JimmyHou

On 3/8/2017 at 5:16 PM, Tuftufwang said:

Hi Jimmy,

 

Found your post as I was searching for interview experiences and yours was one of the most detailed. Thank you! I also had a name change and signed to confirm name change and another item that my parents are not US citizens (these were signed on an iPad. Looks like Chicago has updated!). But I don't remember signing Parts 16-18 which are at the end of the n400 form....hopefully the IO didn't miss anything. I know it's been a while but do you remember signing anything else besides the 3 sheets of paper? I also didn't sign on the photographs at the interview. 

Sorry for the really late reply... I only signed the three pieces of paper at the interview; one signature for the oath on the application and two name change forms.  Nothing else.

21 hours ago, MyJourney said:

Hello everyone, 

I expressed an intention to change my name on n400 form. I wrote there my preferred name, where it asks. I my case is at Denver, CO office and it seems like they do offer the same day naturalization/oath ceremonies. I think this one is an "administrative" one not a "judicial" one. 
Will they still be able to do the same-day oath ceremony if I opt in for name change? Or will I have to have a "judicial" ceremony? By how long would this delay my oath ceremony? 
I really would like to change my name (slightly) should I do it during naturalization even if it will cause a slight delay on my oath ceremony or would it be better to do it later at a local court? 

Thank you! 

A name change cannot be processed at an administrative ceremony, so your request will likely delay your oath date. Depending on the city that can be a delay of a week or of several months. You'll have to see how often Denver holds judicial ceremonies. 

Updating spring333's withdrawn application...

N-400: December 2015 Applicants

======================================

USCIS Dallas/Lewisville, Texas Lockbox

======================================

UserName.........|GC-Date.|Sent.|Cashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|Field Office

emki.............|02/??/09|11/23|12/02|12/01|12/22/15|12/24/15.|01/05/16.|02/11/16.|04/29/16.|Albuquerque, NM

nessky...........|05/14/12|12/01|12/10|12/08|01/04/16|01/06/16.|03/10/16.|04/12/16.|04/22/16.|Miami, FL

Raymon...........|09/11/10|12/02|??/??|12/12|12/30/15|01/04/16.|02/26/16.|03/24/16.|04/14/16.|Dallas, TX

meme123..........|05/07/12|12/04|MnOrd|12/09|12/28/15|12/30/15.|02/22/16.|04/04/16.|04/04/16.|Baltimore, MD

osune22..........|03/05/13|12/07|12/10|12/19|12/28/15|02/05/16.|02/16/16.|03/22/16.|N/A......|Oakland Park, FL

kwakun...........|03/07/13|12/08|12/18|12/17|01/07/16|02/08/16.|02/26/16.|03/31/16.|04/04/16.|Philadelphia, PA

another1.........|12/08/10|12/08|12/16|12/15|01/05/16|01/06/16.|02/05/16.|03/10/16.|03/16/16.|Atlanta, GA

Angelina0401dung.|10/18/12|12/08|??/??|12/14|01/06/16|01/14/16.|05/06/16.|06/04/16.|06/22/16.|Houston, TX

Bukinaija........|02/24/10|12/10|??/??|12/17|01/13/16|01/15/16.|03/09/16.|04/14/16.|04/30/16.|Newark, NJ

Boy15(1).........|09/27/10|12/11|12/17|12/16|01/05/16|01/07/16.|05/06/16.|06/03/16.|06/22/16.|Houston, TX

Boy15(2).........|09/27/10|12/11|12/17|12/16|01/05/16|01/14/16.|05/06/16.|06/04/16.|06/22/16.|Houston, TX

Bruin85..........|10/26/10|12/11|12/17|12/16|01/04/16|01/06/16.|03/04/16.|04/01/16.|04/19/16.|Dallas, TX

klm9971..........|02/16/11|12/14|01/04|??/??|01/20/16|01/25/16.|04/09/16.|05/11/16.|05/27/16.|Tampa, FL

skyajnas.........|06/23/07|12/14|12/16|12/17|01/05/16|01/07/16.|02/05/16.|03/10/16.|03/18/16.|Atlanta, GA

