Those who spend more time out of US than in

[bonjour2017 15]

I see the posts all the time on different sites about the applicant wondering if they meet residency requirements for naturalization.

I don't get it. You first get a Green Card that is difficult to obtain. Then you proceed to spend more time out of the country than in by going back and forth and staying outside the country for long periods.  You want to apply for US Citizenship but you barely meet the residency requirements or the length of time actually in the US is questionable .  If I were you, I would be prepared to answer questions on why you needed to spend so much time outside of the US.

[Going through 5,671]

18 minutes ago, bonjour2017 said:

I see the posts all the time on different sites about the applicant wondering if they meet residency requirements for naturalization.

I don't get it. You first get a Green Card that is difficult to obtain. Then you proceed to spend more time out of the country than in by going back and forth and staying outside the country for long periods.  You want to apply for US Citizenship but you barely meet the residency requirements or the length of time actually in the US is questionable .  If I were you, I would be prepared to answer questions on why you needed to spend so much time outside of the US.

I figure it's chalked up to one of two things:

 

1)  The person isn't aware of the regulations/restrictions/laws surrounding their residency (green card) status.  Or they get bad info from friends/family without doing any research themselves.  There's still the belief from a lot of people that they only have to "visit the US for 1 day out of the year" to hold onto their status.

 

2)  They don't care.  Or at least, they didn't care at the time.  Now that their life circumstances have changed, they all of a sudden are applying for naturalization and now realizing they don't meet the requirements/realizing the requirements existed.

[Unlockable 7,314]

I agree with @Going through especially with #1. Cultural differences can lead to many foreigners not knowing or understanding the requirements for maintaining permanent residency.

[bonjour2017 15]

Good reasons.  

Seems like some don't really want to be a citizen, they want the protection a US passport provides in traveling. Lawyers are probably advising people to apply for citizenship to make money for them.  You can go on for years with a green card and have no travel difficulties as long as you don't stay out longer than 6 months.   If you need to travel and live outside the US for longer than 6 months, how can you establish a credible residence in the US?  

[MrHanky 1,377]

I think what the originally poster is getting at is, why are you going through this whole process to not even spend time in the country, you can do that on a tourist visa.

But I guess they maybe see it as a golden ticket

[Going through 5,671]

35 minutes ago, NuestraUnion said:

I agree with @Going through especially with #1. Cultural differences can lead to many foreigners not knowing or understanding the requirements for maintaining permanent residency.

Not just maintaining it---some don't even understand that you have to APPLY for immigration benefits at all.

I can't tell you the number of people who have been shocked to discover that I didn't "automatically become a citizen" upon my marriage.

[marcusa 31]

5 hours ago, bonjour2017 said:

I see the posts all the time on different sites about the applicant wondering if they meet residency requirements for naturalization.

I don't get it. You first get a Green Card that is difficult to obtain. Then you proceed to spend more time out of the country than in by going back and forth and staying outside the country for long periods.  You want to apply for US Citizenship but you barely meet the residency requirements or the length of time actually in the US is questionable .  If I were you, I would be prepared to answer questions on why you needed to spend so much time outside of the US.

lot of folks like this are playing games of sitting in two chairs at the same time, without strong wills to stay in the U.S. as their real home.

 

 

[bonjour2017 15]

If I were an immigration officer, I would view frequent extended absences from the US as a huge red flag; and examine the evidence closely. No doubt they are used to people trying to game the system.  

Once you get US Citizenship, you can move away if you want without time restriction. You just have to pay your taxes.

[jayjayj 571]

On 8/22/2017 at 6:14 PM, bonjour2017 said:

I see the posts all the time on different sites about the applicant wondering if they meet residency requirements for naturalization.

I don't get it. You first get a Green Card that is difficult to obtain. Then you proceed to spend more time out of the country than in by going back and forth and staying outside the country for long periods.  You want to apply for US Citizenship but you barely meet the residency requirements or the length of time actually in the US is questionable .  If I were you, I would be prepared to answer questions on why you needed to spend so much time outside of the US.

If they meet the residency requirements, then they meet the residency requirements.  If they don't, then they don't.  It isn't subjective.  So, they don't need to justify their time outside the U.S. if they meet the residency requirements.  Why do you think they should?

Edited August 29, 2017 by jayjaym

[mallafri76 1,012]

On 8/29/2017 at 0:48 AM, jayjayj said:

If they meet the residency requirements, then they meet the residency requirements.  If they don't, then they don't.  It isn't subjective.  So, they don't need to justify their time outside the U.S. if they meet the residency requirements.  Why do you think they should?

Because immigrating to the US is a benefit that should come with stricter requirements. Too many people are using and abusing the system to reap the benefits without any commitment or obligation to the US.

 

When immigrants abuse the system or treat this country and it's laws poorly, it affects all immigrants and all those who want to immigrate to the US. I immigrated to the US to be with my USC born husband and to build a life with him here. I'm grateful for the benefit I was granted by the US government and I intend to return that by being respectful of this country and contribute to its success. Immigrants who come here to abuse the system and take without giving anything back should absolutely be held accountable. 

 

US resident tax payers , and especially those who are USC by birth, have every right to question laws they don't agree with or non-citizens and non-residents who try to take advantage of them and their country. 

