OnceaTexan

I had a one "illegal u turn" ticket on my record. I checked Yes to that question and listed the traffic citation + fine. 

The officer gave me hell for that ticket. Officer made me change my answer to Question 24 from No to Yes: Have you ever been convicted of a crime or offense? and called my traffic ticket a crime. 

The driving abstract I got online from the DMV showing the paid fine was not enough. Luckily I have also gotten a  sealed certified paper from the state proving I have paid the ticket. 

Your comments make perfect sense. I did surrender my valid unexpired 10 year Greencard. I simply have reservations in surrendering other documents (e.g. interview notice, fingerprint appointment notices, etc.) that USCIS would just shred. For a naturalized citizen these documents seem as proof of having been through all the legal hoops. Then again I speak as someone who also works in libraries so maybe it's just my genetic disposition  

Overall process took a little less than 8 months with interview at 5 months. Final approval came 2 months after interview and ceremony was a month after that. Alert some of your neighbors that you are waiting for some important mail, and get friendly with your postman. Of all things USPS put my naturalization interview letter in my neighbor's mailbox. 

20 hours ago, bruins said:

Another question.  I'm reading the instructions and it says to only submit a copy of the green card and marriage certificate with the application.  All other information, such as joint bank accounts, vehicle registrations, wills, etc. it says to bring to the interview.  Did everyone do just this or did you send all evidence with the application.

 

 

Thanks.

I submitted a rich assortment of copies of documents such as joint bank accounts, insurance, wills, etc. just like I did for I-751. The officer did not care for anything that I submitted and asked me to provide on the spot various documents that I had already submitted and that were readily available (as in right in front of the officer). Whatever you submit you should have an extra copy available for the interview. Also make sure you have some papers (Bank statements, utility bills, etc) documenting the marriage from the time you filed to the time you have the interview. 

26 minutes ago, Rodrigo Macedo said:

I also have a question. I have 2 green cards. one  with a 2 years validation ( expired ) and another with a 10 years still good.

 im attending my oath ceremony thursday july 27 in Boston. should I bring both green cards or just the one still valid?

 

thank you

Based on what I read on various forums it is a good idea to keep the 2 year old one even though they suggest to "bring all the documents USCIS has issued in the past" because according to them you would not need them since you become an American. In my humble opinion, given that the US keeps deporting its own citizens (https://news.vice.com/article/the-us-keeps-mistakenly-deporting-its-own-citizens) , I feel any naturalized citizen should safeguard and preserve any documents that they received and that prove they have been through the naturalization process. I did surrender my 10 year old card but nothing else. 

3 minutes ago, Going through said:

I understand not wanting to delve into it.

Being in NY, one of my fears is the "New York Attitude" when I get infront of an IO.

Although, then again, when I was doing my AOS the lady was extremely pleasant....so you never know, I guess.

 

Yes---I've been preparing documents like crazy and even sending away for ones I probably won't even need but getting "just in case" from my home country of Canada.  At the very least, during my N400 interview, everything in my life I ever had to disclose to USCIS was already disclosed during my i-485 interview back in 2005...so they shouldn't be too surprised (I hope).

 

I'm happy that you achieved Naturalization nonetheless, and I wish you well  

I actually had a lawyer present at the interview. It may be worth the investment for some extra peace of mind, even though it may also raise a red flag as in (why do you need a lawyer?). The very same lawyer told me not long ago it was good I applied for naturalization when I did rather than in the current climate. Good luck! Let me know if you get a call after naturalization.  

43 minutes ago, Going through said:

8 months from filing to Naturalization is really good for NY!

Now you have me curious....may I ask what the complaint was about?

In brief it had to do with the manner in which the interview was conducted by the officer. I don't like to open this box of bad memories but it was a pretty unpleasant and dehumanizing experience. A word of advice: make sure you bring copies of all the documents you submitted for your naturalization, and then some. It may very well be that you won't need them and you will sail straight through, or it may be you get an officer who simply refuses to look through the application she/he has in front of them, and asks you to supply random things on the spot. That or 'you can come another day'. 

