N600 questions

[jg121783 3,921]

So my wife completed the naturalization process back in December and is now a citizen. My step son turned 18 in April so I believe he gained citizenship from my wife as he was 17 at the time she became naturalized. It is my understanding that even though he is a citizen he still needs to file an N600 to get his citizenship certificate. I was not able to find a guide for this process so I have a few questions.

 

Since he is now 18 he would technically have to be the one filing the N600 correct? But I can still help him with it right?

 

He can still get a US passport without a naturalization certificate correct? Is it better to get his passport right away or after he completes the N600 process? Or does it not matter?

 

I have read that he might need a naturalization certificate to enroll in college and/or to apply for financial aid. He is planning on enrolling in tech school next January. How long does the N600 process take and what difficulties might he face enrolling in college before completing the process?

 

What are all the steps of the N600 process? I know the first step is submit the N600 form along with fees and relevant evidence. After that what happens? Does he need to go for an interview? I have read that sometimes it is required and sometimes it is not. What criteria do they use to determine if an interview is required? What does the interview consist of? Will he have to do the civics test and everything else my wife had to do? Will he have to attend an oath ceremony like my wife did?

 

As far as fees go it looks like there is a fee waiver if you are low income. How would his income be calculated if he doesn't make much money but lives with my wife and myself? Does he have to count our income or part of it as his or would he qualify for a fee waiver as he doesn't currently earn much money (he just finished high school and just works part time)?

 

I am sure I will have more questions about the N600 form its self as we sit down and work on it this weekend. But those are the questions I have for now. All answers are appreciated. You people have been the number one source of information as my wife, step son and I have navigated the process of obtaining visas all the way up to naturalization and we wouldn't have been able to do it on our own without this website. I believe this will be the last step in our process (until we look into bringing my in laws to the US).

[OldUser 9,493]

15 minutes ago, jg121783 said:

So my wife completed the naturalization process back in December and is now a citizen. My step son turned 18 in April so I believe he gained citizenship from my wife as he was 17 at the time she became naturalized. It is my understanding that even though he is a citizen he still needs to file an N600 to get his citizenship certificate.

He's not required, but it's highly recommended to get certificate to avoid any issues later in life.

16 minutes ago, jg121783 said:

Since he is now 18 he would technically have to be the one filing the N600 correct? But I can still help him with it right?

 

 

Yes

[OldUser 9,493]

16 minutes ago, jg121783 said:

He can still get a US passport without a naturalization certificate correct? Is it better to get his passport right away or after he completes the N600 process? Or does it not matter?

No strict order, but it makes sense to get passport first. He cannot leave the US without US passport. N-600 can take years.

[jg121783 3,921]

3 minutes ago, OldUser said:

No strict order, but it makes sense to get passport first. He cannot leave the US without US passport. N-600 can take years.

Thats a good point. Something I didn't think about. I assume his Philippines passport is no longer valid so he would need a US passport as we plan on visiting the Philippines next year. So the N600 can take "years"? I hope that doesn't impact his plans to go to tech school.

[OldUser 9,493]

16 minutes ago, jg121783 said:

Thats a good point. Something I didn't think about. I assume his Philippines passport is no longer valid so he would need a US passport as we plan on visiting the Philippines next year. So the N600 can take "years"? I hope that doesn't impact his plans to go to tech school.

Actually, I checked, according to the website https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/ it takes under a year in most cities. But not unusual to take over a year, at least I saw it on VJ.

 

US passport usually is sufficient proof of citizenship.