Veggie3

Yes, since all US passports are biometric now, I guess they can do that (and for immigrants they collected that data already in the visa/GC stage). Does this face recognition software work immediately, though? What if a "bad apple" takes the risk and goes into that line (even if not USC or GC holder), can the system stop them in time before they enter the country? I hope it's not a security loophole.

I have a question that is not immigration-related but rather about border control procedure. I'm a US citizen for over 2.5 years now, and never experienced such a thing when returning to the US: last Friday, when I returned from a few weeks abroad, my POE was LAX. As I proceeded to passport control (I don't have Global Entry), I was asked if I'm a USC and directed to that specific line. Then when I came to officer, she did not ask to see my passport, but just took my picture and wished me a good day. I never had to show my passport, or even take it out of its sleeve. Did something like that happen to you? I read somewhere that CBP had a contactless pilot at LAX during COVID, but this is the first time, even as a USC, that I did not need even to show my passport (not even its cover).

Each state has its idiosyncrasies. In AZ, I got the real ID DL back in 2018, when I was still a GC holder. Since I was not a US citizen yet, next to the gold star it says, "Limited-Term". The expiration date was set according to the expiration date of my GC (2025). I believe that US citizens in AZ don't have that notation on their Real ID DLs. I didn't bother updating the DMV when I became a US citizen in 2020. Almost positive that I'll have to renew in person and not online in 2025, but I hope that my renewed Real ID DL won't have the "Limited-Term" on it!

I had a very old ticket - a speeding ticket of about $75 in Montana when I was driving there as a tourist. I paid it in cash the same day, but nearly 30 years later, had no record of it. I could not remember where in the state was I pulled over. As I live in AZ like yourself, the local DMV could not find anything. So I wrote to the Montana DMV, and they sent me a letter that I'm not listed in their system, and that the relevant court would not keep such a record for so many years. I mentioned that ticket (and another one from 2017, for which I had all the required documents) on my N-400 and brought the letter with me (together with 4 folders of documents) to the interview. It never came up, and all the IO asked to see was my DL and GC. As someone wrote above, YMMV; I think that mentioning the ticket is the right thing to do. Good luck.

Like others have mentioned, an important reason for me was the ability to leave the U.S. for long periods and return without a problem. A few months after my naturalization, I won a fellowship and moved to Europe for over 10 months, something that could have caused some difficulties as LPR. Another minor reason which nobody mentioned is the recreational use of marijuana (the OP can relate to that as a Dutch citizen) - even if you live in a state where such use is legal, under federal immigration law it's still punishable, and could lead to deportation. While I'm hardly a heavy user, I'd like to have the freedom to do it without any legal ramifications. Finally, regarding taxes: if you live abroad on a permanent basis, you can enjoy an annual exclusion of up to $112,000 (in 2022) from your foreign-earned income, and even if you earn more than that sum, you can use foreign tax credit on top of that. In addition, there are tax treaties between the U.S. and many countries to avoid dual taxing. So unless you make a boatload of money, you should be fine wherever you live.

Earlier today I went to the Social Security office and the process was super easy and fast. The official was very nice and chatted with me, so I forgot to hand him the form... but he didn't ask for it. He only asked for my passport and Social Security card and typed info into his computer. I told him that since I have a card with no restriction on it, I don't need a new one. He said no problem, and congratulations for becoming a U.S. citizen. And that was it!

Hi Lizzy, I just looked at my 18-months old passport, and a small part of my right shoulder is outside the white background area, just like your shoulder. So far it hasn't caused any problem in any of the 4-5 European countries who checked/stamped it (inside and outside of the Schengen region). YMMV, but I don't think there's an issue unless part of your face/head is missing (not just out of the white background).