Vi Mazzella......|07/03/05|12/14|12/17|12/19|01/07/16|01/11/16.|02/08/16.|03/10/16.|04/22/16.|New York, NY

tru_loves_journey|10/23/12|12/15|12/24|12/23|01/13/16|01/15/16.|02/29/16.|04/04/16.|04/05/16.|Charlotte, NC

JimmyHou.........|03/15/11|12/17|12/23|12/22|01/13/16|04/26/16.|05/06/16.|06/07/16.|06/22/16.|Houston, TX

sazzy............|12/20/08|12/17|12/24|12/23|01/22/16|01/26/16.|03/10/16.|04/13/16.|05/24/16.|Orlando, FL

zzmr_qzz.........|12/10/08|12/19|??/??|12/28|01/20/16|01/25/16.|02/25/16.|03/30/16.|04/04/16.|Philadelphia, PA

Spmaria..........|04/26/12|12/19|12/29|01/02|01/20/16|05/06/16.|05/12/16.|06/14/16.|06/14/16.|Newark, NJ

moemac59.........|02/01/13|12/21|??/??|12/24|01/20/16|01/25/16.|02/01/16.|03/08/16.|04/14/16.|Buffalo, NY

trangyakan.......|03/15/13|12/21|12/24|12/28|01/16/16|02/15/16.|03/28/16.|04/26/16.|06/29/16.|Albuquerque, NM

Pete's Dragon....|03/13/13|12/22|12/29|12/24|01/11/16|02/15/16.|03/14/16.|04/12/16.|05/24/16.|Dallas, TX

BuzzBear09.......|05/10/10|12/29|01/07|01/06|01/28/16|02/12/16.|04/11/16.|05/17/16.|06/30/16.|Tampa, FL

==============================

USCIS Phoenix, Arizona Lockbox

==============================

UserName.........|GC-Date.|Sent.|Cashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int Ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|Field Office

Groovyaardvark...|02/15/11|12/08|12/15|12/14|01/07/16|04/18/16.|04/20/16.|05/25/16.|05/25/16.|Denver, CO

silvermug........|12/16/10|12/08|12/10|12/11|12/30/16|01/04/16.|??/??/??.|04/13/16.|05/18/16.|San Francisco, CA

stavroula58......|01/31/09|12/10|12/18|12/17|01/11/16|04/26/16.|04/30/16.|06/01/16.|10/25/16.|Chicago, IL

quan12...........|03/01/13|12/12|12/16|12/16|01/06/16|02/01/16.|03/21/16.|04/26/16.|05/18/16.|San Francisco, CA

Ms Hogan.........|03/14/13|12/14|12/16|12/17|01/11/16|02/15/16.|02/19/16.|03/22/16.|04/15/16.|Cleveland, OH

dan.and.audrey...|10/12/10|12/15|??/??|??/??|01/12/16|??/??/??.|??/??/??.|03/07/16.|03/07/16.|Portland, OR

spring333........|02/19/13|12/17|??/??|12/23|01/15/16|01/19/16.|03/04/16.|04/06/16.|N/A......|Chicago, IL

PI314............|05/05/06|12/17|12/21|12/18|01/12/16|01/15/16.|02/04/16.|03/08/16.|03/08/16.|Denver, CO

Sixer............|03/18/13|12/18|12/29|12/23|01/22/16|02/18/16.|03/07/16.|04/05/16.|04/05/16.|Honolulu, HI

Spoom............|04/19/10|12/21|12/29|12/28|01/20/16|01/25/16.|01/29/16.|02/29/16.|03/18/16.|Cleveland, OH

sxm..............|11/21/11|12/21|12/29|12/28|01/19/16|01/21/16.|02/01/16.|03/04/16.|03/17/16.|Cincinnati, OH

daqh.............|01/22/13|12/26|01/04|01/09|01/27/16|03/14/16.|06/13/16.|07/18/16.|--/--/--.|St. Louis, MO