I sent a complaint letter a month after the interview, and the next month I received notice of the oath being scheduled. I don't know if the letter helped in any way, or if it ended up being the cause for that phone call. Again it's been a while and did not think much of it. Had it not been for a casual talk with other naturalized folks, I wouldn't have bothered asking on this forum. 

11 hours ago, Going through said:

That's kind of weird...never heard of that before.

They know you would have attended the oath ceremony when you presented the oath letter to them upon entering the building, and then also when you picked up your naturalization certificate at the end before leaving the building.

 

Maybe it was an automated survey of some kind they were doing by phone?

 

Congrats on your Naturalization!  I'm in NY as well...can I ask what your timeline was from biometrics to being interviewed?

 I actually became naturalized a couple of years ago. It took 8 months from filing at end of October to Naturalization at end of June. The interview was held in March and it took two more months to get a full approval. In speaking with a couple of naturalized acquaintances last week I mentioned this phone call I got (actual person at the other end not automated ) and neither of them have gotten one. In retrospect I had filed a complaint letter with the officer's supervisor and a couple of other offices a month after the naturalization interview so maybe they wanted to check on me. On myuscis the last update has been "we mailed your oath ceremony letter". It would be nice if they would update that account with a big pop up of an American flag and an animation saying "congratulations you are now an American" :). 

A few hours after my naturalization ceremony, having returned home, I received a call from apparently USCIS. They were checking to see if I have attended the oath ceremony. I thought of it as a courtesy call from USCIS. Has anyone else gotten such a call? 

I wanted to share my experience on this forum.

It's been a month since my interview (marriage based) which according to my lawyer was supposed to be smooth and with no headaches. The problem is on the interview day my file was simply passed around from one officer to another (as a commodity or favor) and so after about an hour and a half of waiting I ended up interviewing with an officer who had no desire to even review my file. I witnessed how my file was simply dumped in her hands and she wasn't too pleased. We had submitted a lot of documentation pertaining to our marriage for the last 3+ years but she didn't want to open the file once (except for the birth certificate) and found it too difficult to look through the file we organized and tabulated accordingly. In the same time she basically asked for the same documents for a third time (they were also submitted with I751 and were in the N400) or was very specific in what she wanted (e.g. joint checking statement July 2013...she didn't like the fact I had submitted or had with me a joint savings statement from June 2013 and a joint checking from August 2013...she said it made no sense to her why I have two different accounts with my wife...yes this is the kind of person I dealt with).

In the end the officer was very unprofessional, impatient, straight rude all under the mask that she is doing me a favor by asking for so and so specific documents (that I did manage to produce finally). Also for one traffic ticket ($50 and 2 DL points) for which I answered Yes if I was ever arrested, detained or cited...she also made me change my answers to Yes when it came to the questions 24 and 25 (if I was ever convicted of a crime, or if I was charged with committing, attempting to commit a crime or offense). Most of the lawyers I talked with (including the one we hired and was there) didn't think changing the answer to Yes was necessary. At least I had a FOIA letter from the Albany DMV office that showed the ticket was paid and closed ( I suggest anyone with traffic tickets to get such letters- bank statements showing you paid the ticket, or receipts + driving record are not enough).

At the very end I got a letter that said I passed the civics and English test with Congratulations box marked. When my lawyer asked her when can we receive a final decision she looked straight at us and said that as we could tell she did not review the file and the law gives her 120 days to review the file. So I started to think because my file was an inconvenience for her that morning she may choose to sit on it for as long as possible. Also what I think filled her glass was the fact I stopped her on the hallway and asked her kindly to check if my name was spelled correctly in the system since she had given me a paper with one of my names misspelled. There was the "you again, what do you want" vibe.

I wrote a letter of complaint the very next day but did not send it yet being afraid of any repercussions. A month later I feel I should send it in. What other options do I have?

So what have I learned if you submit a well documented application and come prepared or over-prepared - then also prepare to wait or leave confused and a bit dehumanized. The only reason I went with a lawyer that day was for some extra peace of mind since I'm the kind that over-worries a lot. If you are a very honest and over-worrying person I suggest you go in there with head held high because some of these people can't wait to make you feel like the lowest of the low. I guess if you want to be an American you have to pass this final challenge.

