Unemployment and Removal of Conditions

[Ycats 24]

Good Day! I hope all are well. So recently my husband and I were able to buy our first house. We will be moving across country to another state and currently do not have jobs there but do have money to sustain ourselves for a little bit. (We are not concerned about finding jobs, we both have degrees and experience and don't think we will have a problem). But, in the mean time, I will leave work next week and he has already left work. Would it be okay to collect unemployment during the moving phases of our journey up until we find a job, or will that show as a big no-no when it comes to our removal of of conditions? Would it also matter when he applies for citizenship next year. 

 

Side question, if we don't finish the permanent resident yet (still in the waiting phases) can he still apply for citizenship next year, I think according to our timelines, he should be at the stage where he can apply for citizenship by then. 

[carmel34 3,633]

I-751 is about the bona fide marriage relationship.  There are no financial requirements other than to show co-mingling, so you will be fine if you have lots of evidence since the date of marriage until filing the I-751.  Same for the N-400, no financial requirements like adjustment of status, no I-864.  So the period of unemployment will not be a problem at all.  Yes, you can file the N-400 while the I-751 is still pending, as they are taking 1-2 years to adjudicate I-751s these days, many do this and end up with a combo interview for both.  Good luck!

Edited July 7, 2021 by carmel34

[iy2020 118]

If I’m not mistaken, collecting unemployment is only possible when you are let go or fired from a job, not when you voluntarily leave. So you might want to double-check if you’d be elegible for it to begin with. But if you were, it would not impact his ROC or naturalization processes.

[Crazy Cat 41,886]

Agree.  

1.  There is no public charge consideration for Removal of Conditions or Naturalization.

2.  Unemployment Insurance is not a public benefit.  It is insurance paid by the individual employer/employee.

Edited July 7, 2021 by Lucky Cat

[arken 4,197]

Collecting unemployment will have no effect on ROC or N400 processing. Voluntary relocation won't qualify for unemployment benefits imo.

[JeanneAdil 6,510]

NJ benefits for unemployment are as follows:

Unemployment Insurance benefits are meant for people who lose their job “through no fault of their own,” such as an employer’s lack of work or a layoff due to downsizing. If you voluntarily quit your job for reasons that were not work-related, or you were terminated for misconduct, your eligibility will need to be reviewed.

 

and you will not be eligible   for benefits from the state you are moving to "as not worked in that state"