ziia

I was arrested when I was younger. I have no criminal record so there was no plea, probation or conviction. That is why a decision couldn't be made. I sent in a copy of the arrest records though out my journey. My application was based on 3 years married to my spouse. I am hoping by contacting the Senators office that I may speed things up since it is almost 2 months since my interview.

When did you receive your first Green Card? Was it in November 2008? If it was, that might be why you are experiencing problems. You are eligible for Citizenship, 3 years minus 90 days after the date you receive your Green Card(conditional card or none conditional) if you are still married to the USC. The date is not calculated by when you were married or the marriage anniversary but by when you received the actual card. Let us know if that's the case.

A compromise that I would suggest would be to perhaps re-program the RFID chip that is built in to the current passport covers. As you all might now, the chip is currently locked with a hardware code and can only be read by CPB computers. Saving the discussion about chip usage in general to a later thread, what they could do is to still have your place of birth on the chip but not printed in the actual passport book. This way if the CPB Officers or any other government agency would like to see the info it is accessible for them, but not to any foreign border control. At least in theory, this should work, and would require less of an overhaul of different laws.

This is a very good idea. It costs money and time but if enough people raise this issue, I'm sure something will be done eventually. They can also opt to have the country of birth of each person in that chip to only be seen solely by the US government agencies and the POE officers at the US border but not by the officers at POE in Romania. I have no problem with that, I am not worried that much about discrimination when I enter this country but other countries overseas .

I heard a lot of stories of mistreatment from the border control in Romania over some friends of mine who are already US Citizens and traveled to Romania in the past. They do not like us at all there- (us, the US citizens who have been born in Romania but left). Hopefully I won't have difficulties with them when I'll go there next time because I'm not paying them any money to be treated fairly lol.

Thank you, Ant. So far I have not heard back from ACLU but if they send me something I will post here. Even if they don't, I am glad the letter has reached them and if not now, later, when they get more complaints about this, they will do something about it.

my friend wants to apply for citizenship and never change her address...what is the best thing to do?...should i send the address change on the A-11 form before applying or just change it on the N-400 form?

Thank you

First send the A-11 form with the address change and only after that you can complete and send the N400. Good luck to him. Hopefully your friend won't have any problems for forgetting to change the address for so long.

I don't know about that...I think it depends on how well you know the person. However, if you're in the process of getting married to them, is there a difference? I mean it's not like they magically turn into a loving, dependable spouse once you get married. Shouldn't you be able to trust them before you get married?

Very true, but as you can see in this case, the OP was wrong to trust her. I hope things sorted out for him and he didn't marry that woman after all.

Jim, you are correct. A promissory note comes with the obligation that those money be paid back. For amounts of money that big, I do recommend that a contract be made between the two people just because cases like the OP's and many many others that wind up in the fiancee coming to US and then leaving that man heartbroken and wallet-broken. After marriage, that note can be thrown away.

I guess I understand why people who are engaged would choose to trust their fiance..still me personally, I wouldn't give amounts of money that big to no one except my family. Maybe i'm just cheap

I wonder what happened to the OP

Has this ever happened to anyone?

I sent in my N400 in January and received a letter for interview in the beginning of April last week. But only one day later, I received an letter from USCIS telling me that my interview has been cancelled due to unforseenable circumstances and that I will be informed of a new interview appointment.

What could be unforseenable circumstances for USCIS? BTW, my case should be handeled by the Boston office.

If this has happened to you, how long do you have to wait till the next appointment letter? And was the interview date delayed as well?

I have heard of things like this before from other persons so don't worry about a thing, they will reschedule your interview very soon.. I don't know what unforeseeable circumstances might be but it can mean something as simple as..they scheduled by mistake too many people that day at a certain hour.

