FutureAmerican

Congrats! Very happy for you and hope that things go as smoothly if/when you apply for Citizenship!

Just a quick note to let you guys know my check was cashed on 07/20/09 - looking forward to getting the NOA1 now!

Got my package sent off on Tuesday 07/14/2009....it arrived on the morning of 07/16/2009 - here's hoping for a swift approval!

Unsure of how long you have to have "left" on the Conditional Green Card - but I do know that you can join ANY Branch (Active, Reserve or National Guard) apart from the Air Force/Air National Guard with a Conditional Green Card.

Hi all!

Took a hunt around...haven't been able to find much else with both our names and permanent address on...but I am including the following as well now:

- Copy of our respective Driver's Licence's which show our names and same address on them

- Copy of my DD-214 (Discharge from Military Service - I enlisted in the US Coast Guard last year, but unfort got medically discharged 4 weeks into Boot Camp), which shows my name and address, then her name and same address as "nearest living relative"

I'm going to work on getting a few more things ready, unfort they will take a while to get copies of, so I'll send off my application with all the above info, then get the following ready in the meantime if they send an RFE:

- Copy of my life insurance showing her as primary beneficiary

- Copies of two store credit cards (for Sony and Best Buy), which were joint cards, but they only sent bills with one person's name on it.

Hopefully all of the above will be enough...kind of at a loss beyond that!

Thanks for the replies folks!

Just got off the phone from my account - will be getting copies of our Joint Tax Returns for 2007 and 2008 by Monday! Those show our names, address, and the fact we filed jointly.

Also have got copy of front and back of GC to send in...so should be sorted now. Unfort there's no lease/mortgage because the house is owned by my in-laws and we rent for free from them so to speak - hopefully everything else should be enough!

Hi all,

It's been an age since I last posted on here - finally got round to getting my stuff together for the ROC (I could have filed it anytime from June 25th...but took me a while to get things together).

I'm planning on sending in the following "Evidence" as proof of a bona fide relationship:

- Copies of Bank Statements for our Joint Wells Fargo Checking Account 09/08-Present

- Copies of Bank Statements for our Joint Wells Fargo Savings Account 09/08-Present

- Copies of Bank Statements for our Joint 1st Bank Checking Account 09/07-Present

- Copy of our Health Insurance Policy showing joint coverage

- Copy of a Joint Buyer’s Order/Invoice for a vehicle we jointly purchased in 09/08

- 15 Photos of us looking happy and loving together from our marriage onwards.

- Copy of my Permanent Resident Card.

Hopefully that'll be enough! I'm planning to get it all sent off on Monday...should I enclose large documents like the bank statements in separate labelled folders, or should they be just "loose" in the packet I send? Also, with the photos, they're going to be printed out in color, and I was going to put a title under each e.g. "December 2008 in Denver Colorado"

Just having a few last minute worries and thought I'd pop on here for some friendly advice

Thanks in advance for any replies!

DeadpoolX - Totally agree about the movie "Adaptation" of Starship Troopers....it completely distorted many of the scenes in the book - for example, the bit where the recruiter says "The Mobile Infantry made me the man I am today!", and it shows him with a robotic arm, leg, etc, was done in the movie as dark humor, whereas in the book it turns out that the recruiter is delibrately like that to show recruits the kind of sacrifices they may have to make in the service.

Also, I would have liked to see a "proper" adaptation with the full robotic suits and proper tactics, instead of "Let's just charge blindly into the enemy and get slaughtered!".

The whole "in order to understand democracy you must have helped defend it" concept went out the window too - and despite what some may think, in the book, military service wasn't the only option if you wanted to vote - it was any type of "Federal Service" working for the government. IMHO, something like that might not be such a bad idea these days anyway, with voter apathy going sky-high, but that's just me.

A Good Book/Movie Adaptation was LA Confidential - there were a LOT of subplots left out from the book, but if they had wanted to include all of them, and take the book to it's conclusion, it would have required a similar length to Lord of the Rings, so I was happy with what they managed to do in the time allowed - and the main characters in it were done perfectly by Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Guy Pierce, James Cromwell et al. I would love to see more Ellroy adaptations to the big screen, with similar budgets and efforts. The Black Dahlia was a decent effort, but I think that it was more difficult to follow for those who hadn't read the book.

Thanks to all for the replies! It's an incredibly hard choice and right now my wife & I are tempted just to toss a coin over it

One thing I'm going to do is make a list of all the available units in each District, and do a side by side comparison of the "best" and "worst" case scenarios. A big thing for us is trying to get on a large base with lots of facilities, as my wife doesn't drive at the moment, and I want her to have access to things there.

Sinergy - congrats on your hubby joining the USCG! If you need any info about the expedited route to Citizenship he'll be eligible for let me know as I've dug up a lot of info on it. If he scored above a 65 on the ASVAB, he's eligible for the "Guaranteed District" option in his contract - you can choose any apart from Florida or Hawaii....although you can still end up at any unit within that District, it still gives you some idea of where you'll be going.

