visaqueries
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Posts posted by visaqueries
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My husband had two traffic tickets. We said yes, noted they were under $500, and took all the documentation with us to the interview. They never asked for it. We said yes because, well, yes he was given tickets.
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I'm not sure if you are close to a passport agency or it is even an option for you (my husband went to Minneapolis for his), but my husband went--the day after naturalization--to the passport agency, waited that day while expediting his passport and got it the same day. So, naturalized September 26...passport on September 27.
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21 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:
I always hear that, but I think it is still office dependent. My wife filed in January, had her interview in March and her Oath in June and she filed paper. Doing it again, I would probably chose online, but I am not sure that it really matters.
You might be right about it being office dependent. It could also be that our 10 year green card was also in the works. We had filed for it in March 2017, so finally hearing about it AND naturalization in July 2018 just made us feel good about online filing. Either way, we both completed it! Yay!
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My husband had this problem. Originally he was fine, but we drove (in our own car) over the border to Canada once. When we returned, the officer sent us to secondary. From that point on, my husband was always pulled aside when returning to the US...Japan, Australia, the Bahamas. At the Bahamas, both of us were led to the secondary inspection. From what we gathered from the side talks is that they struggled because my husband had such a long name (four last names to be exact) and that caused problems. We always listed his first name as his first name and his other names as his last name (the way they do names in Egypt don't exactly match the way we do it here), and it appeared somewhere in their system his first name was listed with the first 4 names and his last name was the last one. So, his name didn't match to them...even though all the names were the exact same. He is away on his first trip as a US Citizen, so we imagine things will go much smoother on Friday when he returns (he legally shortened his name which should help).
What We Did: First name: John Last Name: Smith Jones Carpenter Lewis
What They Had In the System: First Name: John Smith Jones Carpenter Last Name: Lewis
My husband was never interviewed. He just sat and waited for them to clear him. The reason we felt this was the issue was because the Bahamas CBP said, "Yes, it's fine. It's the same." The original officer just didn't want to make the call to clear us.
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20 hours ago, KMENDLESS said:
Hi, could you tell me how you filled "Time Outside the United States within 5 years" since I am only living here for 3 years
Thanks so much
We listed the three years of time that he was out of the country. They had no problem with this.
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On 10/17/2018 at 11:34 PM, visajourney# said:
Congrats to you and your husband and thanks for sharing your journey! Now i feel a lot more comfortable moving forward with the N-400 application. I have already filled out the form online and all i need is to press the button
Press it! 😊
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We filed for the n400 while the I 751 was processing. My husband was told by the USCIS officer that it would be better for us to have waited. However, we applied in March 2018 for the n400 and had an interview by July 2018. My husband became a citizen on September 26, 2018. I would say apply for the n400, but do it online if you can.
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We married within 5 days of his arrival. We filed within 8 days of his arrival. At that time we didn't have much information of co-mingled accounts, and he was from a high fraud country. We were approved (1 year and 1 month later) for his green card without interview. FYI...our application was sent in May and his EAD was received by August. This was 4 years ago, but we didn't submit any extra paperwork.
- blessed981 and Orangesapples
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A US passport does prove citizenship, so I would take that.
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4 hours ago, Daisy.Chain said:
Congrats!
We're from KS City too. Hopefully this will be us in a few months!
I hope so too!
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1 hour ago, marcusa said:
congrats! its surprising that your case was moving so fast after e-filing N400. especially interview 4 months after biometrics. in our state, it's normal waiting for a year to get the interview.
The USCIS timeline said it would take us a year, so we were very surprised when the interview letter arrived, and it moved so quickly. The rest of the process though felt so very long!
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Today my husband's visa journey has come to an end. He and 49 other people stood before the federal judge and took their Oath.
We arrived a little before 10 and went through the security checkpoint. We found the waiting room at about 10:10, and a USCIS officer was explaining the process. They also had a slide show with a timeline of events.
- 10:15 turn in green card and paperwork.
- 10:45 US Citizen candidates head to the courtroom.
- 11:15 family and friends head to the courtroom.
- 11:30-12:15 Oath Ceremony.
Some of the things I particularly enjoyed include: they had each candidate stand and state their former country, there was a court-appointed photographer who took pictures of each candidate receiving their naturalization certificate (we could also take photos), they had people ready to help the new citizens register to vote, and the words offered to the new citizens were supportive and uplifting. Overall, the day turned out great. My husband said there was a moment when he felt a bit emotional (teary-eyed).
There were three ceremonies in Kansas City today. We were the second ceremony. I'm so happy my mom, sister, and I could be there for this big event. Thanks to all here who offer words of support and advice. It sure makes things feel a bit easier.