Good luck to get that letter asap

I have 3 kids, so I guess that makes me qualified to join this discussion. I really don't believe that young children belong at the oath ceremony. Young children are too unpredictable for such a solemn occasion. So although one may believe that having one's child there will be meaningful for him/herself, one needs to consider other participants to truly determine what is best for ALL who will be in attendance. Its pretty selfish to bring young children into a crowded room and expect that they will be well-behaved, especially since others there wouldn't reasonably expect the disruption of young children. If the child isn't the one being granted citizenship, there is no reason for young children to be in attendance. I'm sorry if that hurts anyone's tender, baby-loving feelings, but if you are truly honest with yourself you will realize what ziia has been saying throughout this thread is true.

And taking potshots at ziia for her belief that children don't belong at solemn occasions, and saying you hope she never has kids is pretty unfair. As noted above, I have 3 children, whom I love dearly, but am clear headed enough to realize that when they were younger that I shouldn't take them to wedding ceremonies, R-rated movies showing at 9PM or posh restaurants or such places that other adults wouldn't reasonably expect the noise and disruption of young children. If I couldn't get a babysitter, I didn't go because I didn't want to ruin occasions for other adults by having my kids present. It is the considerate thing to do. Barring children from adult events is NOT discriminatory, is is common sense and common courtesy. Children are simply not entitled to attend all events on the basis that the parents are invited. Use your heads, people!

It is possible to have kids, love them but not include them in everything you do as a person. Sometimes children just don't belong, particularly if it means they will possibly ruin a special occasion for others.

Thank you julez. Anyone that knows me personally knows that I love children very much and hope one day I will have my own. I also think some posters here took my comments the wrong way because not all of us have been raised the same way. I was raised by my Romanian parents and grandparents who did their best to educate me well but not spoil me. They have always been parents first and friends LATER on in life when I grew up and needed guidance. They have always crossed a line between grownups and children and I believe for that reason they have married to this day and ongoing(almost 30 years now) and had a "healthy" union. Anyway, there's no point for me dragging this any further, I just wanted to thank you for seeing me and my comments for what they are and also to raise attention that in order to be a good parent, not everyone has to "fit" a certain profile. Some people consider that if your line of thinking is not like theirs then you must be "an awful" person. I beg to differ...But at the end of the day, I guess it doesn't matter. You can't stop the press and any any publicity is good publicity. If people judge me then they paint their own profile, not mine. Bye.

Your are almost 100% correct in your replies--however, you might want to consider not having children of your own---and then you will never have to worry about it...

I didn't know God died and pointed you out as his suitor. Do you usually judge people out of a few lines online or do you by any chance know me personally?

Just so you know my parents raised me differently than yours raised you here in US. There is always a time and a place for kids to be at and I have been educated in that respect by some parents who according to your line of thinking should have never had children. Please do me a favor and stop "watching" my profile every 2 days from about a year ago because you frankly freak me out and you seem like a stalker. You never wrote anything yet you made a profile here just to "keep an eye on me" or read what I write. It is creepy so please stop doing it. I am glad you actually decided to write something, even if it is to insult me as a woman and future mother because I was so close to deleting my profile and never show up here again because of you "watching" me.

I assume you have kids of your own. You make sure you focus on raising them how you think its best and you won't see me starring in your backyard and pointing the finger, giving you lessons on how to educate them; I suggest you let me raise mine according to my values and best judgment, as I see fit.

For a man-yes I assume you are one because of your behavior in the past(watching me), you are very sensitive and obviously lack a sense of humor. If you can't read the irony in my previous comment and if you've never seen a stand up comedy show ever in your life to realize I simplified things just to make people smile and also prove a point, and you took offense in that, then buddy, do me a favor and crawl back into your hole and live your life with anguish because I am going through mine with smiles and i'm not gonna apologize to you or anyone else for it. It is very hard to see the forest because of the trees for some people. I didn't mean to offend or disrespect anybody in my post and an intelligent person with a sense of humor knows and sees that. If you are too caught up in your kids and political correctness and can't see past the fence of your backyard it is your problem-don't make it mine. Say what you wanna say just stop stalking me on VJ.

Cheers!

Hello,

I was naturalized in August 2009, when I was interviewed and approved for my naturalization,I wasn't told I needed to

go to the Social Security Office to update my immigration status, is this necessary after being naturalized? Thanks for your info.

