SweetheartSarah

I never changed my name after marriage and am looking to add my husband's name to mine. My Naturalization ceremony is this Thursday, and while I know it won't affect the immigration process if I do it afterwards, I wonder how much of my records and what logistics would be affected. If there any reason I shouldn't, or anything I should keep in mind in changing my last name after the fact?

Hello Fellow February Filers! (Alliteration FTW!)

Filed February 13.

Biometrics scheduled February 17.

Biometrics done March 5.

And now I wait!

On 2/13/2018 at 6:49 PM, CTgal18 said:

I’m a long time green card holder so I wasn’t really in a rush to file but now that I have filed, I feel so impatient too. The first couple days I kept logging on for updates every few hours as if something was gonna change that fast. Haha. I mean my biometrics appt letter was available online 3 days after I filed so that was kind of awesome. My biometrics appt is in a week and I’m so anxious to be done with it and move on to the next step even though that very likely means waiting months to get an interview. 

That's awesome! Nothing like playing the waiting game!

I just realized this morning I hadn't set up the e-mail and mobile alerts. My case status says they sent out the NOA and my biometrics appointment is scheduled. How long after they scheduled your biometrics did you get your appointment letter? My work schedule is already made and I need to know if I have to change a shift around.

How do I know which service center is processing my application if I filed online (IOE)? Do the same rules apply as paper application, or do they get forwarded to a different set of people dedicated to IOE filing?

After looking at the Service Center processing times, I noticed none of them have N-400 on their list. I'm having a hard time figuring it out. Any help is appreciated!

2 minutes ago, coloradoman said:

Care to elaborate where in the June 2017 thread you saw a Denver filer? I don’t see anyone from Denver in that thread, and last week the first guy in the April thread said that he got an interview appointment for early March. 

I didn't find this in the June 2017 thread, it was in the processing times area.

Just filed today! Excited and impatient to hear back already. I know it takes a few days for the NOA. Yay, us!

Hello friends!

I just filed for the N-400 from Denver. Any idea how long the process is or has been lately?

I'm also looking at what to expect after biometrics and what the interview was like!

Thank you in advance!

Important to note that for some countries, actively seeking another citizenship (i.e. applying for US Citizenship and getting it) WILL make you lose your initial citizenship.

This I know, although Canada is not one of them.

I'm Canadian, about to file the Citizenship application. There's a portion that asks if I'm willing to relinquish all prior citizenship to another country. My plan was to have dual citizenship, but I'm not sure if I can with this question on there. There is no other reference to ask for dual citizenship nor can I find a document for it. Anyone have any insight?

K-1 Visa, married, and applying for AOS [haven't sent papers in yet].

I am wanting to give singing/music lessons, but don't have working status here [Colorado] yet. Could I offer private lessons without a SSN and work permit, or would this land me in trouble?

I'm currently in the US on a K-1 Visa.

It's a long story, which includes some plans changing, but how does the USCIS take people being approved for a K-1 Visa, moving in, moving back out before getting married, and subsequently applying for a CR-1?

The short of the long is that I have moved to the US on a fiancé Visa, and we have to get married within 90 days of me moving into the country. We have been engaged for about a year now!

Until recently, this wasn't an issue with me, however I am now having doubts about being ready for all of this; getting married, moving countries, etc. I am not allowed to work for about four months after we get married, which makes financials very difficult, and school here costs a fortune compared to where I'm from.

I can't help but feel like I may have jumped the boat too soon and part of me wants to go back home for a while longer, work some more, and possibly postpone the wedding [1. Until we are financially comfortable, 2. I'm not sure I'm ready.]. Another problem with this, is that moving back home would null my Visa, and potentially ruin chances of getting another one for a while! Should I suck it up, get married on paper, and start building my life here? OR leave and risk it?

My other problem is I am very much a family girl. I find it very difficult to be away from my family for long periods of time. I dont' know if this is something I'll ever grow out of. FI does not want to live in my hometown, but I'm not sure I'll be able to live in his for an extended period of time.