===========================================================================

USCIS Lincoln, Nebraska Lockbox (Filing Under 319b, 328, or 329 of the INA)

===========================================================================

UserName.........|GC-Date.|Sent.|Cashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int Ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|Field Office

jucuellar........|04/29/09|12/07|12/10|12/14|01/04/16|01/14/16.|03/07/16.|03/28/16.|04/11/16.|Raleigh, NC

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Legend:

GC-Date: The 'Resident Since' Date located on your first green card

Sent: Date N-400 was mailed to USCIS

Cashd: Date your check was cashed by USCIS

NOA: Receipt Notice Date Printed on your official I-797 notification

Fprints: Date assigned for fingerprinting (Bio-metrics). Underline indicates early walk-in.

In Line: Date of "inline for interview scheduling" online update. Underline indicates date changed by USCIS.

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Passport tracker: 2016 US Passport Application Tracker List

25 minutes ago, spring333 said:

Jimmy, thats me.

We already withdrew it. To be hones  i was not able to provide all paperwork they requested. Also lawyer said it is better to do it than having denial on the record. I dont know if i did a right thing but at this point I am so sick of proving my marriage. First time at AOS, second time at ROC Iterview. Third time at citizenship interview. Fourth time after citizenship interview sending RFE. This would be fifth time. They obviously dont believe us. So we did this and once i meet requirements to apply under 5 years rule we will apply again.

 

I know i paid lot of money. I see yoru point but man....i just cant......

Lawyer said their office kept emailing USCIS regarding my status. 

Sounds like you made the right decision... if it was getting to a very frustrating point, then waiting a few months and following an easier process is a smart thing to do.  November isn't very far away.  Good luck to you, and I hope you come back and let us know how things go!

On 2/7/2017 at 9:15 AM, Ariellex said:

Hi guys!

 

Just a quick question:

I am in the process of doing my citizenship. They require my travel history and some stamps (2 actually) are missing from my passport (when I left the US) I do have the day I returned in a stamp in my passport but what to do with the departure date that is missing? I lost  my I 94...we are talking 2013... I filled in a request for international travel history in a website called I 94 ...they have less info than what I have in my passport!

 

How can I prove I was less than 6 months outside then (I have the months I spent abroad but cant remember the exact date). Any ideas? I contacted customs too, waiting for a response.

Any input is more than welcome! thanks

 

 

 

Step 1 would be to check your emails for travel receipts, itineraries, etc.  You can look at your frequent flier account if you have one.  You can go through old credit card statements to see when you last used your card in the US and first used it abroad.

Step 2: if you can't find the exact dates, then write a letter of explanation and then take evidence to the interview so that you can show that the trip was under 6 months; payment receipts here in the US, etc.

They can access your travel dates from Customs and Border Patrol; the airlines have to share passenger information with them.  So even though your passport isn't stamped upon departure, they know who's leaving.  But it could take a long time to retrieve that information, so if you have proof with you at the interview (at least of an approximate date) you can save yourself some time.

On 2/4/2017 at 7:14 AM, spring333 said:

so yesterday I got a letter asking me to come again for an interview and to bring all papers proving my marriage again. 

I'm curious... was this out of the blue or had you contacted them recently?

21 hours ago, spring333 said:

Saw my lawyer today. After long talk we decided to withdraw my petition and reapply in November under 5 year rule. He said it is more safe. 

 

 

You know what's best in your case, but I will share my opinion for what it's worth.

I don't see any benefit to withdrawing the application.  You have to wait until November to reapply, so why not go in for the interview in 10 days anyway and see what happens?  A denial for ineligibility doesn't affect your eligibility at a later date (as long as you didn't provide false information).  So I would just go to the interview and if it doesn't work out, I would reapply in November.  At this point, you've already paid the money, so what's the harm?  This is only based on the information I have; I understand there may be other issues.

