Us citizenship categories

[Ana01 0]

I am in doubt. I want to apply for my Us citizenship. But I am not sure what category to use. I've been married for 10 years with the same US husband. I don't know if i should use through marriage (three years) or applying through the category of five years.

Thank you!

[Dashinka 25,843]

How long have you been a GC holder?

[Hypnos 6,579]

Five years is easier, if you've been an LPR for at least that long. 

[Ana01 0]

1 hour ago, Bill & Katya said:

How long have you been a GC holder?

 

2 hours ago, Ana01 said:

I am in doubt. I want to apply for my Us citizenship. But I am not sure what category to use. I've been married for 10 years with the same US husband. I don't know if i should use through marriage (three years) or applying through the category of five years.

Thank you!

I have been a GH for 9 years. I got my Greencard through marriage. I i am still married with the the same us citizen. That s why I am in doubt. Thank you very much!

 

 

[Dashinka 25,843]

6 minutes ago, Ana01 said:

 

I have been a GH for 9 years. I got my Greencard through marriage. I i am still married with the the same us citizen. That s why I am in doubt. Thank you very much!

 

 

Ok, I am a bit confused, you are living the US with a GC for nine years that you obtained through your husband that you are still married too.  The 3 or 5 year rule doesn’t really apply at this point, just apply.  As at @Hypnosstated, use the five year LPR rule. 

 

Good Luck!

Edited February 25, 2018 by Bill & Katya

[Ana01 0]

Thank you very much for your quick reply! It 's been very helpful. I'll use the five year rule! 

[JoeSchmoe2017 92]

Yes, 5 year rule is much easier and less paperwork to submit.

[magentahaze 34]

This is confusing to me as well. I've kind of been dragging my feet on applying - mostly out of anxiety of not passing the test.

I came into the US on a K1 visa, got married 5/10 and my GC was issued on 11/10.  

I guess I'll just go under the 5 year option.

 

Edited February 27, 2018 by magentahaze

[marriedtomrg 141]

32 minutes ago, magentahaze said:

This is confusing to me as well. I've kind of been dragging my feet on applying - mostly out of anxiety of not passing the test.

I came into the US on a K1 visa, got married 5/10 and my GC was issued on 11/10.  

I guess I'll just go under the 5 year option.

 

You are not alone in your anxiety about the civics test!  That was one of my concerns as well.  There are a bunch of apps available (I am an Android user - so I go to Google Play) to help with the civics test.  They mostly come with flash cards (which you can read in sequential or random order - and there is usually a Test Mode - so you will get asked 10 out of the 100 and you will see at the end how you did - you only need to answer 6 out of 10).  I try to spend 10 minutes on it a day - and spend more time on questions I get stuck with.

 

So far though this YouTube video is my favorite - I listen to it in the car on my way to work and on the way to pick up my kid after work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgc5FP2wd9s

 

 

Also - you can file and pay for the N-400 application online now.  That is an option I would highly recommend - you can create your account anytime, complete the documents as needed and even after you submit you can still add documents to it later in case some are not readily available.  The account stays active for about 30 days - but if you sign in and run through the questions a couple of times (which are in Wizard format), you can keep the application "fresh" or current until you are ready to file.

 

I put off my application also - but now the fees have increased, and the timelines are kind of bonkers -  so I didn't want to put it off any longer after that.

 

Edited February 27, 2018 by marriedtomrg
Typo

[virgiliox 3]

I was just about to create a new thread asking the same question but thanks to you guys now I don't have to. I've been a LPR since September of 2011 and I did obtain my green card through marriage to a US Citizen, whom I'm still married to. But I've been putting off applying for citizenship until now and thanks to you guys now I know to apply under the 5 years category instead of the 3. I guess my question now is, how does the online filing of the N-400 form work? I had no idea that you could file online. How do you submit the supporting documents if you're applying online? If somebody can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. Thank you!

[magentahaze 34]

13 minutes ago, marriedtomrg said:

You are not alone in your anxiety about the civics test!  That was one of my concerns as well.  There are a bunch of apps available (I am an Android user - so I go to Google Play) to help with the civics test.  They mostly come with flash cards (which you can read in sequential or random order - and there is usually a Test Mode - so you will get asked 10 out of the 100 and you will see at the end how you did - you only need to answer 6 out of 10).  I try to spend 10 minutes on it a day - and spend more time on questions I get stuck with.

 

So far though this YouTube video is my favorite - I listen to it in the car on my way to work and on the way to pick up my kid after work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgc5FP2wd9s

 

 

Also - you can file and pay for the N-400 application online now.  That is an option I would highly recommend - you can create your account anytime, complete the documents as needed and even after you submit you can still add documents to it later in case some are not readily available.  The account stays active for about 30 days - but if you sign in and run through the questions a couple of times (which are in Wizard format), you can keep the application "fresh" or current until you are ready to file.

 

I put off my application also - but now the fees have increased, and the timelines are kind of bonkers -  so I didn't want to put it off any longer after that.

