N600 Questions

[jg121783 3,922]

We am currently working on my step sons N600. I am sure more questions will come up as we progress through it that I will ask here. The first part we are stuck on is where they ask when and where you entered the country. He entered through Ohare airport so should we select Chicago, Il for that question? The second part we are stuck on is where it asks for the date his Philippines passport that he originally used to travel to the US was issued on. He no longer has his original passport as he had to have it renewed and received a new one so we don't know the exact date his original passport was issued. Can we just put the date it was renewed? That's all I have for now. I'm sure more questions will come up as we progress through it further.

 

Another question:

 

"What was the USCIS office that granted your LPR status or location where you were admitted?"

 

We are not sure what the answer to this is. Should we just put Chicago?

Edited January 18 by jg121783

[jg121783 3,922]

Another question. What do we do if we don't have some information about his birth father? Current address, Date of birth, ect?

[jg121783 3,922]

"Provide all the dates when your U.S. citizen mother or father was physically present in the United States. Include all dates from the U.S. citizen mother or father's birth until the child's birth."

 

Do we just leave this blank since my step son was born before my wife entered the US?

 

 

[jg121783 3,922]

"Evidence of child's US citizenship."

 

What do we upload for this as he derived citizenship from his mother who was naturalized before he turned 18? Wouldn't his mother's naturalization certificate and proof of his birthdate be sufficient evidence?

[butmajor-leagueas 19]

On 1/18/2026 at 6:15 PM, jg121783 said:

We am currently working on my step sons N600. I am sure more questions will come up as we progress through it that I will ask here. The first part we are stuck on is where they ask when and where you entered the country. He entered through Ohare airport so should we select Chicago, Il for that question? The second part we are stuck on is where it asks for the date his Philippines passport that he originally used to travel to the US was issued on. He no longer has his original passport as he had to have it renewed and received a new one so we don't know the exact date his original passport was issued. Can we just put the date it was renewed? That's all I have for now. I'm sure more questions will come up as we progress through it further.

 

Another question:

 

"What was the USCIS office that granted your LPR status or location where you were admitted?"

 

We are not sure what the answer to this is. Should we just put Chicago?

 

Please see my answer to this person's Question 1 for your question on the "first part":

For the question regarding the "second part", have you tried doing a FOIA and/or PA request of your stepson's A-File from USCIS? - https://www.uscis.gov/records/request-records-through-the-freedom-of-information-act-or-privacy-act

His A-File very well may have a scan of that specific Phillipine passport's data page that he used to be first admitted into the United States as an "immigrant." I'm assuming that he had entered the United States on an immigrant visa.

 

I would advise against using information from the new / renewed Phillipine passport as that's not what this question is asking...

 

For the "What was the USCIS office that granted your LPR status or location where you were admitted?" part as I mentioned in my other answer, it wants to know where he was first admitted into the United States by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) where the CBP officer would admit that individual as an immigrant (often evidenced by an I-551/ADIT stamp). So, probably O'Hare / Chicago?

 

On 1/18/2026 at 6:35 PM, jg121783 said:

Another question. What do we do if we don't have some information about his birth father? Current address, Date of birth, ect?

 

I'm not too sure about nuances specific to step parents and adoption (All of my immigration paperwork was done on the basis of two biological parents), so take this answer with a HUGE grain of salt, but -

 

I don't think it is asking about his birth father, but rather about you (the stepfather) along with his biological mother. But I might be totally wrong here.

 

On 1/18/2026 at 6:53 PM, jg121783 said:

"Provide all the dates when your U.S. citizen mother or father was physically present in the United States. Include all dates from the U.S. citizen mother or father's birth until the child's birth."

 

Do we just leave this blank since my step son was born before my wife entered the US?

 

 

 

Yes, leave this all blank. It is irrelevant to your stepson's specific case (I think). He likely became a U.S. Citizen under INA Section 320 (Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA)) as opposed to INA Section 301 / INA Section 309 (INA 301/309 are for children who are born American but to one or more American parent(s) who gave birth to their kid outside of the United States and our territories).

 

It just happens to be the same exact form.

 

On 1/18/2026 at 7:06 PM, jg121783 said:

"Evidence of child's US citizenship."

 

What do we upload for this as he derived citizenship from his mother who was naturalized before he turned 18? Wouldn't his mother's naturalization certificate and proof of his birthdate be sufficient evidence?

 

Before you continue, STOP and listen carefully!