Didn't this start off with a delay caused by the lawyer filing an FOIA request?  That was a very odd thing to do; I would consult a second lawyer before withdrawing the application.  Sorry if I'm mixing you up with someone else.

If you do decide to do the interview; take your spouse with you.  Second interviews are not usual procedures; in fact one person on here was not given a decision at a second interview specifically because the spouse wasn't present (that was sometime in 2016).

If you decide to withdraw the application, realize that you may be asked why when you reapply.  It could be as simple as saying that you realized you were not eligible, but if you are eligible, they may want to know why you withdrew it.

Best of luck to you. 

On 1/26/2017 at 3:55 PM, michaellaw said:

Hello,

 I just passed the citizenship interview and are waiting for the mail about oath ceremony. When I filled in form N-400, I did not change to the new name (section 4). Now I'm looking to change my mind. What should I do to get the new name for free? Please help me explain my case in details. Thank you.

Naturalization offers you an opportunity to change your name for free.  If you don't take advantage of that, you need to follow the usual name change process, which is not free.  You have to apply for a name change in court and pay the required fees, which vary from place to place.  In some cities, it only costs $50 and in others it is as much as $500.  At this point, your name change has nothing to do with naturalization; when you get your certificate, you can go and change your name in court.  I would do this before applying for a passport so that you can get your passport in your new name.

Technically, you could make an Infopass appointment and ask them to let you do a name change, but in my opinion, this is complicated and could cause delays with your oath.  I would prefer to just pay for the name change in court.

On 12/30/2016 at 11:24 AM, spring333 said:

Is anyone still here LOL

so when i checked processing time for my field office i saw this, just updated yesterday. i had my interview on April 6... my hopes are raising now ........or not.

Form	Form Name	Processing Cases As Of Date:
N-400	Application for Naturalization	April 20, 2016

Hey there.  Still here and checking in periodically.  I hope you hear something soon.

Honestly, I would just keep calling once a week and visiting them once a month until I hear something.  I would also look into filing a lawsuit.  You are well beyond the legal amount of time they are allowed.  You see, there's no reason it should take this long, which means that they're not actually doing or waiting for anything.  That tells me that there's no reason to expect a response tomorrow, or next month, or next year.  That's because nothing will have changed.  The date above is based on the priority date... your priority date was December 2015, not April 2016, so they are 5 months behind their own prediction in your case.

I would suggest yet another Infopass, you may get someone who will help.  I would right you your congressmperson and senators (again if you already have), I would right to the USCIS Obudsman, and I would write to the Field Office director.  For the last two, I would quote the section of the INA stating that they have 120 days from the date of the interview and I would ask them if they recommend an infopass or that you take legal action and have an immigration judge make the decision.

Best of luck to you... I just don't want you to be waiting here much longer!

On 1/1/2017 at 10:19 AM, Bullan said:

Hey, 

 

I decided to take my husband's last name after several years of not wanting to. We've been married four years. 
I was thinking it'd be an easy thing just filing some papers and send in, but apparently I have to file for a replacement green card which costs $455. 

I'm thinking then - is it perhaps better then to just change the name when/if I'm applying for citizenship? can you do that? If so - how? Does it cost extra? 

 

Thanks

You should find some useful information here:

On 12/18/2016 at 4:12 AM, liquidheavn said:

Hi,

I have successfully obtained a decree of name change by court order through the CA Superior Court. I haven't update any legal document with the new name yet, including ID, SS Card and Green Card. My question is, should I put my new name as current legal name on the N-400 form? Or I need to use my existing legal name and check and fill the option where it says Name Change? I will send a copy of the decree of name change along with the N-400 form anyway.

Thanks

If you have a court order showing your new name, then that is your current legal name.  The name on your ID, SS card, and green card is your old name and is no longer your legal name.

