Quote:
Originally Posted by BIZC8
I'm seriously contemplating relocating to DR due to a business opportunity there. My concern is with the restrictions the US Immigration & Naturalization Service places on permanent residents being out of the US for longer than six months. Are there any special exemptions for permanent residents married to US citizens that relocate out of the US for work or business related purposes? Can she apply for US Citizenship from the DR while residing there?
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I'm talking from my own experience here - I 'swopped' my US Green Card for an unlimited entry visa. As I qualify for citizenship without a doubt, this did not cause me to 'give up' any rights to citizenship that I have through marriage and family. The US consulate (not in the DR) was patient and helped me through the procedure in order to maintain my rights, as well as not 'mess up the documentation'. My choice was to go through the US residency and citizenship procedure again if I ever wanted to live there, or to make peace with the INS (they've changed and is now part of Homeland Security or something). I decided to make peace with them and it was actually not too painful and worked out well. I must say that documents are in order, relationships and family are long-standing and well documented. So, they don't have a problem with letting me back and I don't have a problem with them. Yes, you can apply for citizenship while residing in the DR, but you have to adhere to the 6 months residency requirement and of course be available for interviews.