It is in your best interest to change it, one reason being that when you apply for a job you won't have to bring your passport with you at the HR office to prove you are a citizen. It doesn't take long if you go there first thing in the morning a few minutes before the SS office opens.

.I won't be inviting my now teenagers next year when I go for the oath ceremony...I might even leave my husband outside

lol that's funny. How about we bring the kids(all 12-20 of them) and the kids friends from school, the grandparents, the mentally ill person next door and his mentally ill buddies from the hospital and i'll also bring my best friend because it would mean so much to me if it will be there to witness...he is also trained to behave and not bark at people or bite them unless i tell him to. His name is Bonnar and he's a good boy . Please don't discriminate towards my friend, alrighty? tz tz tz

If your toddler behaved(probably slept:)) then that's cool. But a lot of toddlers cry when they get bored and you know it. All I wanted here is to raise awareness that people show respect for the event and for the other people and if they opt to bring the toddlers with(which is FINE, it's their right and no one has any problem with that) they should be aware that they might have to leave the room ON THEIR OWN in case the kid starts crying and keeps crying, disrupting the Ceremony for others. As long as the adults with SMALL children(babies, toddlers) are aware of the fact that someone might, just might miss the ceremony then they will know in who's care to leave that kid if they bring him with. I don't recommend it is a family member because that person might have to leave in case the toddler acts like a toddler in court. THAT"S ALL! Hope my point is clear now:)

Ziia-Now the same back to you: Don't you even read my posts?

I am talking overall about DISCRIMINATION, regardless of who does the discriminating around here. And children should not be discriminated against attending special events/ceremonies just because they are children and don't know any better. Again, there are some children that can misbehave, while others are not, and to assume all children misbehave is just wrong. It is the parents' responsibility to make sure they are well behaved in events like this, and if they misbehave, then they should be removed out of the room. You are right in saying...IT IS RESPECT FOR OTHERS AROUND YOU.

I think we're both saying the same thing with different words, that's why we don't get along lol. I agree with you except for the fact that no one is discriminating. It is up to every person to decide who to bring and how chance they want to take with the people they opt to bring as guests.

And if there is children around you, you should respect them too. Same goes for distabled people, people with other medical conditions, old people, young people, whatever....

Everyone is invited to such an oath ceremony, and they should not be discriminated against, just because they can be preceived as being troublemakers, even though they might not be. That is discrimination and that is wrong.

How in the world do you go about respecting a child? What is that anyway? Like what, let him/her cry for hours and not do anything about it but smile because you "god forbid" disrespect a toddler? Give me a break. You make me wanna say right now a line from Seinfeld "the dingow ate cho baby"(with an accent too) lol...because you keep talking about disrespect without any proof. lol I'm just joking man, so don't jump on me next . I respect a human being, any human being and their right to live free. I don't understand why you bring "discrimination" and "respect"(funny, that word I used to prove my point) into this? What made you think I don't respect kids or other humans? I didn't say i'll go to USCIS and post a note or make a big deal out of who can come to the Oath and who can't. All I said is for people to be responsible and if they bring a disruptive person, to take action right away just so that everyone can have a decent Ceremony. I also didn't encourage taking toddlers inside the room IF the person who takes care of them doesn't want to take the chance to miss the whole thing in case the kid starts crying and keeps going. What part of my English makes me a "bad person" according to you and what part shows I don't respect children and disabled people? You said it yourself that people should have the option to take the Oath separate from others. Should I consider that discrimination too? I mean really...let it go because apparently we are on the same page, we just don't know it . And admit it, it's kind of fun disagreeing with me heh?

Personally, I think that it is insensitive of you to say that the oath ceremony is just about the oath takers.

I said it's first for them and second for their guests. I corrected that in a following post

How would you feel if your family and friends wern't invited to such a ceremony, just because they were a certain way?

