N-400 Filing Questions

[Arka 1]

Hello Everyone,

Hope you all are doing good.

I have a couple of quick question, i'm planning to submit my N-400. I currently reside in Dallas, Texas. I was wondering how long does it take for the consulate to schedule for fingerprinting. I have a training for next 4 weeks, so its going to be difficult for me to go if the appointment is going to be in 4 weeks.

Also, my green card is expiring in 3 months and i read online that in order to apply for citizenship your green card must have 6 months validity. But i spoke to a lawyer and he told me that the Dallas office does not follow this rule and i should directly file for citizenship and he said that if i was to hire him thats what he's gonna do. do you guys have any idea about it?

Also, if they find out that my green card is expiring in 3 months, do they return the application fee?

Thank you,

Arka

[JimmyHou 613]

Hello Everyone,

Hope you all are doing good.

I have a couple of quick question, i'm planning to submit my N-400. I currently reside in Dallas, Texas. I was wondering how long does it take for the consulate to schedule for fingerprinting. I have a training for next 4 weeks, so its going to be difficult for me to go if the appointment is going to be in 4 weeks.

Also, my green card is expiring in 3 months and i read online that in order to apply for citizenship your green card must have 6 months validity. But i spoke to a lawyer and he told me that the Dallas office does not follow this rule and i should directly file for citizenship and he said that if i was to hire him thats what he's gonna do. do you guys have any idea about it?

Also, if they find out that my green card is expiring in 3 months, do they return the application fee?

Thank you,

Arka

1- You will probably get your fingerprinting appointment in less than 4 weeks. Plan accordingly. And there are no US consulates inside the US... you will go to a USCIS office or an Application Support Center.

2- This is a written rule, but there are cases where it has not been followed. It depends on the office, interviewer, and supervisor. In most cases I've read about recently, it has not been a problem, but that is no guarantee.

3- In all likelihood, they will not return your fee. If you apply and you are ineligible, you'll find out at the interview, but you won't get your fee back.

[Arka 1]

Thanks a lot JimmyHou for your prompt response.

How difficult is to reschedule the fingerprinting appointment?

Also, while i'm waiting for my N-400 to be approved and my green card expires, is that an issue or as long as i have the I-797 notice, i should be good.

Thanks again,

Arka

[Arka 1]

please respond guys. Its really important for me.

Thanks everyone.

-Arka

[JimmyHou 613]

please respond guys. Its really important for me.

Thanks everyone.

-Arka

The only rule about green card expiration related to naturalization is that you need to apply more than 6 months before your green card expires. That's the written rule, but they often ignore it.

Other than that, it's irrelevant whether your green card is expired or not unless you want to travel; you are still a permanent resident even if your green card has expired. It's up to the interviewer to decide if he'll approve your application if you failed to apply more than 6 months before expiry.

No idea about biometrics... you can reschedule, but I don't know how much of a delay this causes.