Minimo

26 minutes ago, AK_2014 said:

Agree that a one-year program may be easier to pull off than a two-year program.

 

Our experience, for what it's worth: My wife (LPR at the time) accompanied me (USC) abroad during my research year (~11 months), with about three or four trips to the US during that time so she could speak at conferences, etc. She did get a re-entry permit, but did not end up being out of the US for more than 180 days at any one stretch due to her several trips back. We maintained bank accounts, credit cards, a car and both of our full-time student statuses at a US institution (she was also a doctoral student past coursework), but we gave up our apartment in the US. Also, being European, she did not need to apply for any sort of residence permit for the European country in which I was doing research. We didn't know how any of this would fly when her naturalization window opened (the $720 gamble mentioned above!), but in the end all the officer was interested in was that she had been here more than 50% of the time and wasn't away more than 180 days in a single trip.

 

However, as I mentioned, she didn't need to apply for a foreign residence permit/student visa or anything of the sort. You probably do. That changes things in terms of relative ties abroad vs. to the US during that period?

 

If you do study in this program, even if it sets back your eventual naturalization timeline, have a wonderful & fruitful time!

Thanks for your reply! What you mention regarding the 50% of the time pertains to the physical presence requirement, which establishes that out of the 5 years, the LPR must have lived physically in the US for at least 2 and half years, while keeping trips under 6 months (continuous residency). This is why I believe that my plan should work.

Did the officer say whether the re-entry permit was really needed? I've done a lot of research and met with USCIS at my local office, and they said that I really wouldn't need the re-entry permit, given that I would return at the end of each academic semester (every 4-5 months), and have US ties and the such, and the re-entry permit is only helpful to prevent abandonment, for people that have been out of the country for over a year (continuously).

I'd like to continue hearing from people that have been in similar situations, or studied abroad! I believe this case should really be common.

Greetings,

I plan to study abroad in Europe for 1-2 years to obtain a master's degree. I want to preserve my continuous residency, so that I may apply for naturalization by the time I am done with my master's, and I reach my 5 year mark as an LPR. I am not an European national. I have lived in the US for 3 years already as an LPR. I will have immediate family members (my mother) living in my home in the US, to which I will return before every 6 months, at the end of every semester. I will preserve my US employment, and work remotely while abroad, pay taxes as a US resident, and preserve my US address as my domicile. I will carry documentation (US ID, bank statements, student enrollment abroad) with me at all times when I exit and leave the US, and carry this to my naturalization interview as well.

Are there any other obstacles that I would face doing this? Would this plan work? If not, what would I need to do differently to be able to apply for naturalization by 2021?

Thank you

Greetings, 

I plan to go to Europe to do a master's abroad for 2 years since it is significantly cheaper there. I am not an EU national. I have lived in the US for almost 3 years now (2 years and 8 months or so to be precise). I have only left for brief travel for a total of 63 days during these years. I want to be able to apply for naturalization as soon as my masters is done and I return permanently back to the US; I know this can have some issues for the physical residency and continuous residency requirements.

My questions are, based on my knowledge on the issue: Will I have any issues arise if I come back to the US as soon as each semester is done (before the 6 months mark)? Will I be able to apply for citizenship and not have any issues arise with my residency, as long as I preserve US domicile, file taxes, etc?