El Escocés

Part 12, question 22 of the N-400 form asks applicants if you have ever committed or attempted to commit a crime or "offense," and not paying an MTA fare is a civil offense.  So you should answer yes and be ready in the interview to give the explanation of what it was and that you paid the fine.  Honesty is required on these forms, you sign it "under penalty of perjury" that everything on it is "complete, true, and correct."  The interviewing officer will be impressed by your honesty, so definitely disclose everything.  They may not even ask you about it since you were not arrested.  Good luck with the N-400 process!

After spending a few thousand dollars on my green card, and having had a few sleepless nights wondering if I’ll ever get it, if there was a way to preserve my status, maybe via the path suggested by @HRQX, I’d try that before giving up my GC and having to start again down the road. 

After spending a few thousand dollars on my green card, and having had a few sleepless nights wondering if I’ll ever get it, if there was a way to preserve my status, maybe via the path suggested by @HRQX, I’d try that before giving up my GC and having to start again down the road. 

Would she want to eventually naturalize? If so, look into Form N-470 (Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes) process: https://www.uscis.gov/n-470
“Certain employment purposes” includes working for:
The U.S. government. An entity that is currently recognized by USCIS as an American institution of research. An American firm or corporation (or a subsidiary of that firm or corporation) where you engage in developing the foreign trade and commerce of the United States. An American firm or corporation engaged in the development of foreign trade and commerce of the United States, where you protect the property rights outside the United States of that American firm or corporation. A public international organization of which the United States is a member by treaty or statute. A denomination or mission that has a bona fide organization in the United States in which you perform ministerial or priestly functions or your sole role is a clergyman or clergywoman, missionary, brother, nun, or sister. https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/n-470instr.pdf
You should file this application if you meet all of the requirements below:
You must have been physically present and residing in the United States for an uninterrupted period, without any absences, for at least one year after your admission as a lawful permanent resident (except religious workers); You will be absent from the United States for one year or more; You have qualifying employment in a specific job with the U.S. Government, private sector, or religious organization; and You want to preserve your continuous residence for naturalization purposes.  
 
Also to explore a different potential alternative: Where do you currently work at/for? There is a specific exemption provision for "Spouses of U.S. Citizens Employed Abroad." https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-12-part-g-chapter-4
Qualifying employment abroad means to be under employment contract or orders and to assume the duties of employment in any of following entities or positions:[12]
Government of the United States (including the U.S. armed forces);
American institution of research recognized as such by the Attorney General;[13]
American firm or corporation engaged in whole or in part in the development of foreign trade and commerce of the United States, or a subsidiary thereof;
Public international organization in which the United States participates by treaty or statute;[14]
Authorized to perform the ministerial or priestly functions of a religious denomination having a bona fide organization within the United States; or
Engaged solely as a missionary by a religious denomination or by an interdenominational mission organization having a bona fide organization within the United States.

Good morning, 👋🏼did you get up early or did you stay up late to begin your clean up duties?

That’s me. I forgot to ask for expedited shipping but did ask for expedited processing. My passport timeline is in my signature and our application was sent on a Thursday before a July 4th weekend 

That’s me. I forgot to ask for expedited shipping but did ask for expedited processing. My passport timeline is in my signature and our application was sent on a Thursday before a July 4th weekend 

They want to have a baby in the US because they think that will speed up the immigration process?

Such a great feeling!
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Thread is moved from the main US Citizenship forum to the Case Progress subforum.

I had my both citizenship and oath ceremony today at Baltimore field office. It was an emotional experience.
 
Interviewing officer was super super nice. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts here, I had a complex immigration history spanning over 20 years. She was very sympathetic towards me. Interview went very well. She jokingly said, that she does not want me see deal with USCIS any more, she will schedule the oath the same day.
 
Thank you very much all here for all your support. And good luck.

Update: Got done with naturalization! Process was easy and straightforward. I also had ROC application pending so that had to be adjudicated prior to N400. 
 
