Shub

Alrighty then, thanks!

I also know it's OK to move an unlimited number of times *after* filing one's application for naturalization (you could even move to a totally different part of the country) 😅 But as mentioned up top, the law requires someone who is planning to file for naturalization to have resided "within the State or within the district of the Service in which the applicant filed the application for at least three months", and this is reiterated in the CFR and the USCIS PM. So knowing this, what I'm trying to figure out is, for example, someone lives in Philadelphia, then moves to Pittsburgh, then immediately files for naturalization without waiting 3 months. Both cities are in the same state, but they're in different USCIS districts. Would that person be OK because they remained within the same state despite changing districts, or would their application be denied because they moved to a new USCIS district and didn't reside there for 3 months before filing?

I'm not sure what you mean by "jurisdiction districts" in this case, sorry. AFAIK Rhode Island only has one field office near Providence and all residents of Rhode Island are in that field office's jurisdiction? Right, I know that; in your case, you stayed within the same USCIS district, so even though you ended up in a different state, I know that's no problem. Sorry if my question wasn't clear initially, my question is more about what happens if you move within one state but change USCIS districts (as in my example, Philly->Pittsburgh, both locations are in PA but different USCIS offices). In other words, if you moved from Philly to Cleveland, you'd be changing both your state and your USCIS field office. I know that would prevent you from applying for naturalization. But for a long time I've thought that changing USCIS offices while staying in the same state would pose the same problem. So my question is whether staying in the same state while changing USCIS office is acceptable when it comes to naturalization's 3-month jurisdiction/residency requirement. Thanks for the feedback. I know some USCIS districts cross state lines so I'm not really concerned with that, and I know it's no problem if you move within one service district even if crossing state lines. I was more curious specifically about one's eligibility in a situation like my example where someone remains in the same state but crosses from one USCIS district to another.

The text of the policy manual, the CFR and the INA have always read ambiguously to me. I'm sure it's clear to a jurist/immigration lawyer who knows how this is applied in reality. Here's what they say: INA 316(a): 8 CFR 316.2(a)(5): USCIS policy manual: It sounds simple but the fact that it says "state or service district" is confusing to me. So practically speaking, let's use a state that has multiple service districts such as Pennsylvania, and let's say someone lives in Philadelphia and moves to Pittsburgh. Same state, different service district. Then they file for naturalization without waiting 3 months after moving. Are they OK because they stayed within the same state despite changing service districts, or are they not OK because they changed service districts despite staying in the same state? Been debating this elsewhere so came here hoping for a clear answer. I always thought moving service districts (even within the same state) was grounds for a denial. Please don't speculate if you're not sure, although this is just a theoretical question for my own knowledge. Thanks!