I wish everyone on this forum a much much better interview experience and have faith anything can get fixed and solved.

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

Hi. Found your entry from two years ago and was curious how did you end up filing N400 and how did your first name showed up on the naturalization certificate.

I have a similar case of hyphens between first name on some documents, and non-hyphenated on others (including foreign passport, GC and DL). Am curious about your experience. Thanks.

There is someone on another forum who got denied her citizenship application because she did not list the kids from a previous marriage/relationship. http://www.worldlawdirect.com/forum/naturalization-citizenship/18537-n-400-denied-need-advice-2.html

Now the question about children is different on N400 as it clearly asks to mention if the child is: biological child, stepchild, or legally adopted.

The I-751 just says lists "all your children" but encourages you to add an extra paper if necessary...so you can do that if in doubt.

If there's one important lesson I learned - and still learning - thanks to VJ is that it doesn't hurt to disclose everything in advance.

While I am not part of the above roster of I 751 October filers I wanted to share the fact I am one of them (filed on Oct 9 at VSC and got case transferred on Nov 22). Last night- March 5th- I received an e-mail saying conditions were removed and today I got in the mail the letter with Congratulations saying card is in production.

The only problem with this last letter was the fact my given names did not appear anywhere in full like on the past NOAs, only my first name initial and last name in the mailing tab. I called and spoke with an officer to make sure my name will appear in full on the GC. He checked the records but pretty much said wait and see. Good luck to everyone. Looks like CSC is moving at a great pace with the Vermont files.

Just curious and a bit antsy even though it's only been three months since it was transferred to California.

Anyone with a transfer case got RFEs or an approval?

Thank you. Good luck.

I got the transfer letter a few days ago and it went to CSC. When I opened the letter, I just looked at it and "Oh" and filed it away with the rest of my paperwork. Never thought about it again until I saw a thread dedicated to it. You've already got the one year extension letter, so just kick back and let it ride.

Good to know I'm not the only one. Got the letter in the mail the other day myself saying it was transferred to CSC. Someone on this thread also mentioned there should be another letter coming from CSC itself. I am so curious what do they do with our files in that small corner of Vermont...like how does the process goes from the day they receive it. Is it as joyful as the Ben & Jerry Factory down the road?

Thanks for your tips! I'm not sure we ll gonna do any end of life stuff yet ( it's kinda taboo for my family since we ll in our early 20s, my dad will freak out!). What are the chances of us getting an interview? Is my case too complicated that we might need a lawyer to help us file? I guess we could add his pay stubs and copy of checks that he paid the rent from his student checking? Would that help?

From previous posts it seems that interviews can be for quality control, if there's a red flag or just because. We might get an RFE because they need additional proof or because that's the USCIS way of slowing down and catching up with cases...sort of like an assembly plant slowing down production. We are trying not to freak out too much about the process even though we were very nervous at the AOS interview two years ago to begin with. I was especially nervous because my wife is older than me and thought age may make a difference. Yes pay stubs and copy of checks would be good especially if you have some from previous years. Sometimes you can order transcripts from the bank from way back when for free. I did that and as I said I highlighted some expenses that I thought would show we live together. I just signed for a Costco family membership and for sure I'll add that to a package if an RFE arrives. I would also give heads up to family and friends and forward them a sample or two of affidavits (you can find some online google-ing) in case an RFE comes and you need letters drafted and notarized quickly. End of life and medical stuff papers shouldn't freak out anyone. I am 30 and having been an international student for ten years I knew I needed to have such records on file in case of emergency. Also your bank may offer as a benefit/bonus some minimum life insurance per account (mine did cost free) and if it does you might list your other half as beneficiary of that $1500-3000 sum. As for a lawyer - that's up to you. We filed each time without one. Seems to me that you can save yourself the trouble and money until you are called for an interview (if you get an RFE and is not enough in the end). There are various threads around this forum dealing with lawyer-ish stuff.

