dpd

We have 15 years age gap. Never had an issue. Never asked even once during my entire immigration journey. I’m now a citizen since Dec 2020. Don’t get stressed about it. As long as your relationship is genuine and you can provide proof, you’re good 😊

I only surrendered my current 10 year green card. I brought the rest but they never need them. 

1 hour ago, sidelcampeador said:

Hello, I just wanted to share my timeline. Filed N400 in 2019 October and got biometrics done December 2019, then received letter for interview set for tomorrow January 6th 2021.

It took a little longer than expected but so far no hiccups with anything yet. I'll update with results. 

Good luck! I had mine Dec 17th and oath ceremony the next day. You can do it:)

On 12/20/2020 at 6:39 AM, JFH said:

Congratulations! I’m a September 30, 2019 filer also. I still have some months to wait. 
 

Pleased to hear your interview experience was positive.

Thank you so much!!

What was your completion date? Mine was Sept 2020. Hope you get some updates real soon. Good luck❤️

Hi all,

I had my interview in San Francisco on Dec 17th and Oath ceremony the following day.   I’m now a US citizen 🙏

I applied on Sept 30, 2019. All I have been praying for before my interview was to have a nice and kind IO and God gave me one. It really helped my anxiety slow down because he made me feel comfortable all throughout my interview. He only asked for my interview notice, passport, driver’s license and green card and started with the civics test first then reading and writing. Then followed by the yes and no questions in the N-400 form I submitted. He also asked me how many times I travelled outside the USA after I submitted my application and what’s the purpose of the travel. I suggest make this info handy just in case your IO will also ask you the same. 
 

Good luck guys. Hang in there and have faith. Everything will gonna be okay. Just relax and don’t get stressed. 

32 minutes ago, TBoneTX said:

Thread is moved from General Immigration Discussion to the US Citizenship main forum.

Thank you☺️

31 minutes ago, G Walters said:

You are not unemployed you are  self employed, Since you are receiving a 1099 and are reporting it on your taxes you need to report yourself as self employed. It could cause you problems with your case by saying your unemployed an your taxes are showing that you are earning money.

 

 

Thank you for your response. Let me clarify that all the 1099’s are under my husband’s name not mine. We just filed taxes every year jointly as married. We don’t have a business license and a business name. Would your stand still the same to declare as self employed? Thanks 

I’m stuck with this question wether I’ll put unemployed or self-employed. 

Since I arrived in in the US in Oct 2015 I never worked for an employer. Luckily my husband’s income is enough for us plus having a small baby, I decided to stay home full-time. At the same time I am an online seller on eBay for two years now and have been paying taxes for the income from online business in the last 2 years. We have been receiving 1099 too as bases for paying taxes. Should I put self employed or unemployed?  Thank you

Hello all, i will be filing my N400 this week. I was eligible since Apr 7, 2019 but didn't do it since I had to wait for my ROC to be approved first  and got my 10 year green card on Aug 7th. 

By the way, anyone here who traveled outside the US within 3 months before filing for citizenship? I was in Europe from Sept 3-17, (15 days). 

Thanks

Hello all, 

I'll be filing for my citizenship this week based on 3 year rule. Currently married to US Citizen spouse. 

I have been travelling outside the US in the past 3+ years since I arrived here in the US on a K-1 visa on Oct 2015.

To date, I have 153 days or 5.1 months of being outside the US. 

I've never been out more than 6 months per trip. Summary is below: 

Sept 2019 - 15 days 

June 2019 - 28 days

Dec 2017- 27 days 

Sept 2017 - 9 days

May 2017 - 15 days

Dec 2016- 38 days

Oct 2016 - 7 days

Apr 2016 - 14 days

Do you think this won't create a problem? I was eligible to file as of Apr 7, 2019. 

TIA for your responses. 

I feel you and sorry that you are in this situation. I suggest you guys talk and discuss the issue. Nothing else would help resolves the issue but only the two of you. Communication is the key😊. Before I got engaged to my now-husband, he already knew a lot about our culture. Funny thing is before his first ever visit to see me in the Philippines, he bought a huge book about Philippines and also researched a lot. He was already familiar about our culture, tradition, practices, behaviors, etc. I don’t have a mom anymore and my dad had a stroke few years back, he is already on a wheelchair and is unable to work. Before I got married to my husband, I made it clear to him that I’ll be sending papa some money every month for his medications, etc. which he perfectly agreed. I send about $200 a month and most of the time he would ask me why only $200 and if it’s enough lol. He keeps telling me to make it atleast $350 which I refused (don’t want to take advantage).  I have other siblings who share/contribute as well. It’s expensive since we had to hire a licensed care giver for him and a physical therapist. Hope you guys resolves the issue. Hang in there. Everything will gonna be ok. Good luck and have faith❤️

I just got an approval today 8/1 and my card is being produced!! Thanks God! I just had my biometrics done yesterday, 7/31. Though they sent me a notice last June 2018 that they’ll gonna reuse my previous biometrics. After over 15 months of silence, the waiting is finally over! 