Why you keep going with this? I said it is a personal decision everyone should be able to take. USCIS doesn't deal with family issues nor is a nanny that tells adults to be responsible. If I had a toddler, i'd most likely leave him/her home that day or bring her/him with and have the nanny and the kid waiting outside the courtroom to make sure the ceremony is not disrupted by my baby starting to cry or doors opening and closing. If one of my family members had some mental issues and might act up, again I would use my judgment in whether it is advantageous for that person, me and others to take them with or not. If they can comprehend the event and I can get through to them that they have to sit there for an hour and not disrupt, then of course i'd take them with. But if they can't understand nada of what's going on, what's the point? Just so I tell friends, just for my ego gratification? Maybe you think different and that's fine but that is how I think. And please don't mention "discrimination" again because no one is discriminating and I'm not telling you or USCIS they should do something about this. It's called a personal opinion and personal responsibility each has to be aware of BEFORE they show up in court. Hope i made myself clear.

P.S. My then 3-month old son acted just fine during my ceremony....And he does more than eat, sleep, and cry......

I don't wanna go there but I know

To Ziia....Maybe you should have had your oath ceremony in Washington, DC...It's a child-free zone there..wink.gif

Ahhhh you keep pushing my button, man lol. I'ma get you for this lol-just kidding. Peace and take care.

Ziia-True, that some children do not know any better at times, and can misbehave. However, there are also children that are well behaved and can sit through an oath ceremony without any problems. That is the responsibility of the parent to make sure that the children are well behaved during moments like this, and if they cannot control their children, then yes, they should leave the room to calm their child down. One bad apple shouldn't spoil the whole bunch. Again, sorry to hear that in your ceremony a child was disruptive there, but this is not the case in all ceremonies, I'm sure. Children can learn a great deal out of these events, and I personally think that if they are well behaved, they have every right to be there.

Ant, I don't mean to be offensive here but do you even read my posts? I am talking about TODDLERS, not children of 3 years and up, but actually small babies(2-3-8-10 months old) who only do 3 things: sleep, eat and cry. I love children, I don't know what made you make those comments. My comments have nothing to do in that respect but are focused solely on the importance of the Oath Ceremony and the fact that adults should be responsible and leave the courtroom if the TODDLER starts crying so the other people there can have the experience they deserve to such event. Twisting my words around and dismissing me or other people as "oh, they don't like children" is so wrong and very ignorant for you to say(maybe the smartest way is just for me to drop it because you obviously see things to an extreme and refuse to acknowledge others perspectives). First of all you don't know me and second of all I think my English is pretty darn clear that what I was trying to say all this time has everything to do with THE OATH EVENT and PEOPLE TAKING THE OATH and RESPECT FOR OTHERS AROUND YOU and not the love for kids. Can you see past the baby stroller when you answer? or I should just give up!?

To say that 200 grownups can't behave for an hour in a US courtroom, at such an event, with a judge and security around then I have no comment, i'm speechless!-it's too out there for me to even comprehend the fact that such adults would manage to attend such ceremony. But that's just me.

Who in their right minds would want a mentally ill(with papers, so no offense) person there with them? First of all: why in the world would anyone opt to bring that person fully knowing that there might be a slight change they'll go "bazooka"? Anyway, i think i'm done here too..moving as well to another topic but before that I want to say that I agree with you that there should be a "special" room assembled for looters or families who somehow managed to live a "clean" life and get the Citizenship or decided to enter as guests.

The N-400 form requires exact dates (mm/dd/yy) for residence, employment, school etc. But for most of them I am not sure what the exact date the event was although I am certain about the year and the month. If I end up being off in dates, would that be a problem? I am particularly worried about moving dates because I filed AR-11 but don't have a copy for it. Anyone who had the same experience with these dates in N-400?

If you know the month and year you are fine. A clear, close and honest approximation is fine too if you can't remember the exact day.

Also. about part 10. additional questions, I am guessing most people would answer NO to questions from 1 to 33 and YES from 34 to 39. This doesn't fit with the guidelines I found in VisaJourney: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...alization_guide

It doesn't have to fit the guidelines, it has to be your honest answer. Don't copy anything just because it's on the internet. It has to be your response not someone else's.