In the interview The sentence they ask to write are only

sentences picked from the uscis practice list ?

Or they can pick outside words

The practice list covers most of the sentences I've seen reported here, but not all of them.

Columbus Day is in October

The president lives in Washington

The president lives in the White House

Washington was the first president

We pay taxes in April

We pay taxes to the government

These are all sentences people have been asked to write and they can be created using the sample words

But, for example, one applicant was asked to write "California has the most people" and this includes words not on the list.

It's a very simple test and spelling doesn't matter as long as it doesn't change the meaning of the word.

Remember that in addition to the reading and writing section, the application itself is a test of the applicant's speaking ability. It's unlikely that an applicant will be able to answer the application questions without being able to write or read a simple sentence. So I would worry about the questioning regarding the application more than the reading and writing section.

Also remember that if the applicant has a disability of some kind, partial. exemptions can be requested.

I hope this helps.

Hi Jimmy,

I hope I can get help on this issue of name change. Same dilemma like others during my N400 interview is the change of name which caught me by surprise. It was the first question the IO ask me on the day of interview. Why I am using the last name of my father as my middle name in my documents where in my birth certificate the name format is first name, mother's last name, father's last name. this is actually my name before I got married. So when I got married, the conventional way of changing name for us Filipinos is to drop the mothers name and my father's last name will be my middle name then my last name will my husband's last name. My husband and I got married in US under fiance visa, and I did not get any problem during the processing of my greencard, and other legal documents in US like SSN, DL and my names in bank. I use whatever we use in my country after marriage. First name, Middle Name(father's last name), Last name(husband's last name). Now here comes the day of the interview , the IO said the name format in US should be my first name, my mother's last name, then my husbands last name. I insisted at first that my middle name should be my last name( and that is my father's last name). The way he was telling me is that is not the legal way of writing name in US. I need just to completely drop my previous last name in replacement of my husband's name. We have not started the 6 questions yet, and the oral and written test at that time. So for me not to get in trouble I just told him to use the legal way of writing name in US since I am applying a citizenship for US.So interview done, He said I passed. Now after the interview, this where I began to realize the burden of changing my middle name because it will be a mismatch to all my documents in banks, passports, DL, SSN. I never thought It would be a problem because when they gave me a greencard they just follow whatever is in my marriage certificate. Bigger headache is all my documents in my home country are on the format of first name, fathers last name, husband's last name, and they are very strict on middle names in my home country specially in bank transactions.

So now my oath taking will be on January 26, I tried going online for an infopass but no appointment available for 14 days. And I am just wondering the best way to resolve this name format issue. I would like to keep my name as it is in my greencard, since that is the name I use in all my documents here in US and in my home country.Is there any way I can do this before oath taking or I will just do it in the court after oat taking. I am living in San Jose and from the thread that I read, there is no judicial oath ceremony in San Jose. It will be a change name in the court which means paying extra money, waiting for I don't know how long, which then makes all our plans for vacation on hold because I cannot get out of the country without an american passport after my oath taking since I will be surrendering my home country passport and greencard.

Please give me some light on this and to whoever experience it. I am just so stress right now. Thanks in advance.

Hi; you're in a bit of a tough situation. You want a legal name that isn't on your birth certificate or spelled out on your marriage certificate. In such cases, USCIS allows you to take your spouse's last name instead of yours. In most cases, changing your middle name is considered a formal name change and not simply a marriage name change. Many officers, and even some states, recognize customs from other countries and allow these changes during naturalization. But this isn't always the case though, and some officers are skeptical. For example, Arthur John Smith can show a marriage certificate to Jane Mary Greenfield and say that in his home country, the tradition is to take the wife's last name and hyphenate it with his own middle name so that he wants his certificate to read Arthur John-Greenfield Smith. Obviously I just made all that up, but that's why officers, in many cases, don't accept name change traditions they are not familiar with. They don't tell you you can't do it; they just tell you that you need to go through the formal process to change the name. Unfortunately, in your case, San Jose may not be able to give you a formal name change, so you'll have to go through the courts.

