Aloe

Glad to hear it went well Khamsa!!

Haha

I think it will depend on which immigration officer you get.... Some of them looked very uptight but the guy I had was really friendly and sweet. You'll just have to give the officer a few minutes to see how they are. The officer I was with was making jokes before we even got to the interview room so I knew then and there I was golden.

I hope you get to interview with him too!

Aloe,

That is awesome news!!! congrats.

Ok -- im changing my interview strategy from being serious to getting straight to beer and bar talk. I'll even tell the IO I hope we would outside sometime, it would be great - I owe you 6 tequila shots.

JUST KIDDING!!!

hopefully my interview goes well on Wednesday. Ill keep you guys posted.

Thanks Khamsa and Jeepers!

Just got home from my interview and I was approved on the spot! In even better news I left with my Oath ceremony already scheduled for 8am on September 17th! This whole process has been SO fast I can't believe it.

I had a few issues in regards to changing my name from my married name to my maiden name because I was given misinformation by my local Social Security office but he went to review with his manager who said that my name was already changed and that the Social Security office was wrong so I will get my Nat Cert with the right name on it

Pretty sure I spent most of my interview discussing local beers and bars with the immigration officer. When I left he said maybe we'll run into each other outside of here and I can buy you a cocktail haha

Khamsa, hopefully you will leave with the same results as me!

Khamsa,

Our dates are so close together I wouldn't be surprised if we had our Oath ceremonies together! haha

Glad you got your letter for the interview!

Checked the mail today and I received my interview letter.

Letter is Dated 07/08/15 Received it 07/11/2015, Interview is 08/17/2015.

Now to brush up on my American History...

I had my bio Appointment scheduled for 07/02/2015 at 10.00am in the Buffalo office. As with Khamsa's experience I was in and out.I showed up 15 minutes early put an hour on the parking meter and when I got back to my car I still had 51 of the 60 minutes remaining. I too wish I had have done a walk in appointment 2 weeks earlier as they were VERY quiet in there.

On 07/07/2015 I received an email that said

"On July 7, 2015, we started the interview scheduling process for your Form N400, APPLICATION FOR NATURALIZATION, Receipt Number NBC*XXXXXX. We will send you an interview notice. Please follow any instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address."

Then on July 8th (my Birthday) I received another email

"On July 8, 2015, we scheduled an interview for your Form N400, APPLICATION FOR NATURALIZATION, Receipt Number NBC*XXXXXX. We will mail you an interview notice. Please follow any instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address."

Happy Birthday to me! I haven't received the physical notices yet but that could be because I haven't been to my house in a few days so I'll stop by tomorrow to check the mail.

Hi,

I sent my package on 06/01/2015 it was recv'd 06/02/2015, check was cashed 06/05/2015, I cannot remember my NOA date but I received my fingerprints appointment today for 07/02/2015!

My application support centre is Buffalo.

I am an Australian Citizen who has been an American permanent resident since September 2009.

I received my green card through marriage. Unfortunately at the beginning of this year my marriage fell apart and we divorced.

I truly believed in my heart that after my divorce I belonged in Australia and in May I moved back to Sydney. I have been here since but have had a terrible time adjusting and settling down. Slowly I have realised that the U.S. became my home... Not just the U.S. but Buffalo in particular. I am 26 and have lived in Buffalo for the majority of my adult life. My house is there which I have been trying to sell along with my car which hasn't yet sold either. All of my friends are there, I was happy there. I came back to Sydney and I do love it here, it has the familiarity of my childhood and my family but the truth is it just doesn't feel like home anymore. I miss my life... The only life I have known as an adult, I miss my friends, my house, my pets and I cannot settle here in Australia.

I am going to be moving back to Buffalo at the very beginning of November. Knowing that now, it is the first time I have truly felt at peace and like I can relax since I got back to Sydney.

One day Sydney may be the right place for me but it's not now.

I want to go back and apply for American Citizenship. I know I can go back because I haven't yet been gone for 6 months. My concern is when I get there will I be able to apply for citizenship. The biggest requirement I am worried about is

• Have lived within the state, or USCIS district with jurisdiction over the applicant’s place of residence, for at least 3 months prior to the date of filing the application

Technically, I never stopped "living" there. I have been a continuous resident and have really just been on an extended vacation here in Australia.

When I get home will I be able to apply immediately in regard to that requirement or will I need to wait 3 months?

My decision date was 5/17/2012.

I received an email and text today saying that my GC had been ordered and I would receive it within the next 30 days.

My Husband called me to let me know that Our GC was approved!!!! Of course ti would come when I was out of town so I don't know the approval date but as soon as I find out I can come back and update. Says I should receive my new card within 60 days!

Good luck everyone!

The way I read it SHE doesn't have a GC it is the OP that is filing for ROC. When they initially filed for AOS the wife (petitioner) put her new married name on the forms but since has decided not to change her name and wants to put her maiden name on the ROC forms.

My question is when you actually got married and you filled out the forms what did she put then? If she put on those papers that she wanted to take on your name the change has already occurred.

I would think it would look odd to an IO that at one point she was known by your last name and now has reverted back to her own. If you have a marriage certificate that shows her name change to your name I would have her fill the forms out with your name regardless of what other documents have her maiden name on it.

But I honestly couldn't tell you if this is the correct answer or not. Hopefully someone else will be able to.

*EDIT* He posted before I could!!

