OldUser

Yes, I let them scan my ID. They used it to fill my name and address (I saw the screen populating after sales person scanned it). I wasn't ready / had desire to fight over this and this was the third store I went to return the item because the other two rejected the item for other reasons than ID. If I had all the time in the world and nothing to do, I bet I would argue more with them. Just wasn't the day.

This is tricky. GC can be sent to old address despite you changing address.

If you don't mind asking, @Bassisto, why are you still married after so many years of separation? Do you realize you may be liable for any debts your spouse is accumulating etc?

Right, language schools on F-1 for 38 years would be rather unusual... I don't think OP has path to stay unless he has adult kids (21+ y.o) who can sponsor.

If you have records of all trips, have enough days in the US and strong ties to the US, you'll be just fine.

Never trust the status or estimates!

In my opinion this is excellent evidence of being US citizen (not necesarily physical presence) but others who went through process can correct me. CC @top_secret

Nah, I see there's at least 4000 cases filed in February in process as of today. I'd say 20-25% of cases are still undecided.

I disagree with this statement. Based in my experience, officers don't study all evidence. The way I understand it works: 1) You file a well organized case with as much quality evidence as you can produce. 2) You provide table of contents for your packet. E.g. "page 10-20 - bank statements, page 20-30 - school records" etc. 3) Officer checks table of contents, goes to page 10 for bank statement. Checkes the box. Goes back to table of contents, then to page 20 for school records. Checks few pages. Checks the box. And so on. They'd only read the whole thing if they need more insight. If things look straightforward, officer checks few things and moves on satisfied. This is based on my AOS experience. I brought tons of evidence, officer asked me for some samples, filtered through those quickly and kept what he was interested in. It took less than 30 seconds. Submitting less has issues: 1) RFE and NOIDs add time. Isn't it what you want, to get quicker approval? Then why prolong it unnecessarily? 2) USCIS is known to sometimes skip straight to NOID or denial, without issuing RFE. This is wrong, but it happens. Would I want to deal with it? No. This is just my $0.02. P.S. some instructions for forms, for example I-751 explicitly asks for as much evidence as possible.

Many DMV employees don't know the law

Yes. I got my GC based on marriage, but applied under 5 year rule. At that time my I-751 was approved.

@top_secret considering one has only one chance at N-600, providing as much proof as possible isn't a bad idea

I outlined my experience above. The checkbox on N-400 did not update my status with SSA. Others who naturalized after me also experienced the same, and they posted their updates in that attached thread. If you don't receive SS card within a month, you'd have to go to SSA in person, just like I described. USCIS is not responsible for citizenship status with SSA. They send information to SSA, but SSA have internal policy that prevents sending new card without visit. Which form they were passing around? SS-5? Keep us posted!

Apply for N-400 if you want to become a US citizen. Becoming a US citizen is not mandatory, it's optional. If you apply based on marriage, sure you'll need evidence, a little less than for I-751. If you have been a resident for 5 years, you can apply based on that and you won't need to submit marital evidence other than marriage certificate.

This is yet another reason to choose spousal visa. The approval forms there don't expire unlike K-1. It's possible the consulate denied the case on technicality because they didn't like it. Do you have age gap?

Pay the bills. Also make sure to file your taxes with IRS even if living outside the US, as required by law.

I naturalized in March. I checked the box on N-400 to update my status with Social Security Administration. It never worked. Here's my experience

You can still write such letter and upload it as PDF. There's multiple things that can happen: 1) You get interviewed for both I-751 and N-400 2) You can get I-751 approved prior to N-400 interview 3) You can get only N-400 interview and it will wait for I-751 approval which won't require interview 4) You'll get N-400 interview, and then will have I-751 interview on different date

Any time time later is safe. 90 days is the earliest. If applying under 3 year rule, make sure you're married for over 3 years and lived together in the US for 3 years at the time when you apply.

Many credible lawyers are members of AILA. You can check them here: https://www.ailalawyer.com/ Besides that, ask lawyer how many N-600 they filed, how many got approved. How recently they filed such case. How would they deal with RFE if one happened. How would they ensure to file the strongest case to avoid RFE. Etc etc

It can be critical if you get an interview. ID is critical in every day life too. Best of luck!

It's best to clean up the case by withdrawing I-485

Have you presented other proof of address etc that's required for Real ID? Letter itself and GC isn't enough alone for Real ID, but with other docs it should work. I had Real ID in California renewed when I had I-751 pending.

I filed all of my cases with a lawyer. No regrets there. Hiring a lawyer doesn't mean you do nothing about the process. You will be involved.

My case showed 3 weeks until decision on the day of my oath.