FI lives at home, with his parents. I am currently living there with him, as neither of us have steady income [i don't have any at all, really.] . I realize that it's going to take a while to get atable, no matter what we do, but I feel as if I have more opportunity to do so slightly quicker back home. Note: FI is willing to try long distance, but doesn't seem t keen or hopeful about it [not that I expect him to be thrilled, just mostly hopeful and like it wouldn't be the end of the world!].

Needless to say, there is a lot to be thought of, but I really don't know where to start or what to think!

At the point of our process where we have our interview date, I entered the US for a six week vacation with my fiancé. I should mention the fact that this would be the thurd time I am in Colorado this year, the second time being in August. This time was end of September, so they had reason to be questioning our intentions. Here's how it all went down:

We got to the airport, checked in, checked our suitcases. Once we were going through customs, they asked the standard question, took my ID and fingerprints and we got taken to and held in the customs room.

After waiting 10-15 minutes, we were seen by a customs agent who took me [the Canadian] to the back and went through my purse, phone [incl. e-mail, text messages, etc.], and asked me a ton of questions.

1. Why are you going into the US for so long?
   

"Visiting family and friends, leisure."

• Why do you have so much baggage?
  

"I've packed the necessary for me, for my six week stay, as well as some of the stuff he's left behind from his work Visa term that just ended. He s bringing his stuff back home."

At this point I mentioned the Visa process and that I did have the paperwork on me to prove it, as well as a return ticket. He asked to see it.

He sent me back to my seat. About 10 minutes later, he called on us and told us that if we didn't have our Visa paperwork with us, this may not have gone as well as we had hoped. He said there's concern about people coming to the US and staying indefinitely with no real intent on going back, without a Visa of any sort.

He went over all of the Visa processes with us and made sure we were aware of the terms and sent us off to catch our flight. We were late for our flight, however the plane was waiting for us, and someone came looking for us at the customs office to bring us to our flight! [We were those people everyone hates because they have to wait for one more person to board the plane! However, there was one other person after us, so it wasn't all our fault! ]

Any questions, please feel free!

We had send our Packet 3 on July 31st and it took 8 days to get logged, and received the Packet 4 via email. Set up our interview that day.

Best of Luck !!

You got the packet #4 e-mail after eight days?

Hi There,

You can always try to expedite your interview too! Check out http://usvisa-info.com/en-ca/selfservice/us_expedited_appointments to see if any of those apply to you! We are waiting for packet 4 from Montreal as well; we have school age children so we are planning to ask for an earlier date Good Luck!

Unfortunately we don't fall into any of those categories!

http://usvisa-info.com/en-ca/selfservice/us_immigrant_visas Go to this website and register. Don't sign up for interview yet, but it will tell you when the next available interview is. And this is also where you will sign up for your interview and your courier services so you can get your passport back after approval. You're on the home stretch now! Its all going to go smoothly. Not much of a wait. Start preparing for the big move, wedding...etc. Keep your mind occupied.

You can always check back for cancellations. If theres one, snatch up the slot! The thing with Montreal, is the time of day doesn't matter as much as the day itself. Its on a first come first serve basis. So you still end up getting there at like 6:30AM and getting in even if your appt isn't scheduled until 2PM.

I'm already registered with that website!

I check the interview dates regularly to see what the dates are like, I just want to know when I will be getting my interview date, as in when will I be getting the letter that says what day my interview date is!

So the I can keep looking for openings, but with reason, haha!

And who knows, maybe we'll have our interview on the same day!

Montreal is running about 68 days between sending you Packet 4 and interviews. So you've got a little bit. But thats plenty of time to get your medical done and get all the paperwork together that you might need for the interview. We are sending in Packet 3 this weekend. I checked and right now, the next interview from today is 68 days away. So good luck.

68 Days... So long!

Any chance of moving it up? How do we find cancellations and stuff?

It was at 38 days a few days ago!