1. Continue to work on filling out USCIS Form N-600.
2. However, DO NOT submit it just yet.
3. First, apply for your stepson's US Passport Book and US Passport Card using DOS Form DS-11 (I always also recommend the Passport Card to everyone since its such an underrated document and so "inexpensive" for how awesome it is).
4. Why do I say this? Assuming that your stepson truly did derive U.S. citizenship under INA Section 320, he is actually already a citizen! "Derivation" is automatic. It's just that he doesn't have a specific document that proves that. The question isn't asking what you think it is asking for, but rather if he already has something like a US Passport Book or US Passport Card (or a CBRA, but that isn't applicable to INA Section 320 citizens, but rather INA Section 301 / INA Section 309 citizens) - https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title22-section2705&num=0&edition=prelim
5. Get a US Passport Book + US Passport Card for him first, because it serves as a "dry run" to have an authoritative federal agency such as the US Department of State (DOS) to adjudicate his US Citizenship Status. Remember that you can submit a US Passport Book + US Passport Card application many times even if it gets rejected until everything that needs to be sorted has been sorted by you.
6. You may be asking - "How can I apply for a US Passport for him?" Well, with the same evidence that would for an N-600. Please see "Claiming Citizenship through Naturalization of One or Both Parent(s)," on page 2 of Form DS-11 - https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds11_pdf.PDF
7. Remember that USCIS Form N-600 can be submitted only ONCE (Well, kinda, but not really, but it's complicated. You'd rather not have it denied either ways). Not to mention, US Passport adjudication / issuance is way faster than USCIS doing their thing.
8. Once your stepson's US Passport (Book and Card) has been issued, a scan of his US Passport Book's data page along with a scan of his US Passport Card (both front and back) will be the answer to this question.
9. Of course when processing your stepson's N-600, USCIS won't just take the DOS' word for it, but rather adjudicate your stepson's claim to US Citizenship independently of the DOS' issuance of his US Passport, however it is still strong evidence nonetheless.

TLDR: Get your stepson's US Passport Book and US Passport Card first (before submitting his N-600). A scan of his US Passport Book's data page along with a scan of his US Passport Card (both front and back) will be what you will upload for this.

 

[jg121783 3,922]

1 hour ago, butmajor-leagueas said:

 

 

I'm not too sure about nuances specific to step parents and adoption (All of my immigration paperwork was done on the basis of two biological parents), so take this answer with a HUGE grain of salt, but -

 

I don't think it is asking about his birth father, but rather about you (the stepfather) along with his biological mother. But I might be totally wrong here.

 

 

 

It is asking specifically for his birth fathers information. There is a separate section for my information (current spouse of mother).

[butmajor-leagueas 19]

19 hours ago, jg121783 said:

It is asking specifically for his birth fathers information. There is a separate section for my information (current spouse of mother).

Ah, fair enough. I'm not sure, then, on how to approach that part.

[jg121783 3,922]

Unless anyone can give me a solid answer to my questions I might have to consult with an immigration attorney. We made it this far without attorneys. I hope we can figure this out on our own.

[butmajor-leagueas 19]

7 hours ago, jg121783 said:

Unless anyone can give me a solid answer to my questions I might have to consult with an immigration attorney. We made it this far without attorneys. I hope we can figure this out on our own.

I've given you solid answers to your questions except the information on your stepson's biological father, since I simply don't know enough to give a good answer there. Is there any clarification that you'd like?

 

It won't hurt to consult with an immigration attorney. Even I did it, personally, for my own N-600 case, filing decades after I derived USC based off my parents' naturalization.

[jg121783 3,922]

5 hours ago, butmajor-leagueas said:

I've given you solid answers to your questions except the information on your stepson's biological father, since I simply don't know enough to give a good answer there. Is there any clarification that you'd like?

 

It won't hurt to consult with an immigration attorney. Even I did it, personally, for my own N-600 case, filing decades after I derived USC based off my parents' naturalization.

You did answer all the questions except the one about the info for his biological father. That is where we are stuck. Im thinking about typing up a cover letter explaining that we dont hwve the info abd upload it as additional evidence. Having a hard time finding an attorney that will answer my limited questions for a small fee. They all want to take the whole case for a large fee.

[butmajor-leagueas 19]

9 hours ago, jg121783 said:

You did answer all the questions except the one about the info for his biological father. That is where we are stuck. Im thinking about typing up a cover letter explaining that we dont hwve the info abd upload it as additional evidence. Having a hard time finding an attorney that will answer my limited questions for a small fee. They all want to take the whole case for a large fee.

Understandable, yeah, that's tough. 

[jg121783 3,922]

I cant believe no one in this group has dealt with these issues. I have contacted several attorneys. Its always the same thing. They won't answer my question without taking the whole case and charging several thousand dollars. I think what were gonna do is leave the info we dont have blank and upload a cover letter explaining why it is blank and hope for the best. What's the worst case scenario if this is the incorrect approach? Will we be given the opportunity to correct his application?