ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
US Citizenship General DiscussionMAJOR Tax Return ISSUE!
You still might want to wait until the IRS actually processes the amended returns. Otherwise, you might want to submit a written explanation why you changed the status from single to married just before filing for naturalization. Have you thought about making an InfoPass appointment and asking your local USCIS office how you should handle this?

Whatever you do, I'd err on the side of caution. My mother-in-law had a case denied last year because USCIS thought she might use a visa extension for a purpose that was not allowed. They used their discretion and denied her extension. Now she's worried she may not be able to get another tourist visa. Ever since then, I've been extremely paranoid about USCIS and have done my best not to give them any possible reason to even think about denying a case.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-08-12 00:14:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionMAJOR Tax Return ISSUE!
I'd say it's really not a good idea to file your N-400 with USCIS until you get the tax issue corrected. Submitting tax returns for 2006 and 2007 to USCIS that show you as single could leave you vulnerable to charges of immigration fraud.

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-08-11 21:48:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionWrong dates on my Permanent Resident Card???
File an I-90 indicating that there is an error on your card. Send a photocopy of the original card along with it as evidence that they made a mistake. It takes at least six months to get it fixed.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-08-06 09:46:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN400 and divorce
If you and your husband are no longer living in marital union for reasons other than economic necessity or military deployment, you could have to re-file after you've been a PR for five years.

I certainly wouldn't hide this information from USCIS. You could not only risk citizenship, but your green card as well.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-08-27 11:29:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionWife Naturalized Today
QUOTE (alexander2j @ Aug 30 2009, 08:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Question for TC: I read in your previous posts that your wife applied for a name change. I'm applying for a name change as well. How did they deal with that? Did the judge asked any questions regarding the name change?


The ceremony my wife attended was a special one held by the district court for candidates who had requested a name change as part of their naturalization. The judge gave each candidate their naturalization certificate and approved name change petition.

My wife was asked to review her naturalization certificate before the ceremony to make sure it was correct. The judge just asked for volunteers to say why they wanted to become citizens.

Given that we were told it could take 4 6o 6 months for the name change, we were delighted she was naturalized so soon after her interview.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-08-30 15:06:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionWife Naturalized Today
QUOTE (NickD @ Aug 29 2009, 05:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Gee, every field office is different, they did let me bring my digital camera in, but after they checked it out to make sure it didn't have a built in cell phone. Did get two photos of my wife being handed her certificate.


I think it had more to do with the fact that the naturalization ceremony was conducted at the courthouse. I guess they're afraid one of their new citizens will take pictures of the court with the intent to do come back and do harm to it later. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me... Oh well...
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-08-29 16:58:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionWife Naturalized Today
My wife and I went to the US District Courthouse in Denver today for her Oath Ceremony. We got there 45 minutes before the ceremony. Security took our cellphones because they have cameras built in. We waited in the jury assembly area for about 15 minutes and then were sent up to the courtroom on the 10th floor. My wife checked in a little after noon, surrendered her green card and looked over her naturalization certificate to make sure there were no errors on it. Then she was told to sit in the jury box. The ceremony didn't start until 1:15 PM. We had brought our 20 month old son with us and after waiting with us in the courtroom for an hour, he'd had enough, so I had to take him into the hallway outside to calm him down. He ended up running up and down the hallway for the next half hour. As a result, I was unable to witness the ceremony.

My wife said it was pretty simple and quick. The chief district judge presided. He said a few words and asked for some volunteers to share where they were from and why they wanted to become citizens. He then administered the Oath and personally handed out the certificates to all 49 new citizens, shaking each one's hand and congratulating them as they came up.

So, my wife is now an American. I'm just disappointed I wasn't able to witness the actual moment, especially since I'm the one who prepared most of her immigration pwperwork over the past five years.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-08-28 18:27:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionFiling for a divorce
A divorce would impact both of you. She would have to wait two additional years to file for citizenship if you separate and get divorced. You would still be obligated to provide support under the Affidavit of Support you filed on her behalf. A divorce would not relieve you from that obligation.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-08-30 17:30:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionName Change in Atlanta
I don't know about Atlanta, but here in Denver we were told four to six months to naturalize after interview. It ended up taking less than a month and a half. Then again, I don't know how often the court does name change oath ceremonies. Perhaps we were just lucky with our timing.

