Fraternity-Testvériség, 1960 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1960-12-01 / 12. szám
FRATERNITY 7 WILL MY VISIT TO THE OLD COUNTRY DELAY MY NATURALIZATION? Question: I came to the United States on an immigration visa six years ago. Six months after my arrival, my mother, who had remained in the old country, was taken ill. I arrived and stayed a year, at the end of which she died. I then returned to the United States and have been here ever since. Am I eligible for naturalization? Answer: You will have to wait a little longer before you can apply for naturalization. The law requires that you must have resided continuously within the United States for at least five years immediately preceding the date on which your petition is filed and also that during that period you must have been physically present in the United States for periods totaling at least half of that time. You meet this last requirement, but not the former, since absence from the United States for a year or more breaks the continuity of your residence. While the law provides for certain exceptions, your visit to your mother is not among them. You will therefore have to count your five years of residence from the date of your return.. Information about this and other questions dealing with naturalization is contained in "How to Become a Citizen of the United States", a book published by the American Council for Nationalities Service. Copies at $1.00 each may be obtained from the Council at 20 West 40th Street, New York 18, N. Y.
