Travel after Oath, but before Passport

[burs 0]

My wife is likely to have her Citizenship Interview around August 15, but she is scheduled to travel on business to China on August 18 for a week. This presents a dilemma.

1. Is she allowed to travel on her Russian national passport with a Chinese visa to China (without a greencard because it will be confiscated at the Oath ceremony) and come back to the U.S. using just her Certificate of Naturalization? Any possible problems at the Chinese border? U.S. border?

2. If the above is not allowed, can we postpone her interview until after she comes back from China? Does the postponement result in a significant delay of a new interview? Who would we contact to delay the interview?

Thanks,

burs.

Edited June 11, 2008 by burs

[YuAndDan 153]

Will need US passport in order to re-enter the USA.

Similar question yesterday. http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...=132619&hl=

[Aussielad 37]

hold up....you say on August 15th its her interview, and she leaves on August 18th....ok there is no problem.

She can still travel on her Russian passport because she's only having her interview, UNLESS they do same day oath ceremonies, then no she won't be allowed, she'll need to have a U.S. passport.

because usually, and by rule of the thumb after your interview, they are meant to schedule your oath cermony within 90 days after your interview, so if she'll be back before the 90 days, well then no problem

[burs 0]

hold up....you say on August 15th its her interview, and she leaves on August 18th....ok there is no problem.

She can still travel on her Russian passport because she's only having her interview, UNLESS they do same day oath ceremonies, then no she won't be allowed, she'll need to have a U.S. passport.

because usually, and by rule of the thumb after your interview, they are meant to schedule your oath cermony within 90 days after your interview, so if she'll be back before the 90 days, well then no problem

Right on, mate. That's a splendid idea. As long as they don't confiscate her greencard during the interview, that would be the course of action to follow.

Thanks to you as well, Yu.

Edited June 11, 2008 by burs

[Lovepuppy 0]

hold up....you say on August 15th its her interview, and she leaves on August 18th....ok there is no problem.

She can still travel on her Russian passport because she's only having her interview, UNLESS they do same day oath ceremonies, then no she won't be allowed, she'll need to have a U.S. passport.

because usually, and by rule of the thumb after your interview, they are meant to schedule your oath cermony within 90 days after your interview, so if she'll be back before the 90 days, well then no problem

Right on, mate. That's a splendid idea. As long as they don't confiscate her greencard during the interview, that would be the course of action to follow.

Thanks to you as well, Yu.

hey guys, I have one more question, my interview date is July 24th, and I will be travelling out side of US on late Oct and then be back in early Feb '09, if i was scheduled for the oath ceremony after Oct can I reschedule it to Feb after I come back? It will be more than 3 month, Is it possible to do that? Does anyone know?

[Cassie 8]

hey guys, I have one more question, my interview date is July 24th, and I will be travelling out side of US on late Oct and then be back in early Feb '09, if i was scheduled for the oath ceremony after Oct can I reschedule it to Feb after I come back? It will be more than 3 month, Is it possible to do that? Does anyone know?

erm, you'll have 90 days between July and October, if approved you should have the oath ceremony before leaving.

[Lovepuppy 0]

hey guys, I have one more question, my interview date is July 24th, and I will be travelling out side of US on late Oct and then be back in early Feb '09, if i was scheduled for the oath ceremony after Oct can I reschedule it to Feb after I come back? It will be more than 3 month, Is it possible to do that? Does anyone know?

erm, you'll have 90 days between July and October, if approved you should have the oath ceremony before leaving.

I will be leaving on Oct 21th.I mean IF they shceduled the Oath, say Oct 22nd (just assuming very last day of the 90 days range). I hope that will not happen but just in case so I know how to deal with it coz i also have to count the days that takes to issue me a US passport and the days the country I am going to issues me a visa....

[FVA 0]

hey guys, I have one more question, my interview date is July 24th, and I will be travelling out side of US on late Oct and then be back in early Feb '09, if i was scheduled for the oath ceremony after Oct can I reschedule it to Feb after I come back? It will be more than 3 month, Is it possible to do that? Does anyone know?

erm, you'll have 90 days between July and October, if approved you should have the oath ceremony before leaving.

I will be leaving on Oct 21th.I mean IF they shceduled the Oath, say Oct 22nd (just assuming very last day of the 90 days range). I hope that will not happen but just in case so I know how to deal with it coz i also have to count the days that takes to issue me a US passport and the days the country I am going to issues me a visa....

can someone answer this, please? i'm curious as well if there is a chance to reschedule the oath ceremony?

[warlord 72]

hey guys, I have one more question, my interview date is July 24th, and I will be travelling out side of US on late Oct and then be back in early Feb '09, if i was scheduled for the oath ceremony after Oct can I reschedule it to Feb after I come back? It will be more than 3 month, Is it possible to do that? Does anyone know?

erm, you'll have 90 days between July and October, if approved you should have the oath ceremony before leaving.

I will be leaving on Oct 21th.I mean IF they shceduled the Oath, say Oct 22nd (just assuming very last day of the 90 days range). I hope that will not happen but just in case so I know how to deal with it coz i also have to count the days that takes to issue me a US passport and the days the country I am going to issues me a visa....

First you have to make sure you do not break continous residency while you are away. Second you do not request an oath date, they give it to you. If you ask to reschedual you leave it to them to reschedual which can be months to years. Some have gotten a reschedual fairly quickly (month or two) others have waited over a year while others have gotten lost back into the system.

If it is a matter of life and death that you leave then write to postpone it and then when you return just wait and wait until they decide to put you back in the system...

