Q: Does not spending a full 6 months in the country with residency status affect my ability to take the us citizenship?
I would like to take the test in Spanish it requires 50 years of age and 20 years in the country with permanent residence status. I have been here for 23 years with permanent residency but my first 5 years I used to spend less the 6 months in the country because of educational schooling back in my native born country. Would that 5 year period affect my ability to take the us citizenship test in Spanish?
A:
Based on the information you provided, spending less than 6 months per year in the United States during your first 5 years as a permanent resident should not affect your eligibility to take the U.S. citizenship test in Spanish, as long as you meet the other requirements.
To be eligible for the Spanish-language test exemption, you must:
1. Be 50 years old or older at the time of filing for naturalization.
2. Have lived in the United States as a permanent resident (green card holder) for at least 20 years.
It is important to note that the 20 years of permanent residence do not need to be continuous. As long as you have maintained your permanent resident status and meet the age requirement, you should be eligible for the Spanish-language test.
However, it is always best to consult with an immigration attorney or contact the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) directly to confirm your eligibility and ensure that you meet all the necessary requirements for naturalization.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
