WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today on Military Spouse Appreciation Day, U.S. Representatives Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) and Maria Salazar (FL-27) introduced the Ensuring Security for Military Spouses Act, a bipartisan effort to eliminate the 90-day state residency requirement for spouses of servicemembers on active duty who apply for naturalization.
“Military spouses are the backbone of our nation’s military, serving the nation right alongside our servicemembers,” said Rep. Strickland. “In order to ensure national security, address recruitment and retention issues, and maintain readiness, we must support green card-holding military spouses who want to become citizens.”
“Our active duty servicemembers and their families make an enormous sacrifice to keep us safe,” said Rep. Salazar. “This bill ensures fairness for the spouses of servicemen seeking U.S. citizenship by updating state residency requirements for green-card holders. In doing so, these aspiring Americans are not penalized due to the orders they receive while serving our nation.”
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) requires lawful permanent residents – i.e. green card holders – to reside for at least 90 days within the state in which they file their naturalization application. This can adversely impact military spouses, who are sometimes required to move on short notice when their servicemember spouse receives orders.
Currently, lawful permanent resident spouses of servicemembers stationed abroad are not subject to a single state residency requirement. The Ensuring Security for Military Spouses Act would create parity for spouses of active-duty servicemembers stationed at home and abroad, and provide flexibility in meeting the demands of military service and the requirements of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration policy.
The Ensuring Security for Military Spouses Act has the support of the National Immigration Forum and Minority Veterans of America.
U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. She is the Congressional Black Caucus whip, a member of the New Democrat Coalition, one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress, and the first African-American elected to represent the Pacific Northwest at the federal level.
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