Shub

February 4, 2014

hello

i want t know where did you filed your kid 's N600 form;

i am living in new york and i don't know exactly where to file the N600 form?

Hi,

I apologize in advance if what I'm about to post seems dumb, but since you didn't provide any details with your question (perhaps there are no details to provide), I'll give you the simple answer that applies to most cases.

Go to http://www.uscis.gov/n-600 and see where they tell you to file. The information on that page is always up-to-date.

That being said, is there anything about your case that would prompt you to think you shouldn't send your application to the Phoenix lockbox?

February 4, 2014

If you've been here for over 5 years and meet all the requirements, it doesn't matter whether or not you're married to a US citizen.

Pick option 1 as the process is easier and you don't have to submit as much paperwork.

Option 2 is just the "fast track" option for spouses of US citizens so they don't need to wait 5 years.

February 2, 2014

You have the right idea when you say it's better to have a document and not need it rather than vice versa. Don't panic, read the check lists, bring them the documents they want to see, and you'll be fine!

February 2, 2014

The 1040 is not a tax transcript, I think that's where you're confused You can only obtain a transcript from the IRS after you have filed.

Anyway, yes, getting transcripts from the IRS is completely free.

http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Get-Transcript

You can opt to have them mailed to you, which is free but takes a few days (<10 business days), or you can download them as PDF files, which is a new option that wasn't available until a few weeks ago, and I've never tested it.

Le formulaire 1040 n'est pas une preuve que vous avez bien rempli et envoyé votre déclaration d'impôts à l'État. Vous auriez très bien pu prendre un formulaire vierge, le remplir d'informations bidons et le montrer tel quel au service de l'immigration. Le "transcript", en revanche, est une preuve irréfutable car c'est un document produit par l'IRS qui, comme son nom l'indique, est un compte-rendu de ce que vous leur avez envoyé par le biais de votre formulaire 1040 (et les éventuels autres formulaires qui auraient pu l'accompagner). Le service de l'immigration souhaite de préférence que vous avez bien payé à l'État ses dîme et gabelle.

Comme dit plus haut, dans la mesure où les "transcripts" sont obtenables gratuitement, il n'y a aucune raison de ne pas en profiter !

February 1, 2014

1040 forms are not tax transcripts, they're just forms and they're not proof that you filed, so they may give you trouble over that.

You can order tax transcripts straight off the IRS web site, in fact you can even download them instantly as PDFs since a couple of weeks ago... you really have no excuse not to have them

atm · February 1, 2014

Read this and you'll be fine:

http://www.usimmigrationtest.org/irs-form-1722/

January 31, 2014

6a is often a point of confusion.

They want to know:

a. Where you've been for the past 5 years

OR

b. Where you've been since you became a permanent resident

Fill in the information for whichever is the shorter period.

10b: do it just in case, it doesn't hurt. I listed the computer club I was in as a teenager. It's part of how they evaluate your profile, who you associate with (directly or indirectly), that sort of thing.

10d: can't help with the traffic ticket question myself

To N/A or not to N/A: I don't think USCIS cares one way or the other. In the instructions of some forms, they actually tell you to put N/A where appropriate, but I don't think there are any instructions for the N-400 (except for some question, e.g. your address on page 1 or 2 where you have to write "same" if your mailing address is the same as your residence address or something like that).

GENERALLY SPEAKING, it is wise to put N/A whenever appropriate, not just with USCIS. The idea is to avoid leaving blanks where someone with nefarious intentions might fill in something you didn't fill in yourself. That's probably not a risk with USCIS, but writing N/A instead of leaving a blank is a safe thing to do in any situation.

For the evidence question, I suggest you go to http://www.uscis.gov/n-400 then click on the "Document Checklist, Current Fees, Naturalization Eligibility Worksheet" link. The document checklist has plenty of suggestions. While the IRS transcripts ought to be enough according to that checklist, it doesn't hurt to add stuff from the period between the approval of your I-751 and now. It doesn't have to be as thorough as the I-751 evidence. I personally included only the IRS tax transcripts for 2010, 2011 and 2012, and a photocopy of our car registration with both our names on it.

January 30, 2014

N-600 is only optional, if you want it. You can apply for their passport once your wife becomes a citizen.

Ok, yes, that is correct and you don't need to submit N-600.

In the absence of self-evident proof of US citizenship though (e.g. the certificate you would obtain by filing N-600), you would still have to provide evidence of the children's relationship to a US citizen parent.

http://travel.state.gov/content/travel/english/legal-considerations/us-citizenship-laws-policies/child-citizenship-act.html has the relevant details.

January 30, 2014

Yes, your 15- and 12-year-old stepchildren will become citizens automatically when your wife becomes a citizen, provided of course she swears the oath before those children turn 18. Like you said, form N-600 must be submitted.

As for the 18-year-old, he may apply 5 years (less 90 days) from the date he became a permanent resident. The 3-year rule is only for spouses of US citizens.

January 30, 2014

Looks like the format got messed up. Can someone please help rectify it?

Sure, here you go.