First of all, IO asked to see the itinerary and made sure departure date is within 45 days of the interview
 
ROC itself was pretty easy. Just basic questions about marriage (how we met, where we live, latest tax returns and if I'd like to add anything else to the evidence and that was about it) and was approved. IO may be just doing stuff on the computer so don't be alarmed if you feel they're not attentive or interacting with you enough.
 
Then proceeded to N400 civics, reading and writing. At the end of it, IO made sure to tell me 319b entails I stay with my spouse for the whole time of their assignment. Then, I signed a few things on the tablet and was told I passed and the application would be approved. I was given same day oath ceremony which was within a few hours. If your interview is on a Monday you may be asked to come back for oath the next day.
 
To be honest, we chatted a lot of about other random stuff in between and that made me feel more comfortable at the interview.
 
Few things to note:
 
- At the check in desk downstairs, they may not be able to find your name or may be confused. Tell them you're under military (even if you're just 319b and not necessarily military) and they should be able to figure it out or the supervisor will point it out to them. Obviously if they find your name then no need to mention military or anything. Same at the check in desk upstairs. 
 
- Second thing: Don't worry if others who came in after you are done or called in before you are. That's because there is only 1 officer handling 319b/military cases (At least on the day I was interviewing) and other people are under non 319b cases. I had to wait for about 30-45 minutes before I was called in. 
 
Oath ceremony was very quick. No guests are allowed due to covid which is understandable.
 
And that was it. I am now a US citizen and no longer have to deal with USCIS!  Overall experience with the IO: 10/10. He was excellent and very helpful  🥳
 
Good luck to you all!
 

Done with citizenship
Filed July 30, 2020
Biometric june 14, 2021
Interview  july 28, 2021
Oath  August 17, 2021.
Thanks everyone.  Wish you all the best

Congratulations.  Send your passports.  Time to celebrate after you receive the visa and check it for error.  Have a safe and enjoyable trip to the US...

I want to give an account of my experience in case it helps others looking to apply.
 
I'm a US citizen and my wife is a Nigerian citizen. My baby was born in November 2020 in Nigeria. I started gathering information from the American Citizen Services of my local US Consulate in January 2021. It was very detailed and self explanatory. There required me to fill out some forms and send it along with some supporting documents via email.
 
The forms I filled were the  DS-2029 (CRBA application), DS-5507 (affidavit of physical presence and parentage), and DS-11 (passport application) but I didn't sign them. You are only allowed to sign them in front of a consular officer.
 
Documents I submitted were:
 
- Original government issued birth certificate, evidence of my US citizenship (current and expired US passport and naturalization certificate)
 
- Passport/identification document for my wife (her Nigerian passport and driver's license)
 
- Evidence of physical presence in the US (this was a bit tricky for me because I didn't have much of my tax papers which I left back in the US. I submitted the few tax papers I had plus my passport stamps, college degree, Social Security Statement from www.ssa.gov, you can also obtain your IRS transcript which shows your tax history. Just Google "Get IRS transcript") You can also submit hospital records, utility bills etc.
 
- Parents' marriage certificate, if applicable (I submitted my government issued marriage certificate).
 
- Other proof of parents' relationship (I submitted a bunch of pictures of my wife and I together before we got married, our wedding, after we got married).
 
- Prenatal records and other evidence of mother's pregnancy (I submitted ultrasound scans, hospital receipts, hospital records, pictures during her pregnancy, and after her pregnancy).
 
- Evidence of parent's location at time of conception (passport stamps were sufficient).
 
That's all I sent via email. I got denied twice. They asked for notarization of the DS-5507. I had to call the office several times for clarification between February and June. I often got inconsistent or vague answers or no response until I finally got through to someone in June who said I don't need notarization unless one parent wouldn't be attending the appointment. She scheduled me for an appointment in August.
 
All I needed to do was bring the original copies of the documents I emailed above and one photocopy of each. It was honestly time consuming and stressful for me making sure everything was in order.
 
On the day of the appointment, we showed up two hours early, waited a while before being called into the building. A lady called us to the counter, asked for our appointment letter then original copies of the documents before requesting for the photocopies. She went through them and was satisfied. She directed us to another window to pay. I paid and waited.
 
