ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
US Citizenship General DiscussionNaturilization Interview Today
congratulations! I wish mine was coming up... but I've got years to wait till I'm eligible!
KajikitFemaleAustralia2006-06-08 22:02:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionHelp needed !!! URGENT
He's still in the US right... then he hasn't done anything 'wrong'. His biggest problem would be if he left the country and lived some place else AND let his green card expire (because that could be seen as surrendering his status)

Citizenship is not automatic - if he wants to marry somebody who is not a US citizen he'll have to apply and wait to take the oath before he can do the paperwork for her... but you don't say what her status is - that's really the only problem I could imagine it causing that was 'urgent'.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2006-07-09 20:44:00
US Citizenship General Discussion3 years countdown
When your greencard comes back it will have an approval date printed on it - THAT is the date that you need to count up from to get to when you can lift conditions and eventually claim citizenship. It's not necessarily the date of your interview, but it should be close.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2006-07-09 20:48:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionNaturalization Success-the US has a few more citizens today
congratulations!
KajikitFemaleAustralia2006-07-24 21:27:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionHow would moving to Canada affect citizenship?
QUOTE (warlord @ Aug 20 2007, 08:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Yes you will need to maintain US residency. If you did move, then they would most likely abandon your GC. Before 6 months the USC has to prove you didn't meet residency requirements. After 6 months you have to prove to the USC that you did maintain the residency requirements and anything over a year will most likely be considered abandoned.

Even after 6 months you'd need to apply for a re-entry permit as well, however that's not all you'll need. As mentioned you need to show and prove you were comming back, house/apt, bills paid etc. Best is to decline the job until after you become a USC...


(sighs) After four years and however many thousand dollars it all cost, I can't throw in the towel without anything to show for it, so I guess I'm stuck here. sad.gif It's not like I can say 'just another year until I get citizenship', because I know how long the damned backlogs are - it's a year until I can apply, and probably another two years after THAT until I get the piece of paper... sad.gif
Better hope they don't offer him the job after all, because they started talking about it a year ago (only it was supposed to be Washington) and after all this time he'd probably get sacked if he said no!
KajikitFemaleAustralia2007-08-20 21:59:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionHow would moving to Canada affect citizenship?
There's a chance that DH might be given a job offer for next year - in Canada! (They're definitely going to offer him a contract, but they have yet to decide whether they need him more in Washington or Toronto...) I'd have no objection to living in Canada for a few years (I loved the place when I visited...) but how would it affect my status here? ATM I have a conditional greencard, but I'll be putting in my 10-year-ap in October so I'd hopefully have the permanent one before we moved.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2007-08-18 21:13:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionWritten or Spoken Exam?
Hi Fiona! I was just thinking about you the other day and wondering how you were getting on smile.gif Good to hear from you again! From what I hear, the citizenship test is pretty basic (and the 'new and improved' test will STILL be pretty simple, you just have to memorise different answers because they're changing the questions!)
KajikitFemaleAustralia2007-09-07 10:23:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 EXPEDITE INFO . . .
About the only time I've ever heard of citizenship being expedited was if the applicant was terminally ill and desperately wanted to die as a USC... but that might be an urban myth.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2007-09-07 10:26:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionCitizenship questions
2002 was awhile ago. They changed the rules after that to make it much harder, with the excuse of terrorism. I could do the name change and passport stuff easily enough if I went back there for a month or two (goodness knows how long they take to process it!), but I don't really have any intention of it short of a dire family emergency (and pray God that never comes up!) I know I can still use my Australian passport in my maiden name, it's just annoying!
KajikitFemaleAustralia2008-12-27 19:49:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionCitizenship questions
QUOTE (AusCal @ Dec 19 2008, 09:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Kajikit @ Dec 17 2008, 03:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
. It really cheeses me off that Australia refuses to recognise foreign marriages as a valid name change - I'm in America, not outer Mongolia!


This comment confuses me. Can you explain what you mean. I am an Australian citizen who married in the US, and am currently a permanent resident. After marriage, I went to the Australian Consulate in Los Angeles - I applied for and had my Australia passport re-issued in my married name. (using my US marriage certificate, at no charge, and with the same expiry date my passport currently had). I have also used my US marriage certificate to have my name changed on bank accounts in Australia.


