sakura888

This thread link may help you find the answer to your question:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...=209247&hl=

Based on this thread, the answer is: You are eligible to apply for naturalization 90 days prior to the date you became an LPR (that date is specified on your greencard).

I didnt apply 90 days prior to the date I was admitted to the US as LPR, I waited for the full 3 years. But a lot of people here in VJ had submitted their N400 90 days prior to the 3rd anniversay of their residency and their applications went just fine.

Anyone can correct me if I'm wrong on this.

Thanks guys.

Phl_nov08, I live in VA. I dont even know if that matters to them. Anyway, I will check as AntandD said that she will nofify NY DMV, maybe VA has that rule too.

NickD, WE ARE ON THE SAME PAGE WHEN IT COMES TO THESE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES!!! I am praying for a smarter SSA officer when I go to their office and update my status. I'm also praying for a smarter passport officer when I go there to apply for a passport.

We have had some people at the oath ceremony that didnt make it clear on how to sign the certificate and after we signed it, then they told us that "you should have signed it this way and not that way!" How could they expect everyone to know that? They should have briefed all of the new citizens on how to sign their signatures before they made them do so. That's a smarter way to do it instead of telling the confused new citizens what they did wrong after they already committed the mistake. But nah, none of them thought of that. They said we can always order a new/replacement of the certificate which costs around 500 dollars. AND THEY ARE NOT KIDDING.

Thanks guys.

You're right Stella. It doesnt make any sense to get that "receipt". How could it help trace where the certificate got lost if ever.

I also asked this because of the signature I made on my naturalization certificate. The clerk of court INSISTED that I write my full name and not my regular signature. I was telling her that my signature on the certificate should match my signature on my photo which the AO made me sign on my interview day. But she wont botch, she said SIGN YOUR FULL NAME, YOUR SIGNATURE! So I thought that she wanted me to write my full name in capital letters and sign my regular signature over it. But after I wrote my full name in capital letters, she said "OK, THAT'S IT, WE WILL HAND YOUR CERTICATE OVER TO YOU AT THE CEREMONY PROPER". And took my naturalization certificate. So now I had two different signatures on my naturalization certificate. One in my regular signature and one in capital letters.

I saw other people there at the ceremony that had their regular signature on the certificate and I got all the more confused, so I asked the USCIS officer after the oath if it does matter. He told me that my signature on my certificate should closely match my signature on the photo, and it is clear that they dont closely match. So I asked him, what can I do about it? He said, "at this point, you cant do anything else. I wouldnt be bothered by it if I were you, but I'm just telling you that that is the rule. If you want your signatures to match, you can request for a replacement which costs around 500 dollars"...

That makes me really annoyed! Why didnt they gave the clerk of court the CORRECT INSTRUCTIONS? And why did they have to have the certificate signed BEFORE the oath and then explain it later how one should sign the certificate? They should have had the new citizens briefed on how to sign their signatures before they made them sign the certificate. Argh, this really made me pissed off.

Anyways, I hope that the passport processing officer is not stupid enough to make it a big deal and let me get a passport without a pain. I just want to get done with all of these things. I'm also praying for a non-stupid officer at the SSA office. Gosh, dealing with incompetence is really annoying.

What is also disappointing to me is that a naturalized citizen can only have ONE original copy of the naturalization certificate. Whereas natural born citizens can always request for multiple copies of their birth certificates.

Even if you have a US passport, it is an added peace of mind that you have an extra copy of your naturalization certificate, in case your passport got lost or stolen. At least, while your naturalization certificate is out there with the thousands of mails in the post office bin, you still have a proof with you that you are indeed a United States Citizen.

If this is the only proof that we are now USC's, how hard or easy is it to get a replacement certificate in case of loss? Getting a copy of a natural born USC birth certificate is quick and easy, I just wonder how long is it going to be with the naturalized USC's to get a certificate replacement?

Thanks.

Hi guys,

I just had my oath ceremony (at last!) and I'm wondering if I have to go to DMV to update my information. I know that I will have to go to SSA office and get a passport, but I havent read anything here about updating my DMV information. What else is next after oath, SSA and passport?

Thanks a bunch.

Thanks a lot guys!

I didnt travel outside of the US after my interview, nor got arrested for anything, never been... I've never been out of the country since I became permanent resident, so I guess the only things that apply to me are the oath letter and the greencard... but I will bring my foreign passport with me, JUST in case.