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My husband applied online for his n400 before being approved for his I 751. He had applied for I 751 in March 2017. He then applied for n400 March 2018. He received his interview on July 24 and will be taking the Oath this Wednesday. His I 751 and n400 were approved the same day.
I suggest applying online when eligible :).
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My husband was frustrated with the fact that he had to go from a job where he was managing his team to a job where his position was bottom of the chain of command. He doesn’t like that his experience and education was not valued when seeking a job.
He also believes people in America are not always true to their emotions...they smile at you even if they don’t like you (then talk behind your back). He says people are much more authentic with the way they relate to each other in Egypt.
I searched for places he could go that would remind him of home. There are a few coffee shops/shisha places he goes where the Egyptian men gather. We also eat at Mediterranean restaurants. Thankfully he has found some friends who understand his culture and way of doing things.
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Our Timeline
Fiance Arrived May 2, 2014
Married May 7, 2014
Filed for AOS May 10, 3014
He was here for 5 days before we married. There is no need to wait.
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We had the joint I-751 and N-400 interview. We took everything that was listed on both papers (originals with copies). Basically we brought updates to the paperwork we had already sent in (more recent joint bills, checking account statements..tax receipts). The only thing asked for was our Tax Receipts. If we had to do it again, we'd still bring all the same info as we don't know what another officer would have asked for.
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Here is the link to Naturalization information. We came on a K1 Visa, so my husband was eligible for naturalization based on a 3 year rule (not 5). The application was accepted, so I don't have information on what is received with a rejection.
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We went out of town and had our mail held. It was supposed to be delivered to our home on a Saturday, but when we arrived home there was none in our box. So, the following Monday I went into the post office to pick up our mail. It just so happened that my husband's green card was in the mail. They did take my ID, and they gave me the mail. My husband and I have different last names. When she asked, I just said it was my husband. The postal worker didn't hesitate to give me all of the mail (green card included).
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12 hours ago, ddtenor2 said:
In addition to all of the above (except kitchen remodeling), we included:
Deed to our home with both names on it (no mortgage)
Last will & testament for each of us
Medical power of attorney for each of us
Homeowners, auto, and liability insurance policies with both names on them
Copies of auto insurance cards for both cars
Copies of drivers' licenses
A couple of explanation of benefits for doctors' visits and blood work
We also opted for overkill rather than risking an RFE or denial.
Good luck!!
Yes, I forgot that we had some of those too (auto insurance cards, drivers' licenses, dental records/visits with both names listed). I have owned our home since 2000 (he arrived 2014), and we have not added him yet. It wasn't a problem though. We did worry it would be, but I think they could tell from our other documentation that we are a legitimate couple. Great additions on the will & testament and medical power of attorney.
While our documentation was important (and probably minimized the need for more questions), our interview probably gave a more complete picture of our story. When she asked what we did together, we mentioned the mundane things we did...shopping at Sams, eating at Chick-fil-A, watching movies at home. I'm sure the officer could relate as she even mentioned those are some things she and her husband do together. It just made us more relate-able and real.
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Things we included:
Tax receipts
Joint checking and savings accounts
Titles for cars with both names on them
Retirement account information with our names on each other's account
Electric bill with both names
Credit card statements with both names
Cell phone bills with both names
Affidavits of support from mutual friends
Letters/cards from friends sent to our address with both names on it
Continued to send hotel stays, boarding passes, vacation itineraries
Bills from contractors who remodeled our kitchen with both our names on it
I'm sure some of our stuff was overkill, but we didn't want to receive a denial. We were approved without any issues.
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My husband (not at the time) had applied for a visitor visa. He said he was coming to visit me, his friend. This was 2012. We had not seen each other since 2009 and in the time between 2009 and 2012 we were not dating. However, we started talking again in February 2012, and since I had been to Egypt already, we thought it might be a good idea for him to come to the US, meet my family, and see the states. He would not have stayed beyond his visa, but it didn't matter. He was denied. As a result, I went to visit him in May 2012. We decided then we wanted to apply for the K1. It took us until August to get the papers together. When he finally had his interview, they did ask him about his attempt to travel to the US to see me. It was kind of an issue. They asked him why he had called me a friend in his interview but was now planning to marry me. (He told them that he hadn't seen me in three years and couldn't rightfully call me his girlfriend, much less fiancee, until we saw each other again to see how our chemistry worked).
My point is they will probably ask about it. As long as you are honest in your answers, I think your chances will be good.
How many are filing N-400s before the I-751 has been approved?
in US Citizenship Case Filing and Progress Reports
Posted
Oh gosh...our local office is KC, so I think we filed in Nebraska...does that sound right???