ALSO - a few thoughts from above that needed further attention:

We also printed bank statements hopping back three months, then another three and so on. I explained in another letter why I was added later on one account. Again i figured if they want to read it now fine, if not they'll ask us in an RFE anyway and I'll have some of these answers ready to be printed.

Hi,

My wife and I filed for removal of conditions in October. I've been unemployed for quite a while so a lot of the evidence is one sided but I guess I am not the only one without a job in the US. Anyhow the file we sent weigh about six pounds. I guess that's how much our love weighs. we did include health insurance, IRA accounts, car insurance and tax stuff but as I said a lot of this official stuff is one sided as I've been a poor grad student in charge of a cable bill and picking up the dinner tab once in a while.

I included a few affidavits (not considered strong evidence but since we also moved thought it would be useful). but saved some in case an RFE comes. I printed out about 50-70 photos - got them copy pasted in a word document and drained a toner printing them. We both wrote notes on the side of the photos especially photos one took of the other. I also printed a bunch of conversations and chat threads between each other and correspondence/e-mails between our families in lieu of family affidavits. My mother passed away this year so there was a lot of that going on. Receipts from trips taken together were good too.

HIPAA Authorizations, living will, end of life decision making, power of attorneys- are papers that you can easily draft, sign at a notary or in front of friends. Since you moved this would be a good time to get those done. A lot of this stuff couples don't do due to laziness. I still have to get an end of life decision drafted but I'll definitely do it this month, that plus find doctors where we relocated. That will be good for an RFE down the line as well. We used a moving company since it was cross country and I printed the quotes we got on the move and the bill.

I also included letters with Dear USCIS explaining our life in the past couple of years as well as our banking situation. We have one credit card and just like you I am just a user and do not show on statements. So I included copies of our credit cards that show our names, but same account number (i used a marker and showed only the last four digits). I also printed out some credit card statements and even though the statements only show her name I highlighted purchases that I knew I made for her or for the household. I wrote on the side small notes pertaining to the purchases. At times I paired photos of a trip with those purchases. This maybe will pass as too organized and raise a red flag, but we did it because it seemed logical.

We have a dog so I also printed out the history of his grooming, who took him when and who paid. If you've been to a doctor or dentist together you can ask for a printout history that show the times you and your other half visited the office. That's good too.

Now all of this info may mean nothing in the end, may exhaust the person who reviews the case, or, and that's my hope, provide a full honest picture of our lives that will have them approve the removal on the spot.

Also remember that the office wants to see documents spanning the whole marriage if possible. I sent stuff from our honeymoon even though I also submitted some of that with the AOS application. When we had our AOS interview the officer had no clue what we submitted and had us show copies of the documents that were already in the file. That should tell you how superficial the process is in some ways, and how in the end you can submit a one pound or a six pound package and still be called for an interview for quality control, red flags, or just 'cause.

Remember the window does not open 3 months before the GC expires, BUT 90 days. Use a time and day calculator online that will tell you precisely that. They will return your package if it gets there one day early. Make sure you make an exact copy of what you send.

Also from what i know so far if you file at the Vermont Center your file will probably be directed to California in the end. That's what happened to mine and apparently to many many others about a month and a half after mailing it.

Having spent some time on lots of forums I can say there is no recipe for success, just stress, patience, hope and more stress. Good luck and excuse the length of this message.

Hello,

Any October filers receiving notice that their CRI89 was transferred to a local office? Just got an update of this action this morning through a mobile app (regret installing it now since it made me more anxious at 9am).

From what I read so far this action either means an interview within 90 days, or either means they sent it from Vermont to CSC, or even that the application is still in Vermont.

Wondering if any of you got or will get similar letters in the next days as that would be a sign VSC is backed up. There's a thread for the month of June that confirms lots of people received such notices.

So far I think the process went quite smoothly which obviously worries me. We also moved from Dallas to NY a month and a half before filing, so that may be enough to be called for an interview I guess. Ok, enough with building stressful scenarios in my head. Thank you.

Oct 9 - Mailed I-751 to VSC

Oct 18 - NOA 1 - GC one year extension

Oct 22 - biometrics appointment received for Nov 15 appointment

Nov 6 - walk in Biometrics in Manhattan successful (though I wrote about that experience somewhere else on this site).

