Talo

46 minutes ago, JMPM said:

Congratulations! 

 

I can't wait for my wife to finish. Lol. She will be getting her passport immediately too. I want to send her to the Philippines so her family can meet our daughter. We had planned on January but with n400 moving fast we didn't want to risk getting an appointment while being there. 

Good luck!

13 minutes ago, kiwirst said:

Congratulations, that's awesome news considering the weather and potential impacts that could have caused.

Agreed! Passport appointment is tomorrow and international trip on March 22. Hopefully passport will be here in time.

FYI, for anyone not being able to find a passport appointment, I recommend Adam's county in Brighton. After trying several sites, this is the only one that had appointment available online. 

1 hour ago, JMPM said:

Yea for sure but psychologically it was terror lol. We are excited she's going to hit those flash cards hard now even though she's pretty on point averaging 98-97/100 correct. So she should have no issues answering the first 6 questions off the bat. 

 

 

@Talo was it closed?

Hey guys, it was actually open and everything went great!!

Here is my experience:

Lots of people in line (I think there was an oath ceremony scheduled). Went through security, checked in, and waited on 2nd floor. I waited for about 10 minutes and they called my name.

Since I was applying on 3 year rule through marriage, my wife was with me. The officer asked her to wait while we did the interview.

The officer was SUPER nice. She swore me in, asked me for letter of appointment, green card, and state ID, and we started with the test:

- We elect president for how many years?
- Who wrote the declaration of independence?
- Name 3 states that were part of the 13 original colonies
- Name your governor
- How many amendments does the constitution have?
- What movement tried to end racial discrimination

Then we moved to reading and writing. "How many senators do we have" (reading). We have 100 Senators (writing).

She said that she reviewed the online documents and everything looked good. She did not ask me for any physical papers. I uploaded tax returns, evidence of marriage (joint accounts, joint car purchase), and her U.S passport as proof of citizenship.

After that, she asked me the N400 questions (when did you guys get married, your wife's birthdate, where do you live now, where did you live in the past, what do you do for work, what does she do for work,  are you willing to bear arms if required by law, etc).

She asked me if I had any trips planned, and If I wanted to do the oath ceremony then, which I agreed to. She waited for a bit while her admin approved me, and then went over the oath of allegiance in the office.

After that, I waited for 5 more minutes in the waiting room and she came back with the certificate (and the tiny flag :D), so I am now officially a US citizen!!!

35 minutes ago, kiwirst said:

Fingers crossed for you. Whatever happens it's going to be stressful, either waiting for a reschedule or having to travel during the weather, not fun.

Thanks! Yes, I guess nothing that I can do in either case. Just fingers crossed and leave home early for the drive if it doesn't get cancelled.

Hi all, freaking out a bit here. My interview is scheduled for tomorrow and I have a trip in late March. After struggling a lot with finding passport appointments, I was able to find one for Wednesday, so everything seemed to worked out in the end.

However I read in USCIS webpage that their offices close due to inclement weather, and there is a storm expected between tonight and tomorrow. Any thoughts? Does anyone know if Centennial typically closes due to weather?

Thank you all for helping! We were truthful when getting married here and told the officer exactly what happened, and we were also following the DMVs suggestions, but It's great to know about all of these nuances in case it comes up at the interview. This is very helpful!

5 hours ago, Mike E said:

In what  state of the USA did this happen?

Colorado

18 minutes ago, OldUser said:

Unless you provided USCIS with invalid marriage certificate from the US or used that date in any paperwork for them, you should be totally fine.

 

When you were applying for marriage license in the US, why did you put "single" in your marital status when you were married?

 

Good luck with the interview and make sure to be truthful in any other paperwork moving forward to avoid any issues in life an with law.

I don't think I put single when I married in the US. I actually remember telling the official that married us that we were already married in Argentina. My wife had changed her last name in all her documents (passport, credit cards, etc) but the DMV didn't want to accept our Argentina marriage to change her driver's license.

Thank you both! It sounds like I answered both correctly then

Hi all,

I'm waiting for my naturalization interview next week (very excited and nervous!). I was just reviewing my N400 application an have two questions. I am worried that I may incorrectly answered these:

- There are three questions regarding being removed, excluded, or deported from the US, which I answered as "no". However, I do have a denied tourist visa. Would this count as removed, excluded or deported?

- My wife and I got married in 2015 in Argentina. This is the marriage that I listed when I applied for my green card and that I listed in the N400. However, in 2020 we also got married in the US. For question "How many times have you been married (including annulled marriages, marriages to other people, and marriages to the same person). I only said 1 marriage, since we didn't divorce or got or anything between the two. Should I say 2 here?

Thanks!

12 hours ago, Lil bear said:

Easy done. No need to remember. Carry a printed list with you to the interview . I compiled on in preparation  for filling oit the N400

Great idea! Thanks!

17 minutes ago, TriniGirl2 said:

Is your interview in nebraska? 

No. Denver

7 minutes ago, TriniGirl2 said:

Yes... you need to remember. I was asked those questions

 

Thanks! I am really bad at dates, but knowing this, I will study my application before going. 

Hey guys,

I was just watching some youtube videos with mock interviews and in one of them the "officer" asked questions about dates and numbers that I probably don't remember exactly. 

e.g: "Tell me the dates for your last trip", or "How many total days did you spend outside of the US during the last 3 years?".

I know that these are part of the N-400 form but are we supposed to remember those by memory? Of course I can remember months of my trips and roughly how much time I spent, but not the exact dates.

Thanks

Good luck Catseal!

