Hello Aneri,
I have been married 8yrs to my husband, about two years ago he walked out on me for another woman, I have not seen or heard from him since and do not know where he is, i am now contemplating on filing for my citizenship, based on the five year rule. How do I go about doing it, and not being able to find him .

A missing ex-husband has no impact on your application process, unless you killed him and hid the body. Just be sure and have the divorce papers ready.

Thank you Federale 86 for your quick and serious response to my post, no I did not kill my husband I have no address for him since he left, I did not divorce him, and I have gotten no divorce papers from him. As far as I know we are still married,they are asking questions about my husband that I know, but where he is I do not know.

Your current marital status shouldn't affect your citizenship application. On the application, be truthful- yes, you are married, etc. Is there any specific question on the application that you think you cannot answer?

There is just one question, and that is I do not know where he is living at the present moment.The last address I had was his mom's,and if even I find it, she is so afraid of him she will tell me nothing.Of all the other questions I can answer and truthfully, I always make it a point to tell the truth, because it never changes.

Hi Ren,

Could you use his mom's address with a disclaimer that this was his last known address, but you're not sure where he is living at present? Since you are applying under the 5-year rule, your marital status should have no bearing on your application. I understand about your wanting to tell the truth, so by adding a disclaimer, you are not lying. The fact is, you can't locate him. Not your fault.

And, as someone else suggested, I would start divorce proceedings. When spouses can't be served personally, there is a process whereby you can place notices in a few papers of your intentions to divorce. Look up divorce in absentia for more information. Good luck and let us know how it all works out!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ProudUSC,

I agree with ProudUSC that you can put his mom's address (as that is his last known address). In the alternative, you can just put UNKNOWN.

I would suggest getting an annullment and/or divorce based on abandonment.

But in any event his absence has no impact on your naturalization application. The application will ask about your marital status and given the situation an Immigration Services Officer might find it suspicous that you did not divorce and are not living together.

If you are hesitating because of religious objection to divorce (e.g. Catholic), abandonment is grounds for annullement.

Good luck.

And you can get a divorce without serving him. Each state has a process for abandonment/missing spouses.

Hi ren,

I have nothing to add others did a great job providing info you asked for

Thanks to everyone who took the time to give me such great advice on my question,I was so happy that I did not get nasty and negative comments.I took my vows very seriously and is still hoping that one day he will come to his senses and return home. As everyone said I will list his last known address, and maybe next year if nothing changes I will file for divorce, but thanks again to every one for your help, you are all an asset to the board,with such great and accurate response what more can anyone ask for.

There could still be several snags in this. In some states the spouse must be served in order to acquire a divorce or disillusionment. Some states afford the option, if all else fails, to post a notice of service in a newspaper of general circulation. Doing so will carry a contestable settlement by the opposing spouse once they become aware of the action. If there is property or other significant assets, those may not be disposed of until the other spouse makes an appearance. If it is later discovered the spouse is deceased the surviving family members, other than you, will have inheritance rights to his assets.

Thank you davdah for your kind response and to everyone that did, I appreciate all the positive feedbacks.