How an Absence Can Affect One’s Naturalization Application
An absence from the U.S. can affect one's ability to naturalize in a myriad of ways. We will discuss the different ways in which an absence from the U.S. can affect a client's naturalization application, including the effect upon his or her continuous residence, physical presence, abandonment of residence, and removability. We will discuss the law, important cases, and hypothetical cases.
Eric Cohen has been with the ILRC since 1988, and has been its Executive Director since 2007. He has extensive experience training attorneys, paralegals, community advocates, and organizers on a variety of immigration law, immigrants' rights, and leadership development topics. Eric is a national expert on naturalization and citizenship law and is the primary author of the ILRC's manual entitled, Naturalization and U.S. Citizenship: The Essential Legal Guide. Eric helped develop ILRC's community model for naturalization workshops. Additionally, Eric has worked on voter outreach and education programs for naturalized citizens.
Prior to working at the ILRC, Eric worked with the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, Labor Immigrant Assistance Project where he worked on legalization and union organizing campaigns.
Eric obtained a B.A. degree in History from Colorado College and a J.D. degree from Stanford Law School. He is conversant in Spanish and is a member of the State Bar of California.
Featured Publications
The updated edition of FOIA Requests and Other Background Checks describes the various federal agencies and components that generally hold i
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center continues to write and publish the most accessible and comprehensive guide on citizenship and naturalization in