[RizaBayoglu34]

Hi,

I am living in the United States and have a Green card. I have recently booked a trip to Colombia for a week to explore the country for recreation. My friend told me that he heard about some people facing hardship when they applied for US citizenship in the past since they traveled to Colombia and had to prove that they were not involved in any criminal activity while traveling there. Their applications were either delayed or rejected. In the future, I am planning to apply for US citizenship as well. I am wondering if my travel there will negatively affect my application and what can I do to minimize the risk. I was not able to get any advice from USCIS (immigration bureau) as you can't talk to them on the phone or email them. I wanted to check here if anyone knows anything. Thank you.

Riza

 

[twostep]

And your friend knows that based on what?
You can either go on the trip or not. Of course it will reset your time in country for your naturalization application.

 

[RizaBayoglu34]

And your friend knows that based on what?
You can either go on the trip or not. Of course it will reset your time in country for your naturalization application.

His friends experience this, unfortunately. What did you mean with reset my time in the country exactly? Thank you.

 

[Moulard]

What did you mean with reset my time in the country exactly?

There is a requirement for continuous residence and physical presence in the United States...

• If you have been a permanent resident for 5 or more years, you must be physically present in the US for three months prior to applying and must have spent no more than 30 months outside of the country in the last 5 years (with certain limited exceptions for government employees, being onboard a US registered vessel, or performing ministerial type functions
• If you have been a permanent resident for 3-5 years then you must not have been out of the country for 18 months or more but strangely the 3 month requirement does not appear to exist.

Their could well be other in-country requirements after application too.. but not having been through the process I don't really know.

Start here...

10 Steps to Naturalization | USCIS

Understanding the Process of Becoming a U.S. Citizen In this section, you will find a general description of the naturalization application process. Before you apply, be

www.uscis.gov

 

[twostep]

Your friend's friends stories.
Continuous Residence and Physical Presence Requirements for Naturalization | USCIS

 

[RizaBayoglu34]

Your friend's friends stories.
Continuous Residence and Physical Presence Requirements for Naturalization | USCIS

Thank you. This information was very useful. I understand that traveling abroad for a few weeks will not bother the condition for continuous residence. So, it does not seem like this traveling will reset my time in the country.

 

[Anitatraveloutside]

If you plan to travel alone to Colombia, the ability of a US citizen to apply for citizenship will not be affected, however, certain actions or circumstances in Colombia could potentially affect the application process. For example, if a US citizen in Colombia engages in criminal activity, this may negatively affect their ability to apply for citizenship. It is always best to contact an immigration attorney or an official government immigration agency for specific guidance.

 

[twostep]

Why would a US citizen apply for citizenship?

 

[Crawford]

Why would a US citizen apply for citizenship?

The OP has a green card..... he's only intending to vacation for a week in Colombia.

 

[twostep]

Crawford please rea post #7.

 

[Crawford]

Crawford please rea post #7.

I have. The OP is a Green Card holder and is planning to apply for US citizenship.
He wants to go to Colombia for a week's vacation. He has heard stories of people having problems when applying for US citizenship because they have been to Colombia.
He could either go to Colombia after he has his US citizenship or, if going before his citizenship, go with a travel group or makes sure he does not get involved in anything suspicious if going alone. Plenty of articles promoting tours in Colombia for vacation; and a week out of the US will have no affect on his application.

 

[twostep]

How does a citizen apply for citizenship? "...the ability of a US citizen to apply for citizenship will not be affected, ..."

 

[Bevdeforges]

OK, let's stop bickering over details here. The very first post on this thread starts out:

I am living in the United States and have a Green card.

It's not that unusual for someone writing in a foreign language (to them) to use the wrong word for the context. (And I can state this from experience!)

 

[RizaBayoglu34]

Thank you all! I have decided to take this trip to Colombia.

 

[Talako]

As long as you don't do anything stupid, then no problem. Just note that you will have to wait three months after you return home to file for your citizenship:

"In addition, applicants are required to show they have resided for at least three months immediately preceding the filing of Form N-400 in the USCIS district or state where the applicant claims to have residency (See 8 CFR §316.2(a)(5) & §319.1(a)(5))."

Continuous Residence and Physical Presence Requirements for Naturalization | USCIS