BTW, for the purposes of this discussion.....New York is part of New England - because it's included in USCG District 1

Hi all,

As I mentioned in some other threads, I'll soon be enlisting into the US Coast Guard - as part of the enlistment contract, I can choose the District where my wife & I will go for our first posting (usually 6-12 months). We've got it down to two - either District 1 (which is New England), or District 17 (which is Alaska). We're totally torn between the two as they offer very different pro's and cons!

If you want to know more about what the USCG gets up to in those two locations, go to this website and choose either D1 or D17 from the Map! http://www.uscg.mil/top/units/

Personally, I don't really mind, as there's plenty of work which interests me in both areas. Geographically New England is central for both my wife's family in Colorado and mine in "Old" England, which would be nice...but we're also v tempted to take the adventure of Alaska!!

Just thought I'd see what other people on here thought - and I'd be especially interested to hear from anyone who's lived in either of the two areas

Hi all,

Just thought I'd update this thread as I got a letter from the USCIS today - they confirmed IN WRITING that I was eligible to apply for Expedited Citizenship provided I am on active duty and in a "deployable unit" which includes all of the USCG Ships etc, so I should be good to go after I finish Boot Camp!

I'm VERY happy that they gave me something in writing, as that will help if I face anymore issues with this down the line! Should be heading off to Boot Camp in a few weeks now, so hopefully I can give everyone an update after that once I apply for Citizenship!

I went down for an infopass appointment about this issue - and was initially told "But you can't enlist in the military on Conditional Permanent Residency!" - when I pointed out the relevant sections in military recruiting manuals indicating you can enlist in any service apart from the Air Force on CPR, I was then told "Oh, let me get my supervisor to call you about this"...so I'm waiting on that now. It's sad that I know more about military immigration law than the USCIS!!

Hi all,

I booked an infopass appointment a couple of weeks ago for tommorow, at 12pm. However, I didn't print out the appointment notice confirmation because the computer I was on didn't have a printer attached to it. I tried to go and reprint the information now, however I was told that I need the receipt number and pin code, neither of which I have!!

I tried calling up the information line, but was told they are closed on weekends...so I'm guessing I'm going to have to call them up tommorow morning to find out? I was just wondering if anyone had any other advice for me in this situation...I actually tried to re-book an appointment, and was told "There are no available appointments for your local office", and I didn't even specify any dates!

I am technically Catholic, but consider myself more "Non Denominational Christian" because I am more of a Pelaginist (good acts more important than getting along to Mass every Sunday...and no that isn't because I like having a lie-in!) I do love some of the traditions and formality of the Catholic Church, but I do find it to be too emphasised on rituals and "ticking the boxes" than actually believing, studying the Bible etc. Is Salvation without belief but plenty of good acts possible? I would like to think so, but I leave that one up to God. I try to lead a "spiritual" life through personal reflection and Bible Study, reading books etc, but do my best to do "good" acts throughout my life as part of the deal, so to speak.

Yukfou - A great book about the SEALS is "Lone Survivor" - my brother-in-law got it for me as a Christmas present and I highly recommend it!

If I had NO restrictions whatsoever, I'd want to join the USAF as a Space Operations Officer - the Ultimate High Ground and one which I think will be very strategically significant in this century. I read an article about how 10-15 years from now, they may look at forming a "US Space Force" or equivalent...lightsabre training and Deathstar positions may be available as options

Staashi - One thing recruiters have always been concerned about is that I may "lose" my conditional status while in the military, and thus no longer be a US Resident...I explained how it works and it satisfied them that I wasn't planning to do anything to lose such status and my wife & I got married for the right reasons (i.e. NOT for a Green Card!!). Although the service time is down to 1 year, because the US has been in a state of war since 9/11, as long as you serve at least one day on Active Duty you are eligible...if you are a 10-year Green Card Holder. I won't even be eligible to remove the conditions till Sept 2009 (or at least file for them June 2009), so I need to find a good branch/MOS to do in the meantime.

At the end of the day, despite my frustrations with the system and conflicting information, I am VERY happy to have the opportunity to serve at all, as I know many without any type of Green Card who would LOVE to serve! And at least being able to get the fees waived and get the Citizenship a bit quicker is a bonus in any case.

Wrights - would you be able to PM a contact number or email for the Recruiter you know who specialises in expedited Citizenships? I'm getting so many different stories here, and the chances are that the InfoPass appointment probably wouldn't be anymore productive.

Hi all,

If you could join a branch of the military which one would it be?

I'm particularly interested to hear from those who have been in - if you'd try a different branch or MOS, or do the same thing again!

In my case, I would LOVE to join the USAF but they require Permanent Residency with no conditions - so I'm going in another branch first and then apply for USAF Officer, as enlisted-enlisted transfers are VERY difficult, but enlisted-officer are a lot easier.

