Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	Question about mailing address for I-751	QUOTE (karenros @ Jan 11 2008, 10:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I am getting ready to send my I-751 Application.. My deadline is on 03/02/08 ( thats when my green card expires) I am gonna send my application to the Texas service center and gonna mail it to the USCIS Texas Service Center P.O. Box 850965, Mesquite, TX 75185-0965 Suppose if i sent by Usps (thru the post office) by the fastest method possible.. will i able to get a confirmation like a person to sign it at the USCIS.. So my question is if I send it to a po. box will i get a confirmation or is there any other address that i need to send it to ... Any help will be appreciated... Regards Karen We used USPS Express (overnight) comes with automatic tracking and when you put the tracking # in it tells you who signed for it. It's about $15 but in scheme of things seemed like small price to pay for peace of mind. I've heard too many people never getting the "green card" from certified mail delievery back.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-01-12 13:14:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	I751 Children	QUOTE Greetings all! I have made the mistake of hiring an immigration attorney to handle the I-751 form for lifting of conditions. Really just to check my documents, better off just doing myself! I contacted her and she filed the I-751 about 90 days before the expiration date of Cond Green Card. But she used the old form so it was sent back to me. I resent with proper form and yesterday received the I-751 NOA. Just for curiosity..did she refund her fee ??? If not did you file a complaint. It's bad enough when we mess up but an immigration attorney should know better. When we contacted the immigration attorney that did our AOS she told us that she's be happy to do it for us but (knowing us) she didn't think it was necessary and recommended we save the see and do it ourselves.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-01-12 13:08:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	Paperwork - How much is too much?	QUOTE (lucyrich @ Jan 16 2008, 12:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (spi9959 @ Jan 15 2008, 09:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (waiting4visas @ Jan 15 2008, 10:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What is the average weight or size of the evidence everyone sends? I don't want to send them too much, but I don't want to send too little either. Thoughts? Thanks I'm about to send my evidence in. It's about two inches thick. I don't think there is such a thing as "too much" evidence. I don't understand why you wouldn't want to buttress your case with all of the evidence that you have available. There IS such a thing as too much. Too much will delay your case. The examiners have to read it all. They'll be able to process your application more quickly if your pile is adequate, but not excessive, than if it's really huge. The people behind you in line will also get their applications processed more quickly, not that that matters so much for you. Furthermore, if there are any apparent inconsistencies in your evidence, that will delay things, perhaps very seriously. Look through the history of this board to see what people have reported sending and getting approvals on. You don't need a huge amount. It IS wise to have a smattering of evidence covering different categories and different time periods, rather than having all the evidence concentrated in one category and/or from one brief time period. But, for example, you don't need bank statements from every month -- if they see one for each six month period, they're probably not going to be convinced one way or another by the addition of the other intermediate ones. (We sent ONE bank statement, kept the other 23 in reserve, sent a variety of other different kinds of evidence, and were approved without interview or RFE). Everyone I've seen here for the past several years has reported approval of the I-751 (occasionally after RFE and/or interview, sometimes when the packet was big and sometimes when it was small). You don't gain any new rights or privileges after approval that you didn't have before approval. So the chances of really screwing things up in an important way seem pretty slim no matter what you do. The worst that's going to happen is they'll send an RFE asking for more evidence, and you'll have the opportunity to deluge them then if that happens. So why not make it easy on yourself, on the examiners, and on the people behind you in line, and submit a packet that's big enough without being massive overkill? I will add a tip some wise VJer gave here about the bank statements. To show the account was not just opened. Send a statement from early in the account's history and a recent statement. I did this for the two bank account's we had. I also organized our info and used separators to make it easier for the examiner to go through the material.