Stepchildren, N-400

[floridadave 195]

I am the u.s. citizen and my wife who is a LPR (10-yr green card) is applying for citizenship as she's been here 5 years now.  Question is about N-400, Part 11, question 2, about listing stepchildren.  I have two adult citizen children who have not even met my wife yet.  She feels she should list them as "stepchildren."  I feel not, as I believe she should list her only natural born adult child as she can petition him to live here in the future.  Should my children be listed on her N-400?

 

Any input will be appreciated.

[s + j 71]

Just a question...Why hasn't she met them? 

 

If listed, she could be asked if she ever met them and details about them...The officer may think it's weird she's never met them during the whole time you've been married. But it MIGHT be misrepresentation if not listed. I'm not sure. Someone who knows more will answer.

Edited March 13, 2017 by s + j

[floridadave 195]

1 minute ago, s + j said:

Just a question...Why hasn't she met them? 

 

If listed, she could be asked if she ever met them and details about them...The officer may think it's weird she's never met them during the whole time you've been married. But it MIGHT be misrepresentation if not listed. I'm not sure. Someone who knows more will answer.

Just the way things worked out.  One child was a lifer family in the military who just recently retired and settled down in another state.  My other child left the area several years back and just has not kept in touch.  Some things I just can't control.

[anniesdream 5]

23 hours ago, floridadave said:

I am the u.s. citizen and my wife who is a LPR (10-yr green card) is applying for citizenship as she's been here 5 years now.  Question is about N-400, Part 11, question 2, about listing stepchildren.  I have two adult citizen children who have not even met my wife yet.  She feels she should list them as "stepchildren."  I feel not, as I believe she should list her only natural born adult child as she can petition him to live here in the future.  Should my children be listed on her N-400?

 

Any input will be appreciated.

Check out N400 Form Instruction, Page 9:

Item Number 1. Indicate your total number of children. Count all of your children, regardless of whether they are alive, missing, deceased; born in other countries or in the United States; under 18 years of age or over 18 years of age; married or unmarried; living with you or elsewhere; current stepchildren; legally adopted children; or children born when you were not married.

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/n-400instr.pdf

 

Yes, include all your children.

[floridadave 195]

4 hours ago, anniesdream said:

Check out N400 Form Instruction, Page 9:

Item Number 1. Indicate your total number of children. Count all of your children, regardless of whether they are alive, missing, deceased; born in other countries or in the United States; under 18 years of age or over 18 years of age; married or unmarried; living with you or elsewhere; current stepchildren; legally adopted children; or children born when you were not married.

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/n-400instr.pdf

 

Yes, include all your children.

Thanks for the help!

[candybabe 46]

On ‎3‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 0:12 PM, floridadave said:

I am the u.s. citizen and my wife who is a LPR (10-yr green card) is applying for citizenship as she's been here 5 years now.  Question is about N-400, Part 11, question 2, about listing stepchildren.  I have two adult citizen children who have not even met my wife yet.  She feels she should list them as "stepchildren."  I feel not, as I believe she should list her only natural born adult child as she can petition him to live here in the future.  Should my children be listed on her N-400?

 

Any input will be appreciated.

I am in a similar situation - Did not list my husband's sons because they are both over 18 and do not live with us, I never claimed them as dependents as far as taxes or other benefits ( health, etc) and never formally adopted them. In light of the note above, I will ask during the interview if I should have put them down and maybe adjust the form right there with the immigration officer. I agree with you as far as immigration benefits , it would def matter more ....

[floridadave 195]

29 minutes ago, candybabe said:

I am in a similar situation - Did not list my husband's sons because they are both over 18 and do not live with us, I never claimed them as dependents as far as taxes or other benefits ( health, etc) and never formally adopted them. In light of the note above, I will ask during the interview if I should have put them down and maybe adjust the form right there with the immigration officer. I agree with you as far as immigration benefits , it would def matter more ....

Thanks for your reply.  I follow your logic and agree.  But the wife is painfully honest so she wants to include my adult kids.  I still disagree with her.  If you are able, can you post how it went at the interview re: the husbands kids not listed on your form?  Good luck!

[Villanelle 4,121]

2 hours ago, floridadave said:

Thanks for your reply.  I follow your logic and agree.  But the wife is painfully honest so she wants to include my adult kids.  I still disagree with her.  If you are able, can you post how it went at the interview re: the husbands kids not listed on your form?  Good luck!

To be blunt "logic" does not apply here. It doesnt matter if you find it logical or ridiculous- the instructions state 

 

Count all of your children, regardless of whether they are alive,
missing, deceased; born in other countries or in the United States; under 18 years of age or over 18 years of age; married
or unmarried; living with you or elsewhere; current stepchildren; legally adopted children; or children born when you
were not married

 

So they have to be listed. (period). Your wife is correct to be completely honest and to want to fill out the form exactly as the instructions state- however silly or N/A the questions may be.

 

As for the user who did not list the adult step children, it happens. The best thing to do is to notify the Officer when they are reviewing your form and explain you misunderstood and filled it out incorrectly and provide the info for the missing children. They will amend the form for you. (Basically in the interview they review the form line by line with you, when they get to the children its more about if they will derive citizenship when the adult does- also USCIS likes to build databases for fraud prevention reasons.)

[Olivier de Nimes 12]

Hi there,

your wife is right....

Stepchildren have to be listed.

 

Regards

[br9k 23]

If any of the original posters (who did not include step children on the application) are around - would appreciate your help. We have not included step children either, and now I wonder how this was handled/resolved. Did you discuss this at interview time?

[humming bird 14]

So could you guys tell us what did you do? Did you include your adult step children of US citizen spouse or not? I am sailing in the same boat. Its 2021-still the same question. The form instructions should give more clarity but it doesn't.

[Chancy 6,233]

1 hour ago, humming bird said:

The form instructions should give more clarity but it doesn't.

 

Which part is not clear?  Here again are the instructions from page 9 of https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/n-400instr.pdf --

 

"Item Number 1. Indicate your total number of children. Count all of your children, regardless of whether they are alive, missing, deceased; born in other countries or in the United States; under 18 years of age or over 18 years of age; married or unmarried; living with you or elsewhere; current stepchildren; legally adopted children; or children born when you were not married.

Item Number 2. Provide information about all your children listed in Item Number 1., regardless of age. If needed, use a separate sheet of paper to provide the information requested. Provide the following information for each child including the child’s current legal name; A-Number (if applicable); date of birth; country of birth (type or print the name of the country at the time of your child’s birth, even if the name changed); relationship to you (for example, biological child, stepchild, legally adopted child); and current address."

 

[TBoneTX 43,483]

Thread from 2017 is now closed to further comment.