HK12

If there is an apartment manager, you could ask them. Otherwise, I personally would write "Return to Sender" and drop it in the next mailbox. It would probably be better for USCIS to have the notice back, instead of it sitting out there for anyone to grab it and get personal information (think A# etc.) off it. 

5 hours ago, glowie85 said:

Just adding to this:
I got my 'Beibehaltungs'-approval this February. As for the reasons I presented: I work in IT, and there are a lot of jobs out there that require security clearance. I can't get security clearance as a Green Card holder, thus I'm at a disadvantage in the job market. My ties to Germany are strong since all my family is living in Germany, I'm the only one over here. Those were strong enough reasons to get the US, but also be allowed to keep the German citizenship. (By the way, while never engaging a lawyer for my American immigration matters, I did hire one for this German hurdle. Probably not necessary, but in this case I felt better with one, German bureaucracy... )

It currently seems to be taking 6-9 months (applied last year July). When picking up the certificate at the German consulate I was told I did the right thing in waiting to have the certificate in hand before starting the N-400 application, since the wait times seem to be getting longer for the 'Beibehaltung', too long for keep pushing out the oath date.
After getting the approval, you have two years to actually get the American citizenship. If it takes longer, you can go back to the German consulate and get it extended for a few months, but you should really trying to get it within the allotted time. 
They also told me to keep the certificate in a safe place since they don't have a copy of it and if it's lost it'll be a pain in the butt to replace (no idea if that's true, but don't want to find out either ).

I applied for the US citizenship a week after picking up the certificate and it looks as if I will have the US citizenship (if all goes well) by the end of the year.

So, OP, if you want to keep both avenues, Germany and the US, open for future residence states, this would be your way to go.

Lots of good information here. It's not hard to get the BBG, but it does take time and you do have to present compelling reasons as to why you need both citizenships. There are several Facebook groups in regards to dual citizenship US/Germany out there that I recommend the OP (or the wife) joins; they really helped me with my BBG. They have sample files of applications that got approved, as well as current timelines. From what I see, the time to get the BBG approved is currently increasing rapidly and is now at over a year on average. So I would apply for it well in advance before mailing the N-400 (or better wait until it has been approved). Personally, I did not use a lawyer and I don't think one is needed for either side. Good luck OP. 

Back when I went through the process, I used my international birth certificate both for the K1 and AOS and had no problems. 

A K1 is for fiancés only. You cannot use a K1 visa if you are already married. If you decide to get married, you will have to start all over with a CR1 visa.

Check the lower right hand side of the EAD. Does it say "Serves As I-512 Advance Parole" on there? If so, that's your Advance Parole travel document.

2 hours ago, jesserz said:

You did Amtrak too? See, we're also planning to do that. Going to get all the way to Portland via trains. Basically just avoiding planes completely. I'm also thinking about our things which are too valuable to send by DHL. Mostly sentimentally valuable, and that pile is much bigger than the "ship to USA" pile. So we may be bogged down with luggage too. Don't they check luggage on Amtrak for you? Because I can't imagine leaving this stuff at the luggage rack, which, last time I was on one of those trains, was right by the door where it could easily be stolen.

Yeah... The Amtrak part was a pain to be honest. Since my final destination was a town that did not have checked baggage service available, I had to carry everything on. First, at Penn Station, the elevators were not working, so I had to carry all of my bags down the stairs (couldn't find any Redcaps to help me). On the train, you're supposed to store your bags by the door, unattended, for everyone who walks by to easily steal them. No thanks! I had a sleeper cabin upstairs, so I dragged all of my luggage up into the tiny cabin, where I could keep an eye on it. It was uncomfortable with so little space, but better be safe than sorry! I had to change trains in Chicago, where I had huge trouble figuring out how the storage units worked (half of them were actually not functioning)... At least they had several Redcaps there, who helped me carry my bags to the train.

So basically, the cruise part was awesome, but I would not do the train part again with that much baggage.

3 hours ago, jesserz said:

Oh thank you for the hotel advice! I will check those. Best I could find during my general search was a shared bathroom situation. We're not entirely keen on that haha. The cruise really does seem like a fun adventure!

 

Wonderful! Oh thank you so much. Which cruiseline did you sail with? We're thinking of sending most of our stuff to the US through DHL before we leave. Seems like the best option and I wasn't aware that you could bring more than just a suitcase on a cruise with you. I'll also check out the travel inn, $100 is completely doable given the other options are usually 400-500/night. Shame that airbnbs are equally expensive. I was only worried that taxis would be tough to come by with all those people coming off the cruise probably needing one.

