I got my permanent Green Card last year after my I-829 was approved. However, for personal reasons, I must remain outside the U.S. for extended periods. I applied for an I-131 Reentry permit and got it for two years. While I have my I-131, I intend to make regular trips out of the U.S., with each stay outside the US being less than 180 days. I have my investments and house in the U.S., pay my taxes, etc., to ensure that I have complied with all my responsibilities as a Green card holder. Does getting I-131 impact my Naturalization process, i.e., will it be considered a break in continuous residence even though every trip outside is less than 180 days? Do I need to show my I-131 to CBP officials at the Port of Entry every time I re-enter the U.S. within the next two years or only if I enquired about the reason for my extended stay outside?
Answers
Dennis Tristani
Find EB-5 Visa Lawyers: Immigration Attorneys DirectoryTraveling outside the U.S. can affect your naturalization process if it impacts your continuous residence or physical presence requirements, which are key eligibility criteria for U.S. citizenship.
Yuliya Veremiyenko-Campos
Find EB-5 Visa Lawyers: Immigration Attorneys DirectoryAn extended trip abroad while in a green card status may delay your eligibility for naturalization. A reentry permit helps you avoid the abandonment of your green card. A trip abroad that is less than six months will not by itself disrupt continuous residence for the purposes of naturalization. However, USCIS will examine all trips you took during the five years preceding your application. Also, you need to meet the physical presence requirement, which is 30 months over the five years immediately preceding the date of filing of your naturalization application.
Lynne Feldman
Find EB-5 Visa Lawyers: Immigration Attorneys DirectoryAs long as you have half of the time physically in the U.S. (looking back five years from the date of naturalization filing) and no breaks greater than 180 days then Reentry Permit won’t interrupt your naturalization eligibility date to file.
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