No green card yet

[sjoefl01 1]

We still haven't gotten the 10 year card but it has been 3 years on the 2 year card.

Can somebody explain the pros and cons of filing the N400 now?

[NickD 202]

We still haven't gotten the 10 year card but it has been 3 years on the 2 year card.

Can somebody explain the pros and cons of filing the N400 now?

You're not the only one, but you have to prove to the USCIS you are a LPR and show them the proof they gave you that you are a LPR. This may seem kind of crazy, but it's up to you to take the pains to maintain your LPR status, and if your one year extension expired, have to go to the same field office and wait in the same waiting room as you would when going in for your N-400 interview. Apparently those that do that N-400 interview and can even be the same person that handles your expired green card for all you know, don't know whether you are a legal LPR or not.

In all cases when applying for the N-400, you send in a copy of your green card, a copy of your one year extension, whether that is expired or not, but if expired, also send in a copy of your I-551 stamp in your current valid foreign passport book, or a copy of the I-94 they gave you.

The people that really seem to know about your LPR status is your employer, sorry, you are dismissed, I will be severely fined by the state if I don't dismiss you, people at your DMV, we can't renew your driver's license unless you can show proof that you are a LPR, ones we ran into know nothing about that one year extension, the I-551 stamp, nor the I-94, that creates problems, and if you are coming back into the country at the POE, they won't let you back in, but most are aware of the other forms of evidence.

Maybe your I-751 application with tons of evidence was "misplaced" like ours were. Only your senator seems to have the power to tell the USCIS to look around. Ombudsman is totally useless as is calling the USCIS.

Sure gives reason to apply for USC to get it over with, but make damn sure you have copies of your certificate in a safe place in case the DOS looses yours, can't even seem to get a replacement from the USCIS, if you can't provide them with a clear legible copy.

[sjoefl01 1]

We filed for my wife and daughter about 13 months ago. They kept sending the package back tellin us that my daughter wasn't eligible. We finally wrote to the Senator and miraculously my wife got biometrics and my daughter got her one year extension letter. Since then we have heard nothing. My daughter still hasn't gotten fingerprinted. We wrote to the Senator again and the USCIS claims that the clock didn't start running till November so we should sit tight.

It's about 6 hours (one way)drive to our service center so we have been sitting it out for now till we have some consequences.

The wife has been studying for citizenship and she is ready.

It sounds like we may be making things worse by filing right now. Maybe we should just write the Senator again.

This really sucks. We have had problems with this immigration every single step of the way. Nothing has gone normal. We are alwya late for everything.

[NickD 202]

Wife's oath ceremony was delayed, but with that delay, she got to keep her ten year card for seven weeks, was such a battle to get it, she didn't want to surrender it. Read about some folks that obtained citizenship even before they got their ten year card. That was our key motivation for applying for USC at the earliest date, and once you get it, your journey with the USCIS is finally over.

I recommend you go for USC at the earliest possible date and get it over with. We did.

[Bkj 0]

I've heard that sometimes applying for naturalization kind of forces the green card through since they have to decide on that first. For us, after waiting over a year to remove conditions on my husband's gc, his 10 year card was approved within days of us sending in the N-400!

Wife's oath ceremony was delayed, but with that delay, she got to keep her ten year card for seven weeks, was such a battle to get it, she didn't want to surrender it. Read about some folks that obtained citizenship even before they got their ten year card. That was our key motivation for applying for USC at the earliest date, and once you get it, your journey with the USCIS is finally over.

I recommend you go for USC at the earliest possible date and get it over with. We did.

[Tini27 0]

I've heard that sometimes applying for naturalization kind of forces the green card through since they have to decide on that first. For us, after waiting over a year to remove conditions on my husband's gc, his 10 year card was approved within days of us sending in the N-400!

Wife's oath ceremony was delayed, but with that delay, she got to keep her ten year card for seven weeks, was such a battle to get it, she didn't want to surrender it. Read about some folks that obtained citizenship even before they got their ten year card. That was our key motivation for applying for USC at the earliest date, and once you get it, your journey with the USCIS is finally over.

I recommend you go for USC at the earliest possible date and get it over with. We did.

I think the N400 does push the processing of the I 751 since USCIS has to make the decision. My 10 year GC was approved 2 weeks after I sent my N400. I sent in the 1 year extension letter + expired 2 year GC with the application. I really don't see any cons to applying for citizenhip in your case if only for taking out the anguish out of expired cards/paperwork, etc...

[sjoefl01 1]

My wifes one year letter is about to expire. Her passport is expired also. We thought filing the N400 might save us some trouble. She could become a citizen and get a US passport instead of driving over 12 hours one way to get hers renewed. We also didn't want to drive 6 hours one way to extend the one year extension. Would they even stamp an expired passport? Would that passport be a problem for USCIS in the citizenship process? She has a drivers license for identification.