Your choices are to convince USCIS at an infopass that your legal name is what you want (this needs to be before the ceremony), or to pay the court fees after naturalization and go through that process. The advantage of the latter is that you'll have a document showing your birth name and your new legal name; this could be helpful when proving your identity down the line.

This topic is great! I thought we need to make a name change but I see it is not required as my wife would just like to have her maiden name replaced by my last name for the naturalization. We are going to include the certificate of marriage (French) with the translation. Is it required to get it certified by an official translator?

Dan

As far as USCIS is concerned, anyone fluent in both languages can translate the document. You just need to add a note on the translation attesting that the translator is fluent in both languages. This needs to be signed and dated. Technically, you can do it yourself, although I've seen others recommend that you get someone other than the petitioner and the beneficiary to do it in order to show some degree of impartiality.

After naturalization, the marriage certificate will be your wife's proof of name change. Others (government offices, banks, etc.) may or may not accept a translation that's not officially certified.

Hello everyone. VJ has been so helpful to me on this whole journey of naturalization, I am so thankful. And this is it...Yay, I passed my N400 interview:) the only thing is I just got confuse with the Immigration Officer (IO) when he mentioned about the format of my legal name in my naturalization certificate. I am from the Philippines, so technically once we get married our last name becomes our middle name and then we carry the last name of our husband . The IO officer insisted that in US the middle name will be the last name of my mother and my last name will be the last name of my husband which means dropping my original last name. My oath taking will be on January 26 next year and I am still confuse on how to resolve this name format since all my documents will mismatch my new legal name. My Green card, social Security card all other documents here in US carry this format: first name, my fathers last name, my husbands last name. The IO told me that my legal name is suppose to be first name, my mothers last name, my husbands last name. Is there any way I can still fix this before oath taking? I just want to keep my name on the same format. first name, my fathers last name,my husbands last name. Please let me know how to do this the simpler way. Anyone had experience this? Thanks in advance

This is an annoying situation and it happens surprisingly often.

Officers really shouldn't be guessing what your name is. If the marriage certificate shows your new name, they should accept it. If it doesn't, they may still accept your explanation of the custom in your country and accept your married name as you indicate it. However, they may also say that if the marriage certificate doesn't state your new full name, then they'll go by the birth name. What they shouldn't do (as happened in this case) is decide a new name for you based on their own interpretation.

The easiest way around all this would have been for the officer to be a little more understanding. But since that didn't happen, and since he insisted that your legal name was something you didn't want, you should have requested a legal name change to the name you do want. That should have happened at the interview, but since it didn't, it may be too late now.

I recommend that you try making an Infopass appointment... you can explain the situation and see if they'll change the name. If they won't, you can ask for a legal name change. If they agree, this may or may not delay the date of your ceremony.

If you end up getting your certificate in the name you don't want, you can still have it changed back legally in court. This won't be free. You won't need to modify your naturalization certificate; whenever you need it, you'll present it together with the name change order from the court.

That's all my interpretation... I haven't been through this myself, so if someone has other suggestions, please chime in.

1. No. When the PD becomes current, you file the Affidavit of Support. If your brother and his family are outside the US, then they would file individual DS-260 for immigration visas. If they are legally inside the US, then they would file form I-485 to adjust status for green cards.

2. No, you do not need to submit anything about the wife and kids. However, you can submit them if you want.

Thank you. That helps.

I did sign papers for the name change but now I'm questioning if it was even done. Maybe that's why I didn't have a copy attached to my naturalization certificate. My certificate only shows one last name though, that's why I assumed it was done. I went to federal district court today & they weren't very helpful. They sat me at a computer where I went through different pages looking for my name. When I found it, my name was on there with the one last name. Other people's names showed the before and the after. The clerk only gave me a certificate of search naturalization records. She said that was all she could do for me. That they only get a list, not a copy of name change certificate. This is so frustrating. I had to pay $30.00 and I doubt this is going to help me at DPS to get my DL since it only shows the after & not the before & after. My question now is, when is the best time to go online and get an INFOPASS? I've tried several days and appointments are NEVER avaiable.