Have you looked into how long it would take and what it would cost to change your name before filing your N-400? If you're anticipating a long wait in Atlanta, it might be another option to consider.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-08-31 12:34:00
US Citizenship General Discussiondual citizen (philippines)
My wife has been looking into this too.

Your Philippine passport becomes invalid once you become a US citizen. You can no longer use it when you enter Philippines except as evidence to request the balikbayan privilege (1 year visa free stay). I'm not sure whether they would revalidate it or if you would have to get a new one if you choose to take the Oath of Allegiance. If you choose to retain dual citizenship, you will have to submit both passports when you enter the Philippines or you will have to submit your US passport and Philippine identity certificate.

Reclaiming your Philippine citizenship would require that you submit an application and then make a personal appearance at the consulate with jurisdiction of your state to take the Oath.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-14 21:58:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionWill this be a problem at interview?
If you need to, you can make any necessary corrections to your application at your interview. Trips outside the US of less than 24 hours do not need to be reported on the N-400.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-21 18:59:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionOath
The Oath notice gives you the date and time for your Oath Ceremony. If you cannot make that date and time, the form has instructions on how to request that it be rescheduled.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-23 10:21:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionFive years to the day...
Can't see that happening for awhile as it would mean a trip out to San Franciisco to the consulate there. That's just no room in the budget for that at the moment. In the meantime, she can still claim the balikbayan privelege when we go back to Manila to visit her family.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-24 16:28:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionFive years to the day...
It's funny how dates work out sometimes. My wife's US passport was approved five years to the day from when I submitted the I-129F petition on her behalf. She received her passport five years to the day from the date on the I-129F receipt notice.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-24 16:18:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionCase status
I get the impression that those who have applied more recently (last month or so) are getting status updates on their N-400s. I like the fact that the new site design shows what stage of the process you are at. I wish we'd had that when we did all our paperwork.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-25 16:43:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionWhat to do after the Oath Ceremony?
In addition to changing the info with SSA, we will have to go update my wife's citizenship status at DMV.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-25 13:06:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400: Children/Babies at Oath, Interview, and Biometrics...
We brought our son to the biometrics, interview and Oath. This wasn't so much by choice. If we could have gotten a babysitter, we would have done so. It wasn't a big deal for biometrics and interview, but was somewhat problematic for the Oath Ceremony.

I really wish we could have gotten a babysitter for the Oath because I ended up out in the hallway during the ceremony because our little one got restless after an hour of waiting for the judge to show up. He spent a half hour running up and down the hall. There were at least two other dads who missed the ceremony because they were watching their kids too. My wife told me that the judge asked several parents in the courtroom to get control of their kids when they became unruly.

My two cents... bring your baby to biometrics and interview, but try to find a sitter for the oath ceremony. Otherwise your husband may wind up missing the ceremony like I did.


jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-18 14:31:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400: I got an RFE from CRIS..What more do they want?...
I wonder when they started updating N-400s on CRIS? My wife's case still says her case is received and pending - and she's been a citizen now for almost four weeks. smile.gif
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-23 14:24:00
US Citizenship General Discussionpassport inquiry
QUOTE (susisato898 @ Sep 29 2009, 03:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
But in the website ( travel.state.gov) says that the passport card will be return by First Class mail. And also the website recommends to use safety envelopes (Tyvek) for the certificate and passports . Do I have to pay additional fee for the envelopes? or are these included in the fees?


The instructions you refer to are actually for those who are renewing their passports by mail. If you were applying to renew by mail, you would send your application and documents in a security envelope of some kind. This does not refer to the envelopes the government uses when returning your passport and documents to you.

If you are a first time applicant (which it seems you might be from reading your post), you must apply in person at a Passport Agency or designated acceptance location. Here is a link to the instructions you should follow

http://travel.state..../first_830.html

Edited by jsnearline, 29 September 2009 - 06:33 PM.