I don't know how you managed to pull that one off - on the Australian passport website it clearly says that if you were married overseas they will NOT change your name for you unless you register it seperately as a name change. And that's too much hassle...
KajikitFemaleAustralia2008-12-25 21:21:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionCitizenship questions
Thanks. I'll try to plan to apply in May, that gives me 12 months for the whole thing to go down before my passport expires. It really cheeses me off that Australia refuses to recognise foreign marriages as a valid name change - I'm in America, not outer Mongolia!
KajikitFemaleAustralia2008-12-17 18:00:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionCitizenship questions
My Australian passport expires in 2010 and it's such a hassle to get a new one from here that I want to be able to just get an American one instead. But if it's only taking six months to get citizenship I don't need to worry about it until later in the year. I know getting a passport doesn't take very long. We'll just have to start saving...
KajikitFemaleAustralia2008-12-16 09:17:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionCitizenship questions
Ouch that's steep... I thought it was something like that. sad.gif The USCIS must think we're made of money or something...
KajikitFemaleAustralia2008-12-15 08:13:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionCitizenship questions
Now I've got my greencard approved it's time to think about citizenship. I think I could apply for it tomorrow based on the 90 day rule (it's our fourth wedding anniversary next week, and my third anniversary of getting my conditional greencard in mid-January)? I'm not going to though - we don't have the money! It's going to take awhile to save up for it, and once I finally have my 10-year greencard the pressure is off for a bit. So, how much does it cost? And roughly how long is it taking from beginning to end? As long as lifting conditions on my greencard did (12 months)?
KajikitFemaleAustralia2008-12-15 07:50:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionAnyone filing/filed in Florida?
I put in my zipcode and I was astounded to see Oakland Park pop up as a district office! I know we've got our own fingerprint center and it's pretty busy. I wasn't sure if they do citizenship though (I already know they DON'T do visas...) so I kind of disregarded it. But if you've already got your interview booked there then they must! I guess they just get so very many applications in South Florida that they had to open a seperate office for Broward county. I actually LIVE in Oakland Park so at least it'll be convenient!
KajikitFemaleAustralia2009-01-19 23:09:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionAnyone filing/filed in Florida?
How do you know which district office you'll have to go through? Looking at the processing dates, it looks like West Palm Beach is whipping people through in five months, but Miami is 12 months+ so it makes a BIG difference which one you get. I live in Fort Lauderdale, so do I draw the short straw or the very very long one?
KajikitFemaleAustralia2008-12-17 18:51:00
US Citizenship General Discussionhow to withdraw the application?
So you'll just throw away seven hundred dollars and all the months you spent waiting for the interview? I'm glad you're so well off that you can afford that! Seriously, since you've got this far, how hard would it REALLY be to continue and send them whatever it is they're asking for? If you really want to withdraw your application, you just have to tell them... but I don't think that's something they hear very often because citizenship is the end of such an expensive and drawn-out process!
KajikitFemaleAustralia2009-02-08 19:56:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionIs it a WITHDRAW better than a DENIAL?
If you're denied because you got divorced after you sent in your application it's not a permanent black mark on your record. They'd just tell you that you weren't eligable any more and to come back in the appropriate length of time to file by yourself. There's nothing negative about it at all - it's just bureaucracy.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2009-02-08 19:59:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionLoss of US Citizenship
QUOTE (SKORPiO @ Jan 31 2009, 05:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Is it possible for Naturalized US Citizen to loose his/her US Citizenship by residing abroad (not necessary in birth country) for extended period of time?

For example: An English or French citizen is naturalized in US and has dual citizenship. Lives and works in US for let's say 30 years and retires. Next, resides in Thailand on retirement visa.

From what I have heard, naturalized citizen has to reside in US for a certain period of time every year. I'm trying to find information online but really cant find anything relating to this issue.

Does anyone know?

Regards, Bart.


No. Once you're actually a citizen you won't lose it just becuase you spent time abroad. About the only way to get your citizenship revoked is to a)have lied to get it, or b)to be a criminal.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2009-02-01 17:53:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionUS Citizenship Interview today-Ft Lauderdale, FL
Thanks for posting! I'm about to apply and I'll be going through the same office so it's good to see a relatively short timeline!
KajikitFemaleAustralia2010-04-19 17:36:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionTime to get back on the merry-go-round
Another question - I'm as blind as a bat without my glasses so you will NEVER see me trying to get along without them. In one set of criteria it says that my photo should be taken without the glasses (in which case they'll never get a 'natural expression' from me because my eyes squint up into slits!) But on their 'poster for correct photography' it says that I should be wearing them. Which is it? (it also says 'no earrings' and one of the models on the poster is wearing jewellery... I wear studs in my ears but it's not a big deal to take them out if I have to.)

If I go along to Walgreens and say 'give me a pair of passport photos please' will they give me the right thing?
KajikitFemaleAustralia2010-04-19 16:35:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionTime to get back on the merry-go-round
Thanks! I'll get DH onto it...
KajikitFemaleAustralia2010-04-19 16:28:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionTime to get back on the merry-go-round
First question - what is a tax transcript and how do I get my hands on one? We've filed our taxes ourselves for the last three years (for the greencard we used H&R Block's printout...)

