Tom_Jim

Would the plaintiff even need to send divorce papers to Russia if he could prove abandonment here and have it adjudicated unilaterally? The divorce courts of the United States do not have jurisdiction outside US borders and I cannot imagine a situation where this would be a required (or even effective!) initial step.

Of course, I have no legal training, but anecdotally, I think the Original Poster is best served by beginning the process to demonstrate abandonment of his estranged spouse.

Good point. To be honest, I am only speaking from my own experience. I am the beneficiary and I was in Manila when my ex-wife sent me the divorce papers that had a deadline. We were both cooperative and we wanted to make it as smooth as possible.

You'd be the plaintiff and you would send the divorce papers to her in Russia. Research your state's divorce laws as states before doing so.

http://divorcesupport.about.com/od/usstatedivorcelaws/a/illinois_laws.htm

Your file may have been lost. That's really a long time for an ROC. I would suggest making an infopass appointment to see where your case lies.

Sorry to hear.

After gathering your evidence, here are some assembly tips from USCIS itself: (they appreciate two-hole-punches at the top of all your submitted material)

• In preparing your packet, please take note of the following:
  • Do not use binders or folders that cannot be easily disassembled.
  • Use ACCO fasteners to hold together thick or bulky applications or petitions. Two-hole punching the top of the material for easy placement in the file is appreciated.
  • The use of tabs assist in locating items listed as attachments. The tabs should be placed on the bottom and not the side for ease in filing.
  • Avoid using heavy-duty staples; instead use ACCO fasteners or heavy clips.
  • Avoid submitting originals unless specifically required. Avoid submitting oversized documentation when possible.

http://www.uscis.gov/forms/forms-and-fees/general-tips-assembling-applications-mailing

If you aren't sure, then answer "No".

I am a divorce waiver candidate. Just divorce him, and file a 751 with waiver. That's what I did.

USCIS collates all your documents in a file folder with two hole punches at the top. For all my paperwork, I had a cover letter and just hole punched everything at the top. That helps them greatly as they won't have to hole punch it. It's the little things that USCIS likes.

I filed ROC based on a divorce waiver. In my case, it WAS helpful for me to include affidavits from our mutual friends. Because of my mountain of evidence that I included with my affidavits, I was granted my 10-year greencard without an interview.

My take away was: it doesn't hurt at all to include affidavits. Best of luck to you, kababayan.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/new.html

I'm afraid the confusion is entirely on your part, as you've failed to understand the instructions.

You were supposed to give your Certificate of Naturalization or your Certificate of Citizenship per the instructions. Not your foreign birth certificate. You cannot get a U.S. passport without evidence of your U.S. citizenship.

What's an NRE, OCI, PIO?

Yes, he must answer, "Yes".

I would seek counsel from an immigration attorney before filing the N-400, in my opinion. In many cases, a DUI is considered a "crime of moral turpitude" ("Drunkenness" and "Drunk or Reckless Driving"). Drink-related and certain crimes of moral turpitude may render beneficiaries ineligible to naturalize.

Todd & Hanh, fascinating poll. Thanks for sharing.

Todd & Hanh, fascinating poll. Thanks for sharing.

It was from the customer service line. I realized on the call, that it was basically worthless as the person talking to me could only see what I could see logged into the case site.

I just didnt know when the threshold gets crossed where its been too long of a wait and should get concerned?

Id have to travel back to Jacksonville to do an infopass and I just worried they would tell me to keep waiting. That might be what I need to do though.

Customer service would not have the details of your exact file.

It's worth noting that there is significant backlog in the system right now for the N400. It appears that Jacksonville is approximately 7 months backedup. I am trying to imagine myself in your situation and I would be concerned of the long wait as well. I would make an infopass and sacrifice the distance and time just for me to be at ease.

Alternatively, you can hang tight, but I know that's tough especially when it comes to citizenship.

Sound idea.

When the officer gave me my Certificate, he said, "Sign it exactly as you did here (he pointed at the signature to the left of my photo on the Certificate)."

So, I signed it exactly as I did.

Are you able to send your N400 *after your vacation?

45 days came and went and still no oath ceremony scheduling.

I called USCIS and they told me to wait another 30 days.

Hang in there! Almost a USC!

75 days to wait is a long time to wait. How did USCIS communicate the wait to you? Did you call the customer service line, or was this an infopass appointment? If it was just the customer service line, they really don't know about your case (details of the adjudications, etc.)

If you want a more thorough inquiry, I would suggest you make an infopass appointment. Those, in my experience, have been the most fruitful.

According to USCIS, the Boston field office is backed up. I would make an infopass appointment to follow up if you need to travel in May.

My mother would never want to be a permanent resident because in her words, "I don't want to pay American taxes."

Sounds good to me.

Fine. Then I can say that no one should follow your moronic advice, since you as much as admitted that you aren't interested in assisting anyone here, but prefer to dispense useless advice 'because you can.'

OK.

So then why advise this person to get a lawyer? That is 1) expensive, 2) unnecessary, and therefore 3) terrible advice.

Expertise: I have a J.D. from a tier one law school.

Because I can?

Not an issue. You will just tell them at your interview that you need to change your answer to "Yes".

Why?

What is so difficult that this requires a lawyer?

I never said anything about it being difficult.