We still haven't gotten the 10 year card but it has been 3 years on the 2 year card.

Can somebody explain the pros and cons of filing the N400 now?

You're not the only one, but you have to prove to the USCIS you are a LPR and show them the proof they gave you that you are a LPR. This may seem kind of crazy, but it's up to you to take the pains to maintain your LPR status, and if your one year extension expired, have to go to the same field office and wait in the same waiting room as you would when going in for your N-400 interview. Apparently those that do that N-400 interview and can even be the same person that handles your expired green card for all you know, don't know whether you are a legal LPR or not.

In all cases when applying for the N-400, you send in a copy of your green card, a copy of your one year extension, whether that is expired or not, but if expired, also send in a copy of your I-551 stamp in your current valid foreign passport book, or a copy of the I-94 they gave you.

The people that really seem to know about your LPR status is your employer, sorry, you are dismissed, I will be severely fined by the state if I don't dismiss you, people at your DMV, we can't renew your driver's license unless you can show proof that you are a LPR, ones we ran into know nothing about that one year extension, the I-551 stamp, nor the I-94, that creates problems, and if you are coming back into the country at the POE, they won't let you back in, but most are aware of the other forms of evidence.

Maybe your I-751 application with tons of evidence was "misplaced" like ours were. Only your senator seems to have the power to tell the USCIS to look around. Ombudsman is totally useless as is calling the USCIS.

Sure gives reason to apply for USC to get it over with, but make damn sure you have copies of your certificate in a safe place in case the DOS looses yours, can't even seem to get a replacement from the USCIS, if you can't provide them with a clear legible copy.

[NickD 202]

My wifes one year letter is about to expire. Her passport is expired also. We thought filing the N400 might save us some trouble. She could become a citizen and get a US passport instead of driving over 12 hours one way to get hers renewed. We also didn't want to drive 6 hours one way to extend the one year extension. Would they even stamp an expired passport? Would that passport be a problem for USCIS in the citizenship process? She has a drivers license for identification.

We still haven't gotten the 10 year card but it has been 3 years on the 2 year card.

Can somebody explain the pros and cons of filing the N400 now?

You're not the only one, but you have to prove to the USCIS you are a LPR and show them the proof they gave you that you are a LPR. This may seem kind of crazy, but it's up to you to take the pains to maintain your LPR status, and if your one year extension expired, have to go to the same field office and wait in the same waiting room as you would when going in for your N-400 interview. Apparently those that do that N-400 interview and can even be the same person that handles your expired green card for all you know, don't know whether you are a legal LPR or not.

In all cases when applying for the N-400, you send in a copy of your green card, a copy of your one year extension, whether that is expired or not, but if expired, also send in a copy of your I-551 stamp in your current valid foreign passport book, or a copy of the I-94 they gave you.

The people that really seem to know about your LPR status is your employer, sorry, you are dismissed, I will be severely fined by the state if I don't dismiss you, people at your DMV, we can't renew your driver's license unless you can show proof that you are a LPR, ones we ran into know nothing about that one year extension, the I-551 stamp, nor the I-94, that creates problems, and if you are coming back into the country at the POE, they won't let you back in, but most are aware of the other forms of evidence.

Maybe your I-751 application with tons of evidence was "misplaced" like ours were. Only your senator seems to have the power to tell the USCIS to look around. Ombudsman is totally useless as is calling the USCIS.

Sure gives reason to apply for USC to get it over with, but make damn sure you have copies of your certificate in a safe place in case the DOS looses yours, can't even seem to get a replacement from the USCIS, if you can't provide them with a clear legible copy.

Very important to be a LPR, especially when you are applying for USC. You have to make an infopass appointment, bring in two passport photos, and request an I-94 to maintain your legal status.

If you sent in your I-751 90 days before your 2nd anniversary like we did, 15 months can go by for the USCIS to process your application when your one year extension expires. You submitted all your evidence, never received any mail, paid your fee, they cashed your check you have record of, you have a record of your mailing with a signed returned to receipt and think now the ball is in the USCIS court.

Doesn't work that way, the ball is always in your court and if you don't hear anything, you have got to take action. We made a very long trip to my wife's consulate to renew her passport, but at the time, we didn't have knowledge of the I-94 and was told not to apply for an infopass until within two weeks of the expiration date. Not easy either to make that infopass appointment always full. Can't remember the exact time, but think the best time to do it was at 2:00AM when they update the appointment list, seems like always someone cancels at the last minute. I did call my senators office with three weeks of expiration, they force California to find our misplaced application, and we got our cards almost instantly, well within a week of the two week calling in period. You cannot work, hold a driver's license, nor travel without being a valid LPR.

It was a great relief when that 10 year card came in, we were good for ten more years, but that only lasted seven weeks, wife became a USC and it was all over for us. Wish you the best, but you have to take action.