S_R

We did not put anything in any box on any application pertaining to "other names used", primarily b/c once she decides to change her name, that becomes the name for all purposes going forward, so she wouldn't be "using" a different name for any purpose. It's not rocket science to make the connection between her maiden and married name and proceed with processing, but stories of inexplicable RFEs and errors by USCIS abound.
You must put her maiden name in the forms, it is asking you if she has ever used other names (in the past), it is not about using them going forward.

To put it simply:
Yes, you can, no problem.
Why?
You're a permanent resident of the US. You're allowed to leave the country and return, just like any other permanent resident. Your ex wife thinks she owns you somehow. She doesn't. When you received your 10 year green card, a USCIS adjudicator looked at your case and determined that your marriage was bona fide. Unless you commit a serious crime, or someone has extremely clear evidence that your marriage was fraudulent, your 10 year green card will not be revoked.
A bitter ex wife running to immigration saying "he just married me for a green card!" is not evidence of anything.

Yes. All you need is the notification showing that you filled the i-90.

I feel like they have some kind of translators ready. Obviously not for every single language, but maybe the big ones? I've been through ATL and heard someone call for an Arabic translator. Obviously they deal with non English speakers every day. They must have some way to handle it.

Hi all,
I really need a big cup of frozen yogurt with a bunch of crunchy stuff in it.
My immigration journey was finally over today at 8:45 am in the Newark office (Newark, NJ) when IO told me I'm approved and that the oath ceremony is in a few hours. The appointment was scheduled for 7:30 am so I was in the first group of applicants for a naturalization interview today. The waiting room is fairly big, with 8 windows and three doors. Although about dozen of people was sitting and waiting to be called there was no noise in the room, the clerks quietly and politely kept registering more applicants as those came in. A little before 8 one guy came out of the admin door, he was smiling and said "Welcome to the USCIS office in Newark, you can relax now and have your drinks. The vending machines are in the hall. There's also a cafeteria downstairs. We hold three oath ceremonies today and also give free US flags. So good luck to everyone!". Everyone got cheered up after his words and it all started. My attorney arrived about 8:15. She went over the copy of my N400 and then waved to a few officers she saw behind the windows. I'm sure all these standard things are not interesting to you so I'll start with the details of my case. I was nervously waiting to be called. The concerns were not over the civic test but over my moral character: - I was married twice (first ex-hb sponsored my GC, married for 4 years; second ex-hb is also US citizen but we were married for only 3 months). - I have 4 traffic violations for the last 5 years (cafeteria choice: 2 speeding tickets; driving on red light; improper cell phone usage while operating a vehicle). All is paid but as far as the last one - I didn't show up for the appeal in court as I forgot. I thought it'll be on the driving history. - I'm in installment agreement with the IRS to pay my 2014 balance till August of this year. BUT I PAID IT ALL OUT THE DAY BEFORE THE INTERVIEW. - I changed 5-6 addresses and never notified USCIS about it. There were more short term residences that I don't even remember. - I think that some time 5 years ago I applied online for a federal reserve position and checked off the status US citizen (because there was no choice for green card holders - only visa holder or US citizen). I think.. I don't recall... Anyways, the IO finally called my name, and we walked towards the door. As soon as the officer opened it for us my attorney said "I have G-28", and the office said "No problem". (Note, I decided to bring the attorney basically last minute). The officer is in his 50s, looked very serious... HEAVY South American accent... Although my brain slept only 5 hours it was fast enough to process what he said for the first time so I didn't have to ask to repeat. But let me tell you, if there was someone who doesn't speak and understand English well - he would have a horrible time to communicate with this officer. NO OFFENSE TO THE IO, just saying). He started from asking to raise the right hand and swear to tell the truth..Then he asked for my ID, GC and passport. Then he started discussing the situation with my first name because, as he said, it's confusing. It's translated from my language so it sounds different from what it generally is. I explained all and I said that I want to go by the normal version. So he changed it. Next question he asked is if I was out of country for more than 6 months. I said no. Then he asked if I have any children. I said no. What do I do for living, where I work and for how long (I've been doing accounting for 6 years). Then he asked what company did I work prior to that and where. I explained that I moved to NJ again last year as I got a job here, and before that I lived and worked in Boston. Then he asked how for long I was in Boston before I moved to NJ for the second time? Moved on to the next..,He asked for how long was my first marriage and when we got divorced and whether I have any children. I explained all and said I have no children (note: second question about kids). Then he went to another marriage. "Oh, that was very short. Did you sponsor him a green card?". I said no, he's a U.S. Citizen. (Note: I indicated it on N400). He asked for copies of marriage and divorce certificates for both marriages so he can keep them. "Did you have any children?" (Note: same question third time). I said no. "Were you ever arrested or cited..?". I said I have traffic tickets. "Any DUI?". I said no. Moving on... "Do you owe any taxes?". I said no. (I didn't want to start the story with the installment agreement and that I paid it off just now). Straight question - straight answer. Then he went over the standard list of questions on N400. Then he went to civic questions: - What group of people was brought to the States as slaves? - Why did the colonists fight the British? - Who's the Vice President of the United States? - How many amendments to the Constitution? - What is the highest court in the United States? - Who makes federal laws? Then he asked to read "Who can vote", and then he asked to write "Citizens can vote". "Congratulations, you passed the test, I recommend you for approval". He gave me two pieces of paper to sign and sent back to the waiting room. So I brought a pile of supporting paperwork and copies and he ended up asking only for copies of marriage certificates and divorce decrees. No IRS, no taxes, no tickets, no leases, no proof of bona fide marriage etc. I felt relieved. For a moment, as I was sitting and waiting for the oath, I looked around me and I thought... I'm surrounded by so many different cute happy faces with different skin colors; different languages are striking my ears; and those Indian ladies wearing gorgeous bright outfits walked by like flying butterflies... May be it's the lighting in the room but all seemed so shiny and colorful, so beautiful. I felt like I'm holding the whole world in my hand. Isn't it amazing what this country is like? It's the star-spangled rainbow of cultures, and I'm so lucky to be a part of it! The Oath Ceremony was amazing. The 12 pm group consisted of 55 people representing 30 countries! As they called a country name the person from that country had to stand up and everyone clapped their hands. Once "all countries stood up" we all said the Oath of Allegiance and Pledge of Allegiance. Then we watched a video of Obama's congratulations-speech, photos of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island with the patriotic song in the background. Now it wasn't the same to listen to the anthem. This got so deeply into my heart because I finally listened to it as something that belongs to me as well. I'm happy for all of them, I'm happy for their families and for their babies that were impatiently waiting for the moms-new citizens and crying every five minutes. As far the clothing style of people... Everything from flip flops and beach dresses to formal suits. I was formal because that's my usual style for work, and I like it. But I don't judge people. After all it's the final step that should be joyful. Thank you VJs for all your input and encouraging words! Btw, the picture they put on my certificate is the one I submitted with N400 which is great (not the one they took during biometrics).