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-01-16 14:20:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	BioMetrics Appointment Question	QUOTE (sweetestcherry @ Jan 20 2008, 06:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (bettenan @ Jan 19 2008, 10:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (ladybird216 @ Jan 19 2008, 08:46 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It's interesting to read how the different offices work....when I went for my Bio's we were not security checked in any way, we both had our cell phones, and Hubby was standing next to me when I had my fingerprints etc., done and we were all joking when they couldn't get my little finger print! I guess that's the advantage of living in a small town I should add that was our experience during the biometrics appointment for the first AOS and the Philly service center has moved (from an city/urban to a more suburban location) but I have no reason to believe it will be different and there certainly no requirement for the USC Spouse to be be present (which was the o/p question). I am going with hubby for his biometrics on 1/30, because I work at home that day and can start a little late....I'll be sure to report back our experience. Where exactly is the new Service Center? I'm gonna mapquest the address, but I'm assuming that it's no longer in Center City then? I think my husband was hoping to take the train, but I guess he may have to drive instead. No biggie though. It's in Northeast Philly...off of the Roosevelt Blvd (RT 1) between Woodhaven and Red Lion Roads. I presume there is some kind of public transport but no train (maybe a bus). Not too far off Woodhaven exit of I95 if driving or Rt 1. Like I said for us, it's great ...14 miles (20 minutes) and I'm sure the parking has to be free . Good Luck.... and Bette	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-01-20 19:17:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	BioMetrics Appointment Question	QUOTE (ladybird216 @ Jan 19 2008, 08:46 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It's interesting to read how the different offices work....when I went for my Bio's we were not security checked in any way, we both had our cell phones, and Hubby was standing next to me when I had my fingerprints etc., done and we were all joking when they couldn't get my little finger print! I guess that's the advantage of living in a small town I should add that was our experience during the biometrics appointment for the first AOS and the Philly service center has moved (from an city/urban to a more suburban location) but I have no reason to believe it will be different and there certainly no requirement for the USC Spouse to be be present (which was the o/p question). I am going with hubby for his biometrics on 1/30, because I work at home that day and can start a little late....I'll be sure to report back our experience.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-01-19 10:26:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	BioMetrics Appointment Question	QUOTE (sweetestcherry @ Jan 18 2008, 04:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Does the US Citizen/Spouse have to attend the appointment as well? My husband's appointment is this coming Tuesday, and I don't know that I can get the time off to go with him. Am I expected to be there as well? The letter didn't indicate. Sorry if this is a silly question! Thank you. No you do not have to go with him, in fact they will not let you go back for the fingerprinting & photographing with the non-USC unless you need to translate. Our appointment is the following Wed in Philly...please come back and report on your husband's experience. good luck.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-01-18 17:07:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	finally get done with the GC stress.. :dance:	QUOTE (tmman @ Jan 18 2008, 08:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> hi guys, i was approved on 1/10/08 , i checked my mail box last night...guess what...i found my GC woohoo....approval notice was sent on 14th, i got yesterday 17th..it took a week....i m so gladdddd..wish u all good luck..and thanks for your help guys...	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-01-23 15:40:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	Can i use any other courier other than USPS to send the package?	QUOTE (wil @ Jan 23 2008, 05:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (clairern @ Jan 23 2008, 04:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> USPS delivers mail next day, even on Saturdays and it is always signed for. Use express mail next day delivery guaranteed. I sent my package just before 5 pm and it was delivered by 10am the next day. They are also the only ones taht deliver to a PO box. They own those boxes. Cost about $16.25. Have you looked into the cost of using DHL or Fedex or UPS? I would use the gov't carrier if I were you and you can also track it online. My $0.2 cents. Thank you for your suggestion. I think the address i'm going to send is: USCIS Vermont Service Center 75 Lower Welden Street St. Albans, VT 05479-0001 Is this the correct address? It's not a PO box. So the other courier (DHL or Fedex) is okay? The post office is a little far from where i live. They will pick up express maill for free USPS FREE PACKAGE PICKUP	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-01-23 17:17:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	I-751 submittal- a poll	QUOTE (kaydee457 @ Jan 25 2008, 12:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> This is my first attempt at a poll- hope I did this right! The gist of the poll is to gain some perspective on the inclusion of the Affadavit into ones submission, and how many didn't submit one at all..... I would prefer to not submit one at all because frankly I don't want to burden my neighbors.... Let's hear from you..... Thanks I'd interested in seeing your results. We are in waiting mode (Biometrics scheduled for 1/30) and also did not want to bother friends and neighbors, it was more the dragging them to the notary etc. Everyone has a busy life and we felt with strong financials it was not necessary. BUT we also did not submit any photos...I've explained here before. Hubby is a photographer and he is always the one taking the pix (I also hate having my pic taken). That said...since I got some flack here we've made sure to turn the camera over to people, since then, for some together photo ops (just in case we get a RFE). Bette	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-01-25 13:23:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General Discussion	Submit documents again when I sent for AOS??	