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

USCIS Dallas/Lewisville, Texas Lockbox

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

Jon and Sol......|10/28/13|10/28/13|11/05/13|11/04/13|11/18/13|12/26/13|12/30/13|02/03/14|--/--/--|Pittsburgh,PA

suzukiwookie.....|04/11/12|10/29/13|--/--/--|11/06/13|12/05/13|12/09/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Tampa,FL

ravi_niu.........|10/14/13|11/01/13|11/07/13|11/04/13|11/18/13|12/12/13|01/02/14|02/05/14|--/--/--|Orlando,FL

juzero2..........|--/--/--|11/01/13|11/07/13|11/16/13|12/06/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Baltimore,MA

Kirthiraj........|03/03/13|11/04/13|11/13/13|11/07/13|12/09/13|12/11/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Washington D.C.

Nyosh............|11/03/13|11/04/13|11/12/13|11/07/13|12/05/13|01/02/14|01/03/14|02/06/14|--/--/--|Memphis,TN

Vares66..........|--/--/--|11/12/13|11/18/13|11/13/13|12/04/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Louisville,KY

Trooper..........|10/27/13|11/13/13|11/18/13|11/25/13|12/13/13|--/--/--|12/30/13|01/29/14|--/--/--|Philadelphia,PA

jewel4life.......|11/18/13|11/14/13|11/21/13|11/18/13|12/02/13|01/16/14|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Houston,TX

lmno.............|08/04/13|11/14/13|11/19/13|11/21/13|12/11/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Dallas,TX

babfela..........|11/11/13|11/15/13|--/--/--|11/19/13|12/11/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Pittsburgh,PA

Shub.............|05/24/13|11/19/13|11/27/13|11/22/13|12/24/13|12/27/13|12/31/13|02/06/14|--/--/--|Philadelphia,PA

kryskou..........|11/23/13|11/25/13|12/04/13|11/29/13|12/26/13|01/21/14|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Baltimore,MD

Wee McPea........|11/06/13|11/27/13|--/--/--|12/02/13|12/31/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Washington, DC

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

USCIS Phoenix, Arizona Lockbox

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

vbb..............|10/31/13|10/30/13|11/08/13|11/07/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Salt Lake City,UT

fabulous02.......|06/11/13|11/01/13|11/07/13|11/11/13|12/04/13|12/06/13|12/12/13|01/13/14|02/18/14|Saint Paul,MN

therealzenga.....|10/14/13|11/04/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|11/27/13|12/02/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Portland, OR

copetes5.........|10/15/13|11/05/13|11/15/13|11/08/13|11/29/13|12/03/13|12/31/13|02/05/14|--/--/--|Chicago,IL

Nica_In_Love.....|11/01/13|11/06/13|11/14/13|11/13/13|11/29/13|12/03/13|12/31/13|02/05/14|--/--/--|Chicago,IL

Tina Nguyen......|--/--/--|11/06/13|11/12/13|11/17/13|12/02/13|12/04/13|12/31/13|02/05/14|--|--/--|Chicago, IL

lostinlove03.....|11/08/13|11/11/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Salt Lake City,UT

Birdo............|01/02/98|11/12/13|11/19/13|11/14/13|12/05/13|01/10/14|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|San Bernardino,CA

Reje.............|09/13/13|11/14/13|11/21/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|

title2013IL......|11/11/13|11/22/13|11/29/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|

mnanath..........|10/14/13|11/23/13|--/--/--|11/27/13|12/20/13|12/24/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Salt Lake City,UT

nlclhc...........|11/22/13|11/23/13|11/29/13|11/25/13|12/13/13|01/20/14|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Chicago, IL

Antito...........|11/26/13|11/25/13|--/--/--|11/29/13|12/10/13|12/16/13|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Los Angeles, CA

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

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

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

.................|--/--/--|

January 30, 2014

Yep, and make sure you count 90 days, not 3 months.

January 29, 2014

You always file (or are supposed/required to), you might not pay taxes though; but those are two different things that many confuse.

What happens is that when you are not due taxes, you could choose not to file and your friends at the IRS would not go out looking for you, because there is nothing to look you for. At same time, you might be letting IRS keep some of your money for free.

No, there are circumstances where the IRS says you don't have to file. You always can if you choose, but if you're not required to, you're wasting your time and theirs.

January 27, 2014

Hey Guys,

It's time for status update, nether on web nor over the phone my status is updated but out of blue I just received that yellowletter.com asking to bring DL & whatnot which raise another silly que that how far are they to reveal the Interview date . . . any clue ?

There doesn't seem to be any consistency there, and it also appears to depend on your local office. You might just as well have received that letter after your interview appointment letter, or not have received the letter at all.

January 26, 2014

You may have been a conditional permanent resident for the first two years, but you were a permanent resident nonetheless, so the answer is yes.

You have to count 5 years from the date next to "resident since" on your green card. It's as simple as that (provided you meet the other requirements, particularly the continuous residence and physical presence requirements).

January 25, 2014

I'm not familiar with how the American asylum system works, but are you saying the "resident since" date on your green card roughly corresponds the date it was printed? Why do you think that's a mistake?

January 24, 2014

I also re-read the instructions after mailing my application and found that I fudged one thing: I scribbled my illegible but official signature instead of handwriting my name.