 

Thanks again! This has eased a lot of worries!

I sailed with Cunard on the Queen Victoria. At that time (January 2013), there were no other cheaper cruise lines available doing the transatlantic crossing, so I didn't have a choice, but I don't regret spending the extra dollars at all -  it was a truly wonderful and unforgettable experience!

You may want to check with your cruise line, but Cunard had an unrestricted baggage allowance, so I took advantage of that. I did send most of my belongings beforehand via DHL, but there were quite a few things that were too valuable to me to possibly get lost in transit, so I took them with me. It was a bit of a hassle later on on the Amtrak (logistics of transporting the bags, storing them on the train), but it did work out.

6 hours ago, jesserz said:

Oh wonderful! You actually did it!  How soon before your arrival did you send that email? And it went well, that's good! You also had your interview at Frankfurt, I see. That's where we're having our interview too. So we have a lot in common! Did you spend some time in NYC too? And, when you arrived, did you and the other immigrants get to go off in a separate area to hand in your packets? And, less of an immigration matter and more of a logistics, is the cruise terminal very easy to get to public transport from?

 

I'm so glad someone else has an experience to share!  

I think I sent the e-mail about a month before my arrival (not sure if I remember correctly), and I received a response within a day. As I wrote in my review, we immigrants went through the same line as everyone else did and were then directed to a separate area for further/secondary processing. Processing at secondary was very fast - I think it took less than five minutes from me being taken there to walking out of there. Everyone at immigration that I interacted with seemed knowledgeable about immigrant visas, so don't worry about that! One weird thing was that there was no customs check at all (so basically you could have brought in just about anything illegal you had wanted to ), but of course, that might have changed by now. Oh, and they have porters at the terminal who will help you with your luggage for a small fee, which I personally definitely appreciated since I had 7 large and heavy bags with me.

I spent two nights in NYC at the Travel Inn. It was alright for the price (around $100.00 a night for a double room, which is on the inexpensive side for NYC) - don't expect any luxuries, but it was clean and within a walking distance from Times Square and Broadway. I just took a taxi cab from the cruise terminal to the hotel, and two days later from the hotel to the train station, but other than that, I walked or used the subway. 

Good luck, I'm sure everything will work out fine!  

@jesserz I think I might be able to help. I actually immigrated by sea through the Manhattan Cruise Terminal in 2013. Came on the Queen Victoria from Southampton. I was nervous like you about the procedures and sent an e-mail to CBP before my departure. They responded immediately and told me basically that it would not be a problem - and it did, indeed, turn out to be really easy. You can read my POE review on my profile: http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/profile.php?id=126144 (scroll down to the POE review). 

I actually think that immigration by sea happens more often than people think - on my cruise, I met three people (a German couple and a guy from England) who were also immigrating.

If you have any other questions, let me know. I loved the whole cruise experience. The most amazing part was slowly passing by the lit up Statue of Liberty in the early morning hours of the date of arrival - such an emotional moment!  

Not sure where you got this from, but I applied (and got approved for) a mortgage as a permanent resident just fine.

Dallas is one of the slower offices in the country. The current processing date per the USCIS website as of 12/31/2017 is 10/14/2016. 

You also need to submit a Cuban police certificate. Above the paragraph you quoted, it says (and it doesn't matter that you don't live there anymore, but you DID live there for more than 6 months in your life): 

Not an issue. I am from the former GDR and was never asked about it. To be honest, I stated in all forms that I was born in Germany (it only later crossed my mind that technically I was born in the GDR). If you get yourself a few copies of international birth certificates (which I would recommend, since you will need them at various stages of the process), they also state "Bundesrepublik Deutschland" as your birth place.

The prostitution question is actually part of the citizenship questionnaire. I was asked whether I had ever prostituted myself too while my interviewer went through the questionnaire. Other than that, I agree with Redheadguy. I am pretty certain that in my interview letter, it stated that expired passports need to be brought. Some offices also require passport photos; I had two with me, although I was not asked for them.

The 120 days (which are 4 months, not 6 months) are pretty standard, and I expect that you will hear from them much sooner than that. Good luck. 

If you're a February 2017 filer, check out this thread: 

Looks like pretty much everyone from that filing month is still waiting.

18 hours ago, TearsOfBabylon said:

Danke, das war schon hilfreich!  

