• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Gardner & Mendoza, PC

Award Winning Immigration Law Firm

Call Now To Schedule Your Consultation (757) 464-9224
Email Us info@gmlaw.net

Main navigation

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Attorneys
      • John Gardner
      • Radlyn Mendoza
      • Sarah K.F. Lollar
      • Domini Samson
    • Our Star Staff
    • Job Openings
  • What We Do
    • Marriage & Fiance Visas
    • Family Visas
      • Petition For Your Family Members/Form 1-130
      • R-1 Visas
      • Investor Visas/EB-5
      • Power of Attorney (POA)
    • Military Immigration
    • Citizenship & Naturalization
    • Green Card Renewal
    • Business Immigration
    • DACA
    • Criminal Immigration
      • Marriage Fraud
    • See All Immigration Services
  • Information
    • National Visa Center & Consular Processing
      • Processing Times
    • Newsletters
    • Immigration Video Library
    • Immigration Blog
    • Different Immigration Visas & Forms
    • Photo & Video Gallery
    • Pay Your Bill
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • En Espanol
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Our Attorneys
      • John Gardner
      • Radlyn Mendoza
      • Sarah K.F. Lollar
      • Domini Samson
    • Our Star Staff
    • Job Openings
  • What We Do
    • Marriage & Fiance Visas
    • Family Visas
      • Petition For Your Family Members/Form 1-130
      • R-1 Visas
      • Investor Visas/EB-5
      • Power of Attorney (POA)
    • Military Immigration
    • Citizenship & Naturalization
    • Green Card Renewal
    • Business Immigration
    • DACA
    • Criminal Immigration
      • Marriage Fraud
    • See All Immigration Services
  • Information
    • National Visa Center & Consular Processing
      • Processing Times
    • Newsletters
    • Immigration Video Library
    • Immigration Blog
    • Different Immigration Visas & Forms
    • Photo & Video Gallery
    • Pay Your Bill
  • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • En Espanol
Call
Contact
Blog

N-470, Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes

People seeking citizenship must meet a raft of requirements. One of these is to live in the United States continuously for at least five years as a green card holder

People seeking citizenship must meet a raft of requirements. One of these is to live in the United States continuously for at least five years as a green card holder. In certain cases, a long, employment-related period outside the United States may not jeopardize your citizenship application.

You should have been present in the country for at least 30 months of those five years – or at least 18 months when the applicant is married to a U.S citizen.

If you are a green card holder who leaves the country for “certain employment purposes” for a year or longer you may not harm your citizenship application if you complete Form N-470.

The term “certain employment purposes” is vague but the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) provides definitions. Your immigration lawyer can also tell you if you are eligible to preserve residence by submitting N-470.

USCIS lists “certain employment services” as the following but the list is not exhaustive. It includes:

  1. Working for the U.S, government.
  2. Working for an entity that USCIS recognizes as an American institution of research. USCIS provides a list of universities and other schools.
  3. A U.S. firm, a corporation, or a subsidiary is involved in expanding the nation’s commerce and foreign trade.
  4. A U.S. company involved in the protection of the United States’ property rights abroad.
  5. An international public organization that the U.S. is a member of under statute or treaty.
  6. A mission or a denomination that boasts a bona fide organization within the United States. The permanent resident should be a religious worker.

You may file N-470 if you have lived for at least a year in the United States as a permanent resident without interruption. Fill in N-470 if you know you will be out of the country for at least a year.

You do not have to file N-470 from within the United States, but you must file it before you have been out of the country for a continuous year. The filing fee for N-470 is $355.

Your Virginia Beach immigration lawyer can tell you if you need to file N-470, Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes, and whether you meet the employment criteria.