The problem I have is that I have spoken to active duty military personnel on Conditional Permanent Residency, and they were denied naturalisation by USCIS until they had the conditions removed. My Recruiter called up the military helpline today and was told the same thing.

Although I will be putting in the I-751, that isn't going to happen for over a year, which as I said, is a heck of a long time to stay as a non-rated E-3 in the USCG.

Thanks for the advice Kezzie! I've managed to make an Infopass appointment for April 21st - not as soon as I'd like but at least then I could try to get a definitive answer.

Incidentally one reason I have looked at doing Paralegal work in the Army (The only branch which lets you do it as a non-Citizen) is because frequently I'd have to help fellow Immigrants in the military, and at least I would have personal experience in the field!

Hi all,

As I'd mentioned in older threads, I'd always planned on joining the US Military once I had my CR1. A side benefit of this was that I would be eligible to apply for US Citizenship as soon as I finished my training - however I called up the USCIS helpline on Friday, and was told that because I'm on a CR1, I am NOT eligible for the expedited Citizenship until I remove the conditions! This is going to be another year and a half, which has thrown a spanner in the works of my plans, because I had planned to go into the US Coast Guard, stay as a non-rate (i.e. undesignated speciality), get the Citizenship, and then go for a speciality like Intelligence or similar. As it is, that would now mean I would have to stay at a relatively low rank (E-3) for the first 2 years, which just isn't going to work when I have a wife to support.

It looks like I'm going to be going for another service where I have a much broader range of options as a non-citizen (e.g. the Army as a paralegal or Air Traffic Controller) - but I wanted to make the other VJ members aware of this. The USCIS website just says that you need to be a "Legal Permanent Resident" and have served on active duty since 9/11 - but apparantely CR1 holders aren't considered "Legal Permanent Residents"!!). I did try calling a special USCIS phone number for military personnel, but they refused to speak to me unless I was currently on active duty! So I'm going to try to get my recruiter to call up for me so we can get a second opinion on the subject.

On a final note, I think it's totally ridiculous that during a time of war, the USCIS will only help certain Green Card holders get their Citizenship - I actually know one CR1 holder who is currently on a tour of duty in Iraq and they are still insisting he has to wait to remove his conditions!!

Didn't hire a lawyer - if I'd had issues like a criminal history etc, then I def would have done. This website provided all the advice/info which we needed, and hopefully will continue to do so on the road to Citizenship and beyond now!

Thankyou for the link to the article - I think that it's shameful that legal immigrants who enlist in the military, to serve their new country, still face long delays in getting their Citizenship.

I sincerely hope that I won't face such problems when I go through the process later this year...luckily I do know several people who had no problems getting their Citizenship through the military - and it took them about 3 months. I guess that the big issue is the FBI name check.

Thankyou both for the replies! I spoke to an Air Force Recruiter, and he passed it up the chain of command to check if there was any way I could get a waiver etc, perhaps with the support of a Senator or similar. Unfortunately there was no way I could get one, even though I have a totally clean criminal record, no medical issues, and scored a 98 out of 99 on the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery).

Still, the good news is that none of the other services have issues with the CR1/IR1 issue, so it looks like I'll be doing a tour in the Coast Guard initially, and saving the USAF for a future option!

Hi all,

I was wondering if it's at all possible to upgrade from a CR1 to an IR1 before the CR1 expires? My wife and I were married on August 17th 2006, and I got my CR1 in July 2007, emigrated September 2007. Our 2 year wedding anniversary will be this year, and I would really like to upgrade to an IR1 if at all possible, as opposed to waiting until 2009, because it would help IMMENSELY with my job/career choice - in particular I would love to enlist in the USAF but they require it to be an IR1, no exceptions, whereas every single other branch accepts CR1 holders to enlist. Also, various civilian jobs which I applied for e.g. Crime Analyst/CSI in Vegas Police Department also require green card holders to be on an IR1 rather than a CR1.

My wife and I have even considered moving back to England, and then re-filing for an IR1 from there after our 2 year anniversary passes, because it's so frustrating right now with jobs. At the end of the day, if it's not an option, then I'll enlist in another branch of the military e.g. Coast guard or Army, but the Air Force has always been my dream and it's really annoying that they're the only branch which requires it (I spoke to an Air Force recruiter to check if it was something I could get a waiver for, but unfort there's no way they can help me - even though I intend to apply for US Citizenship ASAP through the expedited route the military offers (I'll be able to get it 2-4 months after completing Boot Camp). Apparantely the reasoning behind the requirement is that they are concerned that the CR1 holders may "forget" to apply for lifting of conditions while in the service and so fall out of legal status, which is total bull IMHO as the majority of green card holders who enlist are planning on getting their Citizenship ASAP, and so wouldn't even need to worry about applying for lifting of conditions.

Anyhow, thankyou to all for any advice or opinions - even if it's just to confirm that I'd have to wait until 2009 to lift conditions, as I just want to make sure the USAF/Vegas PD is totally out until 2009, before I go and enlist in another branch.

Alex.