 

Yeah, the fees going up is what I wondering about. I mostly just wanted to take a break from not having to do paperwork. I think almost 8 years is a long enough break.  

For me, it's mostly timing for applying as well. From where I live, the Federal office is a 3 hour drive. And we have a trip planned later this year, so I want to make sure that I don't have to go for any appointments while we're out of state. 

Applying online is something I think I might look into. It's the gathering of all the paperwork and such that takes the longest. I end up taking over various parts of the house with piles and sticky notes.

 

[marriedtomrg 141]

27 minutes ago, virgiliox said:

I was just about to create a new thread asking the same question but thanks to you guys now I don't have to. I've been a LPR since September of 2011 and I did obtain my green card through marriage to a US Citizen, whom I'm still married to. But I've been putting off applying for citizenship until now and thanks to you guys now I know to apply under the 5 years category instead of the 3. I guess my question now is, how does the online filing of the N-400 form work? I had no idea that you could file online. How do you submit the supporting documents if you're applying online? If somebody can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. Thank you!

@virgiliox You need to create an account for your N-400 here: https://myaccount.uscis.dhs.gov/

 

The application is in Wizard format - along the way it will tell you if and when you need to add more information.  You can upload supporting documents in the Evidence tab - and sections will be clearly marked that will tell you where to upload each file (or set of files) - you can upload them one by one or you can select multiple files from your computer and then drag them into the space provided in that section - after you select your files, don't forget to click on Upload/Save files and you will see a progress bar showing you the status of the upload - the box also tells you what file formats are accepted - PDF or JPG and a few others.

 

You can scan documents into PDF or JPG format or - if you have a smart phone or tablet, you can take a picture of the document (make sure the resolution is high enough for them to read - at least 300 dpi - save it in a name that describes what you are sending, and then upload to your heart's content.

 

You don't have to submit the application right away - you can start one now and complete it as you go - the account stays active for about 30 days - but as long as you sign in periodically and do something with it (like go through the questions again) - the system will keep the application fresh or current for you until you are ready to submit.  Last thing you want is for them to delete the application, especially if you have put a lot of time into completing it.

 

When you are ready to submit, you can also pay for your application online - it will take you to an external page (pay.gov) and you can use your credit card.

 

Edited February 27, 2018 by marriedtomrg
Typo

[virgiliox 3]

1 minute ago, marriedtomrg said:

@virgiliox You need to create an account for your N-400 here: https://myaccount.uscis.dhs.gov/

 

The application is in Wizard format - along the way it will tell you if and when you need to add more information.  You can upload supporting documents in the Evidence tab - and sections will be clearly marked that will tell you where to upload each file (or set of files) - you can upload them one by one or you can select multiple files from your computer and then drag them into the space provided in that section - after you select your files, don't forget to click on Upload/Save files and you will see a progress bar showing you the status of the upload - the box also tells you what file formats are accepted - PDF or JPG and a few others.

 

You can scan documents into PDF or JPG format or - if you have a smart phone or tablet, you can take a picture of the document (make sure the resolution is high enough for them to read - at least 300 dpi - save it in a name that describes what you are sending, and then upload to your heart's content.

 

You don't have to submit the application right away - you can start one now and complete it as you go - the account stays active for about 30 days - but as long as you sign in periodically and do something with it (like go through the questions again) - the system will keep the application fresh or current for you until you are ready to submit.  Last thing you want is for them to delete the application, especially if you have put a lot of time into completing it.

 

When you are ready to submit, you can also pay for your application online - it will take you to an external page (pay.gov) and you can use your credit card.

 

Thank you very much for all this helpful information!

[marriedtomrg 141]

19 minutes ago, magentahaze said:

Yeah, the fees going up is what I wondering about. I mostly just wanted to take a break from not having to do paperwork. I think almost 8 years is a long enough break.  

For me, it's mostly timing for applying as well. From where I live, the Federal office is a 3 hour drive. And we have a trip planned later this year, so I want to make sure that I don't have to go for any appointments while we're out of state. 

Applying online is something I think I might look into. It's the gathering of all the paperwork and such that takes the longest. I end up taking over various parts of the house with piles and sticky notes.

 

Gotcha.  Most of my documents are already in PDF format or JPG format and I have a folder where they are all stored.  Wish I had not dragged my feet, but I am far happier that I waited AND got the chance to submit this online instead of filing a paper application.  

 

I commiserate about the location of my field office - I live in Tallahassee, FL and my ASC is in Jacksonville, FL - not only a 2.5 hour drive, but also a location that is in perpetual road construction.  Not looking forward to driving by myself - my husband has been with me at my previous appointments but this time I have to go alone.

 

Be happy to help if you run into any issues filing online.

[marriedtomrg 141]

4 minutes ago, virgiliox said:

Thank you very much for all this helpful information!

@virgiliox I also wanted to add that for certain sections - there is a file size limit.  I cannot recall which ones right now, but just be mindful that in some cases, you may need to break up a document in two or more files if it is too big for you to send as a single file.