I'm sorry you had trouble getting what you needed.

I hope you find what you need at the Infopass appointment... at least you may find out that they never processed the forms. If the Infopass doesn't help, you can try one of three things that I can think of:

1- Go back to DPS and try to explain. This may or may not be of any use... in most cases, I imagine it would be a waste of time, but a few years ago, an applicant had a similar problem and didn't get anywhere with the local DPS office, so he called their headquarters in the state capital and managed to get them to acknowledge the name on the naturalization certificate.

2- If USCIS didn't actually process the name change (if they just decided they could print the new name on the certificate without a name change), then your name hasn't legally changed. In this case, you can legally change your name in court. This is frustrating and will cost some money, but if you need the name change certificate, this is the proper procedure to get it.

3- See if DPS will give you your license in your old name, and just use that; as long as they'll update your citizenship status... they may not agree to this.

Hi everyone,

I've read the VJ Guide and the info on the USCIS website, but I'd like to make sure I've understood the process.

My understanding is that at this time, I need to file a single I-130 petition listing my brother as the beneficiary and his wife and their toddler as dependents.

This is to be accompanied by:

Check for $420

My naturalization certificate

My name change certificate

My birth certificate

My brother’s birth certificate

If the law does not change (for better or worse) twelve years or more from now, a visa number will become available, and at that time, we will have to deal with the Affidavit of Support and the I-485.

My questions are:

1) Do I have the process right, as listed above?

2) Do I not need to submit any supporting documents for his dependents at this time (marriage certificate, birth certificates)?

Thanks for your help.

Good morning folks:

By the way, my sister became citizen... she wanna to thank all of you for helping her. Now my question is " AS you know I`m applying for my citizenship April" I wanna change my name , will that delay the process of my naturalization???? Any one had an experience ?

Thanks

You should read this thread:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/549894-information-on-name-change-during-naturalization/

Hi. I'm in Houston. Would it be the district clerk in downtown? I had a name change and my paper wasn't attached to my certificate. I need a copy because I'm trying to change my DL and they said I need that paper. I'm from Mexico and had my fathers and mothers last name. When I became a citizen last year, I dropped my mothers last name. The citizenship certificate shows the change but I didn't get a separate paper stating I had it changed.

If your name change was due to marriage or divorce, then you wouldn't have got a name change certificate; your marriage or divorce certificate would be your proof.

Otherwise, you ideally should have talked to USCIS at the ceremony, but since you didn't get a chance, there are two things you should do:

1- Make an Infopass and ask for a copy of the form; USCIS should have had two copies signed by a judge. They should have given you one and kept the other.

2- The Federal District Court building is downtown (near the Theater District). You can ask the clerk to give you a copy of the order.

But before all that, do you remember signing two name change requests at your interview? You should have signed three times; your application, and the two name change forms. If you didn't sign these forms, then there won't be a name change certificate.

Hey all,

I filled out the N-445 questionnaire and mistakenly signed and dated it. I didnt realize that the sign and date had to be in person during the day of the oath ceremony.

Will this be an issue? I can explain to them that it was a mistake. Can I scratch those fields out and sign and date it in person? Do I need to white it out beforehand? Do they offer white out at the ceremony?

Sorta freaking out right now

It's supposed to be on the day of the oath, but it doesn't have to be in person in front of an officer.

This is just to make sure that the information is current when you submit it.

On the day of your oath, just scratch out the date and put in the new date.

When you submit it, if they ask about it, just say you made a mistake. They may ask you to sign again next to the new date or they may not.

Won't be a problem.

Hi everyone,

I applied for removal of conditions on Green Card in June 2016, and have the letter saying it's been processed. I will be eligible to apply for citizenship in June 2017.