Also, what is the Affiliation question (No. 8 in Part 10) for? It asks if I have ever been a member of or associated with any organization, association, fund foundation, party, club, society, or similar group in the US or in any other place? If I am a member of professional organization related to my job such as American Psychology Association, American Nursing Association, etc. do I put that in? And if so, I have to provide additional explanation for that? Would an honor society from college count for this question?

It seems that I should be able to file N-400 myself without asking a lawyer but the form is not entirely clear to me.

Thanks so much in advance!

blackdog_harry

---

permanent resident since 2005 Apr.

Yes, you should be able to complete this for all by yourself without the help of a lawyer. If you've been affiliated to American Psychology Association, American Nursing Association you can to put that on the form. No explanation is needed unless the form specifically mentions you need to that for that particular question. Yes, you can also mention the honor society from college.

Hi,

I don't want to blow it on such a simple thing so I will ask:

The instructions say:

"Send your application to the USCIS Lockbox Facility at the following address:

USCIS

P.O. Box 21251

Phoenix, AZ 85036"

Sooooooo, Do I send to:

USCIS Lockbox Facility

USCIS

P.O. Box 21251

Phoenix, AZ 85036

OR

USCIS

P.O. Box 21251

Phoenix, AZ 85036

Dumb.... I know, but knowing the USCI I want to be sure!!

Thanks alot, Mike

It doesn't matter, it's the same thing! It is a lockbox so, just write like that:

USCIS Lockbox Facility at:

P.O. Box 21251

Phoenix, AZ 85036

Also, the event is first for the people there taking the Oath and second come the friends and family for those people. I understand that some can't possibly put themselves and their family to the same equality(importance) level with other strangers but at this event you have to.

I was lucky to have the judge take such action and tell the guy to leave the courtroom until the kid calms down. My Oath Ceremony was wonderful and meaningful because of that judge. I am sure that everyone else there felt the same way. We were grateful the whole thing happened towards the beginning of the ceremony so we did not miss a thing and everything turned out perfect! Still why i got into this discussion is because I read that another poster had to actually sit at their Oath event, listening to a baby while trying to hear the whole thing and that is so wrong, I feel bad for them. People with toddlers should either leave them home or in the waiting room or be respectful to others or be told to leave when the kid becomes disruptive. If the judge wouldn't have told that person to step out, I would have and I think anyone should have the guts to do that because the Citizenship ceremony is as important for everyone there as it is important for any other person there. Everyone should have the right to have great memories about it:). 'nough said.

Ziia-I understand where you are coming from too, and by all means, you have every right to say what you have to say here. True, I was not at your ceremony, and I realize that in your situation you felt that your ceremony was not as expected with this happening. Nevertheless, just because one child is disrputive, doesn't mean that all children are this way.

Hi Ant. I agree, not all children are the same but all toddlers are because they don't know better, they are young and unaware of the solemnity of the event and if they are awake, they get bored. Either that or they sleep. If they are asleep, then I don't see your point in bringing them inside(they can wait with the nanny outside). It is not like you are going to stare at them as you listen to the judge and take the oath. You pay attention to what's being said, no? Now, imagine if you are there while in the background there were families trying to keep their children quiet and busy shushing or making goofy signs up in the air to make the kids focus on something else rather than crying or making loud baby noises? The person who would entertain such child would have no way of actually "being there" except physically as the kid would keep the adult busy too not just the other way around. It would all be a facade just so you "remember" years later who was there and show pictures to other friends and not to actually remember or feel, completely feel what it was about and how important this was for everyone there, including you or your spouse. Sure it is a great story to tell your kid later that he/she was there too but if that kid is not aware at that age it will not mean that much, trust me. It's the idea that's "cool" but aside from that there would be not much else. Sure, your kid will tell his/her friends when he grows up that he attended but he was too young and doesn't remember and guess what? It might surprise you but it won't mean that much for the general public either. You know what they will say? they will say "wow that's cool" or they might use "really?, that's cool" and that's about it. That is why i'm saying that having children there is only for your self interest to show something in pictures later on, not theirs and not anyone else's. The decision is for everyone to take but i'm just telling you from my point of view, going a bit in detail to offer a different perspective.

Just make sure the children are well behaved and under control, then all should go well there.

