was set to expire...otherwise I was planning on just renewing my GC for another decade.  At least I could finally divorce USCIS, instead of continuing to hand over money to them.

This.

 

And being able to work on military bases nearby.

 

I'd love to move abroad, but my husband isn't having it. So, we're stuck in America.  😂

 

[geowrian 22,335]

13 hours ago, Dantrolene said:

 Since it's the same when it comes to reporting and paying taxes. Is there any restrictions by being a citizen from the government or worldwide when it comes to laws and child support and alimony etc ? 

Child support, alimony, etc. are civil matters not influenced by citizenship or immigration status.

 

11 hours ago, Dantrolene said:

What is that jury duty all about folks ? Is it a good or a bad thing ?  If I got selected, should i go for it or no ? My files is in healthcare which is completely far from the jury stuff.

It can be either...some people love it and others try to avoid it like the plague.

If selected and you don't have an eligible reason for being excluded, then you must serve. It is a duty of any US citizen. You may or may not actually be selected for any case, though.

 

11 hours ago, Dantrolene said:

For foreign taxes..making less than $100k a year is a tax exempt.

If eligible* There are restrictions on who can claim the Foreign Income Tax Exclusion (FEIE). I suggest looking at the details to ensure you don't end up with an unexpected tax bill.

The Foreign Tax Credit (FTC) can potentially apply to avoid double taxation - effectively just paying the higher of whatever country you owe tax to.