<p>Sorry I’m posting this question here, but I thought that parents would have the most knowledge in answering this question. So, thank you so much in advance!</p>
<p>On the uscis.gov website it said that it’s 5 years for almost everyone except shorter (3 years) for those who are in the military and those who are already married to a citizen of the US, but I was reading an article about about the path to citizenship and it said that it was shorter if you are a political refugee. The only thing was, the article is from Wikipedia ([United</a> States Permanent Resident Card) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“Green card - Wikipedia)%5DUnited”>Green card - Wikipedia)).
I have call the USCIS, and the guy there (who talks like a robot) said that he can’t find anything about it.
I know it’s only Wikipedia, but it gave my hopes up! I’ve live in the United States for 8 years now and is American as the next guy but unfortunately some events promted me to apply late. I only became a Permanent Resident (green card) in 2004. I really would like to become a citizen by the end of this year…kinda bummed out I can’t vote in the 2008 Election, but I also don’t want to wait another year.
Should I just listen to the robot guy and silently wait or is there really a shorter path to becoming a citizen if you are a political refugee?
THANK YOU SO MUCH!</p>
<p>It is a good thing you called USCIS. I would not trust Wikipedia on any legal issues. I’d go with the advice given by the “robot guy” or consult a lawyer experienced in immigration issues.
Sorry to rain on your parade, but even if you were eligible to apply right now, you would not be able to vote in November. It takes way more than 4-5 months for the paperwork to go through, according to my friends. Have you looked on the Citizenship page of the USCIS website? Here is the page talking about special cases:</p>
<p>I do not see anything in here about refugees. If you send in your paperwork and do not follow the rules, your petition most likely will be denied, you will waste an awful lot of money on the application fee, and you might have a harder time re-applying.
BTW, this is your Naturalization “Bible”. Page 18 has a table summarizing eligibility criteria.</p>
<p>for my family it was within a time frame of 5 years (when we first enter the US on a green card) we have to stay for a culmilated time span of 3 years without too long periods of absences to certify citizenship.</p>
<p>Thank you, BB for the research!
I really appreciate that! </p>
<p>I wasn’t expecting to vote for the November election but was hoping I could become one between December and January. Waiting five years mean I won’t be a citizen until probably the middle of 2010. That would make it 10 years…wow. </p>
<p>Athenegoddess-- are you also a politcal refugee? I don’t think I’ve heard of immigrants having green card before coming into the US. </p>
<p>How much would it cost to hire a lawyer? I’m really thinking about one but afraid it might be futile and just cost more money. </p>
<p>What date is your green card has? It should be “Permanet resident since …” or something like this. So it has to be 5 years from this date, but not from date you got it (GK), for some people it is the same, for others are not.</p>
<p>uh, not political refugee. I got mine after coming to America. I should have clarified: there was a waiting period, but i’m pretty sure that they put the time i entered the US as the time of entry on the green card. Sorry if im not doing such a great job of explaining…</p>
<p>As I recall, there are two different dates listed on the Permanent Residency card: the date you entered the US and the date you became a PR (date of your “adjustment of status”). The countdown of the 5-year PR requirement begins on the latter date.</p>
<p>The attorney fees for citizenship application process could be upwards of $5K, but the real number depends on how complicated your process is going to be (if you had drug convictions, DUIs, etc.). Most folks I know filled out their own paperwork with a little help form their friends. It is not that complicated, as I recall. You do need to account for every absence from the US (dates left/returned), so keep your passports, tickets, e-mail confirmations of iteineraries, etc.</p>