Question details
You stated : "The Form N-470 must be filed before the person departs from the United States except religious workers who may apply before or after departure, or after return to the United States. The religious workers are not required to have lived in the United States for a specific period of time prior to the filing of N-470. Similar exception is granted to alien members of the U.S. Armed Forces. In such cases the LPR employee who filed N-470 is considered physically present in the US during such employment abroad and does not need a reentry permit."<br>
Does that mean a religious worker does not have to spend a full one uninterrupted year of physical presence in the US? If a religious worker can apply any time and once approved, all time spent outside of the US will be counted towards his naturalization qualification, it means that religious worker doesn't need to be physically present for a full year at any time prior to applying for his/her citizenship, correct?
The law says:
1. Generally, you must have been physically present and residing in the United States for an uninterrupted period, without any absences, for at least one year after your admission as a lawful permanent resident before you can file Form N-470.
2. You do not have to be in the United States to file Form N-470, but you must file it before you have been absent from the United States for a continuous period of one year.
FAQ Transcript
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First of all I just want to thank you to Rajiv, Vijay and everyone else in the office that has been with me throughout the journey. They have been very professional, efficient and reliable. Rajiv has been so quick in replying emails to me every time I have any questions and I really appreciate it. Sometimes unexpected situations came up and the way Rajiv addressed and handled such issues made me feel extremely grateful that he was there. His calm spirit and the way he talks just make me feel like there are no existing problems, just situations, which can always be fixed. I remember when I asked my sister why she chose this law firm (she introduced Rajiv’s law firm to me), she said that when she first met with Rajiv, he just gave her this vibe that everything will be alright and that he seemed really kind (and he is), compared to other lawyers that she has met before.
I also would like to thank you Vijay from the bottom of my heart because Vijay has been extremely patient and nice to me. I have been working with Vijay since the beginning of my application and he has always been there for me whenever I need. Even though I bugged him a million times via phones/emails, he is still very patient and kind to me and helps guiding me with all the GC paperwork. So thank you Vijay for your complete support during this journey.
My timeline for the EB3 Green Card is as followed:
Jan 24 - Filing I-140 & I-485 concurrently (I-140 is premium processing)
Jan 26 – Application received
Feb 7 – I-140 approval notice
Feb 19 - Fingerprint notice
Feb 28 – Fingerprint Appointment
Mar 28 – EAD/AP card approved
April 20 – Interview notice
May 21 – Interview day
May 24 – Case was approved
Again, thank you so much to Rajiv, Vijay and everyone who has been handling my case from the start to finish. You guys are the best and I would highly recommend Rajiv and his team without any hesitation in regards to any immigration cases.