I’m a silent follower of this thread. I saw that I have mail coming in from USCIS today. I got no text or email from them so I have no idea. When I checked my case on old and new sites, no recent update was made. What do you think this mail is? I feel like I’m getting anxiety attack!😂

You can legally change your last name  without extra court procedures either on these two: 

1. Marriage - when you apply for marriage license, you’ll be ask if you want to retain your both current last name or change it. We did omit my husband’s second last name as it was too long too. 

2. During naturalization - by simply filling in your chosen new name on USCIS Form N-400 (the Application for Naturalization)

I was never asked for any bank statements/records when I had my K1 interview in Manila. Tell your fiancé to relax and don’t sweat about it😊

I also received the letter today that they will reuse my previous biometrics. Whew!! Mailed on April 25, received on April 27. NOA dated June 1, 2018. Filed at CSC. 

2 hours ago, JahRyl said:

hey guys.

i just want to ask has anyone traveled outside the US with their passport name under maiden name and greencard is on married?

how was your experience? did you have a hard time with it? 

Thanks

You’ll be fine. My passport is still under my maiden name and my green card in my married name. I haven’t renewed it yet since I got married since it is still valid up to 2020. Like cyberfx1024 mentioned above, make sure your ticket matches the details in your passport and keep your marriage certificate handy.  I have been back and forth to the Philippines multiple times already with no problem. But when I traveled to Europe, I have been asked at the airports in Germany and Greece to show my marriage certificate and everything went well. 

Hi,

My 2-year green card is expiring on July 2018. I will be filing for ROC within 90 days to it’s expiration. That would be in April.  My question is, am I still allowed to travel outside of the US after I submitted my papers for ROC in April? We’re planning to have a 2-week vacation to Europe in May.

Thanks for your replies:)

I had no SSN when we opened a joint account with Bank of America

I was able to open a joint account with Bank of America with just my passport, birth certificate and marriage certificate. I had no SSN that time. They were very accommodating and friendly. You should try there.

Congrats on getting your interview date! That's great news! Did you receive by any chance a letter of potential interview waiver a few months ago? I got that letter and I hope I'm not scheduled to go for an interview this weeks, because I have a trip abroad planned for early July and it would totally suck to have to change my flights to come back early for that. Thanks.

Thank you. No, I didn't receive any potential interview waiver maybe because I didn't frontload my application with so much evidence. When did you file by the way? I noticed that the lady who filed few days earlier than me has just got her interview notice a week ago too. I hope your interview is really waived so you can have a peace of mind in your vacation . Happy trip!

Update on my case:

I just called USCIS yesterday to follow up the status of my AOS. The guy whom I spoke with yesterday says no update yet and advised me to call back after 3 weeks. But this morning I got an sms that my interview has been scheduled on the 5th of July! ?

I think the call did help to update my case. I suggest for others to do call USCIS too.

Giving a quick update:

Received interview appointment letter finally for June 22nd.

Online status did not change so make sure to check your mail boxes.

Good luck. When did you file? I had mine Oct 26th and still didn't hear anything yet.

I finally had a chance to write my full review of our AOS process! The super detailed version can be found at this link: http://www.seizetheglobe.com/adjusting-status-student-visa-us-permanent-residency-aka-green-card/

Here is my updated timeline and details on the interview:

Timeline

09/28/15 – I-693 Medical Exam

10/01/15 – Pick up sealed I-693 form

10/05/15 – Mailed AOS Package (I-130, I-485, I-864, I-693, I-131, I-765, G-325As, G-1145)

10/07/15 – AOS Package delivered to Chicago Lockbox

10/14/15 – Received four NOA1s via e-mail & text notifications that USCIS received our case. Routed to National Benefits Center for processing

10/15/15 – Checks cashed

10/19/15 – Received four hard copies of NOA1s in the mail

10/23/15 – Received biometrics appointment in the mail. Scheduled for 11/03

10/26/15 – Failed early walk-in attempt for biometrics at Boston location

11/03/15 – Biometrics appointment in Boston

11/10/15 – AOS case status changed to “Ready to be scheduled for interview”

12/21/15 – EAD/AP approved

12/24/15 – EAD/AP mailed

12/30/15 – EAD/AP delivered

03/17/16 – Interview scheduled for April 20th – case status updated online

04/20/16 – AOS Inteview – Boston, MA – APPROVED!

