It will be 2 years in May.

Sounds a little like my daughter. I presume you have to be in the US two and a half years out of 5. Do your calculations carefully...then apply as soon as you can. It's well worth getting US citizenship if you can.

Please look into getting the re-entry permit...I'm not sure if it's a different permit for students. My daughter was very upset with the off hand attitude of the IO...fortunately the next time she entered the US it was for her US citizenship interview/oath ceremony and she had the confirmation letter with her.

Thanks Jerseygirl, yep I need to wait another 3 years give or take before I'm eligible to apply to be a USC, that's assuming I don't leave the country for study etc.

I can fully understand how your daughter felt, it can be upsetting the attitude you get from the IO sometimes, at least she can put that behind her now if she is a USC!

Correct in waiting another 3 years...but out of the 5 years you have been a GC holder you only need to have spent 50% of that time in the US for citizenship.

Our daughter was fast approaching the 50/50 split so she applied.

You're welcome. I brought that up because although it's about a 5-year wait for the spouse of an LPR to get an Immigrant Visa, it will change when you become a USC - then he gets a visa number immediately available and the process is less than a year after that.

Rene

Hello again!

I've been reading about the re-entry permit and I just wondered if anyone could help with a couple of questions I have!

On the form it states

reentry permits are generally valid for two years from the date of issuance of the reentry permit. If after becoming a LPR you have been outside the U.S. for more than four of the last five years, the permit will be restricted to one year.

How does that work if I've only had my green card since May 2008? I'm wondering if it's worth it if they are only going to allow me a one year permit?

It also states that if you are outside the US for less than a year you are not required to file for a re-entry permit. So if I go to study in the UK and then say come back for the summer that in theory means that I don't need to apply for a re-entry permit, but of course getting through immigration could be a problem if an IO looks on me unfavourably.

It's starting to sound to me like you should post your question in the Immigration forum.

I think you are right! Can I move it or do I start a new thread?

Go ahead and start a new thread; write up a recap of the situation and your understanding of what you need to do + include your specific question.