I've heard that some USCIS locations have a state department representative that takes passport applications at the oath ceremony. Does anyone know if this is true for Denver?

6 hours ago, JMPM said:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies/colorado.html

I think you can get it faster. If you can show travel within 14 days. 

Hey also when did you file your N400? There's no much data on Denver seems like no one fills out their timeline  

You are right, it seems like they have that option as well. Not sure if I should not submit the expedited request, and wait until I am 14 days from the trip. I guess I will ask the person at USCIS what they recommend.

Sorry about that, I tend to update once everything is complete, but it is most useful for other people if I do it in real time. Just updated my timeline, submitted my N400 October 1st 2022.

Hi all, I have my interview in Centennial on Feb 15th! Super excited about it. Will update everyone after it's done.

 I would like to do the same day oath if possible, but I have an international trip on March 22 (so exactly 5 weeks from the interview).

Do you think that this would be enough to get my passport? Or should I reject the same oath and ask for it to be scheduled after the trip?

Just looked at the travel state and it looks like there is an expedited option up to 5 weeks. Not sure if it would be cutting it too short.

Thanks!

49 minutes ago, da95826 said:

You should order a new copy; you should be able to oder a certified copy of the jurisdiction your spouse is born in, most likely online. The interviewing officer may require you to get a birth certificate. A US passport may work, but it may not work if does not prove your spouse has been a US citizen for more than 3 years (new passport).

 

Copy of Tax transcripts are good as downloaded from IRS website, no need to get certified copy of tax transcripts. 

 

Yes, if you can, there is a small chance the IO may want to talk to her, it could be helpful. Most likely they will not be called into the naturalization interview, but it looks better to have the officer see your spouse is there.

 

***Submit proof you have been living with your spouse for the last 3 years...

The one thing I am not seeing listed in your case is evidence that you have been cohabiting with your US citizen spouse for the previous 3 years, evidence like joint tax returns, copies state ID with same address, photos together, joint lease/joint mortgage, proof of travel together, letters address to common address, w2/1099 last 3 year showing common address and so on. In addition to continuous residency for the past 3 years you also need to prove you have been living with your spouse at your home address for the past 3 years also. 

 

 

Yes, you may have an issue with international travel in March 2023. One you take your Oath you are a US citizen your green card becomes invalid (USCIS will take your GC). You will need a US passport to travel outside the USA which will take 6 weeks or so unless expedited.

Thank you both! Yes, I do have evidence of living together. Thank you!

Hi all,

I got my naturalization interview scheduled for next month and I am trying to make sure that I have everything that I need. I did some online research but still have a couple of questions:

Just to provide additional context: My wife is American by birth and we got married in 2015. I got a green card 3 years ago and I applied for naturalization based on the 3 year rule.

- Certified tax returns? I downloaded my tax returns from IRS website, but some webpages say that this is not enough and that you need a "Certified copy" that you need to request by mail. Did anyone need this? Or does the one downloaded from their website work?

- We are having some trouble finding my wife's birth certificate. Would bringing her American passport be good enough to prove her citizenship?

- Should I brin my wife to the interview? The letter only mentions translator and lawyers, but some info online says that I should bring my wife, and others say that she will not be allowed in the building. Any thoughts?

- My appointment is Feb 15, and I travel internationally on March 22. Will I have problems re-entering the country? Not sure how long do thing take, or if they take my green card away when becoming a citizen.

Thank you in advance!

13 hours ago, Sebat4 said:

You can also sign a new lease (contract) and request to change the wording that will say it's a month-to-month contract. We had done that at our old place, and we also had a note there saying that we can cancel our lease without breaching lease (contract) agreement with 30 days notice to our landlord that we will be moving. I would sign a new lease. Lease protects you from landlord kicking you out when someone shows up and will pay little more. 

Thanks! I'll talk to my manager to get that set up

Thanks! I didn't know that this was common in the US

Hi all!

A year ago, I got my green card through marriage and since then I moved to the US and have been living with my wife. I am thinking ahead of time for when I can apply for citizenship. We rent an appartment and our contract is about to expire. The manager suggested that instead of signing another contract we could just keep paying rent on a month to month basis. I don't really know what this means of if this is legal. Do you think that this would pose a problem when proving that we actually lived together? Since we won't have a contract? Are letters mailed to the same address, pictures, chats, etc enough?

Thank you!

Hi all! I received my green card yesterday!!! 😁

12/21 Entered the US

12/24 Showing "Received application"

3/11 Showing "Received application" but date changed from 24/12 to 3/11
3/13 Showing "Green card produced"
3/16 Got Green card in mail

7 minutes ago, GoodbyeArgentina said:

Hi Talo!! I entered the country as well with no credit history at all. I started with a secured credit card my local bank was able to offer me. As a previous poster said, use it carefully and pay on time. Just four months later I was offered a regular credit card with a small credit line and no fees. That will help me a lot to start building my credit!

As for the car, unfortunately I had to pay cash for it. 

Thanks! I will get my first payment at the end of the month so I'll get one of those as soon as I can!

3 hours ago, Poseidon1212 said:

Some other general tips to build a credit score is to become an authorised user on your wife's credit cards (and even see if you can get on her car loan) assuming she has a good history and score, typically some of that score will carry over to you (it might take a billing cycle or two). Secondly try to get a secured credit card (at a credit union) to build up a score. Either way these are general suggestions that won't yield results until after a month or three.

Awesome! Great advice. Allthough it might take a couple of months it will be good to build credit score, beyond getting the car.