[MrHanky 1,377]

13 minutes ago, mallafri76 said:

Because immigrating to the US is a benefit that should come with stricter requirements. Too many people are using and abusing the system to reap the benefits without any commitment or obligation to the US.

 

When immigrants abuse the system or treat this country and it's laws poorly, it affects all immigrants and all those who want to immigrate to the US. I immigrated to the US to be with my USC born husband and to build a life with him here. I'm grateful for the benefit I was granted by the US government and I intend to return that by being respectful of this country and contribute to its success. Immigrants who come here to abuse the system and take without giving anything back should absolutely be held accountable. 

 

US resident tax payers , and especially those who are USC by birth, have every right to question laws they don't agree with or non-citizens and non-residents who try to take advantage of them and their country. 

Totally agree, I see no problem with people coming to marry, but then you see people bring over their whole families and often see them talk as if it were their right, its a burden on the tax payers, not that everyone does this, but more often than not, its not a fair exchange.

 

That's why they're looking at changing the way immigration works.

[jayjayj 571]

1 hour ago, mallafri76 said:

Because immigrating to the US is a benefit that should come with stricter requirements. Too many people are using and abusing the system to reap the benefits without any commitment or obligation to the US.

 

When immigrants abuse the system or treat this country and it's laws poorly, it affects all immigrants and all those who want to immigrate to the US. I immigrated to the US to be with my USC born husband and to build a life with him here. I'm grateful for the benefit I was granted by the US government and I intend to return that by being respectful of this country and contribute to its success. Immigrants who come here to abuse the system and take without giving anything back should absolutely be held accountable. 

 

US resident tax payers , and especially those who are USC by birth, have every right to question laws they don't agree with or non-citizens and non-residents who try to take advantage of them and their country. 

You're neither respecting the system nor respecting the laws.

 

You don't get to decide that laws should be enforced differently than they are written by Congress. That's what happens in a Banana Republic. The law is the law and in this case they meet the requirements of the law.  If Congress wanted a different law then they would have written a different law.  You don't get to decide that someone following the law isn't respecting the law or our country. That's total nonsense. 

 

What if I decide YOU should only be allowed to drive 50 miles and hour in a 55 zone? Should you follow my opinion or follow the actual law that is decided by the government?  How are you going to react the people telling you that you shouldn't take full advantage of the law and drive 55 in a 55 zone?

[Going through 5,671]

1 hour ago, mallafri76 said:

Because immigrating to the US is a benefit that should come with stricter requirements. Too many people are using and abusing the system to reap the benefits without any commitment or obligation to the US.

 

When immigrants abuse the system or treat this country and it's laws poorly, it affects all immigrants and all those who want to immigrate to the US. I immigrated to the US to be with my USC born husband and to build a life with him here. I'm grateful for the benefit I was granted by the US government and I intend to return that by being respectful of this country and contribute to its success. Immigrants who come here to abuse the system and take without giving anything back should absolutely be held accountable. 

 

US resident tax payers , and especially those who are USC by birth, have every right to question laws they don't agree with or non-citizens and non-residents who try to take advantage of them and their country. 

Those who don't reside in the United States as US Citizens still have to pay US taxes every year.  Being a "resident" tax payer doesn't make a difference in that aspect.

 

People apply for citizenship have different reasons for doing so...some want to remain and live in the US, some want to later on move back to their country part-time and have the ease of going back and forth for extended periods without any travel/work/enter restrictions.  There are some cases where divorced applicants receive their citizenship and decide to move out of the country but still have US-born children who they can visit without restriction now, and stay as long as they want in the US or visit as often as they like due to now having the right to enter the country as a USC.  Everyone becomes a citizen for different reasons.  There is no US law that states once you become a citizen you can never move out of the country or have to renounce your US citizenship if you do.

 

Those with dual citizenship automatically---does that mean, then, that they should no longer be able to reap any rights or benefits in the country they were born and raised in or lived and worked in for 30+ years?  No.  Does that mean that they are "less" of a citizen of their home country, or abusing or less committed to their home country, because they chose to live in the States at some point in their life?  Of course not.  So why would it mean that way in reverse?

[MrHanky 1,377]

3 hours ago, jayjayj said:

You're neither respecting the system nor respecting the laws.

 

You don't get to decide that laws should be enforced differently than they are written by Congress. That's what happens in a Banana Republic. The law is the law and in this case they meet the requirements of the law.  If Congress wanted a different law then they would have written a different law.  You don't get to decide that someone following the law isn't respecting the law or our country. That's total nonsense. 

 

What if I decide YOU should only be allowed to drive 50 miles and hour in a 55 zone? Should you follow my opinion or follow the actual law that is decided by the government?  How are you going to react the people telling you that you shouldn't take full advantage of the law and drive 55 in a 55 zone?

Right because we know everyone obeys the rules and regulations, that's not to say you don't and its not meant to say you're doing anything wrong, but I live in a big city and its obvious those laws aren't followed, but they're also difficult to enforce with so many people, its easy to get by them, and that's why they trying to change the laws now. There are many that unfortunately ruin it for the ones doing it the right way.

[marcusa 31]

i think, the USCIS just gives too much room and freedom  for people like this. so that they can take full advantage of this.

 TRUMP government should ask for more strict rule preventing people from jumping around. the residency days should be adjusted to higher number.