QUOTE (LoveLove @ Jan 27 2008, 05:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Do I need to submit documents which I already sent when I filed for my AOS? such as rent lease, bank statements... I got married on Feb 06, got GC on 7.31.06. Do I still need to send documents that prove we were in bona-fide marriage between those dates again or I can just send papers starting from Aug 06.. TIA!! If the lease you submitted with your AOS is the same lease you are using to remove conditions you need to re-submit it. But I would add some current bills of life together as an update. Same with the bank statements. A bank statement from when we opened the account and a current statement is what we sent. I don't believe they have your AOS file to compare this to. good luck	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-01-27 08:42:00
United Kingdom	BRITS IN THE USA	Another shout out from Bucks County, PA...Bette (from PA) & Richard (from Leeds, England) ALABAMA: Shari (& British hubby, Keith) - Birmingham, Alabama Miranda and James (another future British hubby!) - Huntsville, Alabama Welshcookie - Mobile, Alabama (eventually) ARIZONA: BlueRaiderUK - Michael & Ashley - Mesa, AZ ARKANSAS: SpriteyStace (Stacy & Paul) - Stuttgart, Arkansas CALIFORNIA: Ladybutterfly444 - San Diego, California lynzm22 (lynsey and Jason)- Lancaster, California Daisy - hubby is north of Palmdale, California Perfect - South Orange County, CA ddchucksgirl - northwest Lost Angeles, CA robinklake - Myself and UK fiance are in sunny Santa Monica, CA! Purple Hibiscus - Huntington Beach, CA. Els and Brian-Riverside, CA Englishsammy (Sam (not there yet!) and Roshon) - Fresno (Woohoo laughing.gif ), CA COLORADO: Ladybird216 - Western Colorado Boiler - Boulder County, Colorado CONNECTICUT: Jayke (and hopefully within the next 3 weeks her British hubby) - Connecticut Bradfordplip - Time split between SE Michigan & NE Connecticut nickels&dimes - Connecticut (Nickels=Sheril UKC & Scott USC) FLORIDA: Kerry - Central Florida Munchkins (Val and Alan ) - Jacksonville Florida -to be with daughter and family atothelkini (Alan, N.Ireland) - Tallahassee, Florida missyandneil - Orlando, Florida Kate, Josh & bump - Tallahassee LisaD - (newly engaged!) - Lisa Daytona Bch FL, David Sunderland... Lawrencetoland - Josie and Damian - Orlando, FL and Astoria, NY GEORGIA: Crazy Brit - Covington, Georgia Matti_n_Kelli: Hiram, Georgia IDAHO: MeandMyGeordie - Sher (USC) & Steve (Newcastle upon Tyne) South Central Idaho, Twin Falls ILLINOIS: pj1959us (hubby David)---central Illinois Luv2teach77 (And her handsome british Husband ) - Trenton, Southwest Illinois (Near Missouri border) JJM8081(British fiance Joe)--Chicago suburbs poppy33usa - just on the illinois side of the illinois/missouri border in the st louis metro area jpkeswim - Southwest, Illinois near St. Louis Missouri Crisscat - (Sharri & Neil ) Southern IL 65 miles southeast of St Louis MO and not far from alot of you here in IL LOL Yorkie - Chicago, Illinois Frances (Yorkshire hubster, VJ username falcozappa) - Chicago Circus-of-Power(Paul and Catherine) Central IL INDIANA: Annelizabeth - Southern Indiana Andy(uk) Patricia - Near Indy, Indiana Baileyj - Southwest Indiana IOWA Ktun - Kate (originally from London) & hubby Craig. Iowa/Nebraska borders, 2 minutes over the bridge from Omaha Nebraska. KENTUCKY: Itsmeitsmeitsree! (Billy and Becky) - Lexington, Kentucky MAINE: clmarsh (Christina & Chris): Portland, Maine MARYLAND: Terry & Jeannine.... Towson, Maryland MASSACHUETTS: matanddanni-Southampton,MA Kezzie - Boston MA MICHIGAN: Bradfordplip - Time split between SE Michigan & NE Connecticut euro (Amanda) & Mark(USC)..Brownstown (near Detroit) sanctifyer - somewhere near detroit in mid 2006 badbabe113 - Rockwood Michigan (near detroit) David(alias Scotty)Scotland to Livingstone County to be with Bess lizaanne (USC) & Simon (Brit) - Detroit area -one of these days, if this process ever ends Charlie76 - Michigan, Detroit area mary&tom - Southeastern Michigan Alison and Scott - Otsego in Plainwell, Michigan Colin(Keigwyn UK) and Lisa - Escanaba way up in the UP MINNESOTA: Chrissy25 - Southern Minnesota britsngrits - Twin Cities of MN - Paul-Peterborough JayJay - Minnesota Lake, near Mankato about 2 and a half hours away from the twin cities Tucker (Minneapolis) and Fiona (St. Boswells, Scotland) - Twin Cities MISSOURI: DaniChristine - Dani (USA) and Anthony (Northern Ireland) Rosie420 - Waynesville, MO (Right in the middle!) MONTANA: wherezdabearz - John (USA) and Alison (UK) hope to be living together in Missoula (that's where da bearz are...) from end of Jan 2006 techgirl - Terry (USA) and Davo (UK)- Flathead Lake (western MT) NEW JERSEY: Gemma12nEl - Bergen County New Jersey VisagirlNJ - My fiance will be moving to Hudson County, NJ in APril Jodyangel - South Jersey NEW YORK: Louandmikek3 - Long Island, New York (Louise, UK and Mike, US) DavidUK- Manhattan, New York Gwen75 - Manhattan, New York Shakysgirl- Russell (UK) and Patricia (US)- upstate NY Donna(dmd01708) Oneida County, Upstate New York Estella76 - Marie (US) and Adam (UK) - Queens, NY Peachbythebeach - Me (US) Hubby (UK) - Long Island NORTH CAROLINA: Jo1973 - Durham, North Carolina saturn5man (Neil) - Near Raleigh, North Carolina Jaylen Brit(UK) and LenJayUS (US) - Lenior, North Carolina (from this year) mullensgirl (UK) Chris (USC) Eventually Jacksonville NC OHIO: TenderCats (hubby) - Ohio Widge - NE Ohio Helen - Columbus OH OKLAHOMA: Sukie175 (Sarah) - Gage, NW OK (near Woodward) OREGON: Pam & Dave, Portland OR ZZZZZZ (aka Pam & Dave) Portland