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-09-29 18:30:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 - March 2009 Applicants
QUOTE (andresamia @ Jun 17 2009, 12:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
how long does it usually take to get a notice for oath taking?


It all depends on how current or backed up the Oath schedule for your District Office is.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-06-17 15:33:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 - March 2009 Applicants
If I remember right, you can call the 800 number and select 2, 1, enter your receipt number, and once the status is done, it should give you an option to select if you filed a group of cases together and they got separated. Is that the option you selected?
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-05-20 19:54:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 - March 2009 Applicants
It amazes me to have paid $675 for the application and then to get such rude customer service. Compare this to my recent experience with SSA, where they called to advise me that I was probably eligible to get SSDI and then processed my application to completion in a month's time (with no fees). Their claims rep and customer service folks couldn't have been more professional and helpful. USCIS could learn a thing or two from them.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-05-20 16:59:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 - March 2009 Applicants
I tried calling again... three times... Each time the representatives refused to transfer me. They told me I would have to make an InfoPass.

What the @#$% is the 800 number there for then?
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-05-19 12:02:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 - March 2009 Applicants
I just tried calling to get a more up to date status and got nowhere. Those who get errors on the website are lucky because they can actually get someone to look at an internal system.

I recently applied for Social Security Disability and my confirmation number didn't work on their website. They were much more receptive to status inquiries over the phone than USCIS seems to be. Social Security was much faster too. They processed my case in just over a month.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-05-18 18:30:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 - March 2009 Applicants
QUOTE (queendlee @ May 18 2009, 01:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
For anyone else like myself who had questions about the updates on the website: I called USCIS because my receipt number gives an error message. They said they have had difficulties with updates to the website for a long time and therefore some people's cases do not appear or are not updated at all. They can provide you updates when you call though. They told me they are about to mail my interview letter (i forgot to ask the date of the interview), she was kinda hurrying me off the phone.
So if you get no updates, infrequent updates or your number does not work... don't worry, just call!


How did you get around the customer service reps who generally like to say that they cannot give you any more information than what the online status says?
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-05-18 16:12:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 - March 2009 Applicants
The reason I'm tense about my wife's application is because I'm unemployed and there's a chance we may need to relocate for a job. The last thing I want to do is to send her application into a black hole as a reult. Having an interview date will help us make better decisions about when we would be available to move.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-05-17 14:05:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 - March 2009 Applicants
I know some people use the timelines as a rough guide, but I've seen posts from some who are freaking out because according to their calculations based on the timelines, their application is behind schedule, when in reality they're on schedule for their local DO.

Perhaps going forward, we should do the timelines in three month intervals... (e.g. 1st Quarter N-400 filers) instead of by month. That might increase the likelihood that you might see someone else who filed at your local DO on the list so you could compare your timeline with them. For example, I have to check the January and February lists to find any timelines of others who applied in Denver. It would be nice to just check a list for 1st quarter filers.


jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-05-16 19:14:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 - March 2009 Applicants
That's why the way this list is ordered makes no sense to me. All it seems to do is get people who haven't gotten their interview letters frustrated and jealous of those who applied later and have gotten their interviews.

They should make applications for AOS and naturalization retroactive such that the approval is retroactive to the date of application. That way, people who live in jurisdictions with faster DOs wouldn't have an unfair advantage compared to those who's DOs move like snails.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-05-16 17:02:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 - March 2009 Applicants
Sorry to rain on the parade, but I don't think it makes much sense sorting the lists by which Lockbox you sent to. The fingerprint, interview, and oath schedules are all dependent on how caught up or behind your local ASC and DO are.

Instead of having lists by month of filing, I think the status ists should sort filings by local District Office. I think the information would be more informative as I'd have a better idea of when my wife's interview might be as I could look at timelines of others who applied in the Denver area.

Edited by jsnearline, 12 May 2009 - 02:15 PM.

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-05-12 14:13:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 - March 2009 Applicants
They should have given her a study guide at her biometrics appointment. It has explanations of the context of the questions and answers.