Not quite. LPRs cannot be denied entry to the US, but CBP can refer them to immigration court and ask an immigration judge to revoke their green card.

Ironically enough, filing for citizenship may be an issue for some people (I'm not inferring the OP is in this boat). Some LPRs don't file for citizenship because they may have had class A demeanors, or maybe even some felonies. Filing for citizenship may render them ineligible to naturalize, so they keep their LPR status.

The answer is NO. You can even apply for passport after oath ceremony.

You may disrupt your period of continuous residence.

You generally only get the fees refunded if they reject your application during initial screening. They accepted your application (which they probably should not have done), so your application was considered "filed", and they keep the fees.
Your case was bungled by the interviewing officer, and that caused a snowball effect. When she saw the dates she should have immediately denied your application, and allowed you to submit another. Instead, she tried to juggle your application and shoe horn it through the system. The other USCIS employees who handled your application probably had no idea what to do with it, as there are no provisions for routinely handling something like this. Bureaucracies don't deal well with non-conformity. Some supervisor probably saw your application still pending in the system and decided to have a look at it. "Why is this thing still here? This should have been denied a long time ago!".
Seriously, the amount they're quoting you for an appeal is only slightly less than the total cost of filing a new application. As I said before, there is practically no chance you'll win an appeal of THAT application. You can't overcome the fact that it was filed too early unless you have a Delorean, a flux capacitor, and some plutonium. Just file again and end the stress.

if she can't handle being apart now marriage will present a lot more problems than this.

