Conan

http://www.uscis.gov/n-400

"Edition Date

09/13/13. (USCIS will accept editions dated 03/22/12; 06/17/11; 01/18/11; 11/23/10; 04/05/10; 01/15/10 and 01/22/09 until Friday, May 2, 2014. Starting Monday, May 5, 2014, we will only accept the 09/13/13 edition.)"

Weird. So they aren't even accepting the new 21 page doc? It isn't listed. Its ddate is 09/30/2015

Hello. I had started using the version tha texpires 03/31/2013 of the N-400 document

Now I see that there is a new one that expires 09/30/2015

It looks way different and has 21 pages versus 10 pages on the old form

Is it safe to just use the old form? There isn't an example of the new version on this website.

Thanks

My wife's Philippines passport is expiring later this year but we are going to be applying for citizenship. Should we renew it or just wait until she gets her US passport? Does it matter? Thanks

My wife has her Green Card and is here on a K1-Visa

I was looking through documentation to send in whwn applying for citizenship.

It says:

Evidence that your spouse has been a U.S. citizen for the last three years:

Birth certificate (if your spouse never lost citizenship since birth),

Can the Birth Certificate just be a photo copy or does it have to be an official copy? Will I get it back if it is an Official copy? Thanks

Does anyone know the answer to this for sure? Thanks

My wife is trying to get a ticket to visit the Philippines with our 2 infants. I am not able to travel with her because of work.

The lady at the airlines said that since my wife has a Philippines passport and our kids have US passports that I would have to get a "waiver of exclusion" from the Philippine Consulate for each kid since I am not traveling with them and they are US citizens. The waiver of exclusion gives them my permission to travel.

Is this true? If so does anyone have any advice. I looked up info here http://www.philippineconsulatela.org/consular%20services/WEG.htm and I can't make heads or tails of it.

Thanks

thanks i just called st. lukes after almost 20 x and i got through hehehe they told me that my fiance's NOA2 will be okay since i still don't have yet my notice from usem.

Did they say it had to be an original or is a copy fine?

I hear that you need the letter to go to the interview. My fiance has a different address. Will they send it to her old one?

Is there a number she can call to change the address after we receive the NOA2? Any other suggestions? Thank you very much.

Conan, as far as I can remember, Panel Physicians are not supposed to do internal exam anymore. They can only do external exam... they will either let you stand up and bend down, or lie down and spread and that's it, no internal exam. I think it was 2 or more years ago when a Doctor was examining internally and many had complained about her, so SLEC removed her as a panel physician and they can only do external exam, as in look but no touch. That is what I remember, not sure now if they have returned back to doing internal exams.

You cannot really tell 100% just by looking on the external part/perineal area if a person had been pregnant/given birth, there are signs but it is always better to do internal exam (I.E.) to be sure. Hymenal tags may also (sometimes) look like you've given birth (as a scar or something), depends on the doctor examining. There are also signs/symptoms that can make or look and misdiagnose a person as being pregnant (Pseudocyesis)- boobs becoming bigger, areola darkening and becoming bigger, abdomen/uterus enlarging, morning sickness, etc..., but ultrasound and HCG exams will confirm that they are not pregnant.

Thank you everyone for being so supportive. Since I filed for an expedite due to her pregnancy we pretty much have to have her tell the doctors she was pregnant before correct?

Also she had an ultrasound so it will be in her medical records.

Thanks again

My take on this issue is that doctors are able to know if there had been a conception (pregnancy) by the size and shape of the reproductive organs. It's their SOP to ask questions. One case I have seen is that it was very evident that she got pregnant and when the doctor asked her about it, she said it was a miscarriage. Knowing the underground business of abortion, this is a red flag for doctors and they would have to dig in deeper. Hope this helps.

I filed for an expedite because of her pregnancy. She can't lie about being pregnant even if I wanted her to because of this.

Thank you for all of your help so far...we are still trying to figure out what to do. I know it is a terrible subject...

Panel Physician will not be able to determine if she had abortion, they can however determine if an individual had been pregnant.

How the heck do they tell if she has EVER been pregnant?????? Especially if it was a really early termination. How reliable is this and how long does the pregnancy have to go to leave permanent signs? Any doctors here?

If the patient says "yes" to the question, "Have you been pregnant before?"

She is going to say "yes" to be being pregnant before (they can tell right?) but I might have her say it was a miscarriage. Do they do a psych exam for that?

So it sounds from those of you who have actually finished this step in the process that there are two questions. Have you been pregnant? Have you had an abortion and/or miscarriage? And it sounds like that last one comes as one question which can be answered with simply a yes/no. That implies that you never have to tell the doctor whether it was an abortion or a miscarriage. It also implies that a miscarriage would cause mandatory psyche screening. Am i getting this right?

Has anyone here actually gone through this psyche process for a miscarriage or abortion? I'd LOVE to hear from anyone who's actually done it, though I'm happy with any scrap of reliable info anyone can come up with.