04/25/16 – Approval notice received in the mail

04/26/16 – Green card mailed

04/29/16 – Green card delivered

THE Interview

After months of waiting and plenty of administrative steps, the day of the interview finally arrived! We were already on edge and nervous as it was preparing all of the supporting evidence required for the interview and making sure we knew the best way to arrive in time. What we did not expect was both of us getting incredibly debilitating stomach viruses right before the most important interview ever. Needless to say, we were a big, combined ball of nerves and incredibly anxious to get through this as quickly as possible. When you receive your interview appointment in the mail they include a long checklist of all the documents you must bring. These include: latest federal tax return that you did not already include in your application, letter from your employers, last two months of pay stubs, original birth certificates of both parties, original/certified marriage certificate, and about a dozen other documents IN ADDITION to the stacks of paperwork, photos, and other various documents you need to bring as evidence of a bona fide marriage essentially proving that your relationship is legitimate.

Our interview took place at the John F. Kennedy Federal Building in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. We decided to drive instead of take the T because the Government Center T stop is STILL closed. Our appointment was at 2:00 PM, so we left at 1:00 PM, and arrived 30 minutes later with plenty of time to park and go through security. However, we got absolutely smashed with a $38 parking fee by parking in the garage directly across the street. If you plan ahead (or the T stop is open by then) you can find cheaper alternatives, but we were simply focused on getting there as quickly as possible. When you arrive you need to make sure you find the public entrance because you will go through security–metal detector, bags/purses x-rayed, etc.

Once we found the correct room (around 1:50 PM), we checked-in with the front desk by giving her our names and the interview notice we received in the mail. She told us to have a seat and our names would get called shortly. The waiting room is massive and we actually waited a solid 35 minutes prior to Sean’s name getting called because it was pretty busy and they seemed to be behind schedule based. The IO introduced himself as Officer Lee and apologized for the delay, but he requested that only I (the US citizen) accompany him to his office to get interviewed first and separately. So I took our accordion file folder of documents and headed into the secured area.

First he asked for my ID and if our attorney would be joining. Since we decided to not have our attorney involved for the interview portion of the process, we both needed to sign a document waiving our right to an attorney. After that was signed, he asked me to raise my right hand and put me under oath. The first order of business was for me to submit any new evidence that we previously did not include in our original application. I brought bank statements, cell phone bills, our 2015 tax return, airfare tickets and hotel reservations from trips taken together, and photos. He only took a small sampling of documents because he didn’t want to make our file too thick and thanked me for being so organized.

Next, he started asking questions like what my husband’s name is, his date of birth, his cell phone number, and the address where we reside. He then asked how we met, when we first met, when was our first date, and when we met each other’s families all while taking notes in our file. Officer Lee was incredibly personable and genuinely interested in our story. He did a great job of putting me at ease, but still acted very professional. I felt as if we were simply having a conversation about my husband. The unique questions that I believe no one can “prepare for” or expect involved details that only a truly married couple who live together would know. He had me reconfirm our most current address and then asked how many bedrooms and bathrooms there are. He asked if we had a washer and dryer and if so, where they are located in our home. He also asked if either of us took daily medications or vitamins. I immediately answered, “No. Oh wait–I take that back. I actually take probiotics at night.” He followed up with, “Are those kept on your nightstand?” and I told him where I store them. After I answered him I started to second-guess myself and think, “Oh man, Kristina. Sean is never going to know that. It’s such a minute detail and there’s no way he’s noticed that you take probiotics–let alone where you keep them in the house. You should’ve just stayed with the plain no answer.” After that Officer Lee told me that he was going to fetch Sean from the waiting room and that I was welcome to remain in his office during Sean’s portion of the interview as long as I did not say anything directly to Sean or communicate with him in any way.

After Sean entered the office, Officer Lee asked Sean my full name, date of birth, how we met. how he proposed, and the same exact questions regarding the small details of our home. Sean did a spectacular job answering clearly and concisely. I was so incredibly happy and not to mention surprised when Sean nailed the question about my daily probiotics and where I stored them in the house without any hesitation. Proving once again that the truth is always the best course of action and I should not have doubted that after answering honestly! Next, the IO asked Sean a series of standard yes or no questions about whether or not Sean has ever conspired to commit a crime, espionage, join a terrorist organization, etc. He then asked to see all of Sean’s passports that he currently held. Luckily we even brought his expired passport so the IO could see his previous B-1 visa. He also requested to see Sean’s Social Security card since he had already applied for his SSN using his EAD card.

Finally, Officer Lee looked at us and said, “Well, I believe I have everything I need. Sean, I actually asked you a few more questions that I didn’t ask your wife because you’re here and might as well tell your story. I plan on approving you. So congratulations! You can expect approval to process within the next 7 – 10 business days and then it can take 3 – 4 weeks for you to receive the physical green card.” To say we were thrilled about be an understatement.

WOW!! First of all, congratulations! I didn't think your IO was pretty much detailed like a private investigator hehehe. Well as you have outlined, there was nothing to worry about since your marriage is legit. Telling the truth is always a secret in dealing with immigration issues. Once again congrats to both of you and ROC next. :-)