Send N400 while traveling abroad

[pcks1567 0]

My mom is currently abroad for medical reasons (she doesn't have insurance here), she will be back in a couple of months. She qualifies for naturalization and we have filled out N400 (signed). My question is, can I mail N400 out a couple weeks before she returns. I think it takes about a month between application submission to biometrics appointment. The hope is to kind of speed things up cause New York is very slow. She is hoping to have citizenship before summer/fall for a family reunion trip or as soon as possible. Please don't say a couple of weeks doesn't matter, I am just trying to see if it is allowed or not. Thank you.

[jkelly07 120]

the citizenship n-400 should take about 5 to 6 months, filing and oath ceremony,

[pcks1567 0]

the citizenship n-400 should take about 5 to 6 months, filing and oath ceremony,

That's what we are hoping for her, so if we file now, it would be about July when she gets oath ceremony. She won't be back in the country until February 10th, I am thinking about mailing out her N400 right now so when she is back, it would be just in time for her fingerprint appointment. Is this allowed? She will be here for her appointments, just want to find out if the application can be mailed when she is not here.

[mozplay 29]

pcks.... right now filers in NYC are experiencing very long wait times. It may even take you longer than 6 months. If you are looking for an estimate of wait time between filing and biometrics, or biometrics and interview, I would go through the monthly filer threads and just look at the posted timelines so see what others have experienced. I'd say check the VJ timelines, but for some reason, at this stage, VJ members don't seem to be completing their timelines.

Here are a couple of things to note:

1. you can reschedule biometrics if you have too .... but it likely will add a delay.

2. your mom can still travel during the citizenship process. It will be important to have somebody checking the mailbox to make sure that if she gets her interview date while she is away that she can either fly back early or reschedule (again ... it will cause a further delay).

3. once your mother completes the oath ceremony, she is considered an American citizen and may not travel UNTIL she has her new US passport. Again, there are passport filers threads for you to check wait times.

good luck!

moz

[pcks1567 0]

Thank you Moz. that was great info, do you know if I can mail N400 while she is away, she is coming in a month, I am just trying to speed up as much as I am allowed by mailing it now. But if this is not ok (means you have to be physically in the country when you mail N400), then I will wait. If this speed things up by a month, it is totally worth it.

[mozplay 29]

You don't have to be physically in the country but you must have met the continuous residence requirements. So... as long as she has maintained residence while being away on vacation, then that's fine. Just make sure to read everything .... twice. No one part of the application or instructions should be taken in isolation.

[pcks1567 0]

You don't have to be physically in the country but you must have met the continuous residence requirements. So... as long as she has maintained residence while being away on vacation, then that's fine. Just make sure to read everything .... twice. No one part of the application or instructions should be taken in isolation.

awesome, thank you, this is great news, even though it is only a few weeks earlier. she already met the requirements back in July.

[mozplay 29]

And has continued to meet the requirements since July, right?

[pcks1567 0]

And has continued to meet the requirements since July, right?

I am not exactly sure what the requirements are, do you mean the continue residency requirement? She left the country on Sep 26, will be back mid Feb, less than 6 months. Can you be more specific, thank you.

I also just realize Part 7, section C - she will have a most recent trip left date, but no return date yet. Will this cause a red flag?

[mozplay 29]

These are the residency requirements:

• Have not been out of the US for 30 months or more during the last 5 years
• Have resided in the district or state in which I am applying for citizenship for the last three months

A vacation does not negate her residency, but you should do a tally of her time away and make sure that she hasn't been away for more than 30 months in the past 5 years.

As for how to handle the return date ... if it were me, I'd note the return date and then include an attachment explaining that the application is being mailed prior to her return, but that the return ticket is booked and she will be returning.

Perhaps someone else with more direct experience with this last part will chime in.