OR/ Southminster UK blandas - Move from Loughborough (just south of Nottingham) to Oregon. PENNSYLVANIA: Broma25 - Bucks County, Pennsylvania Britjohn- Delaware County, Pennsylvania (near Delaware border) cheeky^Wolf - (Helen will be there soon) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pumpkinsnook - Berks Co, Pennsylvania (arriving 17th August - 13 days and counting!) Antone and Lyanthya - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Abby(PAX) and Ewen - Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania (likely moving to NYC, NY in the summer of 06) Helen (soon to be in Pittsburgh, PA) & Dave (USC) bettenan (Bette & Richard) Beautiful Bucks County, PA SOUTH CAROLINA: zenaelarabi - (Oxfordshire to Columbia SC) pink_cloud-Charleston, South Carolina TENNESSEE: govols- (Karen & Tony-from England)-Middle Tennessee TracyTN (and future hubby ChasUK) - Nashville, TN Memphis - Mike Wooten future wife Adele (mrsw2b UK) TEXAS: Geordieluvr (aka Andria and her Geordie Peter) - Richardson, Texas medicjeff (wife Jane from the UK) Austin, Texas Melo (aka Anita from London) & Paul now in Odessa, Texas moving to Houston, Texas silent whispers - San Antonio, Texas tamarae (Shawna & Ciaran from the UK, arriving soon) - Lubbock, TX UTAH: HuffyTheSlayer - Salt Lake City, UT VERMONT: Lou - Central Vermont VIRGINIA: naiku - Northern Virginia (whenver this process is finished) mijkij (also NoVA) Litlemo (aka Ally - Geordie,,, Greg - USC) MrsBeer:30- N.Virginia KikiDoug - (Kiki, from England...Doug, from the USA) - living in the very SW corner of Virginia! WASHINGTON: arwensun1965 - Kent, WA samantha_lou - Vancouver, WA Alana (US) & Ewan (Scotland) in Des Moines, Washington...... torpedo_bob, Camas,Washington WEST VIRGINIA: Margyw- West Virginia rebeccajo (and robertwesley - Wes) irishman & southern gal in West Virginia Girona40 - Curt (USC) and Glenys, Michael and Sarah (UK) WISCONSIN: Michelle(USC)andCraig(England)...northern Wisconsin...border of UP of Michigan Badgerbabe - Green Bay, Wisconsin SteveLaura/LauraSteve - from London, UK to Milwaukee, WI Moonlite-just north of Milwaukee AllSerene-near Milwaukee I think? Mellie(and Scott)-near Milwaukee	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2006-02-21 11:45:00
United Kingdom	UK Food, what do you miss most?	QUOTE (Bill and Hayley @ Aug 24 2007, 01:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> After being here for 8 weeks now, theres only 4 things i really miss, lucozade...salad cream..quorn sausages..and gravy that is suitable for non meat eaters...jez i want a gravy meal, what do other veggies eat here when they want gravy, ive found one and thats cr@ppy fat free. going to have to pay thru the nose and order my bisto onion online i suppose. I'm not sure about some of these things but if you happen by a Shoprite (the are in PA & NJ) I know some of them carry Bisto and real salad creme plus real baked beans and other English stuff, since that's where hubby gets it. Another source is Wegmans. Before he discovered them there we ordered everything online...it's the shipping that kills ya.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2007-09-14 19:04:00
United Kingdom	All i want for xmas	I don't know where in Delaware you live but if it's close to MD...Wegmans Wegmans has a great British food aisle. We've also found mushy peas in our Shoprite Supermarket (they have a mini-Brit food aisle). Of course when all else fails....mail order from TOBBP TOBBP....that's what we did until Wegmans opened near us and we found some stuff at Shoprite. Good Luck..	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2007-12-28 14:20:00
United Kingdom	Happy New Year to all my UK VJ Peeps	QUOTE (LisaD @ Dec 29 2007, 02:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I you guys! Have a safe and blessed new year! STAY SAFE!	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2007-12-29 18:14:00
United Kingdom	Wedding Cakes	QUOTE (JandC @ Apr 3 2008, 10:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> We didn't have a wedding cake. We had a wedding red lobster buscuit instead! We did not even have that..but we had lots of Champagne . I have to say... the Tartan Cake is lovely... Edited by bettenan, 24 June 2008 - 01:09 PM.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-06-24 13:05:00
United Kingdom	British food stores	So we don't have to dig around for these ....I thought I'd just make this list again (especially for those who haven't seen or heard of them before) of some places that sell Brit goodies. You can get quite a few of your favorite foods from home...not to worry, don't panic!!! I've bought from the first 4 stores, including...yes, bacon and sausages. Shipping can get expensive, but it's worth it once in awhile. Wise Choice British Foods, Gifts, & Candies British Delights English Tea Store Goodwoods British Market Britsuperstore The British Shoppe And then I found this site, BRITS IN THE US, which has an exhaustive list. Also, if you have a World Market near you, check them out...they sell Brit sweets, and we even got some really nice Indian sauces and paneer for a curry dinner! I order (every once in a while) treats for hubby from Taste of Britain by Post. If you consider Branson Pickle a treat He can't seem to live without that mint stuff, either or mushy peas. Very reliable with quick (but not cheap) shipping.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2006-02-21 13:23:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	What did you use to study for the test?	