OldUser

Mine came folded in the mail. Folding is generally not an issue, unless one folds it 10+ times to the point it becomes fragile and unreadable after unfolding.

I travelled multiple times, I think 4-5 while I-751 was pending. For the most part, it was smooth. You can get a plastic folder from Amazon / stationaries store and keep extension letter in it, saving it from bending and folding too much. Here's thread where people post their experience travelling with extension letters: In general, I'd keep USCIS notices like this in a safe place even after you naturalize, just in case they ever have any queries.

Hopefully a good sign. Most I-130s take 13-17 months. Looks like yours is in 20% of slower cases.

If I had a child who was a citizen through my naturalization, I'd personally invest into it, but everybody got their priorities. I can't guarantee I'm alive tomorrow when child needs something like this from me. I just can't imagine my son / daughter scrambling around for evidence of how they became citizens many decades later, plus need to pay (let's say) $5000 in fees for it and wait for 1.5 years. And because of this they can't sponsor love of their life from overseas or get the dream job or collect retirement. Many people forego travel insurance when going overseas. Many invest all of their income in crypto. Many gamble in attempt to make money. It all depends on risk tolerance. I don't have high risk tolerance.

Edge case may hit hard when parents are no longer around and somebody has to reprove their entire immigration history which is easier done by presenting one piece of paper. Never did I say it was required by law. But it's highly recommended. Here's example on VJ for same edge case: In my opinion, the certificate is worth the investement. 1) We don't know processing times for certificate in future. Naturally, the later in life you need it, the more time it may need to produce it (archives to be searched by agency etc). 2) We know almost certainly it will cost a lot more in the future due to fees constantly increasing. This does not include any other fees like legal fees or opportunity cost (cannot renew passport, get a job or get benefits from Social Security etc). Here's such example:

My relative who is a naturalized citizen, is employed by a US government agency. Their US passport did not satisfy the employer, certificate of naturalization was requested. I would not be surprised if the same happened to somebody who got their citizenship from parent. I'm pretty sure the employer would have asked for their certificate of citizenship.

He doesn't need anything other then valid passport to leave the US by air or driver license to leave by land. However, to return to the US he needs: 1) Valid passport (if travelling by air) 2) Expired GC (original) 3) Extension letter (original, all pages)

MyProgress estimate can be safely ignored. On day of my oath it showed 3 weeks until decision. When I filed case, it showed 7 months, but case took 3.5 months. Sometimes these updates lead to nothing. Other times, there may be action such as sending your case from service center to local field office. Give it a few days. I also speculate (with no proof) this update is sent whenever adjudicator opens and closes the file, even if no real action was taken.

Arrives in a regular mail, not priority mail.

Well, but it depends who you deal with and why. When going to SSA, getting many other benefits inside the US, DHS is the authority confirming somebody's status, not DOS. DOS is mainly concerned about passports and travel in and out of the US, as far as I know.

Here's entire legal brief why N-600 is important. Good quotes from it: "Even though acquired and derivative citizens are able to apply for and obtain passports as proof of status, passports provide inade- quate protection compared to the Certificate of Citizenship.26 To begin, the Certificate never expires, unlike passports.27 More impor- tantly, USCIS has admitted that passports only “generally” serve as evidence of U.S. citizenship.28 According to the agency, a Certificate of Citizenship “may be required” to apply for certain benefits, including Social Security, driver’s licenses, financial aid, employment, and passport renewals.29" Source: https://www.nyulawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NYULawReview-Volume-95-Issue-4-Bedoya.pdf If I have more time today, I'll attach multiple sources where people reported being stuck in limbo due to not having certificate.

Here's example of DOS pushing back and requesting more proof the child is a citizen: This can happen at any stage in life when child renews US passport, tries go get SSA benefits or employment at government agency. CoC is undeniable proof of citizenship. Otherwise child will be scrambling for evidence such school records and parent's physical presence decades later...

Sadly, with AOS it's possible to wait over a year with no income from immigrant. This is the largest drawback of adjusting most people ignore... I hope you get good news soon!

I wrote captions for photos in third person: 01/01/2000, Times Square, New York. New Years celebration. Left to right: Robert Smith (Petitioner), Erica Adams (Beneficiary)

@mw & rg k1 I-131 is only useful if you're planning staying outside of the US for extended periods of time, typically over a year. There is no value in getting it otherwise. CBP can make entry somewhat difficult to any LPR, even with reentry permit. But they cannot deny entry to LPR. Good luck!

~ Moved to Effects of Major Family Changes on Immigration Benefits as it is a difficult situation for a K-1 applicant ~

Long or short originally included?

And get RFE? Full docs to be provided. Anything partial has potential for RFE and delays.

I also find strange the page saying they'd return it. I think they meant to say they won't return it.

It's worth trying. It's free. Seems like you have a medical reason.

It's possible to ask for expedite, but expedites are not guaranteed.

USCIS specifically asks NOT to use binders: Please do not submit evidence using digital media, photo albums, scrapbooks, or binders. We cannot process them and will return them to you. Source: https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/tips-for-filing-forms-by-mail Submitting cases in binders slows down everybody as USCIS has limited resources. Somebody will have to be taking these pages out of binder. Doesn't seem like a lot of work, maybe 1-2 minutes extra to do it per case. But if thousands of people send evidence in undesired format, this translates to hours and days of extra work for USCIS collectively. These hours would be better used for other tasks then opening improperly assembled packets.

K-3 is an urban myth. I haven't seen any compelling and consistent evidence it speeds up I-130 approvals. There's no logical explanation why free form would expedite processing and put somebody's case before others.

They can try. They must be honest if asked any questions by CBP. CBP always has the final say whether they can enter the US or not.

It's normal. Some cases never see this status at all. It's a filler status posted by USCIS when nothing visible happens. Add 13-17 months to December 17, 2024. If it's a typical case, it will hopefully be approved between late January 2026 and late May 2026. Can be sooner, can be later. It's not exact science.