Whew! I'm so excited already! Never mind that they didnt give me enough time to straighten out my schedule before the ceremony. I got the letter one week before the actual date. But oh well, I just thank God that I finally have an oath date.

Thanks again guys!

I got the oath letter today!!!

At last, 2 plus months after my interview, it is finally here.

I have a question though, aside from your greencard, what else did you bring that maybe needed in the ceremony? I saw a box that is marked with an X which says to bring "Any immigration documents you may have"... does it mean I have to bring my original files? Or anything in particular?

Thanks a lot.

I'm glad you're done with this whole thing my friend. Here I am, still waiting for my oath letter after a month and a half. We both filed in July 2008 and it seems like I'm the only one left from the batch without citizenship yet. Oh well, time to practice more patience...

Congratulations to you my friend! And I wish you goodluck on your upcoming career as a govt employee! Wooohooo!

One thing you should have learned by now, as you are already on the last part of the USCIS journey, the word "wait" is inevitable

I'm on my 9th month and I'm still on this journey.

I wish you the best too. I wish you get your oath letter soon.

I already sent two photos do I need 2 more???

Now I am getting all stressed out about what I need to take

I will bring extra pictures if I were you. I doesnt hurt to have something ready just in case the needs arise. Sometimes, they reject the picture you sent with your application for so many reasons (head too big, pic too grainy, not the right measurement etc)..

Congratulations KatlovM!!!

Congratulations to both of you!!!

It makes me sooo happy each time I get to read that someone gets a letter that brings him/her closer to the end of this USCIS journey

Congratulations, KyngSilva!!! I'm so glad you are about to "graduate"! hahaha! I couldnt be happier for you! Your hard work and persistence inspire people here

Now, I cant wait for that oath letter of mine to arrive in the mail

Believe it or not, I memorized all the answers. You can ask me what are the 22 Indian tribes in the US and I can give you the 22 answers... I really did my best to memorize all of them because I didnt want to be taken by surprise. You'll never know who your AO will be and what type of personality does he/she have. Believe me, they can ask you anything they want and you are obliged to give the correct answers. You cant reason out saying "but it says in the booklet to give just one answer..."

Better be safe than sorry... since I filed before October 1 2008, I knew I could be given a choice to take the old or the new exam. Given the chance to choose, of course I will choose the old test. But to be on the safe side, I studied both the old and the new test, just in case my AO wouldnt give me a chance to choose. Fair enough, that's what happened. He didnt give me a chance to choose. He just asked questions right away... from the old test. Can you imagine my worries if I didnt study the old test and just hoped that the AO will give me the chance to choose the new test? I know that there isnt much of a big difference between the 2 exams, but I could have been very unlucky if I didnt study the old test and all of the questions asked by the AO were the ones eliminated from the new test. My AO even asked me to give the 2 senators from my state, not just one. I know that you're asking about the new test, but my point is, you can never be sure of what the AO will ask you. Sometimes, they ask stuff from the booklet that are not even highlighted as questions. I guess it depends on their mood. Did I regret studying both the old and the new test? or regret memorizing all of them? No. Because during the interview, I was confident that I am prepared for any questions the AO would ask me... and that made me less nervous.

KyngSilva, that's great news. If I may ask, how did you file a report? Because I tried with mine by calling the USCIS/NBC hotline number when my application was pending for almost 8mos awaiting interview schedule, and yet, each time I called them up and tried to file a service request, I was turned down, telling me to wait for 120 days. 130 days have passed and so on, each time I called them, I get the same answer. No one from the USCIS reps filed a service request on my behalf. So how did you file yours? Thru what channel? I'm asking just in case...

I agree to that. USCIS people give you conflicting answers most of the time. Which is really annoying. I hope you get that oath letter soon. By the way, how did they know your email address?

Since they said that your oath letter was sent March 31st, maybe they just did it because they got a call from your senator's rep? Otherwise, you will not be included in that oath schedule? I dont know, I'm just guessing, because sometimes, these USCIS people need some "hammering" before they consider working on your case.

It's really good to have someone from the public office working on your case. I have no idea what to do to make our congressman or senators' people to work on mine. I guess I have to wait again, just like what I did before. [sigh]

Congratulations KatLovM! I am so excited for you to finally be able to cross the finish line!