QUOTE (Kezzie @ Jan 30 2008, 10:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Starting to think about studying for the Citizenship test.... what did you use to help you and can you give me any links that would be useful... Thanks Kez It's funny that you mention this today...on the way home from Richard's biometrics we (already) starting discussing a stratagy..I think starting using the flash cards sooner rather than later at a casual pace is the way to go. I know with Richard there is plenty he knows already but plenty he has to learn (the same stuff I would..even though I graduated from college with a dual minor in history & political science) . Bette	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-01-30 12:47:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	NYTimes article re US Citizenship	Interesting article...if you read the (fluff) article published in our local paper, you would never have a clue there was a problem Reporter prepares for test After the article was published, I sent the reported a nice email with congratuations and a note that maybe there was a bigger story in the backlog and often rude treatment of applicants. I suggested she take a look the this site for some ideas. I did not even get the courtesy of a response to my email.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-02-24 12:17:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	How did you study the 100 questions?	QUOTE (mattr @ Sep 30 2008, 05:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (moonhunt @ Sep 30 2008, 11:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> If you are taking old test, it will be 10 questions out of 96 questions. In my case, I got booklet and audio CD from fingerprint. So I extracted second audio track from audio CD, and keep listening when I drive back and forth from work to home. It was about 20 min audio track with questions and answers only. First track includes some explanations for questions, but you don't need that for interview questions. So when you hear question, you can answer it then compare what real answer are from following answers from audio track. So I didn't have to spend the time for study. ^^ I didn't know about this CD do you know if every fingerprint place has it? Is it free? Mattr The only thing I could find on the CD was here : Learn About the United States: Quick Civics Lessons (Audio CD and Booklet). The odd thing is, that appears to be for 10 CD's. I don't even mind paying. It's worth it for Richard to be able to upload the CD to his Ipod or listen in the car. I just think it's odd they don't offer just one or tell you anywhere that you can find it.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2008-10-28 10:55:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	part 8 question	Part 8 B. #1 would be your current spouse's name. Part 8 G. #1 would be his ex-spouse name. I read it as this way: correct Part 8 # 1 b is current spouse but his ex spouse would be Part B. # F. It looks like G is for the current spouses prior marriages	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-07 13:42:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	A different Processing question	No problem in rescheduling but it usually lengthens the process significantly. Fingers crossed though that you will be done by then. It was poor planning on my part. I was so used to everything taking eight to ten months it did not occur to me to check the processing time before sending out the application. Thanks for the answer . I'll have my fingers crossed. These are processed by government employees - light vacation usage in the beginning of the year could go quickly.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-09 15:10:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	A different Processing question	Hubby's N-400 application is on it's way (Express mail to Dallas, mailed yesterday.) I see that the average processing time is about 5 to 5.5 months. We are scheduled to cruise in early June 2013. I know this is a cart before the horse question . BUT what happens if the interview is scheduled for the week we are to be away. Does anyone know how difficult it is to reschedule under these circumstances? Thanks for any	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-09 12:30:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Benifits of citizenship	I have a few more smaller benefits in addition to what everyone has said above: - The ability to work for federal government. As green card holders we can't apply for federal government jobs. When I first moved here I didn't think i'd want to get a government job, but with the economy being bad occasionally i've come across a few positions I would have liked to apply for, but can't. Government jobs offer great benefits typically with more time off and better health insurance and retirement savings. The lack of time off here, can be hard for us Brits! I've had 1 week off in the past year, whereas a relative of mine who has a government job has had 5 weeks off! - Not having to file immigration paperwork every 10 years for the rest of your life. Immigration paperwork as we all know it is not the most fun thing to file and can be inconvenient when your green card expires and you're waiting for the new one and need to apply for a new drivers license and they won't accept the expired green card (not happened to me, but i've read stories on here). Also costs of renewing card and wait times may get longer in the future, particularly if illegal immigrant amnesty programs get introduced. Good luck with your K1 and move here! Just to let you know (not to be discouraging) but in order to get that five weeks off you have to have worked for fifteen years with the Federal Government. For the first three years you get two over two weeks (still not bad for beginning job.) After three and up to fifteen you get close to four weeks. The best thing about working for the Federal Government is thae fact that when you retire you get to keep your health benefits.