Chikikiki

Probably depends on the county where your divorce judgement occurred.

In my case, a "certified" copy is just a county stamp on the first page only with the clerks signature next to it.

The other 28 pages part of the original judgement look no different than a regular copy.

Isn't that kind of expensive?

Yes it is expensive.

DNA testing is expensive and not 100% accurate.

See New England Journal of Medicine article:

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/346/20/1545

Since it is expensive, not everyone is tested and its possible that many folks may have different DNA profiles depending on what part of the body the sample was taken from.

You don't take the oath at the interview.

You have to pass the interview, then get the results letter about 2 weeks later with the oath ceremony date.

SOME office do the interview and letter the very same day. Fairfax VA does it that way

Sure, but in Los Angeles we are talking about ~5,000 oath takers at one time at the LA convention center.

They usually have two sessions for a total of ~10,000 oath takers on a scheduled day.

The line zig zags about 300 yards before the doors open.

I'm sure its nice and personal to have a small ceremony instead of our massive get together in LA.

Regardless of the huge number, it's still nice a nice ceremony.

You don't take the oath at the interview.

You have to pass the interview, then get the results letter about 2 weeks later with the oath ceremony date.

Hi!

I helped my 64 yr old uncle through citizenship early this year who fell into the same circumstance.

I was going to be his interpreter at the interview, but the interviewer spoke spanish, so he went at it alone.

If the interviewer did not speak spanish, I would have been allowed to interpret for him.

This is from page 26 of form M-476 ( A Guide to Naturalization).

"If you are over 55 years old and have lived in the United States as a Permanent Resident for periods totaling at least 15 years, you do not have to take the English test. You do have to take the civics test in the language of your choice."

"If you qualify for a waiver of the English proficiency requirement, you must be prepared to bring an interpreter."

The candidates 15 years must be as a permanent resident.

Good luck!

Hello there,

I have a question regarding my mother. She is 56 years old, she has lived in the US for over 28 years now. She is looking to take the US citizenship exam. She does not speak any english, nor does she read or write English, nor her own language. I was wondering if anybody knows whether or not she can take the exam with an interpreter. If so, will one be provided for her, or does she have to bring someone along?

Thanks in advance!

Rish1,

You got a raw deal!

I'd use the same documentation you initially submittes to meet the requirements as well as update any records (i.e., new phone bills, ongoing emails, pictures together, travel itineraries etc.)

Good luck!

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...0,1020006.story

Immigration roundup in Florida targets sham marriages

Foreign visitors are accused of paying U.S. citizens to wed. At least 46 are arrested.

By Jim Leusner, Orlando Sentinel

May 10, 2008

ORLANDO, FLA. -- The four-tiered cake the newlyweds were about to cut was plastic. The glasses and plates on the reception table were empty. And the bride wore casual shoes under her wedding gown.

Those were among the clues that first caught the attention of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials after they searched the offices of Winter Garden-based All Kind Services U.S.A. In a back room were the cake, the fake reception hall and a rack with several wedding dresses.

"The cake is the first clue. . . . And the running shoes are a nice touch, too," said Mark Garrand, assistant special agent in charge of ICE in Orlando.

Investigators soon realized that the photos and props were identical in many of the 25 marriage cases they were probing with All Kind Services involving Central and South American visitors accused of paying for spouses so they could stay and work in the United States.

On Friday, ICE officials and federal prosecutors said such photos were among key evidence in Operation Knot So Fast, a Florida roundup of 83 people this week accused of organizing or participating in sham marriages in Orlando, Cocoa Beach, Jacksonville, Tampa, Sarasota and Fort Myers.

At least 46 people were arrested in the Orlando area and surrounding counties by ICE and FBI agents, U.S. marshals, and Orange and Osceola county deputies, and more arrests are expected.

At a news conference Friday in Orlando, U.S. Attorney Robert O'Neill displayed marriage photos of Hugo Luppu, 29, an Argentine visitor accused of paying for an arranged marriage in January 2005 in Orange County, Fla., with Angelia Raimer, 25, an American citizen from Melbourne, Fla., so he could remain in the country.

O'Neill said that case was typical of foreigners paying up to $10,000 for arranged marriages, including up to $2,500 paid to the American spouses participating in the scam.

Luppu and Raimer were arrested this week and charged with immigration fraud.

"In these photographs, there are no pictures of people in the audience," O'Neill said. "They're having photos taken to make it look like these sham marriages were legitimate." Immigration officials said foreigners who often overstayed their visas paid various companies so they could marry Americans and stay in the country.

Several central Florida companies and their operators were accused of coaching the new couples on dealing with immigration officials and government documents.

Robert Weber of Tampa, who heads ICE investigations in central Florida, said immigration-marriage fraud is a multimillion-dollar industry across the country and a priority target for his agency. The agency investigated about 2,300 such cases in 2004. The number reached more than 5,200 in 2006 and the first half of 2007.

I read this thread last weekend hoping my wife would not have any trouble coming back from Mexico with the expired GC, and the letter saying you've been extended for a year...

She ended up in th "back room" for 2.5 hours at the international terminal at LAX waiting to be checked on along with several other people. She finally came out at 12:30am

Kevinlee,

I sat in the interviewing section of the cd juarez consulate for 6 hours and heard countless discussions of "have you ever been deported or been in the US illegally" with the interviewer. If the interviewee had been processed for deportation or previous visa denial, the interviewer was always aware of the event.

Be honest on your application and in the interview.

- Albert

Hello there my wife is about to file her citizenship papers next week does she need to add 2x2 pictures?

No, photos are not required for that application.

The form instructions and requirements are found here: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/N-400ins.pdf

Hey,

Could it be a problem if the check for the filing fee is cut by another person than the petitioner ? My fiancee doesn't have an own bank account, so we wondered if her mom could cut the check for us (same last name). We would prefer the check payment in order to know when USCIS is processing our case.

Thanks,

Daniel

It's not a problem. I cut a personal check in my name on behalf of my relatives N-400 application this past April.

It was cashed and they have an interview date coming up.

All,

I've been assisting my 63 yr old uncle in the naturalization process and I wanted to know if anyone here has had any experience to share where the interviewee qualifies for the "If you are over 55 years old and have lived in the United States as a Permanent Resident for periods totaling at least 15 years, you do not have to take the English test. You

do have to take the civics test in the language of your choice." version of the interview.

His interview is this December and I plan on being his spanish interpreter.

- Chikikiki