Nov 18 - Notice (looking in my USCIS case status on line): file transferred to local office

On November 18, 2013, we transferred this CRI89 PETITION TO REMOVE CONDITIONS OF PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS RECEIVED to another office for processing because they now have jurisdiction over the case. We sent you a notice of this transfer. Please follow any instructions on this notice. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from yo

UPDATE: I called the 1 (800) 375 - 5283 and upon entering the case status the system said the case has been forwarded to St. Albans VT where we submitted in the first place. I guess will be waiting for the official NOA in the mail.

It simply means that your application is being transferred to a LO under the supervision of CSC as VSC is overwhelmed with lot of work. It started with May applications and almost all the applications are being routed to CSC/ LO. It will start it's normal process like all other application.

Thanks. Coincidence or not, the time between fingerprinting and this latest notice is 12 days, which is about the same as the time frame between your own fingerprinting and notice of case transfer. Well I just hope they don't lose all 5lb 6oz of paperwork i sent them.

Hello,

Any October filers receiving notice that their CRI89 was transferred to a local office? Just got an update of this action this morning through a mobile app (regret installing it now since it made me more anxious at 9am).

From what I read so far this action either means an interview within 90 days, or either means they sent it from Vermont to CSC, or even that the application is still in Vermont.

Wondering if any of you got or will get similar letters in the next days as that would be a sign VSC is backed up. There's a thread for the month of June that confirms lots of people received such notices.

So far I think the process went quite smoothly which obviously worries me. We also moved from Dallas to NY a month and a half before filing, so that may be enough to be called for an interview I guess. Ok, enough with building stressful scenarios in my head. Thank you.

Oct 9 - Mailed I-751 to VSC

Oct 18 - NOA 1 - GC one year extension

Oct 22 - biometrics appointment received for Nov 15 appointment

Nov 6 - walk in Biometrics in Manhattan successful (though I wrote about that experience somewhere else on this site).

Nov 18 - Notice (looking in my USCIS case status on line): file transferred to local office

On November 18, 2013, we transferred this CRI89 PETITION TO REMOVE CONDITIONS OF PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS RECEIVED to another office for processing because they now have jurisdiction over the case. We sent you a notice of this transfer. Please follow any instructions on this notice. You will be notified by mail when a decision is made, or if the office needs something from yo

Hello everyone. My wife and I are beginning the process of removing conditions on GC in October. We recently moved from Dallas to NY (sold the house there and rented in NY) and we're not sure if this move a month and a half before we file I 751 will raise any unfounded suspicions. I've been unemployed since June 2012 when I finished grad school and my mom passed away from cancer this spring across the ocean. It's been a couple of hard years and we decided to move for a change (also not many photos in these past months of mourning).

We compiled a list of what we have so far and are looking to see if we missed anything. Would you add anything else or take out? Too little or too much? Looking for some encouragement here...of course this is just to make us feel better or worse (depending on what scary comments we get). We thought the Adjustment of Status is stressful but it seems this is not any easier.

Thanks.

From the cover letter written by my wife:

• Copy of permanent resident card (front/back)
• Copy of my husband’s passport – front pages
• Copy of our marriage certificate.
• Driver license copies (Texas DL and new NY licenses showing same addresses)
• Copies of various car insurance notices before moving to New York. 2011-2014. We sold the cars.

• Copy of New York apartment lease (09/01/2013 – 08/31/2014) signed on 08/12/2013
• Copy of New York apartment renters insurance
• Copies of new utility accounts for the New York residence (still waiting for the first bills)
• Copy of the storage unit my husband took care to rent in Dallas to store household items we decided not to take to New York. Printout shows the names of the family members who can access it. X
• Copy of the moving company shipping quote from Dallas to NY showing both our names

• Copies of various documents pertaining to the selling of our house ( July – Sep 2013)
• Copy of Power of Attorney. (Husband – Principal, Me – Agent) for selling of house. Husband was not able to attend the signing as he drove from Dallas to New York in the first week of September to get our new apartment ready, set up utilities and wait for the truck with our Dallas belongings.
• Copy of refinancing the house in Dallas, TX in 2012
• Various utility bills from our old residence in Dallas TX. and printouts of computer screen shots showing the history of auto-pays of the same accounts. Husband had cable/phone/internet taken care of when he moved in. Other bills are on wife name.

