Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 54 Part 1.djvu/1176

 PUBLIC LAWS-CH. 876-OCT. 1-1, 1940 Residence and char- acter requirements. Presumption of bro- ken continuity of residence. Overcoming pre- sumption. Absence from U. S. for designated period. Absence from U. S. under U. S. employ- ment, etc. enrolled, or went or shall go beyond the limits of the United States, with intent to avoid any draft into the military or naval service, law- fully ordered, shall, upon conviction thereof by a court martial, be ineligible to become a citizen of the United States; and such deserters shall be forever incapable of holding any office of trust or of profit under the United States, or of exercising any rights of citizens thereof. SEC. 307. (a) No person, except as hereinafter provided in this Act, shall be naturalized unless such petitioner, (1) immediately preceding the date of filing petition for naturalization has resided continuously within the United States for at least five years and within the State in which the petitioner resided at the time of filing the petition for at least six months, (2) has resided continuously within the United States from the date of the petition up to the time of admission to citizenship, and (3) during all the periods referred to in this sub- section has been and still is a person of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States, and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States. (b) Absence from the United States for a continuous period of more than six months but less than one year during the period for which continuous residence is required for admission to citizenship, immediately preceding the date of filing the petition for naturaliza- tion, or during the period between the date of filing the petition and the date of final hearing, shall be presumed to break the continuity of such residence, but such presumption may be overcome by the presen- tation of evidence satisfactory to the naturalization court that such individual had a reasonable cause for not sooner returning to the United States. Absence from the United States for a continuous period of one year or more during the period for which continuous residence is required for admission to citizenship, immediately pre- ceding the date of filing the petition for naturalization or during the period between the date of filing the petition and the date of final hearing, shall break the continuity of such residence, except that in the case of an alien who has resided in the United States for at least one year, during which period he has made a declaration of inten- tion to become a citizen of the United States, and who thereafter is employed by or under contract with the Government of the United States or an American institution of research recognized as such by the Attorney General, or is employed by an American firm or corpo- ration engaged in whole or in part in the development of foreign trade and commerce of the United States or a subsidiary thereof, no period of absence from the United States shall break the continuity of residence if- (1) Prior to the beginning of such period (whether such period begins before or after his departure from the United States) the alien has established to the satisfaction of the Attorney General that his absence from the United States for such period is to be on behalf of such Government, or for the purpose of carrying on scien- tific research on behalf of such institution, or to be engaged in the development of such foreign trade and commerce or whose residence abroad is necessary to the protection of the property rights in such countries of such firm or corporation, and (2) Such alien proves to the satisfaction of the court that his absence from the United States for such period has been for such purpose. (c) No period of absence from the United States during the five years immediately preceding June 25, 1936, shall be held' to have broken the continuity of residence required by the naturalization laws if the alien proves to the satisfaction of the Attorney General and 1142 [54 STAT.

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