I have been there and done that. Time to withdraw the petition and return to Philippines and look for someone more compatible.......

Seems like your relationship will not survive even she gets here buddy.

You cannot get a tourist visa with the intent to get married and immigrate...its called misrepresentation.

This is incredibly chilling. I feel really upset at the way some folks take the sacrifices of their immigrant spouses for granted. It takes so much sacrifice to do what you just did just to be with somebody who has practically developed cold feet and lacks the courage to say it to your face. You may have to make up your mind without him ...every material possession you may loose can be replaced with time but your happiness should be paramount in all your decisions going forward. If he isn't man enough to be honest with you then i believe you know what to do. I wish you the best

Filing jointly or filing separately is an option for your tax strategy and not an indication of residence or how your households are combined. If you are married and on the last day of the calendar year, your status will be married and the IRS will want you to include your husbands SSN or a Tax ID number will need to be generated. In general there tax rates favor joint filing for the couple, so you would probably need to have a good explanation in terms of the tax advantage as to why you did not file jointly.
This question will be affecting us in the future so I did some research. In this article, http://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/will-filling-tax-as--married-filing-separately---a-1679681.html
two lawyers said no it will have no bearing and one said it might look suspicious and you need to explain.

Hi Kattt, Welcome.
I believe overstays are forgiven for spouses of US citizens as long as he has not left the country. Gather up the paper work and begin the process of filing the I-130. The guides here should be much help for a DIY. I'm sure others will chime in to clarify if i got anything wrong. Bottom line: Nothing to worry about in my humble opinion.

This is incredibly chilling. I feel really upset at the way some folks take the sacrifices of their immigrant spouses for granted. It takes so much sacrifice to do what you just did just to be with somebody who has practically developed cold feet and lacks the courage to say it to your face. You may have to make up your mind without him ...every material possession you may loose can be replaced with time but your happiness should be paramount in all your decisions going forward. If he isn't man enough to be honest with you then i believe you know what to do. I wish you the best

While i don't agree with his decision have you ever thought he doesn't want a large wedding? My husband was very uninterested in wedding planning as well.
To be honest though, this sounds like a lot of manipulation and not just a general apathy to a wedding.
You have up to 90 days to figure out what you want to do. Perhaps book yourself a ticket out of the country and if you still feel he's not on board, then leave and put your life back together. A relationship is a two way street. Both people have to be willing to do the work.

This is incredibly chilling. I feel really upset at the way some folks take the sacrifices of their immigrant spouses for granted. It takes so much sacrifice to do what you just did just to be with somebody who has practically developed cold feet and lacks the courage to say it to your face. You may have to make up your mind without him ...every material possession you may loose can be replaced with time but your happiness should be paramount in all your decisions going forward. If he isn't man enough to be honest with you then i believe you know what to do. I wish you the best

This is incredibly chilling. I feel really upset at the way some folks take the sacrifices of their immigrant spouses for granted. It takes so much sacrifice to do what you just did just to be with somebody who has practically developed cold feet and lacks the courage to say it to your face. You may have to make up your mind without him ...every material possession you may loose can be replaced with time but your happiness should be paramount in all your decisions going forward. If he isn't man enough to be honest with you then i believe you know what to do. I wish you the best

This is incredibly chilling. I feel really upset at the way some folks take the sacrifices of their immigrant spouses for granted. It takes so much sacrifice to do what you just did just to be with somebody who has practically developed cold feet and lacks the courage to say it to your face. You may have to make up your mind without him ...every material possession you may loose can be replaced with time but your happiness should be paramount in all your decisions going forward. If he isn't man enough to be honest with you then i believe you know what to do. I wish you the best

This is incredibly chilling. I feel really upset at the way some folks take the sacrifices of their immigrant spouses for granted. It takes so much sacrifice to do what you just did just to be with somebody who has practically developed cold feet and lacks the courage to say it to your face. You may have to make up your mind without him ...every material possession you may loose can be replaced with time but your happiness should be paramount in all your decisions going forward. If he isn't man enough to be honest with you then i believe you know what to do. I wish you the best

That's good news, congratulations!
Maybe we'll have a letter from Santa when we get home.

11/20/2014: Approved, card production ordered