However, my husband and I are thinking about moving back to my home country in January 2018.

As best I can tell, my naturalization is unlikely to have been completed by January 2018 if I submit in June 2017 - I'm in Chicago, and I believe they are currently processing March 2016 applications as of November 2016.

I've tried to figure out whether it's possible to leave the country before I become a citizen, but I'm having trouble. Do any of the experts here know the answer?

To recap: will have been on a spouse GC for 3 years in September 2017 - so eligible to file for citizenship 90 days before that, June 2017. Hoping to leave the country (depending on job offers) in January 2018. Is this possible?

I would, of course, pay whatever I need to to fly back for both the interview and the naturalization ceremony. More concerned with whether I'm eligible, and what to do in terms of a mailing address for correspondence.

Thanks in advance!

Moving away will break your continuous residency, meaning you will no longer be eligible for naturalization.

Furthermore, moving away permanently can be an indication that you have abandoned your permanent residency.

So if you move away before naturalization, you will not be able to become a citizen, but you may also lose your green card.

He's president until January 20th. New senators and congress people starting January 1st.

Just a minor correction... January 20th for the Presidency, but January 3rd for Congress (House and Senate).

Ok cool thanks, I checked online to see if they registered me but it said no record found. Are they gonna say anything about the 3 day period between me becoming a resident and my 26th birthday? im also now 33 it's been 6 years since I was 26.

1- You could call and ask; some people who couldn't find their record online found that they were registered when they called.

2- In all likelihood, even if you had filed your registration paperwork the day you got your green card, you wouldn't have been registered. This is because by the time they processed your selective service registration, you would have been ineligible. You could explain this to the interviewer and it should be sufficient. Simply put, but the time SSS tried to register you, they would not have been able to.

3- But neither of these first two points even matter because you are over 31. If you read the Selective Service section of the USCIS policy manual, you'll see that even if you had knowingly chosen to not register (even if you had years to do so), you are now eligible for naturalization. See here:

"Applicants Over 31 Years of Age​

​

The applicant is eligible. This is the case even if the applicant knowingly and willfully failed to register because the applicant’s failure to register would be outside of the statutory period."

https://www.uscis.gov/policymanual/HTML/PolicyManual-Volume12-PartD-Chapter7.html

I'm seeking some advice. My spouse is transitioning male to female and we're about to apply for naturalization. I called the hotline for USCIS and they couldn't tell me how this works. I know we can change my spouse's name during the naturalization process, on the form. But how do we go about changing gender? Do we just put the new gender on the N-400? Or do we need to wait till citizenship is granted and do something after that? We have our doctor's note already, which I think is all that's needed for the federal government. Our state documents will require a bit more effort, but shouldn't affect the federal level documents. Anyone gone through this before??

This may help:

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Outreach/Feedback%20Opportunities/Interim%20Guidance%20for%20Comment/Transgender_FINAL.pdf

See page 3. It lists what you must present.

1) The easiest thing would be if you have a legal document from your state indicating the gender. But it looks like a doctor's letter might be acceptable provided it contains certain information (see page 3 of the link above).

2) This is an old document and things may have changed, so you'll need to look into this further.

3) The federal change will not automatically apply to state laws. A state that goes by the gender on the birth certificate will still do so.

Also note this:

Validity of Marriage in Cases Involving Transgender Persons​

​USCIS accepts the validity of ​a ​marriage​ in cases involving transgender persons if ​t​he state or local jurisdiction in which the marriage took place recognizes the marriage ​as​ a ​valid ​marriage​, subject to the exceptions described above (such as polygamy).

https://www.uscis.gov/policymanual/Print/PolicyManual-Volume12-PartG.html

Finally, if you do not change the gender on the naturalization certificate at this time (for whatever reason), it can be changed later by applying for a replacement certificate, but this is not cheap.

Good luck to you and your spouse!