Another thing I did is partially like your story. I filled out the form electronically and some fields don't accept text, so there were spots where I wanted to type in "N/A" but couldn't because of the way the form is designed, and afterward, I didn't go through the form and handwrite "N/A" where I wanted to do it on the computer.

So while I can't tell you whether what you did is a problem, I can tell you that what I did hasn't been a problem so far. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Generally speaking, blanks should always be avoided, not just when dealing with USCIS. Blanks are just an invitation to fraud, so it is best practice not to leave anything blank where someone might fill in stuff that shouldn't be on there. Probably not something you need to worry about with forms you send to USCIS, but it's just a wise practice.

January 24, 2014

i think they have a question in n-400 form if you owe any taxes,and basically i think you should answer yes,and in this case you should provide an explnation letter and possible communication with IRS,if you have your emails from them saved.it should be official paperwork on it.

That's the thing though, what they're saying is they didn't owe any taxes and there is no reason for them to have communicated with the IRS on that topic. You're not required to file a tax return if your income is under a certain level. The two questions in form N-400 you're referring to are: 1) "Have you ever failed to file a required federal, state or local tax return?" -- and 2) "Do you owe any federal, state or local taxes that are overdue?"

If they weren't required to file, then they didn't fail to file, and consequently, they don't owe any overdue tax.

See http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Do-You-Need-to-File-a-Federal-Income-Tax-Return%3F for a more complete guide to IRS filing requirements. You can click yes or no at the bottom to proceed through the wizard.

I don't know if they should have filed despite their non-existent income, perhaps due to other circumstances (which the above link would help them figure out), but presuming they didn't need to file, then in my opinion they should just explain that they had no income and were not required to file (if they have proof, all the better).

Alternatively, you can always file a tax return for past years just for the sake of filing, if you're worried that USCIS will demand it even in the absence of a requirement to file. If you weren't required to file, you'll just be wasting the time of one arm of the government just to satisfy another arm.

January 23, 2014

Say yes to the question and explain what happened.

No, it won't have any effect on your application for citizenship.

January 23, 2014

No need to lawyer up here. I agree with the above answers.

Let me emphasize that it is critical that he comes back before one year has passed from the date he left, or his status as a permanent resident can be revoked.

January 22, 2014

I'm not sure what information you are looking for, but if you just wanted to know what the code means, a simple Google search would have provided you with the answer: http://www.cilawgroup.com/news/2010/09/15/asc-biometrics-notice-codes/

It has nothing to do with processing times.

Were you looking for something more?

January 22, 2014

That should be alright. Keep in mind one of the requirements when applying for citizenship based on the 3-year rule, you have to have 18 months of physical presence in the USA. A total of 9 to 11 months, like you said, should leave you well within those limits.

January 22, 2014

They only care about your trips outside of the US since you became a permanent resident (look up the exact date on your green card).

January 21, 2014

It's OK to have 180 days outside of the US in a period of 3 years (like if you went on vacation trips for a few weeks at a time here and there which totaled 180 days over a period of 3 years). What you want to avoid is trips of 6 months or more, like leaving the country in January and not coming back until 6+ months later.

It's technically OK to do that, but there are special considerations.

Read part C of http://www.uscis.gov/policymanual/HTML/PolicyManual-Volume12-PartD-Chapter3.html to get a better understanding.

And before you make a mistake which a lot of people do, it's not OK to leave for almost-but-not-quite-6 months, come back for a week, and leave again for almost-but-not-quite-6 months. USCIS may consider that one long trip of a little under 12 months instead of two trips of a little under 6 months.

January 21, 2014

Did you get a 2-year green card or a 10-year green card? Check the expiration date.

If it's a 2-year green card, you need to worry about Removal of Conditions before citizenship.

http://www.uscis.gov/i-751

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/86-removing-conditions-on-residency-general-discussion/

ROC is an extremely important process and USCIS does not remind you to apply for it -- and if you do not apply for it at the right time, your green card can and will be revoked.

But as far as citizenship is concerned, it's relatively easy. If applying on the basis of being married to a US citizen (the "3-year rule"), you can apply within the 90 days preceding the 3rd anniversary of your becoming a permanent resident (the date on your green card next to "resident since").

Make sure you file your federal taxes each year, make sure you don't leave the country for more than 6 months. There are other requirements of course.

You should read USCIS publication M-476, A Guide to Naturalization -- http://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/citizenship-through-naturalization/guide-naturalization

You can also review the eligibility worksheet by going to http://www.uscis.gov/n-400 and clicking on "Document Checklist, Current Fees, Naturalization Eligibility Worksheet". The worksheet is very useful.

As for your taxes, well, this is an immigration forum. To be clear though, when it comes to applying for US citizenship, it doesn't matter how much you pay in taxes, so long as you filed your taxes.

I really have no idea how LPRs getting income from international scholarships are taxed, but you could go to some place such as H&R Block and ask for advice.

January 21, 2014

No, getting married has no effect on your application for naturalization. However if you're not married at the time you send in your forms but are married at the time of your interview, you will have to mention it to USCIS.

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