Or the toddler might surprise you and act his/her age(he's/she's not a dog that can be trained when to shut up and you know this) and start crying and then you know what happens? Either everyone else has the ceremony disrupted and can't hear the judge or both the kid and the parent are told to leave the room and they both miss the important event...the father(or mother) won't even be able to tell the kid what it was like because he wouldn't have been there. Imagine this as a story to tell: yeah, I attended to your mother's Oath and quarter way in you started crying and I missed it. Go ask your mother about it". I mean, really, people are taking a chance like that when they show up with kids that are too young to understand anything that's going on.

"This only happens once in a lifetime"...and one should be able to bring their loved ones to celebrate with them at all parts of the ceremony.

I agree with you if the parent who's child is disrupting the ceremony would get out on his own without having the judge cut off the actual speech to tell the father how to behave like an adult(respectful to others around) or is everyone there, including kids would be of a decent age to understand what's going on.

If the ceremony was only about the people taking the oath, then why are family, friends, and others invited?

So by having it in a group ceremony, the USCIS is encouraging everyone that is is a family event and that "all are invited"!....

If it is only about the oath takers, then they should forget about the group ceremony and just say "no one else is invited, only oath takers".....

By inviting all guests, then they know that oath takers will bring their children, or whoever else...And those people may cause disruptions.....

Lol..The USCIS as the host assumes responsibility there....

Then assume that there are irresponsible people too...

And assume that there even more people who are responsible too...

They want to invite abd be welcoming everyone....And one should feel welcomed into the country as a US Citizen and with their loved ones...

You welcome me, you welcome my family too! After all...Children are future citizens of the country too!

My point is: Keep the ceremony open and welcome to all, or to none at all.....

And parents...please be responsible with your children.....

Ant

That's the whole idea...what you said last I give you credit and I applaud. People have to be responsible for their children. I would also like to add that USCIS is not specialized and doesn't focus on parenting issues and doesn't have the authority to tell people who to bring and who not to. That would be discrimination if they would put it black on white because there are a lot of sensitive people out there and a lot of ambulance chasers who would jump in a lawsuit as soon as an issue like that would come up. Remember where you are living and try to throw a little rock out your window...the chases to hit a lawyer with it are quite high. The chances for that lawyer to take you to court for spine injuries(even if it is a tiny little harmless stone that actually didn't hit him but his friend or his briefcase) are even higher...i dare say about 90% or even more now with this economy:). So, the point i'm trying to make is that USCIS can't tell you who to bring at the Oath. The most as they can do without a lawsuit being slammed at them is tell you that everyone should behave. The rest they leave it up to the common sense of people to have respect for one another and for the rest of the people there and take the appropriate grown up action to either not attend the event with an unaware tiny baby(yes, babies cry unless they sleep and it is not their fault) that's not gonna remember anything anyway or if they want to take a chance and bring such baby then they should be ready to leave the courtroom out of respect for the rest of the people there, and possibly miss the event themselves and NOT wave your arms around, shushing your way through the baby's cry and the judge's speech and wait until everyone takes notice of you and the ceremony is interrupted for everyone just for you(i'm using 2nd person but i speak in general) to be asked to get out and miss everything. If that's the chance you want to take, by all means, bring whomever you want.

Plus, I want you to remember that not just one family out of 200 people attending are the only ones with kids. Many people have children and out of those many have the judgment to leave them home that day. Imagine what it would be like if 50 people that are attending the Citizenship oath would bring in their kids with them. Some have one kid, some have 2 or 3 and some have none and actually want to hear what's being said and not show up all dressed up to something that appears a daycare center. I'm not hitting with a rock, i'm just saying that you should consider this as well.

Sorry to butt-in on this thread...but....

To the OP-Yes, you are allowed to bring your family and friends to the oath ceremony! And by all means, bring them along with you! But bear in mind that they might have to wait awhile, they might not all be seated, and that you might be limited to the amount of guests that you can bring. Nevertheless, I believe that a special occasion such as this should be celebrated, with the ones that you love and care about....

As for children/babies at the oath ceremony....

