Caroline

Hi everyone,

I recently became a US citizen and also hold a UK passport. I have tried searching for any paperwork needed to notify the UK authorities of my new status and to ensure I can have dual citizenship. I can't find anything.

Is there anything I need to do in terms of paperwork on the UK side.

Thanks

Caroline

Hi there,

Does anyone know if it is worth trying to do your passport application at the oath ceremony. It will be in Oakland, CA and you can do it, according to a flyer. I'm wondering if it will take ages and is just worth doing it at a later time.

Any one have any experience?

Thanks

Caroline

Hi there,

I filed my citizenship papers in Jan 2014. My application is straightforward. My nearest office is San Francisco. I have heard nothing other than in Feb 2014 I received a letter asking me to bring my driving license when I have my interview. Nothing since then. In August I called up UCIS and they put in a service request to San Francisco to ask why my application was not moving. You are supposed to hear something in 15 days, but I heard nothing. So I called UCIS again last week and they put in a second service request.

In the meantime I have booked an infopass appointment for this Friday in San Francisco to try and find out what is going on. Is this the right thing to do? I will take all my paperwork. Any other tips?

Thanks so much

Caroline

^{Citizenship based on over 10 years of marriage to a US Citizen.}

Hi there,

I filed my paperwork in January but not much has happened so far. I got confirmation of my paperwork being received and then a letter in February saying I needed to bring my driving license to the interview and then nothing since then. Is this normal? I expected the process to move along quicker.

Thanks

Caroline

Sorry, realize this post is not necessary, now that I am going to go for the five year application.

Thanks, that is helpful. I will do the 5 year one.

Hi again,

I am applying for citizenship based on 5 years plus of marriage and have some questions:

It says about documents:

With the documents referring to you and your spouse:

Tax returns, bank accounts, leases, mortgages, or birth certificates of children

SO:

Can I just send birth certificates for our children and not bother with tax returns etc? Or is it best to just send it all in to be safe.

Do I need to send originals of birth certificates or just copies?

Is it 3 years of tax returns, or tax returns for all the years you have lived in the US with your spouse?

Thanks

I'm confused.

Do I need to send in three years of tax returns? Or tax returns for all the years I have lived here?

It only says:

documents referring to you and your spouse:

tax returns, bank accounts, leases, mortgages or birth certificates of children

It doesn't state how many years.

Also we have children, so can I just send in copies of their birth certificates or should I also do tax returns etc. If I do birth certificates are copies ok or should I send in originals.

Thanks

Hi there,

I am putting my N-400 form together. I have been married to a US citizen for many years and living here for 7 years with a green card.

In proving our relationship, you can send in tax returns. Should I send full tax returns for 3 years? Or just 1 year? Seems like a lot of unnecessary paper.

Thanks

Caroline

Thanks, you saved me lots of time!

I have a green card which I got three years ago. My husband is a US citizen. When I got the green card we had already been married over 10 years, so I didn't have to do further paperwork. Can I now apply for naturalisation or do I have to wait till 5 years?

Thanks

Caroline

Do you think it is ok to take our 15 month old son to the AOS interview? He is an American citizen, so he doesn't need to be there, but it is difficult for us to find a babysitter as we are based in San Fran but having our interview in LA.

Thanks

Caroline

Hi

I did the whole medical again for my AOS, even though I just had my medical for my K3 in London. I'm glad because they tested for more things here - a few more STDs. I also redid my chest x-rays. Crazy, considering I just had a medical, but wanted to be safe and my lawyer recommended it.

Caroline

I got my visa delivered this morning, thankfully. After my interview on the 14th Dec, I was recalled to the embassy on the 18th Dec so my fingerprints could be taken again. They didn't come out clearly the first time. Then on the 18/19th Dec, the fingerprinting checking machine in Washington wasn't working, so I was beginning to give up hope. Then I got a call from the embassy late on the 19th saying the machine was working and my visa had been issued. The courier service (who were very good and easy to contact) got the visa/passport on the 20th and I got it today (21st).