To the OP: I'm guessing that an early drug based abortion is pretty undetectable. How long between the abortion and the medical? I'm guessing that "I don't know" might even be a plausible answer. Having an early miscarriage could be pretty similar to simply missing a period and the lady in question might not even be sure whether she was pregnant or not if she didn't do a test. At least that could be plausible deniability if she says she was never pregnant and they somehow (unlikely) can tell that she was.

She was 2 months pregnant.

Thank you for your help so far. We are still deciding what to do.

Cytotec works with minimal complications ( excessive bleeding) when the pregnancy is less than two months, if it is more than that and the contractions would lead to severe bleeding which may prompt the woman to go to the hospital for help then there will be medical records.

In our lifetime, we commit mistakes...no exceptions . Our decisions in life can either make or break us. Sometimes, even the hardest decision of exterminating a fetus is the "best" solution to an issue. There is always a reason why people do things and that is their choice. They will have to live with the consequences of those decisions but, life is like that.

The doctor will ask one simple question " have you ever been pregnant?" Basically the answer is yes or no. If she will answer yes, there will be follow up questions, and face the consequences of a psychological evaluation if it will lead to the discovery of the abortion, if she says no, the inquiry stops there so it is her choice. Lie or not lie, it is basically up to her.

If there is one person here who has not lied before, my hats off you.

We know for sure that she will say yes that she has been pregnant before. I am wondering if she could just say it was a miscarriage and if there is any way they could tell the difference. I know it is horrible...but that is the way I am leaning. She is leaning towards the truth....I just need to know all options...if she tells them it was a miscarriage they can't tell the difference can they?

Thank you

Also I am esp worried that since she took Cytotec they may say she is mentally unstable. Cytotec can't still be detected in her system can it?

I asked somewhat the same question about a month ago. I'll summarize what I've been able to find out.

They may be able to tell if she has had an abortion/miscarriage from the exam. I'm not sure if they can always tell but they can at least some of the time. It also depends on the doctor. Some don't even check, while others are religious zealots who feel it is their duty to find and punish the wicked. They can't tell if it is a miscarriage or an abortion. However any pregnant woman in the Philippines who looses a pregnancy is supposed to report it and get a certificate of fetal death. I have trouble imagining enforcement is strict especially if the abortion is early like in your case, but that is technically the law. Abortion is illegal there. However I don't think think they are generally in the habit of prosecuting, and I don't know that you can do jail time for it or have it go on your criminal record.

Many(most?) women don't admit to their abortion in the interview. If you get caught in that lie then you're finished, but if you're a half decent liar the chances of getting caught are slim. Some women have admitted it and ultimately been denied. They get labeled as mentally unstable and are permanently blacklisted. Other women have admitted it and had no trouble. If you admit to an abortion that is a red flag and requires mandatory psychiatric screening. the doctor can't deny you. It's the psychiatrist who makes that decision. The abortion by itself SHOULD NOT be grounds for rejection. If it is fairly justifiable abortion and you are mentally healthy then you SHOULD be OK. An abortion by a well educated girl at 20something with a steady boyfriend who had an accident can just tell the truth and she should be OK. On the other hand, an Angles city hooker who has had 2 or 3 abortions by age 20 had better be one heck of a good liar, cause that's her only chance. If you're somewhere in the middle, well then who knows?

So basically it's a really thorny problem. How "respectable" is your girl? How much do you trust your random doctor and shrink to be fair and liberal like they are technically supposed to be? Do you trust your government when it tells you to trust said doctors/shrinks? Do you trust your luck that day? Is your girl a good liar? Is she cool under interrogation? There is no good completely safe answer. You could be fine or get burned either way.

So as long as she never admits it she is fine? She can say it was a miscarriage and never waiver on that? She wants to tell the truth but I am afraid they will never let us be together so we are worried about risking that. I am suggesting to her that she says she had a miscarriage if asked. They can never prove it was an abortion. There is no way to tell for sure is there? It sucks to lie but I don't even want to take the chance that we might not be together. This is a very hard one.

Exterminate a baby, then back it up with a lie. Good start to a meaningful relationship.

I'm just looking for a sure answer sorry.

I asked somewhat the same question about a month ago. I'll summarize what I've been able to find out.

They may be able to tell if she has had an abortion/miscarriage from the exam. I'm not sure if they can always tell but they can at least some of the time. It also depends on the doctor. Some don't even check, while others are religious zealots who feel it is their duty to find and punish the wicked. They can't tell if it is a miscarriage or an abortion. However any pregnant woman in the Philippines who looses a pregnancy is supposed to report it and get a certificate of fetal death. I have trouble imagining enforcement is strict especially if the abortion is early like in your case, but that is technically the law. Abortion is illegal there. However I don't think think they are generally in the habit of prosecuting, and I don't know that you can do jail time for it or have it go on your criminal record.

Many(most?) women don't admit to their abortion in the interview. If you get caught in that lie then you're finished, but if you're a half decent liar the chances of getting caught are slim. Some women have admitted it and ultimately been denied. They get labeled as mentally unstable and are permanently blacklisted. Other women have admitted it and had no trouble. If you admit to an abortion that is a red flag and requires mandatory psychiatric screening. the doctor can't deny you. It's the psychiatrist who makes that decision. The abortion by itself SHOULD NOT be grounds for rejection. If it is fairly justifiable abortion and you are mentally healthy then you SHOULD be OK. An abortion by a well educated girl at 20something with a steady boyfriend who had an accident can just tell the truth and she should be OK. On the other hand, an Angles city hooker who has had 2 or 3 abortions by age 20 had better be one heck of a good liar, cause that's her only chance. If you're somewhere in the middle, well then who knows?

