rwj

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Question: Did you have to give them your naturalization certificate (the original) to send off with your passport application?! That scares me! Also, can you tell me how you went about changing the restricions on your SS card?! That would be so appreciated.

Hello,

At our oath ceremony one of the USCIS officers gave us a little talk on all that:

FIRST make a couple of copies of the certificate for yourself and keep them somewhere safe.

SECOND go to social security with the *original* naturalization certificate. You have to fill out a form as if you're applying for a replacement card (which you can print from their website) except you just tell them you're now a citizen. That whole process was really easy (and the lady was really happy to have a chat about the whole immigration thing instead of arguing with people about their welfare check!

THIRD apply for the passport at the post office, and you have to give them the original to send off... also made me nervous, but there's no other way.

I also registered to vote, but you don't have to prove anything to do that, you can just do it but mail. It's weird that i no longer have to carry anything proving i'm here legally, I used to get so nervous about losing my greencard!

Hope this helps, all the best!

Rosemary

ooh.. we replied at the same time - I didn't know that the passport office gave same day service! Unfortunately I live in Nevada so that wasn't an option for me.

so... the journey is finally over!

I had to reschedule my original April oath ceremony as was travelling, so actually had it yesterday 5/29.

There were 48 of us here in Reno - the letter said to 'arrive promptly' at 9am. By 8.45 there were already lots of us waiting, but the USCIS check in desk was not manned until about 9.15... ah, how appropriate they make us wait again, one last time. But never again!!!

We were done in just under two hours - a little longer than I expected. It was very ceremonious, even a military color guard. But also quite relaxed, one of the officers was chatting with us while we were in our designated seats waiting for the others to be checked in, he was asking where we were from, joking around etc. There was one part where they played a song and showed a video with different landscape scenes from throughout the US. The scenes were beautiful, but they really wanted us to wave our flags along the the music, which I found a little strange. But all in all a pleasant event.

So... someone asked me if i'm 'an amercian now'... and I'd have to say no, i'll always feel 'australian' as my primary identity. But I am a dual US/Australian citizen now, and that feels good.

Good luck to all of you in your future journeys!

...updating! Interview was very quick and friendly in Reno (in and out in 8 mins!) - got my oath letter today. Dang it, i'll be out of the country that week! So just sent a letter requesting a later oath date. Anyone know how often they schedule ceremonies?

Name.............Date sent....NOA1.....Biodate...Interview....Oath.....Center..Local Office..Check Cashed

rwj..............11/05/08...11/13/08...12/04/08...03/18/09...04/10/09...CSC....Reno, NV........11/13/08

Jeans and a sweater. Didn't get the feeling it mattered that much - i understood 'proper' attire to mean I shouldn't turn up in a mini skirt or ripped tank...

Update:

rwj..............11/05/08...11/13/08...12/04/08...03/18/09...--/--/--...CSC....Reno, NV........11/13/08

sorry, forgot to update!

Biometrics done 12/04/08 - took an hour, even though there were only 3 other people in there.... I don't know if they were waiting for the machine to 'warm up', or if they just made my appointment in the middle of their tea break, as the staff stood around chatting to each other for a good 30 mins before calling any numbers...

Anyway, that part's done, now just waiting for my appointment notice!

Me too!

rwj......11/05/08...11/13/08...--/--/--...--/--/--...--/--/--...CSC, but NOA said transferred to Nat'l Benefits Center....Reno, NV.... 11/13/08

you must have truly scientific mind seeking truth or be in visa-journey for long enough to care about what happens to online case after receiving GC,

I got alot of great help on VJ through this long process so i'd like to pass it on -

(although have to admit I don't log in daily anymore... )

just want to lift this topic and question in it

has anybody else received approval letter in mail while online status was "pending"?

yup!! My online status didn't get updated until AFTER my approval letter, green card production letter, and the green card actually arrived - Snail Mail wins this round!!

See you in a year!

Yep, see you then - I'm sure your card will arrive soon - Good luck everyone who's still waiting.

Me too - approval letter today - CSC are cranking!

Congrats!

Thanks - you too!! :thumbs:

(it's almost an anticlimax how quick it was.....too much to hope that it'll be this quick for naturalisation???)

Me too - approval letter today - CSC are cranking!

I'm in this group too -

rwj.........7/25/07.........Biometrics 9/10........Approval letter dated 10/15

you are not the first 1 who has this problem but lots of people like this, must be something wrong with the system . dont worry the important thing that u got the receipt

check the link below ...

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=81948

Thanks - interesting thing: I have two different "WAC" case numbers! One on the NOA 1 that says "receipt number" and a different one on my Biometrics appointment letter that says "application number" - only this second one works for case status. Goofy.

i had mine yesterday.. the guy was really bitchy and hubs and our son had to wait outside.. #######?

Sorry you had a bad experience, but thankyou, as your post answered my question! My husband is out of state so won't be able to attend the biometrics - I was pretty sure he didn't need to, but I had a little panic just now and just needed some confirmation - thanks.