So now I fly out to LAX on the 23rd, just in time for Christmas.

Thanks for all the helpful messages.

I called the embassy on the expensive number and they told me to put that code in the subject field when I emailed, so assume that is fine for everyone. I emailed them again about something different much later and used the same code and it worked. You know they have your email because they send an acknowledgement receipt to you straightaway like this:

Your message has been received by the Consular Information Unit. We are

currently averaging three to four days to answer email correspondence.

There is no mechanism for "status checks" while a nonimmigrant visa

application is being processed. Inquiries concerning cases which

require administrative processing or background checks, and which have

been pending less than 60 days, will not be answered.

Please do not, under any circumstances, send a duplicate or follow-on

e-mail. Repeat messages slow down our response time, and we reserve

the

right to permanently delete all e-mails from senders who transmit

repeat

messages or status checks.

Sincerely,

Consular Information Unit

If you email the consulate you have to put RHL357 in the subject field. Then they know it is not junk mail. I guess if you don't have that in the email, they don't look at it. They were good about telling me when the interview date was and emailed a few days after I sent a message.

I must have tempted fate by saying my interview was straightforward, because the US embassy called me this morning and said my fingerprints didn't come out very well. Therefore the FBI couldn't do their clearance and I have to go back to the embassy on Monday to have them done again. It's very annoying being so near Christmas. My husband who is already in the US working is really missing our 10 month old son and was looking forward to seeing us next week. Now we will be really pushed to get to the US by Christmas. What bad luck! Keep your fingers crossed for us that we can get this sorted quickly.

Caroline

I had my K3 interview today and it went very smoothly. I took a tip from someone on the forum and got there for 8.30am, even though my interview time was 10am. I got in straightaway and was out the building by 9.40am. This was much better than hanging around in the morning getting even more worked up. I was organised with my paperwork which helped, so I just handed it all over in one go. Then when I went to have the interview, it was over in 2 minutes. The lady asked me how long I had been married and had I ever lived in the US. That was it.

Thanks for all the forum help

Caroline

Hi

I also have my interview on the 14th Dec. Good luck!

I have also posted worried messages about my police clearance. I can't answer your question but it seems to me the embassy don't expect to see more than one UK police clearance, so you should be well covered. That seems to make sense, otherwise some people would have to get quite a few different clearances from different parts of the country.

Fingers crossed for next week.

Caroline

Hi

Does anyone know if the courier service for the visa delivers on Saturdays?

Thanks

I recently received packet 3 for my K3 and then packet 4 (with appointment time) a few weeks after I had sent in the packet 3 papers. Hope that helps.

Thanks for reply. I also lived with my parents in Hampshire till 18 years old at the address I am now staying at, before moving to London. That's over 13 years ago. I put all this down on the application form for the police clearance. The police clearance I have does have this address on it, so that's good. Surely I don't need to get a separate police clearance, from Hampshire police for this period of time?? If this were to be the case, many Brits would have to be getting multiple police clearances. I'm assuming the police national computer covers this?

Thanks for help

Hi

I have received my Police Clearance Form from the MET police - all clear. I am now looking at other posts and am worried. I lived in London for 10 years before moving to India as an expat (I have my Indian police clearance) for 2 years. I have been living at my parents whilst waiting for my K3, this is outside of London. I have been with my parents for 3.5 months, since leaving India. Does that mean I also need a police clearance from the area I am in now (Hampshire)? Does this make sense? Do some people have two or more UK police clearances?

Please help, very worried, have interview soon.

Thanks

Caroline

Hi

Can anyone help? On the DS-230 and the DS-156 forms (I looked at the example forms on this forum) it asks you to list all previous visits to the US. I have been to the US 14 times on tourist visas over the last 11 years (married for 10 years, always visiting relatives). I know when I entered the US each time but on some of the earlier trips I don't know the exact date I left and it is not stamped in my passport. I know roughly how long I was there each time. Did anyone else just put month and year for each trip or did you all put day as well? Any suggestions?

Thanks

Caroline