• Joint US tax returns IRS transcripts for 2012, 2011.
• Various statements of our joint bank accounts (got the main ones joint in June 2012)
• Copies of American Express credit card showing same account number
• Printouts of screenshots from bank accounts showing various expenditures ( e.g. dog grooming)
• Copy of my husband’s Vanguard account he opened in Feb 2013 from his savings and named me the main beneficiary.
• Copy of our health insurance cards showing joint policies (2011- )
• Computer Screen shot copy of life insurance policies
• Copy of my will and end of life decision designating my husband
• Copy of dentist visit history, and copies of two documents showing visits to the same family doctor practice. For personal reasons I decline to have any other medical history released.

• Copies of our airline reservations for trips taken to his home country to visit his family, and other trips to Washington DC and New York.
• Copy of my Passport showing stamps of entry and exit dates to husband home country:

• Various photos: 2011 - current x
• E-mail correspondence and chat threads between each other.
• Correspondence between our parents – separate sealed envelope- given to us by my dad
• Sworn Affidavits: my sister, three friends and one of our Dallas neighbors .

It's perfectly normal. If I remember correctly, my I-130 stayed in "initial review" all the way to the end, even after my GC was approved. The online system is fairly unreliable. If your I-130 had not been approved, your entire process would have been halted - it is the I-130 that makes you eligible to file the I-485, as it establishes a relationship with a US citizen which gives you basis to apply for AOS.

Thank you very much for the encouragement. We weren't expecting to go through the interview so soon. It's perfect timing however. My parents missed our wedding due to health issues, but they'll be here for the holidays meeting the in-laws for the first time. I guess if they end up hating each other -it would be another proof we are in a bona-fide marriage Thanks! Happy Holidays!

I am sure there is an old thread around here that might be useful but unfortunately did not find it yet.

We applied for AOS (concurrent filing) on October 7, got Biometrics a month later, and just yesterday received notice that our initial interview has been scheduled for the first week of January. I've been pleasantly surprised the whole process has been smooth especially since we have done it all without a lawyer. Decided to save the couple thousand $ for a cruise someday. I have checked the status of my I-485 and it is in the Testing and Interview Stage. The I-765 also shows as being in the Production stage. HOWEVER the I-130 is still in the Initial review stage. Is this normal? Should we call USCIS and double check this status before the interview or give it a few more days, maybe we are dealing with a late update.

Thank you for any and all assistance,

I hope to be able to give good advice on this forum, once I become a permanent resident.

Let me see if I understand this. Over a summer, you received some sort of extension on your visa to do "independent studies" for the summer - which would probably be along the lines of independent research, or volunteering in a lab or something, right? Instead of doing the most obvious sort of independent study, you volunteered at a music festival for a few weeks. In order to properly volunteer there, you had to live there.

I don't really understand the problem here, but I must be missing something. Who says you weren't doing fieldwork on the culture of music festivals? Did you not maintain whatever residence you had?

I was completing my Masters in theater, and waiting for OPT/EAD card. Over that summer I was still enrolled in some independent studies, and getting paid by the university legally. I told my professor I will go to a music/theater festival and have that consider the work for one of the studies I was taking with him. He agreed. This however was not granted by the International Student Office, nor did it show with the Registrar. It was an understanding between me and him that I should take advantage of the festival, while he would pass me the class for the work I'd be doing there.

At the festival I received housing for the work I was doing. They never filed any sort of employment paper work for me. They liked getting help for free. However from what I read the USCIS considers employment any work that results in some benefit. It is a thin line of course.

Now the issue is if to disclose this since the month spent at the festival is also a month spent between one residency and another. It probably does not show in any system, but do not want to risk too much. As you can see it is a complicated story that may trigger questions into why that professor agreed to this, why did I not give notice to the International Student Office, etc. Thank you!