As much as I like children and don't mind them being in public, I understand that others might not agree with me about this issue. So I understand it from that point of view, as well.

It's a personal decision as to whether or not one brings their children to the oath ceremony or not. It helps that the children are there with him to celebrate such a joyous family occasion. I do think that this is an important event and feel that it is important for family members to attend. And just because a child is there, that doesn't mean that they should be excluded from such. True, they might not remember the event and/or might cause a fuss there. But the one who is being naturalized will remember the event, and with their child them not being there, it wouldn't be the same experience for their family. How would one feel if their child was excluded from every other family and/or special event?

So if you or any of your guests have children, by all means, I encourage you to bring them along too. Just make sure they are well-behaved and under control, and you should be ok there. I brought my then 3month old son to my oath ceremony (though it was a priavte oath ceremony, for various other reasons), and I wouldn't have it any other way! He's part of my family, and why should he be excluded?...

Sure, it is easy to say that one should hire a sitter for the day. But some people can't make such arrangements. Or some people choose to have their children there with them, regardless, for sentimental reasons. Children are members of society, and should not be discriminated against, just because of those who don't like children.

If the USCIS is adamant about children being in the ceremony, then don't have ceremonies at all, where one is allowed to bring their family and friends.

Or better yet, (I'm joking here)....Provide babysitting services....$675 paid in the application fee...I'm sure one can throw in a sitter or two..lol......

To that judge mentioned in another post....

You don't yell at kids and/or their parents like that! And you don't kick a person out of a ceremony just because they have a child.

I'm sorry..I think the judge went way out of line here....

If the child is being distuptive, then kindly ask the parent to take the child out, and then come back in when the child is behaved.

The person who is being naturalized paid for that privillege to be naturalized, and not to be yelled at!

Hmm..I wonder if that guy ever did get naturalized? If not...He should ask for a refund...And file a complaint against the judge

Nevertheless, good luck to Jules67 with your oath ceremony coming up! Congratulations! Good luck!

And yes, do post about your oath ceremony experience on VJ too!

Ant

Hi Ant.

I understand where you are coming from, still I respectfully disagree with you. First, I want to mention that the judge was not out of line. He didn't scream at anyone but gave that guy a bad look and invited that person to step out of the courtroom. The man with the kid was not the guy who was taking the Oath but a guest of someone. They decided to bring their child with them which is fine if that kid would have been quiet. That kid started talking and moaning and then crying. His voice resonated over the judge's and everybody turned their eyes from the judge to the man with the kid. The judge looked at the man a few times before telling him to step out, kind of saying to him non verbally to try to keep the kid quiet while he was speaking to us about the privilege of becoming an American citizen and serving the country. If that kid would have kept quiet or his dad would have calmed him down, no one would have had any problem with him being there.

I do realize that people with children have a different way of thinking but with all do respect I think you are making too much out of having your kid there with you. Yes, they won't remember the event if they are too young and if the parents really want their kid there with them they can have him/her wait outside with the nanny and then, at the end they can still take pictures together and have wonderful memories. The Citizenship Oath is an event for the people who are there to TAKE THAT OATH, not for their families and friends. Respect has to be shown to the judge and to those people and selfishness and self importance has to be left at the door of that courtroom. The Citizenship Ceremony in itself it is NOT for one person but for ALL the people there, for you, for me and for other 200 or so persons. This only happens ONCE in a lifetime and everyone there has the right and has to have the privilege to HEAR what the judge has to say and not a baby talking or crying.

You don't know me and you don't know the judge and plus you weren't at my Oath ceremony so you don't know what happened and what it was like. I am telling you the judge was not out of line and no one there believed so, except probably the people who brought the baby. Also, i don't believe that telling people to leave their toddlers home is out of line or disrespectful or makes me or anyone else a baby hater. Not at all. It is a matter of respect for the event in itself, for the US courtroom, for the judge and for the rest of the people there.