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-09 15:36:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Question about tax returns, marriage certificate	I see lots of people send copies of their marriage certificate and previous tax returns along with the N400 forms. My wife and I sent our forms without adding any tax returns or marriage certificate and got our biometrics appointment notices already. Neither of us is a US citizen so to my knowledge we weren't required to send them but I want a sanity check here. They would have asked for them before scheduling our bio apt. if they were required, right? I thought these are required if N400 application is sent based on marriage with a US citizen which does not apply in our case. Am I right? My husband is married to a US Citizen (me) but since he has been here over five years we did not send the tax returns and marriage certificate. If they want to see if we can bring to the interview, but it's my understands with the five year filing all you to send as documentation is a copy of the front and back of your Green Card.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-10 11:30:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	tax returns	I phoned the number, entered my ssn and it said i need to check my records, then told me to visit IRS.gov. Call and get a live person on the phone. When I needed my first set of transcripts I could not used the automated line or irs.gov. One of my transcripts was linked to my ex-husband who was an IRS employee and it raised a red flag. The live rep was able to send the transcript through, no problem.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-11 19:03:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Postponing Naturalization (N400) Interview Date	Hi, I know its a long time since u posted this one but I would like to know, before going for interview and after doing the finger printing, can i go outside united states? I have a problem, I have to go back to India for marriage and i fear my interview will come during that time. So can i go to india during that time and will there be any problem if i postpone my interview ? Please help me I'll be watching as well. We just filed (N-800 mailed December 8th) as well but are scheduled for vacation at around the six month mark. It's only a week out of the county but the vacation is mostly paid. We're hoping it will over by then, but it not seem that Philly moves all that quickly.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-16 08:01:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Effect of past divorce on n400	Well, the checklist is USCIS Publication M-477 as below and it clearly states to include divorce decrees (there is no distinction between 5 and 3 year filers). I think it is very clear, don't you? http://www.uscis.gov...attachments.pdf If you are applying for naturalization on the basis of marriage to a U.S. citizen, send the following 4 items: 1. Evidence that your spouse has been a U.S. citizen for the last 3 years: a. Birth certificate (if your spouse never lost citizenship since birth); or b. Certificate of Naturalization; or c. Certificate of Citizenship; or d. The inside of the front cover and signature page of your spouse’s current U.S. passport; or e. Form FS-240, Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America; and 2. Your current marriage certificate; and 3. Proof of termination of all prior marriages of your spouse (divorce decree(s), annulment(s), or death certificate(s)); and 4. Documents referring to you and your spouse: a. Tax returns, bank accounts, leases, mortgages, or birth certificates of children; or b. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-certified copies of the income tax forms that you both filed for the past 3 years; or c. An IRS tax return transcript for the last 3 years. See what I bolded. You only need to include these items if you are doing the three year (based on your spouse being a US Citizen). If you have been here five years you can apply on your own. Like I said, I am pretty good a cutting through gov speak since I do it for a living, not that I can't get it wrong. But for now we can agree to disagree and like I said if the USCIS wants our stuff they can have it. I'm done with this. I have to tussle with the public over this (kind of) stuff every day, so I wish everyone here the best of luck in their journey .	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-19 20:05:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Effect of past divorce on n400	Interesting question about whether to include proof of termination of all earlier marriages, if filing based on 5-years. I will point out that neither Form N-400 nor the instructions for form N-400 mentions this, it is only the checklist. To the original poster: your "proof of affair" carries no weight and is unnecessary, regardless. You are divorced and remarried, so noone else cares about the sordid details. If they want them they will will ask, and I'll send them. It will cause a delay which is not a problem. We are not stressing about anything other than getting an interview/oath appointment the same week as the vacation we have planned for in early June. They don't need the documents to do the background check all of the detailed information has been provided on the N-400 plus they have seen they docs during the other processes. I'll be surprised if it's an issue but ya never know.