Back to All Forms & Visa Explanations >

Primary Sidebar

Get Help Now

Contact Us

Practice Areas


  • Family Immigration

  • Citizenship &
    Naturalization

  • Military Immigration

  • Business Immigration

  • DACA


  • Processing Times

  • Other Immigration

Testimonials

Well, hard to believe… job done! I’m frank to admit I had no idea that it would be so involved compared to 10 years ago when I did the renewal myself. Happily I was fortunate enough to find the best people to help get it done this time. When I was a working stiff it was mostly as a field guy in sales & marketing. High tech communication in those days was a pay phone in customers’ lobbies, so someone back in the office skilled in dealing w/problems was absolutely essential when I couldn’t be contacted. Most of those who supported me that way were good at what they did, some were outstanding. None were better than you!! This tedious & sometimes worrisome process would have been unbearable without your keeping it, & me, on track. So we want to extend our thanks to you and Radlyn. Hoping for Gardner & Mendoza to continue the good work for many years to come. - Anonymous
Gardner and Mendoza Law Firm is a great law firm no matter what kind of situation you may be in! For example I had court today, John Gardner, my attorney represented me today and got the charged dismissed totally the first time we both appeared in front of the judge in Virginia Beach Traffic Court. He uses every bit of knowledge he can to help you get the best results!! He also works very well with Latinos! They have a Spanish speaking person in their office at all times!! - Sebastian
My husband and I had a great experience with Mrs. Mendoza. She provided excellent information and a sense of urgency with every step of our immigration process. Her team was always supportive in getting us the information we needed throughout the whole process. This legal firm also treats their clients with the highest levels of respect. In all of Virginia I would say that the Gardener & Mendoza team is the best recommendation for same sex immigration cases and for immigration cases in general. It was a pleasure to work with them. - Anonymous
I Highly Recommend Radlyn Mendoza, An Excellent Immigration Lawyer. My wife and I were very worried about my wife’s immigration and legal status. We were quite impressed with Attorney Mendoza during our initial consultation. She proved to be a smart, knowledgeable, and very capable immigration attorney. She and her staff were very helpful and responsive to all of our requests. Kudos to her and staff, especially Leesa, for successfully handling our case. Thanks for a job well done. - Thomas and Cheong W.
My daughter received a reckless driving ticket going 60 in a 35 mph zone, so understandably, I was very concerned. In court, Mr. Gardner was able to get the reckless driving charge and ticket completely dismissed due to his knowledge of what the police officer had to present in court. Mr. Gardner was a familiar face to the judge and the clerks in the Virginia Beach courthouse. When we contacted John Gardner’s office at Gardner & Mendoza, he and his staff made us feel comfortable by explaining the whole process to us. His track record and the reviews online helped make the decision to choose Mr. Gardner over other attorneys easy. I highly recommend Mr. Gardner. He gave us peace of mind and won the case too! - Michelle

Recent Posts

  • Government Launches US Pilot Program for Stamping H-1B and L-1 Visas 
  • Non-Cash Benefits Are No Longer a Bar to Visas Under New Rules
View More Posts

Footer 1

Get Help Now

Please fill out the short form below & we’ll tell you how we can help.

Footer 2

Contact Us

Gardner & Mendoza, P.C.
909 First Colonial Rd., Suite 100
Virginia Beach, VA 23454
  • 757-464-9224
  • 757-561-0999
  • info@gmlaw.net
Speak To a Lawyer Today :

Our main law office is conveniently located in the Hilltop section of Virginia Beach, near Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital and Oceana Naval Base. See law office locations.

Job Openings

Footer 3

Our Lawyers

  • John Gardner
  • Radlyn Mendoza
  • Sarah K.F. Lollar
  • Domini Samson

Our Services

  • Change of Status
  • Family Immigration
  • Citizenship & Naturalization
  • Military Immigration
  • Business Immigration
  • DACA
  • Processing Times
  • All Immigration

Footer 4

Facebook Pagelike Widget

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Footer 5

Accepted Payment Methods

© 2023 Gardner & Mendoza, P.C. | All rights reserved | Disclaimer