E-file for N400 with i-751 pending

[anne12 0]

I'm planning to file the N400 online as it's been 3 years since I became a permanent resident via marriage. My i-751 to remove the 2-year conditions is pending.

•  Is there any advantage filing online vs paper?  All attorneys recommended to file in paper (not what I expected and opposite to everything I find in blogs and forums), do you guys know why? 
• How do I request USCIS to review the i-751 and N400 together? Is this something I do when I file the N400? or before the interview?

 

I'd appreciate any experiences from someone that did the same process.

 

Edited July 30, 2020 by anne12

[Lucky2Lucky 2,526]

7 minutes ago, anne12 said:

I'm planning to file the N400 online as it's been 3 years since I became a permanent resident via marriage. My i-751 to remove the 2-year conditions is pending.

•  Is there any advantage filing online vs paper?  I’ve never heard of a disadvantage for filing online. There is no questioning if your application was received, you can’t mess up paying the fee, you can’t “forget” to fill out a section, you will never submit an old application and you get instant notification it was received and NOA within a day or so. All attorneys recommended to file in paper (not what I expected and opposite to everything I find in blogs and forums), do you guys know why? Probably because it takes them longer to put together your case and they can charge you more hours?
• How do I request USCIS to review the i-751 and N400 together? Is this something I do when I file the N400? or before the interview? You don’t request anything. They know your I751 is pending. You may have your I751 approved prior to your N400 or they may combine the interview.

 

I'd appreciate any experiences from someone that did the same process.

 

 

[igoyougoduke 1,662]

1 hour ago, anne12 said:

I'm planning to file the N400 online as it's been 3 years since I became a permanent resident via marriage. My i-751 to remove the 2-year conditions is pending.

•  Is there any advantage filing online vs paper?  All attorneys recommended to file in paper (not what I expected and opposite to everything I find in blogs and forums), do you guys know why? 
• How do I request USCIS to review the i-751 and N400 together? Is this something I do when I file the N400? or before the interview?

 

I'd appreciate any experiences from someone that did the same process.

 

more money for attorny while filing paper. you dont need attorney. click and next process - online 

N-400 and i-751 can get processed side by side but N-400 wont get approved until I-751 gets approved. Some folks have info that filing N-400 pushes i-751 processes but its anecdotal.  

Edited July 30, 2020 by James120383

[Quarknase 1,072]

Agreed what others say. Online filing is a simple, guided process and doesn't require an attorney (arguable if paper filing does, but I can see how the paper form is easier to mess up :))

Of course it's all personal preference, but I love paperless filing (saving the environment, one paper at a time) plus the instant availability of case number and payment confirmation.

[LaughingBuddha 64]

I filed N-400 by papers, and it was reverted to e-filling by USCIS. They will simply scan your documents and process them electronically as online filers. so I would say e-filling would be better. Ultimately they will all be processed on their data system.

[millefleur 5,047]

5 hours ago, anne12 said:

 Is there any advantage filing online vs paper?  All attorneys recommended to file in paper (not what I expected and opposite to everything I find in blogs and forums), do you guys know why? 

Agree with what @James120383 says, it's probably because it benefits attorneys to file via paper as they can charge you for more hours for prep and filing.

 

Unless you have a criminal background or some other extraordinary situation, you don't' need an attorney to file the N-400. From my experience, it's been the easiest part so far in this process compared to filing the I-130 or ROC.

[Fr8dog 312]

File online for all the reasons above. Your I-751 may be delayed a few days if it has made it's way to the field office (depending on where you are in their line) but if your end goal is citizenship, who cares. If your file is still sitting at the service center, it will most likely speed things up.

Mine was actually sped up by filing the N400 as my file was stuck at the field office with some stuff missing, filing the N400 gave it enough priority for them to start looking for the missing item.

[anne12 0]

19 hours ago, Fr8dog said:

File online for all the reasons above. Your I-751 may be delayed a few days if it has made it's way to the field office (depending on where you are in their line) but if your end goal is citizenship, who cares. If your file is still sitting at the service center, it will most likely speed things up.

Mine was actually sped up by filing the N400 as my file was stuck at the field office with some stuff missing, filing the N400 gave it enough priority for them to start looking for the missing item.

Thanks so much. Did you include anything when you filed it online to ask them to process the i-751 and the n400 together? I've seen that people include a cover letter but seems that's when they file with paper. 

[Fr8dog 312]

On 7/31/2020 at 10:01 PM, anne12 said:

Thanks so much. Did you include anything when you filed it online to ask them to process the i-751 and the n400 together? I've seen that people include a cover letter but seems that's when they file with paper. 

No I did not. I only filed the bare minimum paperwork. I had already had my I-751 interview several months before and it was not going anywhere. I filed the N400 to jar loose the I751. I feel it did, but there is no way of saying for sure