KyngSilva, oh my god, I dont know if I will be happy for you or I will be angry at USCIS. That doesnt seem right. I know that it's good news that you finally have some information on your case and that you have a projected date to wait for, but still... oh, well... July??? That is 7 months since you had your interview! Even June seems like unacceptable. But oh well, what can we do?

Gosh I cant wait to receive that oath letter!

Thanks to both of you, David and KyngSilva. I just hope and pray that whatever the AO told me is TRUE! I hope I get my naturalization certificate with the exact and same name format as I do have on my greencard.

Ah seems like a month has already passed since my interview when it has only been 5 days! The wait for that oath letter makes it seem like forever already.

How about you KyngSilva? Any news on your oath date? Heard from the Senator's rep yet?

Thanks.

Oh, I see. Thanks david.

I was just wondering if I need to do the same (go to clerk of court and file petition), when:

1) the AO already had me signed papers for the petition of namechange (I dont know if they will hand me a piece of paper that officially says my name has been changed during the oath)

2) Our marriage took place in my home country, not here in the US. That's why my name on my foreign passport already reads like this: "First Name + Maiden last name + Husband's last name". On my greencard, SScard, DL, my immigration petition papers and all of our US pertinent documents and papers, my name reads like that. I was explaining to the AO that even before I was petitioned by my husband, my name has been LEGALLY changed to that form thru the power of the judge who married us back in my home country. Therefore, before I even set foot in the US as an immigrant, my name has already been like that, LEGALLY.

All of my petition papers bear the same name. The Consul who interviewed me for my CR1 visa had no problems with it. But this AO during the N400 interview said that they base the name on birth certificate of the applicant. To which I was in complete disagreement because the US has no power to invalidate what was legally transpired in other countries which they dont have the power over. But the AO wont budge! He said I need not do anything else but sign the papers he has prepared for me and the judge will make it final during the oath. I just dont know if the papers he had me signed were like that of the name change petition form you attached and that it will go thru the same procedure as your wife's did.

Last question:

So after you have your naturalization certificate and the signed court order showing your legal name as desired, you can go to the SSA office and register as a US Citizen. This is by far the easiest way to handle it; otherwise you may encounter problems when getting your passport, driver license renewal, etc - not to mention other legal documents like property or auto title, bank accounts, etc.

In your opinion (or knowledge), what could be the problem that one might encounter with all the things mentioned if that person didnt go thru all that name change petition procedure with the clerk of court, even if that person's naturalization certificate, DL, SS, titles, bank accts etc, are all under the name that he/she has already been legally using even before becoming an immigrant?

Thanks a bunch, David

Congratulations davidanhhong! Finally!

Did the AO tell you to go to court for the name change or you just decided that it's best to do that? As the AO explained to me, I dont need to do any further steps for me to be able to use my maiden last name as my middle name now that I'm married. He said the judge will make it legal and final for me during the oath.

Anyways, all of us could use a little vacation after all this. I hope that the rest of us could get to the finish line very soon!

Addition to my last post:

Just click on the tabs that say CIVICS DICTATION and USUAL DICTATION for the english test.

No need to enroll in a class. You can go to this site to study online http://www.passcitizenshipexam.com/

What is good about that site is, you can choose to set the questions in random order, you can play the question and the answer for you to hear them on your speaker (it is a good practice to hear how words are pronounced) or you can click on the flashcards if you want to just read the questions.

Both the old and the new tests are there. The English exam is also available on this site. If you click on an item, the sentence will be played and you can practice writing these sentences on the spaces provided and click on the HINT box to see if you got it correctly.

I would guess that, it depends on the AO who will be assigned to you. There are some really strict AO's. Some really take their time when they interview applicants, but some just breeze thru the procedure just like the standard way. I came early for my interview so I saw that some people came out of the AO's office in 15 to 20mins, I saw a few who had been inside for quite some time, more than half an hour, you might wonder what went on inside, right?

My AO asked questions straight from the reviewer. Pretty easy if you studied. But some questions could be tricky. But I have heard from some applicants in the waiting room that they were asked some surprised questions about american history (which is also included in the booklet but not highlighted as a question), and I even read postings of some members here that they had the same experience. But the good news is, you only have to answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly. Better come prepared, that's all I can say.

Hi so2008, in an overview, what is an A-file issue if it is okay to ask? Thanks.