I honestly think it will be fine sometimes it takes people YEARS to finally get around to changing their names on things like that. More often than not they wait until an update is required or a new card needs to be issued etc. But I would still put her married name on the form if that is what your Marreiage Certificate states

People always guess that I am several years younger than I actually am. I'm 23 and most of the time they guess 17 or 18...at least when I am sitting down. When I am standing they guess a little closer to my age I guess because of my height..6'1.

I actually had someone come to my door not too long ago and asked if my parents were home When I told him no and that I owned the home he was really embarassed and kept apologising

You're planning to hold off getting a divorce so that you can still meet the requirements to apply for naturalisation within the three year time frame? Even though you know the marriage has already broken down?

Unfortunately in most cases, no. You are not a resident until you receive the Permanent Resident Card and they will most likely ask for that.

Also when I initially tried signing up for classes I had not yet been a resident for an entire year and they would not allow me to register as an instate resident until I had been.

I would ask around at a few different institutions and see what their policy is at may differ in different schools. Also look into Community Colleges First. The tution is A LOT cheaper so if you can get as many classes done at a Community College and then transfer to a larger college you will save alot of money.

Where in NY will you be?

No one at this point should be worried because the fact that we haven't heard anything is NORMAL. The expected timeline for Vermont is 6.3 months, it's only been 2-3 for us August filers and do you SERIOUSLY expect that USCIS is going to meet that timeline?

The only time you need to start worrying is when everyone else who filed in August has their approval and you don't. Until that point they are obviously not working on the August filers and our cases will be sitting in limbo.

Is she currently in the U.S or Argentina?

Your Client?

I sure hope you are not charging these people to help them with this situation and then coming to a public forum to ask for advice.

If you are "representing" these people shouldn't you KNOW what you are doing?

My advice would be to take the infopass and give them all of the informtaion you can and tell them what you think her intentions may have been. It may not get you anywhere but it is better for you to provide all of the documentation you can before she does try something like a false VAWA claim against you. If she did enter this marriage with the intention to commit fraud I am sure she has a better idea of how things work than you think. Who knows depending on how long all of this has been going on for she may have already filed VAWA and you will never know.

From here on out it is not about revenge or about getting her sent home it's about covering your own butt as best you can. Take the infopass tell the what you think the circumstances are, give them the documentation to put in her file and move on.

Now that just sounds funny - LOL. Hubby's can add stress, passport or not..

Oh believe me I know. I was not only referring to the stress of him not having the passport but the stress of dragging him along with my step mother and 16 year old brother. They were more than enough to make a very memorable trip

Yes the trip has already taken place and I just left the hubby behind. Didn't want the added stress.

I just crossed the border the other day and he wasn't interested in my passport even when I asked him if he wanted to see it he just said no the GC was fine and sent us on our way.

I am planning on taking my family to Niagara Falls tomorrow and was so worried about making sure that the three of us Australians had everything we need I didn't even stop to think my U.S. Husband may have issues. I know they recently made it more difficult to cross even for American Citizens and was wondering what he would need. Without a Passport or Enhanced Drivers License the only things he really has are an Original Birth Certificate and a regular DL. Is this enough or should I not even bother trying?

Just in case anyone is wondering my family are traveling on the VWP and I was told they would be able to get in and out of Canada just fine as long as it is within their original 90 day visit to the U.S. and I will be traveling on my Green Card which has expired however, I do have my extension letter to show I am in the process of Removing Conditions.

TIA!

You may want to check with the Community Colleges on the residency requirement. Here in NY I wanted to attend as soon as I got my GC but they said I would still have to pay out of state tuition until I could prove I had resided in the state as a resident for 1 year. The time prior to receiving my GC they wouldn't count towards the year.

Also as long as you meet the income levels you can receive Financial Aid. My first year of Community College I didn't have to pay for the tuition Iacually got a check back. I wasn't so lucky this year though and had to take out $3000 in student Loans.

Community College is also a great way to cut costs. I am currently enrolled in a Business Administration degree which will allow me to transfer into a State Uni here. That way I have paid the Community College rate which is ALOT cheaper for most of my degree and I will be able to finish it off at State Uni and no-one ever needs to know I attended a Community College except me and my wallet.

hi can someone help me please, i sent in my I751 june 6th 2011 my 2 year green card didnt expire until 27th august 2011, i noticed a lot of people have only waite a few to 3 months from sending it in, i have now waited 149 days should i worry thanks debbie

If you have recevied NOTHING then yes you need to get in contact with them. Have you received an NOA or a Biometrics Appointment?

Has your check been cashed?

You should definitely call and/or create an infopass and go and speak to someone at your local office.

Yes.

This has nothing to do with "paying for immigration" If you get married before midnight on December 31, 2011 your status will be "married filing joint" and if you have a qualifying child, YES you get the child tax credit, There are some qualifications to this, so check with your tax professional.

If the child does not qualify this year, they will next year.

When you get married and you have children you become a family just like any other family and are entitled to the same credits as anyone else. To suggest that "taxpayers are paying for your immigration" is simply ignorance of the tax laws.

The question has everything to do with immigration. The OP stated he KNEW he was going to get the Child Tax Credit of $1000. His question was in regards to THIS process meaning the immigration process and if he was going to get any money back or tax breaks from the fees that he had paid which no, of course he isn't going to. Nobody does and again noone can expect the American Taxpayers to pay for the immigration expenses. So really there was no ignorance on my part but I can only speak for myself.