Question:
I am a gc holder (obtained through my company). If I quit my present
job, would it affect my naturalization ? How early can one apply for
naturalization.
Answer:
It depends on the type of your immigrant petition. If you got it through
extraordinary abilities or exceptional abilities/national interest waiver,
you need to work in the same field for some time (about 2 months is required,
about 1 year is recommended). Other types of green card through employment
assume working the same time limit in the same company. Quitting earlier will
affect your green card status (disqualify it), and you will loose your right
for naturalization, as only green card holders can naturalize.
5 years after getting green card minus 3 months. 3 years minus 3 months for
those married to US citizens or for those who served in US army for certain
amount of time.
"It depends."
The normal period of residence required for naturalization is five years.
Nothing requires you to stay with your current company. However, if you
change jobs right away it may raise the inference of fraud. The advice I
usually give is, the longer you stay, the less compelling the reasons for
departure need to be if the issue comes up.
Dale Schwartz posted a comprehensive article on this subject to the group last
year. Look around for it if you have access to a public news archive.
MEP: Only if you quit so soon after becoming a permanent resident as to
bring into question whether you really intended to work for them on an
indefinite basis when you became a permanent resident. While there is no
set amount of time you must stay with your sponsoring employer to
overcome such a suspicion, certainly six months after becoming a
permanent resident would be more than sufficient.
No. Once you get a Green Card you are free to live and work in the
United States. However, if a Green Card is employment-based, obtained
through a company's petition, it is expected that the Green Card holder
will stay and work for that company for a reasonable length of time.
Reasonable length of time is a very debatable phrase, which means
different things to different people, however. In other words, to get a
Green Card based on one employer's petition and then jump to another
employer may be seen as an abuse of the system.
You are eligible after 5 years, but you can apply after 4 years, nine
months.