You are entitled to your opinion and I respect that. Still encouraging people to bring their kids is NOT an advice you should give the people here. Thx for understanding...maybe:)

what are my options, after arriving in the usa, she left with another man. I found emails on my computer detailing all the information. she conspired with another russian woman that is in the process of getting her green card on how to do all this. the woman used me for money, I spent money for the visa application, 4 visits to russia, sent her 750 for the exam, and 750 traveling money, I feel so used, is there anything, I can do, she just got here last week. She had been planning this for weeks with another russian, are there any happy stories. I have been waiting for months for the visa. I guess its better to find out now, than before marrying?

any help would be appreciated, what can I do? I have emails detailing the plan, she left the email open, when she left. She is from Perm russia, interviewed in moscow.

As hard as it is to see this, consider yourself lucky that she left now and you didn't get married. As the other members said, kiss your monetary loses good bye and call ICE right away. She can't adjust her status without you so if she decides to come back to you, make sure you show her the door. Don't even think about her anymore, put this behind and move on.

As a separate note, something I never understood is why USC's send money to a person that's not a part of their family without some sort of a promissory note that the other person has to sign? She is not your wife until she is your wife. Realistically speaking you are dealing with strangers. Sure they make a promise to you but just about anyone can do that. Still I see people taking these kind of chases over and over and over again. Perhaps people should consider covering your back a little bit on sums that exceed $100. If you wouldn't borrow(give) those money to me because I am a stranger and you don't trust me, what makes a "fiance"(someone who promises something) less of a stranger? Especially a fiance from overseas...Anyway, good luck to you. Try not to look back but start over your life with someone else.

Hi everyone.

I was reading some job descriptions, and they request security clearances.

Although some specify US Citizenship required and others don't, but is it correct to assume that US Citizenship is required to be able to apply for security clearance or can GC holders obtain them?

thanks....

Not necessarily. Most US gov. jobs require US Citizenship but not all of them. I'm sure that if you go to the web page and look, they will mention there all the requirements for that position.

Nothing difficult here.. Just call them: The National Passport Information Center (NPIC) phone number: 1-877-487-2778.

I did call them to inquire something about my passport and they were very helpful. They can tell you exactly what you need to do without going around in circles or complicating yourself with lawyers and such.

I filed my N400 application one week before my Green Card will be 5 years.Im married to a US citizen by birth.Under information of eligibility(N400 Application Form), I checked box B..My question is it is better if I checked box A?...Is the USCIS care about this situation when I will go to the interview?

My friend has the same situation,is it better to Check BOX A, so she dont need to include documents on BASIS of marriage?.She had this documents ready anyway.

If she check BOX A, what I understand is she onlny need documents like photocopied of green card, photographs and the Filing fee.

Any input will appreciated..thank you

If you check box B then you need to show proof of good faith marriage with a USC+taxes+residency+good moral behav.. But if you check box A you only need to show you paid your taxes, that you maintained your residency in US and you have a good moral behavior(no arrests). You can not check box B and then show proof just as if you checked box A, imho. Prepare your papers(evidence) accordingly.

Congrats and good luck

I agree with Kathryn about taking children to the oath ceremony.

At my oath ceremony, there were several babies and children that were very disruptive and it made it difficult to hear what the speaker was saying.

Small children will be bored because there is a lot of waiting and just sitting, so it's best to leave them at home with a sitter and let everyone enjoy the oath ceremony.

I really liked my judge. I mean the judge that conducted the ceremony i attended to. When I saw that kid starting to make noises, I thought: "oh great!"(ironically) but before I got to finish my thought the judge stared straight at him and gave him the worst look i've ever seen on a man's face and asked him to step out(not even to calm his kid down but to actually get out of his courtroom). He got really upset on that guy but then continued the ceremony with a serene look on his face. I loved it:). Everybody loves children, but not in there.

Also, I forgot to mention...if you have small children, leave them home with a sitter or a family member, don't take them with you at the ceremony! This advice is for everybody who reads this and plans to attend the Oath in the future. A guy brought in his kid there and the judge got very upset(and so did the rest of us) and kicked him and his kid out of the courtroom right away when the child started crying or making noises. The judge also commented upon that as he found that children have no business attending such event. Please take note on this.

The month and year is good enough. That's what I did.