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-19 19:00:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Effect of past divorce on n400	No. I'm still married to the USC. I'm divorced from a Canadian, actually. I still had to provide a copy of the final dissolution. You can see where it asks for the document here ... on the Document Checklist. Look down towards the bottom of page one. It says: "If you were married before, send: - Proof that all earlier marriages ended (divorce decree(s), annulment(s), death certificate(s)." Even though this comes directly after the section containing information specific to the 3-year filing option, it is not a part of that section. It stands on its own. Sorry, it states "If you are applying for naturalization on the basis of marriage to a U.S. citizen, send the following 4 items:" That's the three year not the five year. I get paid to read and interpret these things, so I'll be mighty surpised if I'm wrong. Even though we are still (very happily) married, since Richard passed the five year mark it seemed easier to go with less documented route. Much less paperwork to screw up. No problem to bring tax transcrips (which I had ordered) joint HUD-1, bank statements etc with to the interview if they want to see them, but I doubt that they will.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-19 12:44:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Effect of past divorce on n400	I submitted my application under the 5-year rule in November and you are REQUIRED to submit a copy of your divorce decree (if you've been divorced, of course). Note .. I said A COPY. Do not submit originals of anything except the N-400. Ooops sorry we're taking apples and oranges sorry. You are divorced from the the USC you got your original green card with, we are still married (I am taking about prior divorce/s.) They only need to be documented in writing unless you are going the three year/marriage route.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-19 11:50:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Effect of past divorce on n400	your divorce and circumstances have no bearing on your becoming a citizen. All that is required from you is a copy of the divorce decree. You will be fine. If he is applying based on five years why does he need to supply his actual divorce decree ? All he needs to supply is his green card, two photos and the money. There is a place on the application to disclose all marriages and divorces but I have not seen any indication that it is expected that you supply that physical documentation in the five year process. Can anyone who has been divorced and been through the five year process say for sure ? Thanks	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-19 10:47:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	processing time of n400 at the locak office	i just now checked uscis.gov to the processing timesframe and before i was seeing the n400 is just 5 month avarage. but now i m seeing for example at the philadelphia local office the n400 processing timesframe 25 march 2012.. whats goin on ? It looks like that is of October 30, 2012 (not current date) Field Office Processing Dates for Philadelphia PA as of: October 30, 2012 Form Form Name Processing Timeframe: I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status 4 Months N-400 Application for Naturalization May 25, 2012 N-600 Application for Certification of Citizenship March 7, 2012 Edited by bettenan, 25 December 2012 - 10:43 AM.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-25 10:42:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	trip's taken back to the philippines	It counts from the date you filed for citizenship. You cannot really use the 3 year rule -90 days if you have been a LPR for more than that period for your convinience. Did you include that last trip in your application? I'm curious where you found that information. I suspect that's what they will rule, but I could find nothing nothing in writing to back that up.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-14 06:43:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	trip's taken back to the philippines	I'm not sure if you've been an LPR for 33 years that you're allowed to file via the 3-year marriage application. Can anyone confirm this? If that's the case then they'll need to look at the past 5 years. It does not specify (from what read). I looked carefully. Hubby has been here just over five years and I was no rush to fill out more paperwork and spend more money so soon after getting his ten green card. We went with five year since it's so much less paper work. But I did not see where you could not file as a spouse at any time. If that is correct they will only look at the travel for last three years (from how I interpret the regs.)	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-13 18:37:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	trip's taken back to the philippines	Hi,I have been a LPR for 33 years now and married for 30 years to US citizen. I have filed my N-400 and marked obtion B "Married to a US Citizen for over 3 years", did not really know which one to pick since I qualify for both A & B I think, anyway my husband has always told me that when we retire (he has already been retired military since 1997) that we could take some trips back to my home country so that I could see my family that I have not seen in over 27 years, and that he could meet my family for the first time. We ended up making 3 trips there back to back, my husband looked it up on a web site and it said that as long as the trips are not over a year long that we would be ok, but of course in the process of preparing the N-400 we found out differently, the trips were as follows; 1. 11/06/2006 until 07/01/2007 (237 days) 2. 10/23/2007 until 10/05/2008 (348 days) 3. 