About 20 minutes later, another lady called me up to the counter. She said everything was okay but it would be more helpful if I could provide my transcript. I told her I didn't have it in person because I left it back in America. However, I had it on my phone. She said I could email it to them and they'll print it. I emailed it, they checked it and were satisfied.
 
She asked me a few questions like how my baby was conceived and how long I had been out of the United States. She asked to see our pictures again and asked my wife some questions like her travel history to the United States, when we met, how we met, when we got married, and other basic relationship questions. She was satisfied with the answers and said she'll be granting the CRBA and passport. It will be ready for pickup in 4 to 5 weeks. I asked about applying for SSN and she gave me a paper containing instructions. She told me the SS card could only arrive at a US address though.
 
I was really happy with the successful application but I don't think I'll be going through this route anymore. I will rather have my next child delivered in the US to avoid this amount of work. Although, I heard it's usually easier after your first child since they'll have your records and documents on file and you can pretty much use the same documents to apply.
 
If you have any questions, feel free to ask or PM me .

Well done!

**One post removed fro TOS violation. It is against the TOS to instruct others to break the law.**
 
VJ Moderation

Filing for the N600 is fairly expensive and not really necessary just to get a naturalization certificate.  Just apply for a US Passport for the minor child.

And now the dust settles. 
 
1:30pm, August 19th 2021, I got the PP. 
Gonna cancel my ACS appointment. 

 

Awesome. I’ll get there one day

Team,
 
I just got my PP. I am officially done with USCIS.
 
 

I read your comments, mack.
 
Are you talking about processing times at particular US consulates, embassies or USCIS service centers?   More info helps people understand what you are trying to ask about.
 

Take a look at this list of states and their laws concerning marriages between cousins. It's a lot more complicated than you might think:
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cousin_marriage_law_in_the_United_States
 

Just had my combo interview today and everything went smooth. The officer said i should expect to receive my letter for oath ceremony in 2-4 weeks time. My online status for both of my cases has not changed though. Does anybody know how long it usually takes to update after interview? Is there anything to worry about if it doesn’t?

This has been the fasted part of my journey.  I submitted my N400 form online on June 2nd and received my NOA later that same week. I then received my interview notice in July scheduled for August 16th so likely I had about 3 weeks to prepare for the Questions and upon my arrival for the interview at the Baltimore office I went through security and checked in and waited for about 20 minutes to be called.  The Officer was pleasant apologized for keeping me waiting.  He asked to see my Green Card and he explained the process. 
1 - He asked me who George Washington was ( I answered, he was the first president) 
2 - he asked me to write down on a piece of paper George Washington was the first president of United States
 
Then he explained that he will be leaving the room to conduct the rest of the interview on virtual as we communicate through the tablet. 
 
- For the Civic question: 
  1 Name the US War between the North and the South 
  2 -What did Martin Luther King Jr Do 
  3 - What did Susan B Anthony do?
  4 - When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms 
  5 - What is freedom of religion?
  6 - Why does the flag have 50 stars
 
Then he said I passed and he asked some questions on my application form: 
- Do you have a job and I said yes and he asked me where I worked and I told him and he agreed and says oh yes I see it here 
- DO you have children - I said yes two a boy and a girl
- Do you pay taxes - Yes 
 
He proceed to asks like 4-5 more of the yes or no questions.  
 
Then he said congratulations you have passed and your oath ceremony is scheduled at 3:30 today.  
So he came back to the room gave me the paperwork and I went out of the building and came  back 15 minutes earlier and was let in.  There were about 20-25 people for the ceremony and once done was  done by 4 and very smoothly, I left out of there with my naturalization certificate.
 
BTW - Please do bring with all the green cards you ever had so they can take it off you.  I have to post my conditional one as I did not have it with me only current 10 years one. 
 
This by far has been the easiest part of the process.
 
 
 

That's how mine was. Here's a recap:

Sent application via USPS on June 15.
Check cashed and application received on June 22.
Application approved on July 22.
Received my passport book on July 24. 
Received my passport card on July 26.
Received my certificate back on August 13..