My package #3 was sent today to my local US Consulate!

Seems like the next step is getting an interview date...

How long between the two?!

I'm getting antsy!

I called to schedule a pick up from Loomis, and they're asking me for a company name to go with the account number provided by the CSC. There doesn't seem to be one and we can't proceed without one. I need the company name and address of the account holder...

I'm not sure how to get that?!

Ahhh!

No, it doesn't slow down the process. All the Canadians have done/do it regularly. Just make sure you carry proof of ties.

Moving from K-1 Process to the Canada regional forum.

What kind of proof of ties should I provide?

My job is in the travel industry and people come and go, even for months at a time... I doubt that counts as a tie to Canada, seeing as they are very loose in their terms...

We're just about to send out the Packet #3, and presumably will get my interview date shortly thereafter.

The situation is we're looking to settle in Denver. I'm from Montreal. We go ack and forth for a week or two a couple of times a year, but my question is:

• If I go there to spend time, say a month, and come back in time for the interview, does that mess with the process at all?
  
• Would I be making the process longer/more difficult by traveling back and forth?
  

Confused, but desperately want to be there for leisure and sporting purposes right now! Just one of my top hiking, rock-climbing, kayaking destinations...but every time we go it's such a short visit! I just want some extra time to get to do these things! But...I don't know if I can do that and continue with the process while me, myself, being there!

Ideas? Experiences?

Thank you!

We're hopefully about a month away from getting our answer, and I'd like to know how fast things move along once you get the NOA2?

I live in Montreal, so the interview will likely be here. I'm mostly wondering how soon appointments can be gotten and how quickly all of the rest of the paperwork/process goes?

Any ideas/experiences?

Thank you!

We are getting married within the 90 days, just the two of us, then holding a 'wedding' for the families. My questions are for the celebrations with the families.

Background information:

I am Canadian and my fiancé is from Colorado. We were planning on having one wedding in Colorado, but most of myself won't travel, and his family won't travel either.

Ideally, I want to have one wedding, in Colorado, but at least half my family can't or won't travel. I realize that by pushing for one wedding in Colorado, I will will be risking some of my family not being there, including my mother, brother and all of my grandparents not coming. My family is very important to me and I wouldn't be completely happy without them there. For health concerns my grandparents can't come, and my mother decided that a year and a half is too little notice for financial and vacation time reasons. She says that if I want to see my family on my wedding day, I'll have to do it here. I will admit that if something inconveniences her, she will fight against it. And I feel that is her motive, rather than financial and vacation time reasons. The notice I've given her is more than fair, and my father, who is financially less capable than she is, is making every effort to make sure that he can be there with my siblings.

Current situation:

We're looking at having two weddings- one here in Montreal, and another in Colorado. That way we accomodate both families, and it doesn't change the budget much.

Problems:

The thing is, since it will be for individual families we won't be able to have bridesmaids and grooms men and all that. So I think it would be weird to have a wedding without any kind of 'traditional' wedding party. I'm trying to find ways and things to do that will keep a traditional feel, while not having some of those staple traditions...

Some problems:

• Lack of wedding party
  

• Two very small weddings [20-50 each]
  

• Musicians: Do we get a band, or just dinner musicians? I don't think it will be much of a party on either end, and so I'm not sure we want to spend the money on the band. They'll be more along the lines of formal dinners with entertainment celebrating our union, rather than a wedding 'party'.
  

Am I kidding myself by settling for two smaller weddings rather than pushing for the one wedding I really, really wanted?

How long after landing am I eligible to go to school [college]?

I am looking to attend community college for the first year at least, then we'll see. But I realize that tuition depends on whether you're a permanent resident or an international applicant, but what if I'm there, not yet a permanent resident, on a K-1 visa and married but awaiting my green card?

I don't know how any of this works... Ahhh!

Am I still allowed to study or do I have to wait to be a permanent resident and or/state resident to be able to benefit?

Any input on the matter would be appreciated!

Thanks!