Questions & Answers

When will I be eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship?

When should EB-5 investors start counting the 5-year residency required for U.S. citizenship? Does it start from the issuance of a conditional green card or a permanent green card?

Answers

• BoBi Ahn

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on September 10, 2019

  You start calculating the five years from the date of issuance of your conditional permanent residency.

• Salvatore Picataggio

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on August 23, 2019

  CPR starts the five-year clock!

• Charles Foster

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on August 20, 2019

  One is eligible to file for U.S. citizenship after acquiring conditional lawful permanent residency through EB-5 and having resided in the U.S. for five years without departing the U.S. continuously for more than six months for a majority of that five-year period. You must also be able to pass a nominal test in American history, civics, speaking and writing in English.

• Bernard P Wolfsdorf

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on August 20, 2019

  It starts from the issuance of the conditional card, but you still have to have the removal of conditions approved before they will approve your naturalization application.

• Daniel A Zeft

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on August 20, 2019

  The required five-year period of permanent residency begins on the date when conditional permanent residency begins.

• Dale Schwartz

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on August 19, 2019

  From the date of issuance of the conditional green card.

• Phuong Le

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on August 19, 2019

  Starts with conditional permanent residency. Be wary of the requirement to have continuous presence in the U.S. too though. Basically, you must spend the majority of time in the U.S.

• Julia Roussinova

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on August 19, 2019

  From the date your conditional green card is issued, assuming you otherwise qualify.

• Ying Lu

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on August 19, 2019

  It starts from the date when your conditional residency begins.

• Lynne Feldman

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on August 19, 2019

  Yes, four years and nine months from the first resident since date on conditional green card.

• A Olusanjo Omoniyi

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on August 19, 2019

  When you obtain the conditional green card.

• Marko Issever

  EB-5 Broker Dealer

  Answered on August 19, 2019

  You start counting five years from the date you obtained your conditional green card, which is your conditional permanent residency status. That said, you still have to fulfill the continuous physical presence and residency requirement. Continuous residence means not taking any trips outside of the U.S. that last six months or longer. If you stay outside the U.S. longer than the six months, you could be deemed to have abandoned your permanent residency status unless you have obtained a re-entry permit. You also need to be physically in the United States for at least half of the five years.

• Hassan Elkhalil

  Immigration Attorney

  Answered on August 19, 2019

  It starts from the date the conditional green card is issued.