I have no idea which they prefer, however we hedged our bets and included some of each: 1 from hubby's parents, 1 from my old boss who knows us both, and 1 from a mutual friend. We don't see any of these people on a day-to-day basis as we live in different states, however I'm still confident our letters will adequately support our application as each letter included 2-5 examples of times we have seen these people in the 21 months since we got married.

Hi, everybody! I am having a bit of a last minute freak out. We've assembled the package and are ready to send it in to CSC, but when I compared the address from the instructions of form I-751 to the address given on the CSC homepage for filing the same form they are different! Actually, just the last 4 digits of the zip code are different but I do not want to make a mistake and send it to the wrong place Can anybody who filed at CSC help me with the right address?

Thanks!!!

I agree - go with what is says in your form instructions. That's where we sent ours. (That said, i'm sure both addresses would work if it's only the last 4 zip code digits that are different)

Good luck!

Where's the option for "never"?

Never is clearly not an option for an LPR, unless you don't leave the country and never go to another USCIS appointment which, an an LPR, would eventually lead to you losing your legal status.

As Kez has said...this issue has been brought up many times and IMHO it's like beating a dead horse....

Sorry, not everyone reads every previous VJ thread before posting.

So I believe us "resident aliens" are technically supposed to carry the greencard with us everywhere. I have been carrying mine, but i'm a little concerned it could be a hassle to replace if my wallet got stolen, not to mention the identity theft risk. I have LPR friends who keep their greencards at home with their passports. So I was just wondering what other VJers are doing?

Hi,

So we received the NOA1 for our I-751 yesterday, but the receipt # on it is not recognized by the USCIS online case status system. Has this happened to anyone else? Do you think there might just be a delay in getting the case number into the system, or something alot more goofy?

Maybe it's because some of us doing I-751 never did AOS, so didn't have biometrics done at a USCIS office. I did DCF in Sydney, so had my fingerprints taken by the local police there, so not on file with the USCIS. I believe the fingerprint on my GC was taken at POE LAX???? But yes, I think as they haven't taken enough of MY money yet, they feel they need my contribution to their BBQ fund...

Wow!! That's amazing. did you send extra strong coffee or something with the petition? :jest:

Because of our rather hermetic nature though, we don't exactly have tons of people to ask.

For example, we stayed at a friend's place for a while when we came back from Japan--no lease.

Hi Anthony,

You say you stayed with a friend for a while? That's who you should ask to write an affadavit for you. That friend can testify that you lived together in their house as a married couple. What about your parents or other relatives? We used Mike's parents - they wrote us a great letter, even though we've only visited twice since we got married.

Have either of you ever regularly picked the other one up after work or met for lunch from work? Have your boss or co-workers write a letter saying this. Do you grocery shop together? Eat regularly at a certain restaurant together? There are so many people who you might see everyday who could attest to your relationship, that you spend time together and "look like a happy couple" (which seems to be what USCIS is looking for!!)

Personally, I thought your evidence list covered all the bases, but I can only guess they're looking for more than one piece of evidence in each category? I'm guessing they're also looking for a body of evidence that wouldn't be easily faked. You say you included wedding photos, what about photos covering the time period since you were married, especially ones in distinct, far-apart geographical locations (we had one by a tower in Massachusetts, one on the golden gate bridge, and one hiking in the grand canyon) Also those with family and friends.

Theyr'e probably also looking at dates. Did you open your joint bank account right after you were married? Ask the bank for a letter saying when it was opened, and back this up with evidence of checks made out to both of you individually, and in both your names, that were deposited into the same account over the 2 year period.

Hope some of my suggestions help.

All the best,

Rose

Thanks Lou Lou, I hope so!!! But i'm glad this is sooooooo much less stressful than any of the previous petitions. And for this one, me and my honey get to wait it out together, which is much nicer.

So sorry to hear that - it's a tough situation, especially when most of your support network is probably far away right now. I think for the greencard interview, I would do the same as what you're thinking - go ahead as planned, get this first step out of the way.

Then, I would recommend reading the I-751 "Removal of conditions" form instructions (on USCIS webiste/forms). They're pretty clear that in 2 years you have a choice:

* File jointly, if the marriage is still intact, OR

* File on your own, if you have separated.

If you do separate, you'd need to prove that the original marriage was genuine, entered into in good faith and not for the purposes of getting a green card. It might be hard to prove that if you separate straight away after the interview, but start collecting evidence! Anything that shows the two of you living right now as husband and wife. Are you thinking about trying to work it out with him? See a marriage counsellor. Keep documentation of your appointments. In 2 years, whether your marriage works or not, the marriage counsellor would be a great person to write an affadavit for you about the circumstances of your genuine marriage, the affair, and whatever happens next.

Personally, if my husband cheated on me? I would have no reason to be in US so i'd go back to my life in Australia very happily. But it's your life and your circumstances are your own. You've come this far in the immigration process - if you really want to stay in the US, right now you just need to take care of whatever it is that you need to do for yourself and the rest of your life.

All the best to you with whatever you choose.