Indiana University
⇒ Student & Scholar Advising ⇒ Faculty, Staff, & Visitors ⇒ Permanent Residence ⇒ Assignment abroad by Indiana University – preserving your permanent residence for naturalization purposes
Assignment abroad by Indiana University – preserving your permanent residence for naturalization purposes
Generally, applicants for naturalization must reside in the United States for five years (three years if qualifying under the citizen-spouse exemption) immediately preceding the date of filing an application for naturalization. Additionally, naturalization applicants are required to have been physically present in the United States for at least 30 months of those five years (18 months if eligible under the citizen-spouse exemption).
Permanent residents who remain outside the United States for more than one uninterrupted year will disrupt their naturalization residence requirement, unless they are the beneficiaries of an approved Form N-470.
You should use Form N-470 if you are a permanent resident who will be absent from the United States for more than one year due to qualifying employment and you want to preserve your residence for naturalization purposes
Please note that in most cases you must have been physically present and residing in the United States for an uninterrupted period, without any absences whatsoever, for at least one year after your admission as a lawful permanent resident before you can file a Form N-470.
In addition, you must submit the Form N-470 to USCIS before you have been absent from the United States for a continuous period of one year unless you are filing under the provisions for clergy, missionary, brother, nun or sister of a religious denomination or interdenominational mission organization.
Qualifying employment:
- On behalf of the U. S. Government.
- For the purpose of carrying on scientific research on behalf of an American institution of research.
- For the purpose of engaging in the development of foreign trade and commerce of the United States on behalf of an American firm or corporation or a subsidiary thereof.
- Necessary for the protection of property rights outside the United States of an American firm or corporation engaged in the development of foreign trade and commerce of the United States.
- On behalf of a public international organization of which the United States is a member.
- Solely because of your capacity as a clergyman or clergywoman, missionary, brother, nun or sister of a denomination or mission, having a bona fide organization in the United States.
Because Indiana University, including all of its campuses, has been recognized by the Attorney General as an American institution of research, a non-immigrant employee who spends time abroad carrying on scientific research on behalf of IU may file the N-470 petition. If the N-470 is approved, the time abroad will count as part of the physical presence time required for naturalization.
NOTE: Filing a Form N-470 does not relieve a permanent resident from obtaining a reentry permit, in advance of trips outside the United States for a year or more, nor does it relieve the applicant from the naturalization law's physical presence requirement.
Spouses of US citizens assigned abroad.
There is a separate provision allowing some naturalization applicant whose U.S. citizen spouse is employed outside the United States to have the residency requirements entirely waived. This provision may apply to spouses of U.S. citizen employees of Indiana University doing scientific research overseas for IU for at least a year according to an employment contract or order. [Section 319 of the Immigration and Nationality Act]