[NickD 202]

Someone here posted, he got to recite the oath within two hours of his interview, how did he do that? And if you do get your citizenship paper, won't that get you back in with a foreign passport without the green card? Was able to bring my wife back into this country with an expired green card and that one year extension notice, seems like US citizenship papers should be more effective. That was as weird as hell, finally met a guy that works for the government where I didn't have to spend hours or days explaining why my wife has an expired green card.

Then there is the trip itself, if employer based, normally no way in hell can you get that trip postponed unless you quit, regardless of the reason, when they say go, you go. But miracles do happen, once in a great while.

Ha, still think the USCIS is tracking our everyday movements, when nothing is going on, nothing happens, but schedule a trip and they schedule an interview at the same time. But they must be screwing up with your wife, why did they schedule her interview three days ahead of time? Should have been scheduled the same day or the day after she is suppose to leave.

[churipu 4]

Someone here posted, he got to recite the oath within two hours of his interview, how did he do that? And if you do get your citizenship paper, won't that get you back in with a foreign passport without the green card? Was able to bring my wife back into this country with an expired green card and that one year extension notice, seems like US citizenship papers should be more effective. That was as weird as hell, finally met a guy that works for the government where I didn't have to spend hours or days explaining why my wife has an expired green card.

Then there is the trip itself, if employer based, normally no way in hell can you get that trip postponed unless you quit, regardless of the reason, when they say go, you go. But miracles do happen, once in a great while.

Ha, still think the USCIS is tracking our everyday movements, when nothing is going on, nothing happens, but schedule a trip and they schedule an interview at the same time. But they must be screwing up with your wife, why did they schedule her interview three days ahead of time? Should have been scheduled the same day or the day after she is suppose to leave.

I am one of the super lucky ones who had the Oath a few hours after I was approved, some offices do it that way(Baltimore is one of them), I am not sure what you're asking when you say *see bold*. To answer your question...no, your naturalization certificate is not a travel document, you need to get a US passport in order to travel abroad once they take your green card at the Oath. Once you are a US citizen the USA only recognizes your US passport in order to enter/exit the country, your foreign one is only good for when you get back to your homecountry or some third place. I would assume that if you have a business trip or something else planned, you can reschedule the Oath after that, but I do not know if there is a maximum time limit between the 2 events.

[lucyrich 19]

And if you do get your citizenship paper, won't that get you back in with a foreign passport without the green card? Was able to bring my wife back into this country with an expired green card and that one year extension notice, seems like US citizenship papers should be more effective.

That worked for your situation because your wife was not a US Citizen, and it's the approved way to do things.

But once a person becomes a US Citizen, they need a US Passport to travel internationally (with limited exceptions for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico, and the Carribbean, but those limited exceptions will soon be phased out).

A person who has taken the oath of citizenship but not yet received a US passport has exactly the same status as any other US Citizen who doesn't have a US passport. They're not allowed to travel internationally (with the above limited exceptions) until they get a passport. You can get a passport pretty quickly these days, if you're willing to pay for expedited service.

Going to your interview is not the same as taking the oath of citizenship. A person who has passed their interview but not yet taken the oath is still a Green Card holder. They don't take the Green Card away until the person becomes a citizen, and the person doesn't become a citizen until taking the oath.

[NickD 202]

And if you do get your citizenship paper, won't that get you back in with a foreign passport without the green card? Was able to bring my wife back into this country with an expired green card and that one year extension notice, seems like US citizenship papers should be more effective.

That worked for your situation because your wife was not a US Citizen, and it's the approved way to do things.

But once a person becomes a US Citizen, they need a US Passport to travel internationally (with limited exceptions for land and sea travel to Canada, Mexico, and the Carribbean, but those limited exceptions will soon be phased out).

A person who has taken the oath of citizenship but not yet received a US passport has exactly the same status as any other US Citizen who doesn't have a US passport. They're not allowed to travel internationally (with the above limited exceptions) until they get a passport. You can get a passport pretty quickly these days, if you're willing to pay for expedited service.

Going to your interview is not the same as taking the oath of citizenship. A person who has passed their interview but not yet taken the oath is still a Green Card holder. They don't take the Green Card away until the person becomes a citizen, and the person doesn't become a citizen until taking the oath.

Interesting, so with a foreign passport that is not so easy to get if you are a permanent resident here, they will let you back in with a green card, but not as a U.S. citizen.

With the USCIS, we are in effect, a paying customer, and normally in such situations where an appointment is required, it's mutually agreed upon. But you wait months if not years for this appointment, and either you show up at their prescribed time, or you are screwed.

And then somebody asks? What can we do about it?

Either show up at the appointed time, or you are screwed, I guess.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

My wife is likely to have her Citizenship Interview around August 15, but she is scheduled to travel on business to China on August 18 for a week. This presents a dilemma.

1. Is she allowed to travel on her Russian national passport with a Chinese visa to China (without a greencard because it will be confiscated at the Oath ceremony) and come back to the U.S. using just her Certificate of Naturalization? Any possible problems at the Chinese border? U.S. border?

Could be done with some difficulty; so long as she makes a journey-break in YVR (Vancouver); she can then enter through the PFI showing her Naturalisation Certificate (admittedly, this is much inconvenient) and NO passport.

2. If the above is not allowed, can we postpone her interview until after she comes back from China? Does the postponement result in a significant delay of a new interview? Who would we contact to delay the interview?

Thanks,

burs.

Yes, she can ask for a delay--don't worry about how much (delay) Edited June 17, 2008 by CherryXS