I'm sure there are more questions coming.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2010-04-19 15:21:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionTime to get back on the merry-go-round
This year's tax return was earmarked for my citizenship application... so now it's time to do it! Anything important I should know before I do the paperwork?
KajikitFemaleAustralia2010-04-19 15:14:00
US Citizenship General Discussiongoing to apply for us citizenship
My Australian passport expired almost two years ago... it was way too much hassle to renew it so I just let it go and decided to wait until I could get an American one.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2011-12-14 11:04:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionNext question!
Never mind. DH told me it was a stupid question so I put my full middle name.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2011-12-14 17:20:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionNext question!
I'm filling out my application and about the third question says 'write your name as it appears on your permanent resident card'. At the top of the card it has my middle initial. At the bottom of the card it has my full middle name. Which is it that they expect?
KajikitFemaleAustralia2011-12-14 17:13:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionApplying for citizenship at 5 years
No worries there. English is my first (and only) language... the paperwork was pretty simple. I'm just glad we don't have to worry about coming up with a shopping cart's worth of 'evidence' of our marriage because that's a royal pain in the rear end.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2011-12-15 07:34:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionApplying for citizenship at 5 years
Wow! Hooray! I was under the impression that it was 5 years with my PERMANENT greencard and I've only had that for three, so I was a bit startled to see such an early residency date on it. I guess it's good that we shilly-shallyed around for so many months. I'm not really in any hurry, but I don't have a passport and I need citizenship to get a US one and be done with the whole Immigration thing forever. I love it in Florida and I've never been back to Australia in seven years, but my parents aren't getting any younger, and I'm starting to worry about their health, and what if they had an emergency and I'm stuck 11,000 miles away...

Edited by Kajikit, 14 December 2011 - 11:21 AM.

KajikitFemaleAustralia2011-12-14 11:20:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionApplying for citizenship at 5 years
We intended to apply for my citizenship after we filed our taxes this year, but we ended up delaying the application all year (citizenship, not our taxes! We did them in April)... John wanted to know what evidence we need to send in so we can get the ball rolling, and dug out my greencard and realised that I passed the magic 5-year mark last month! It looks like I don't need to send ANY evidence of my marriage to USCIS now? True? Do I really just need to send in a copy of my greencard, passport photos and a check? Can anything ever really be that simple with USCIS involved?
KajikitFemaleAustralia2011-12-14 11:08:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 Question?
If he has children he HAS to declare them to Immigration, whether there's any plan to ever bring them here or not. You can't lie to the government and get away with it, and when they find out you did, you'll be in BIG trouble - deportation and lifetime ban-type trouble.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2011-12-18 22:44:00
US Citizenship General Discussionbecoming a citizen
You're worrying about nothing sweety. They're not going to question your marriage just because you didn't want to change your name. Lots of people keep their maiden name.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2011-12-18 22:45:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionAny idea how long it might take them to cash my check?
I sent my package off to Texas on Dec 15, and I put the money to pay for it into the bank today. I expect it'll take them a bit longer to cash it since it's Christmas at the end of this week? And how do you know that they've cashed the check?
KajikitFemaleAustralia2011-12-20 14:56:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 Application
You don't HAVE to apply for citizenship exactly at the five year mark. Your greencard is good for ten. You CAN apply for your citizenship at any time after you've had your GC for five years.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2011-12-26 08:14:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionGetting ready to send N-400 based on 5 years rule
That's right. After five years they want to make it as easy as they can for people to get their citizenship. I didn't even bother with a cover letter, I just paperclipped the application, the check, my greencard copies and the passport photos and sent them in.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2011-12-28 16:13:00
US Citizenship General Discussionvoting
I just realised I should be all done and registered to vote before November... I'll be a little miffed if I get delayed and don't get to cast my 'liberal lefty' vote. :P
KajikitFemaleAustralia2012-01-02 22:07:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionDo they send out a letter for biometrics?
My question was answered today - I got my biometrics appointment letter in the mail. Jan 17 at 11am. They're moving a lot faster than I expected! I hope this means that the whole thing will go faster and I won't have to wait 6 months for my interview...
KajikitFemaleAustralia2012-01-03 17:31:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionDo they send out a letter for biometrics?
I'm confused. I got my NOA right after Christmas but it doesn't say anything about biometrics. What do I have to do? Just sit tight and wait for a letter to arrive, or do I have to do something to arrange it for myself? Or do I just go to the biometrics place with my NOA and say 'I need them done'?
KajikitFemaleAustralia2012-01-02 22:12:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionFilling out N-400
It never would have remotely occurred to me to write down my church in that question - it doesn't say anything about RELIGIOUS organisations in the question. But I wrote down the Friends of the Library because it is a registered organisation, and otherwise that section would be entirely blank.
KajikitFemaleAustralia2012-01-19 14:48:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionNo document to prove citizenship
If they gave him his greencard back and he never got a certificate, and he never returned to the US to sort things out, than I'd say that no he's not a USC... if he really wants to find out after a lapse of 30 years he needs a good lawyer!
KajikitFemaleAustralia2012-01-25 08:42:00