Almost completed citzenship, need to travel. What to do?

[johnmhome 0]

I'm a UK citizen, held green card for 10 years.

I applied for citizenship earlier in the year and all proceeded well. My final interview was last week and I passed. Interviewing officer encouraged me to attend next available oath ceremony on Thursday of this week (day after tomorrow). I told him that the timing was not ideal because I am traveling to Europe the following day and therefore would need to use my UK passport to re-enter the country. He said that was not a problem so I went ahead and scheduled the oath taking.

I just learned that at the oath taking they will hold my green card. I travel the following day, and I can't reschedule it. I have researched using my UK passport and citizenship certificate to reenter in 2 weeks, and it seems that's not possible.

Can anyone tell me which is the least bad option:

1. Apply for US passport expedited the day after the oath taking? I will have my certificate and have enough time in the morning before my flight to apply. I can have it shipped to my office and my assistant will FedEx it to me in Europe.

2. Cancel and reschedule the oath taking ceremony? What about the question on the oath form asking 'have you traveled outside the US'

3. Can I get an exemption at the oath taking such they will not remove my green card?

My oath taking is this Thursday in the afternoon, my flight to Europe is the next day,in the late afternoon. I can't delay my flight.

What to do?

[Mohsin 0]

The State Department Processes same day passport creation/renewal etc. if you are able to prove to them it is an emergency. They generally just require a confirmed air ticket. My wife got it done from the Philadelphia office....but it takes time, she got there around 9:00am and had her passport around 3:00pm.....

This link might help

http://travel.state.gov/passport/fri/sched...hedule_852.html

[phl_nov08 0]

I'm a UK citizen, held green card for 10 years.

I applied for citizenship earlier in the year and all proceeded well. My final interview was last week and I passed. Interviewing officer encouraged me to attend next available oath ceremony on Thursday of this week (day after tomorrow). I told him that the timing was not ideal because I am traveling to Europe the following day and therefore would need to use my UK passport to re-enter the country. He said that was not a problem so I went ahead and scheduled the oath taking.

I just learned that at the oath taking they will hold my green card. I travel the following day, and I can't reschedule it. I have researched using my UK passport and citizenship certificate to reenter in 2 weeks, and it seems that's not possible.

Can anyone tell me which is the least bad option:

1. Apply for US passport expedited the day after the oath taking? I will have my certificate and have enough time in the morning before my flight to apply. I can have it shipped to my office and my assistant will FedEx it to me in Europe.

2. Cancel and reschedule the oath taking ceremony? What about the question on the oath form asking 'have you traveled outside the US'

3. Can I get an exemption at the oath taking such they will not remove my green card?

My oath taking is this Thursday in the afternoon, my flight to Europe is the next day,in the late afternoon. I can't delay my flight.

What to do?

If you got to the passport agency first thing, they could probably get a passport done by 3pm. Sounds like that would be too late for you.

I don't think 3 is an option. And 1 would make me too nervous..... what if it got lost in shipping. Can you be away for however long they take to process expedited passports at the moment.

You could re-schedule the oath, I did that a couple of times because my wife and I couldn't get there on the same day. I sent the oath form back with a letter explaining why I couldn't make it and they were happy to re-schedule it for me. The question on the oath form isn't a problem, you just tell them where you went and how long. Assuming you are not near the limits on time out of the US etc. you would be fine.

P

[Lansbury 19]

I think the only option is 2.

Once a citizen you have to use a US passport to enter and leave the US. When leaving the airline will send the manifest details with your non US passport shown on it to Department of Homeland Security. When coming home the airline will send the manifest in advance of takeoff to the same place with your US passport details on it. While it may not be a problem at all it seems quite a chance to take that it wouldn't cause you serious problems.

In the oath ceremony reports people have posted they are been asked if the details are still correct and had the opportunity to make the necessary corrections. To me that seems a lot less worrying to do then your first proposal.

Edited July 14, 2009 by Lansbury

[lucyrich 19]

Start from option 3: You can't get an exeption and be allowed to keep your green card. And even if you could, it wouldn't do you any good. INA 215(b) says "Except as otherwise provided by the President and subject to such limitations and exceptions as the President may authorize and prescribe, it shall be unlawful for any citizen of the United States to depart from or enter, or attempt to depart from or enter, the United States unless he bears a valid United States passport".

Unless you get President Obama to grant you an exception, once you're a US Citizen, you've got to use a US passport to leave or enter the US. There used to be exceptions for travel to Canada, Mexico and the Carribbean, but they've pretty much been phased out.

As for your second option, you can reschedule. When you come to your new later oath ceremony, they'll ask a question about international travel between the interview and oath. As long as the travel doesn't push your days outside the US to a point where you'd fail to meet the physical presence requirement, it won't be a problem at all. We had a ten day international vacation between the interview and oath, and it wasn't a problem.