The point is not simply to memorize the questions. It's to actually learn the material. That's why the revised the test.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-04-30 19:31:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionN-400 - March 2009 Applicants
If the received date was March 30th but the notice date was April 3, should I add to this list or the April one?
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-04-10 15:05:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionUS Passport
The following thread can give you a rough idea of what to expect based on the timelines of other VJ mambers who have already applied for passports.

http://www.visajourn...howtopic=215372

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-11 20:29:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionIs your foreign passport taken away at oath ceremony?
QUOTE (yogib37 @ Oct 11 2009, 05:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
the Foreign passport is not worthless... some country you can have dual passports. Like England, Philippines etc.. so it is not worthless


I can't speak for the UK, but the Philippines does not allow you to use a Philippine passport once you become a US Citizen. You have to apply to the consulate to retain dual citizenship. Once approved, you have to apply for a new Philippine passport.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-11 20:19:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionIs your foreign passport taken away at oath ceremony?
Your foreign passport is no longer valid for re-entry to the US once you become a USC. You'll surrender your green card at your Oath Ceremony. However, it's not a bad a situation as you think. Just apply for your US passport as soon as you become a USC and pay for expedited processing. With expedited service, you would have your passport within 2 weeks of applying. If you have an emergency come up that requires you to travel before your US passport arrives, then contact the National Passport Information Center for assistance.

Edited by jsnearline, 11 October 2009 - 04:17 PM.

jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-11 16:15:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionI think I'm done?
Congratulations.

Have you updated your citizenship status with the Department of Motor Vehicles?

Have you checked with your employer to see if they need an updated I-9 form?
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-18 18:27:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionFairfax Office Parking
The only parking I know of there is at the Dunn Loring Metro Station across the street. Since those lots tend to fill up with commuters, you may have trouble finding parking there unless your appointment is quite early.

We used Metro to get to the office there and found it was the best way to go.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-26 09:48:00
US Citizenship General Discussioninterview for citizenship
My wife has had so much trouble with people here not understanding the Filipino style of names that she requested a name change when she naturalized. Fortunately for her, she had two first names so she had one to spare. After the name change, her second first name replaced her father's last name as her middle name. She's not sure what she would have done if she only had one first name to begin with. It's going to be a real pain when my wife petitions her mom though. Who knows how much paperwork we will have to submit to show that they are related.

I am surprised they didn't use the name as written on the N-400. Now, she'll have even more trouble because the naturalization certificate will not match her other documents and places like DMV and Social Security will not allow her to change her name without proof that her name was legally changed.

Did they give her the option of choosing an American style middle name or did they insist only on using the one in her birth certificate?
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-30 15:02:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionOath - do we need to take all the papers again?
QUOTE (internetkafe @ Oct 31 2009, 11:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Will they issue a prorated refund for the 10 year green cards they take back? Say, if 8-9 years left before they expire...


No, they won't and why should they? Applying for citizenship now is entirely your choice. If you had wanted to get the full value of your green card, you could have waited until it was about a year away from expiration before applying for naturalization.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-10-31 16:16:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionHow soon we should start the process for to apply for Citienship
QUOTE (miker32us @ Nov 5 2009, 08:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Correction, you can file 3 years minus 90 days PLUS the number of days you have been out of the country since you received your green card!!!


Not true. Time spent outside the US only starts to impact your eligibility date if your total days outside the country add up to 18 months or more if applying under the 3 years based on marriage, 30 months or more if applying based on five years residency, or if you spent a year or more outside the US at one time.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-11-05 12:53:00
US Citizenship General DiscussionHow soon we should start the process for to apply for Citienship
There is no requirement that you file for naturalization. If you choose to do so, you are normally eligble to file five years minus ninety days after the Resident Since date on your green card. If you became a permanent resident because of marriage to a US Citizen and are still married to that person, you can file three years minus ninety days after the Resident Since date on your green card. You can choose to file anytime after your eligibility begins.
jsnearlineNot TellingPhilippines2009-11-03 14:20:00