So basically it's a really thorny problem. How "respectable" is your girl? How much do you trust your random doctor and shrink to be fair and liberal like they are technically supposed to be? Do you trust your government when it tells you to trust said doctors/shrinks? Do you trust your luck that day? Is your girl a good liar? Is she cool under interrogation? There is no good completely safe answer. You could be fine or get burned either way.

So as long as she never admits it she is fine? She can say it was a miscarriage and never waiver on that? She wants to tell the truth but I am afraid they will never let us be together so we are worried about risking that. I am suggesting to her that she says she had a miscarriage if asked. They can never prove it was an abortion. There is no way to tell for sure is there? It sucks to lie but I don't even want to take the chance that we might not be together. This is a very hard one.

I think they will not know it if you will not going to tell on the Medical Exam at SLEC.

Got one friend who had abortion before but she passed the Medical Exam at SLEC.

Good Luck

Do they count it against you if you had one? She should be honest and tell them about it right?

Can they tell if she had one by examining her or by medical records? It was recent that she had one. We are very worried about it.

Abortions are illegal in the PI, so how would there be anything on her medical records???

Was it a medical procedure? If not (in the strictest sense) and no record, there's no need to disclose it during her Medical.

I didn't realize that...she said she took some kind of prescription ulcer medicine that someone got for her. I guess it is common for abortions. I have told her not to disclose the information...I hope that is the right decision.

I am afraid that since she took the ulcer medicine this would hurt her chances of approval if she admits it. She wants to tell the truth but we are very afraid because we love each other and don't want to risk her getting denied. Is there any way that they could tell that she did this if she never admits to it? I hate telling her to lie and she doesn't want to but it seems like the safest option unfortunately.

I read a similar topic and they say don't admit it because it is illegal over there. Can they tell if she had one if she keeps denying it?

I think they will not know it if you will not going to tell on the Medical Exam at SLEC.

Got one friend who had abortion before but she passed the Medical Exam at SLEC.

Good Luck

Do they count it against you if you had one? She should be honest and tell them about it right?

Can they tell if she had one by examining her or by medical records? It was recent that she had one. We are very worried about it.

I think they will not know it if you will not going to tell on the Medical Exam at SLEC.

Got one friend who had abortion before but she passed the Medical Exam at SLEC.

Good Luck

Do they count it against you if you had one? She should be honest and tell them about it right?

I am not happy about it but my fiance had an abortion before. Will they give her any trouble about this at the medical exam or the interview?

Thank you

On the I-129 where it asks for my Fiance's state I accidentally put "Bukidmon" instead of "Bukidnon" Will I get a RFE for this? Should I send them a new copy of the I-129F form? If so how do I do this. I do not want our case delayed over this.

Thank you

Conan, I would not worry about it...its a simple spelling mistake...im sure you wont get a RFE

However, if you want to be sure, when USCIS sends you the receipt notice just update the address...

I got the receipt (NOA1) on dec 12th. Can I still do this?

he may not have a 1099 form. not everyone receives a 1099 so i wouldn't worry if you don't have that form but as far as the I-134 try to have originals for as many of the documents as you can, but copies should work also.

Thank you very much

So for the DS 230 I also need originals? How can someone have so many originals?

On the I-129 where it asks for my Fiance's state I accidentally put "Bukidmon" instead of "Bukidnon" Will I get a RFE for this? Should I send them a new copy of the I-129F form? If so how do I do this. I do not want our case delayed over this.

Thank you

1099's are similar to a W-2. Most times they look the same but if you look in the lower left corner you will see written form 1099 and a letter, they are used for interest on IRA or bank accounts ect. they are part of the tax return depending how you file. People on Social Security also get 1099 instead of traditional W-2. If it applies to you you would know it.

Is it being sent to her for the purpose of the interview? if so a copy is good enough but if it going to NVC it is best to send original copy if you have one. If for the DS230 package then you need original and a copy that's what the instructions ask for.

I was going to send it with my Affidavit of Support I-134. We are trying to get a K-1 Visa

When you got your W-2 didn't it have multiple copies? If so I would suggest sending an original copy, but if not, you should only need the front portion and yes send copies of the different parts so your information is as complete as possible for the review. Also don't forget any 1099's you might have received as well. I also included proof of medical coverage for my wife (optional) and proof of her as beneficiary on my pension and life insurance (optional as well). NVC is evaluating the potential of your spouse becoming a public charge and your ability to support her so as much evidence you can provide to the contrary is best.

I received one copy for me that says "For Employee's Records" The other two copies are supposed to be sent off. Should I mail my only original to her? If it is not necessary or doesn't matter I would like to mail her a copy instead just in case the original gets lost in the mail. Is this bad?