Your first option may be a possibility, but that would be rushing things quite a bit. I'd probably reschedule the cermony if it were me.

When you walk out of that naturalization oath ceremony, as far as the legal requirements for international travel go, you are exactly equivalent to any other US citizen who has not yet obtained his first US passport. You need to get a US passport before you can travel.

[Allie and Nigel 2]

They at the ceremony, give you the citizenship certificate, should that plus your uk passport be enough to get back home to usa?

[jeangab75 0]

Just reschedule either your trip or the ceremony. Is it urgent for you to become a citizen, I mean are you applying to a gvt job? if not just waiting a couple of weeks does not seem to be a big deal. You don't want to be arrested at the border by an agent and subsequently have to make a correction to your n400 plus provide the paperwork.

[lucyrich 19]

They at the ceremony, give you the citizenship certificate, should that plus your uk passport be enough to get back home to usa?

Nope. A certificate of citizenship is not a travel document. You can't even use it to come back from Canada or Mexico anymore. The airlines probably won't allow you to board the US-bound plane.

You might be able to use it at an overseas US embassy to get an emergency US passport, but then they'll drill you on why you didn't get your passport before you left. See INA 215(b).

[warlord 72]

Just reschedule either your trip or the ceremony. Is it urgent for you to become a citizen, I mean are you applying to a gvt job? if not just waiting a couple of weeks does not seem to be a big deal. You don't want to be arrested at the border by an agent and subsequently have to make a correction to your n400 plus provide the paperwork.

Reschedule the trip is the most common response for a reason. Delaying the oath ceremony puts you back into the INS system which in some cases could take a long time. People need to figure out which is more important to them a trip or citizenship.

Most places will warn people to not make any long range travel plans like that after filing the N-400 because you will never know when you may get called upon.

There have been many variations with delaying the oath, some get it fast others have waited over a year. It's not a simple thing like delay it and just go the next one.

But yeah the same day passport would be the other safest option then and leave delaying it as a last resort...

[imzadi 0]

Reschedule the trip is the most common response for a reason. Delaying the oath ceremony puts you back into the INS system which in some cases could take a long time. People need to figure out which is more important to them a trip or citizenship.

Agree on that. Rescheduling the oath ceremony causes a big delay and therefore a hassle with paperwork again.

I don't know which airline you are using for travel; I can only speak about Delta - they charge between $100 and $150 for rescheduling a flight date. This is not that big a deal. Easier to do that than messing around with the oath ceremony.

Do the oath and postpone your trip in a manner so you know for sure you have your US passport in your hand right in time and not worry about re-entry.

Just my 2 cents.

[johnmhome 0]

Reschedule the trip is the most common response for a reason. Delaying the oath ceremony puts you back into the INS system which in some cases could take a long time. People need to figure out which is more important to them a trip or citizenship.

Agree on that. Rescheduling the oath ceremony causes a big delay and therefore a hassle with paperwork again.

I don't know which airline you are using for travel; I can only speak about Delta - they charge between $100 and $150 for rescheduling a flight date. This is not that big a deal. Easier to do that than messing around with the oath ceremony.

Do the oath and postpone your trip in a manner so you know for sure you have your US passport in your hand right in time and not worry about re-entry.

Just my 2 cents.

I'm very grateful for all the advice. I have decided to ask to reschedule the oath ceremony. During my interview I did explain about my travel plans and they still steered me towards the oath ceremony the day before I fly, and I even pointed out that I'd need to re-enter the US on my UK passport, and they said this was OK. Of course I since learned I cannot do this.

Therefore because I feel CIS made a small error, I am hoping they will be flexible. Certainly during the interview everyone was very nice.

[J&D 0]

Good decision I think!

When I was at POE 3 years ago I was given ROC advice by the Border Patrol/Immigration Officer. Thankfully it was this website that ensured I didn't mess up when it came to removing conditions as I followed the advice listed by users on VJ which was correct as oppossed to the advice given at POE which turned out to be incorrect.

[johnmhome 0]

Reschedule the trip is the most common response for a reason. Delaying the oath ceremony puts you back into the INS system which in some cases could take a long time. People need to figure out which is more important to them a trip or citizenship.

Agree on that. Rescheduling the oath ceremony causes a big delay and therefore a hassle with paperwork again.

I don't know which airline you are using for travel; I can only speak about Delta - they charge between $100 and $150 for rescheduling a flight date. This is not that big a deal. Easier to do that than messing around with the oath ceremony.

Do the oath and postpone your trip in a manner so you know for sure you have your US passport in your hand right in time and not worry about re-entry.

Just my 2 cents.

I'm very grateful for all the advice. I have decided to ask to reschedule the oath ceremony.

Quick update: I hand delivered a letter requesting reschedule of oath ceremony and then departed for my vacation. Upon my return I find a letter with my new oath ceremony date of August 20th. Looks like reschedule was least painful option and I'm grateful again for the advoce.