01/30/2009 until 01/23/2010 (360 days) My interview is on Jan 23rd, alittle nervous, does anyone have any thoughts or comments. I have filled all the documents required for filing married, along with tax transcripts and bank statements dating back to 2007. I know that I should have filed earlier but I did not so if you can advise on this situation that would help me out alot, Thanks and God Bless In either case three years as Permanent Resident (or five depending on how you filed) without leaving the United States for trips of 6 months or longer. (per M-476 (rev. 03/12 -A Guide To Naturalization.) Sorry I know this is not the news you were looking for.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2012-12-13 17:33:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Quick question abt the brochure of Naturalization test	Hubby got one when he did his biometrics in Philly. Uses it in the car.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2013-01-16 16:54:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Citizenship denial	I sent you a private message in regard to finding an attorney in the Philadelphia area. Good luck	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2013-01-24 12:11:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Citizenship denial	Ok, here is my case in short: In 2003 I filed for green card based on marriage. After I had my first interview I was waiting on the decision for more than 2 years. In meantime I did divorced my wife at the time but did not inform USCIS. I know my obligation was to inform them, but I was waiting for them to call me on the second interview and they would find out. However they screw my alien number and at one point I had two alien numbers and was going for fingerprints every 6 months for almost 3 years. After almost 3 years, they send me the permanent green card (the one on 10 years) without even calling me on the second interview. After 5 years I decide to file for citizenship. They ask me why I did not inform them and my answer was that I was waiting on another interview when my GC arrived in mail. After that I continued my life here as normal thinking everything is ok. They held the interview for citizenship and I passed but officer couldn’t decide right away. So they gave me the letter stating that I passed the interview but decision cannot be made yet and that they have 120 days to inform me of their decision. If they failed to inform me I can file a complaint on district court. So after 120 days I decide to call and ask what happened. Within a week they send me a letter stating that they need 60 more days to decide. After 60 days the decision came that my citizenship application was denied because I did not inform them I was divorced so technically my green card is not valid. I have 30 days to appeal the decision. I understand that I failed to inform them of my divorce but they also failed to call me on second interview. If they would have called me on second interview they would of find out about my status. Technically I did not lie since they never asked if I was divorced or not before they sent me the green card. And it is my fault that I did not tell that my status has changed, but it is also their fault that they sent me green card without asking about my status. If the process went as it should, I would of have the interview and they would find out that I was divorced. Instead they made a mistake, and it took them so long to fix it that they did not even bother calling me on second interview and just giving me the permanent green card. Now they said that I did not obtain the GC lawfully and it is not good and based on that they denied my application. So now I have been in this country for 10 years, I have paid taxes since day one in this country, I have bought a house here and have a new family with a child who is born here. In this 10 years I haven’t travel anywhere outside US waiting to become a citizen first. My question is, is it worth to appeal this and if I appeal, how far should I go ( should I go to district court if they come back with same decision)?	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2013-01-24 08:54:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	Oath Ceremony that wasn't	well, third times a charm. I finally have my citizenship. I wish you all the best of luck with your journeys. i know how it feels to feel like you are never going to get there and that whatever you do USCIS are still not happy and give you more hoops to jump through. But you are going to get there in the end and when you do get there, it's a wonderful feeling to know that you never have to deal with the idiots of USCIS ever again :-) wishing tou all the best also a very well deserved	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2013-02-02 12:33:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	same day oath with interview	Philly does not do same day oath. They used to give out oath letters for next week's date at the end of successfull interviews, but that too is not done anymore. Now, the oaths are scheduled and letters are sent at a later date. The good part is that they still are doing multiple (administrative oath) ceremonies twice a week I.e. on Mondays and Fridays I remembered that you posted this and dug it up. Richard's Philly interview was yesterday and he was told (he passed) and about eight weeks for the oath. I was surprised and was sure it would be at the latest next month. I guess we'll see. I saw they did Mondays since the folks were lined up for what I understood was a second oath session of the day (11 am.) It was exciting to see the families dresses up, carrying flags and even wearing funny Uncle Sam hats. I was born here and looking, I took a deep breath and I had renewed appreciation for what I had and where I was I from. BTW For everyone who took the test (and their spouses) who have never been to Philly, a number of question pertain to Philadelphia. If you every have the opportunity to visit, please do. It really is a historic wonderland.	bettenan	Not Telling	England	2013-03-05 13:19:00