Can a person who is not a legal resident of the United Stated file for bankruptcy in the US? According to 11 USC §109(a), any person that resides or has domicile, a place of business, or property in the United States or a municipality, can in fact file a bankruptcy. This means that anyone who lives, owns a business or owns property in the United States can file for bankruptcy, whether they are here legally or not. They do, however, have to have some sort of identifying number such as a social security number or a tax payer ID number.

However, if someone is applying to become a legal citizen of the United States, a bankruptcy on their record could negatively impact their application. Immigration officers typically delve into many areas of a person’s life, including their finances. An immigrant must be able to prove that they are of good moral character in order to be granted citizenship in the United States. Although we have never heard that filing a bankruptcy has stopped someone from receiving citizenship, it is something that should be considered. Having a bankruptcy in their record could throw up a red flag to the immigration office about their morality. There is currently no law that states that a bankruptcy can affect your immigration status legally, but the issue of morality could come in to play.

There is also the chance that information divulged in a bankruptcy proceeding could affect ones immigration status. If in the bankruptcy it is revealed that there are taxes owed, jobs that were obtained illegally, refusal to pay child/spousal support etc., this could greatly affect ones chance to stay in the US and be granted citizenship. If you are an immigrant to the United States and are considering bankruptcy make sure to contact an immigration lawyer and /or bankruptcy lawyer in your area soon.