Bloede Frage: Was nehmt ihr da als Bank Statements? Ist das wie ein Kontoauszug oder was is das? Sorry, ich hab null Ahnung!


So viel Beweise fuer co-mingling werden wir fuer ROC nicht haben, befürchte ich. 
Wir ziehen Mitte Januar on post, dh die Utility Bills fallen weg. 
Ich hoffe mal, dass das Militär auch beim USCIS als vertrauenswürdig geschätzt wird, und es genug ist wenn ich meine Military ID und den Wisch vom Housing, wo ich als Occupant draufstehe, kopiere.
Ich lass ihn mich jetzt noch im Cable mit eintragen; das bleibt auch on post bestehen. 
Dann halt meine Debit Card und meine Credit Card wenn er endlich mal anruft und mir eine bestellt. 

Und TOLL... habe gelernt dass wir bis 2020 noch hier sind. Dh wenn ich meine GC nächstes Jahr bekomme, dann fällt unser nächster Umzug womöglich genau aufs ROC Fenster. 

Das hier war meine Liste fuers ROC. Wir haben damals noch bei meinen Schwiegereltern gewohnt und hatten deshalb keinen Mietvertrag oder Utility Bills. War aber kein Problem.

• drivers licences mit der selben Adresse
• joint tax returns
• joint deed und verschiedene andere Papiere von unserem Grundstueckskauf (fuer unser jetziges Eigenheim)
• affidavit of living arrangements von meinen Schwiegereltern
• 2 affidavits of relationship
• checking & savings accounts mit unseren beiden Namen auf den Statements (habe jeden 2. Monat geschickt, was vielleicht ein bisschen Overkill war, aber sicher ist sicher . Du solltest den gesamten Auszug schicken, nicht nur die erste Seite)
• joint credit card statements (auch fuer jeden 2. Monat)
• proof of joint ownership of cars
• joint car insurance
• joint health & dental insurance und medical bills
• Papiere, die belegen, dass ich Beneficiary in seinem Retirement Account bin
• ein paar Fotos
• joint health POA
• Briefe und Karten, die an uns beide adressiert waren

Insgesamt waren es so um die 180 Seiten, wobei das meiste die Auszuege fuer die Kreditkarten und die Bank waren. Ich haette sicherlich weniger schicken koennen, aber da wir halt keinen Mietvertrag oder Utility Bills hatten, wollte ich lieber auf Nummer sicher gehen. Mein Antrag wurde dann auch in Rekordzeit (6 Monate) genehmigt.

Bank und credit card statements kannst du i.d.R. online ausdrucken.

This thread is a few days old, but let me chime in: I did my BBG last year, and it took 3 months back then. From what I gather from various Dual Citizenship Facebook groups, the process has slowed down a bit over the past few months and now takes 4-6 months on average. I don't think a lawyer is needed for either side of the process, unless there are any issues/red flags.

Good luck!  

I just looked at the progress reports here on Visajourney, and it looks like currently the average wait time for an interview in Houston is approx. 11-12 months (October/November 2016 filers just had their interviews). This is just an estimate - keep in mind that processing times can pick up and slow down over time, and of course, they also depend on other factors (such as clearing of background checks, etc).

OP, I urge you to delete the photo that you posted. It contains very personal (visa) information for both yourself and your spouse, and  now everyone on the Internet can see it. 

Edit: Nevermind, a mod already took care of it while I was writing this.

90 days before the expiration date of the 2-year-Green card.

Bei der Rentenversicherung habe ich mich nicht abgemeldet. Du musst dich allerdings um eine Abmeldebescheinigung von deiner Gemeinde kuemmern. Die bekommst du bei deinem Buergeramt. Mit der Abmeldebescheinigung kannst du dann zu deiner Krankenkasse gehen und dich dort abmelden. Manche Versicherungen und Kabelanbieter sowie die GEZ verlangen auch eine Abmeldebescheinigung, damit du aus den Vertraegen mit ihnen herauskommst. Hebe die Abmeldebescheinigung gut auf, denn die musst du vorlegen, wenn du spaeter mal deinen Reispass im deutschen Konsulat verlaengern lassen willst. Viel Erfolg und alles Gute!  

Processing times are currently increasing. There is no need for you to worry. Once you're outside of normal processing times (which you're still quite far off from), you can call/put in a service request. We all know how frustrating the wait is, but be patient, it will come.

Nothing to worry about. When I did my AOS back in the day, none of the 3 receipt numbers ever worked with the online status. As long as you receive your NOAs, you're in their system.