Leave USA after submiitting I-400

[butlertl 0]

I am eligible to apply for Naturalization at the end of July based on three years (minus 90 days) residency and being married to an American citizen. Once I have submitted my application can I then leave the country using my Green Card to go back and forth and work temporarily in Canada. I would of course return for the Naturalization Interview and Swearing in Ceremony. Do I have stay in the USA between the time I submit the I-400 application and the time I am sworn in as a US Citizen? Is there a residency requirement after I have submitted my I-400 Application?

[lucyrich 20]

You can leave after submitting the N-400, just as you could have left before sending it in.

When you go for your interview, you'll again have to meet the physical presence and continuous residence requirements, as listed in the M-476 guide to naturalization. So be sure you don't abandon status, and be sure that your total time outside the US won't total more than 18 months in the past three years (or 30 months in the past 5 years if not applying based on the three years married to and living with a US Citizen). Also, keep a record of your travel dates and bring it to your interview, so that the officer can verify you still meet the requirements.

[Lovepuppy 0]

You can leave after submitting the N-400, just as you could have left before sending it in.

When you go for your interview, you'll again have to meet the physical presence and continuous residence requirements, as listed in the M-476 guide to naturalization. So be sure you don't abandon status, and be sure that your total time outside the US won't total more than 18 months in the past three years (or 30 months in the past 5 years if not applying based on the three years married to and living with a US Citizen). Also, keep a record of your travel dates and bring it to your interview, so that the officer can verify you still meet the requirements.

Hi, Lucyrich:

by saying keep a record of travel dates did you mean all the travels made in the past or the records after N400 sumbitted? Because i don't have all my travel records, when I submitted my N400 I checked the stamps on my passport to find out the dates.... if this gonna be a problem when I go to interview? Thanks^^

[misterscn 0]

You can leave after submitting the N-400, just as you could have left before sending it in.

When you go for your interview, you'll again have to meet the physical presence and continuous residence requirements, as listed in the M-476 guide to naturalization. So be sure you don't abandon status, and be sure that your total time outside the US won't total more than 18 months in the past three years (or 30 months in the past 5 years if not applying based on the three years married to and living with a US Citizen). Also, keep a record of your travel dates and bring it to your interview, so that the officer can verify you still meet the requirements.

Hi, Lucyrich:

by saying keep a record of travel dates did you mean all the travels made in the past or the records after N400 sumbitted? Because i don't have all my travel records, when I submitted my N400 I checked the stamps on my passport to find out the dates.... if this gonna be a problem when I go to interview? Thanks^^

My wife recently had her interview and one of the things the USCIS agent did was to look through her passport and verify that she did not make any additional trips outside the US other than those listed on the N400. There is a section of the N400 that will ask you to provide all trips outside the US, including day trips across the border since the time you arrived in the US. The agent also asked if she had made any additional trips since she filed her paperwork. So if you have not done so, keep a good record of the times you leave the US for a foreign land, even if it is just a quick jaunt across the northern or southern border. There is a good chance you will be asked.

[warlord 73]

I am eligible to apply for Naturalization at the end of July based on three years (minus 90 days) residency and being married to an American citizen. Once I have submitted my application can I then leave the country using my Green Card to go back and forth and work temporarily in Canada. I would of course return for the Naturalization Interview and Swearing in Ceremony. Do I have stay in the USA between the time I submit the I-400 application and the time I am sworn in as a US Citizen? Is there a residency requirement after I have submitted my I-400 Application?

You do realize that even temporarily working outside of the US will cause possible problems in the interview as you're not really demonstrating US residency. Foreign employment is always view negatively. Make sure you husbad still remains in the US and you still own your home etc. Also remember that that time you are away in Canada will still count towards your continous residency, so you really need to watch that.

But you really need to look into foreign employment like that, since that can cause some problems for you at your interview...

[lucyrich 20]

You can leave after submitting the N-400, just as you could have left before sending it in.

When you go for your interview, you'll again have to meet the physical presence and continuous residence requirements, as listed in the M-476 guide to naturalization. So be sure you don't abandon status, and be sure that your total time outside the US won't total more than 18 months in the past three years (or 30 months in the past 5 years if not applying based on the three years married to and living with a US Citizen). Also, keep a record of your travel dates and bring it to your interview, so that the officer can verify you still meet the requirements.

Hi, Lucyrich:

by saying keep a record of travel dates did you mean all the travels made in the past or the records after N400 sumbitted? Because i don't have all my travel records, when I submitted my N400 I checked the stamps on my passport to find out the dates.... if this gonna be a problem when I go to interview? Thanks^^

I'm not sure I understand the question. If you have stamps in your passport, the stamps ARE records of the dates. You don't need additional evidence, though it won't hurt to have it available.

OP was talking about visiting Canada, where you don't necessarily get a stamp in your passport.

Regardless, you can't go back in time and generate records that don't exist now. My suggestion was merely to record all dates of travel from now on. If nothing else, write them down on a sheet of paper somewhere.

The situation you really want to avoid is them coming up with a record of your passport being swiped at a border on a date when you said you didn't travel. While it could be an innocent mistake, it might arouse suspicion that you're not telling them the whole truth about all your travels, which can't be good.

[butlertl 0]

Thank you so much to everyone for your replies. I have now started a list of all trips outside US in a WORD file. I went through my Passport and recorded the stamped dates and also through my calendar and through my e-mail to see flight confirmation e-mails. When I fill out the N-400 application now at end of July I'll be able to refer to this list and hopefully it will be easier than trying to remember. Thanks!!!!!