misterscn

i actually counted the number of days and included an explanation letter (stating since coming to the u.s. 3 years ago i haven't left the country)

When we put my wife's application together we counted all of the days she was out of the US for 5 years, even though we were filing for expedited naturalization under 319(b) of INA. I did not want any reason whatsover for an RFE to delay our case.

I didn't read the whole thread so this might be useless, but awhile ago USCIS opened a dedicated help line for military people (but if they are reliable like the other 1-800 nr then Lord help us)....Anyway here it is:

1-877-CIS-4MIL (1-877-2474645)

misterscn where in Italy are you guys moving to? If you don't mind me asking...

Hi

So If anyone meets 319 (B) INA requirements, then they can apply for expedited citizenship. But suppose that person has been travelling alot, has broke her continues residence? My understanding is that in this cases it does not matter?

Am I right?

Thanks

If you have a green card and you meet the requirements for 319(b) then you can apply, no matter if you have broken residence or not. As long as you have the proper documents in your packet stating that your spouse is going overseas or is already overseas and has at least 1 year remaining from the time you are naturalized then you are in good shape. When my wife went for her interview, there were several persons in the room whose spouses were not working directly for the governement but were contractors or employees of a US based corporation. Those persons were asked to present their original letter at the interview. There was also one lady who was there whose husband was on a 15 month deployment to Iraq and she used 319(b) to get expedited citizenship. If you read the provisions of the law, it will allow for expedited naturalization if your spouse is going to an area considered dangerous, such as a combat zone where obviously you won't be going along with them.

I didn't read the whole thread so this might be useless, but awhile ago USCIS opened a dedicated help line for military people (but if they are reliable like the other 1-800 nr then Lord help us)....Anyway here it is:

1-877-CIS-4MIL (1-877-2474645)

misterscn where in Italy are you guys moving to? If you don't mind me asking...

I have accepted a transfer to Vicenza, Italy within my organization. I have been there many times on business and I like the area.

Is a pending AOS can file for military expedite too? My husband will be deployed this coming August in Iraq and we've been trying to find out how can we expedite my pending AOS..

Thanks.

Julie

319(b) only applies to expidited citizenship, not to AOS. I am not aware of anything in the INA Act that will expedite AOS process. If you do get your AOS and greencard prior to your husband's deployment then you can go ahead and apply for Citizenship as long as his deployment orders are for 12 months or longer. That will allow you to skip the whole I-751 process to lift conditions on your permanent residence.

I hope they work 24/7 to get through the backlog.

You really want to be interviewed by an AO who's being forced against his will to work the night shift instead of spending time with his family?

yes irritated officer could be bad for people with questionable eligibility like myself (with long absence out of country), but if everything is fine and case is clear - approval is just a matter of bureaucracy.

I think you will find that a lot of the agents that will be working weeknights and weekends won't be too upset. As Federal employees they will be either getting overtime pay or evening / weekend shift differential pay which can add up to some $$$. Some of them may take compensetory time off vice overtime to get some additional days off vice taking the extra money. Overtime is not nearly as bad in the federal sector as it is in the private sector.

You can leave after submitting the N-400, just as you could have left before sending it in.

When you go for your interview, you'll again have to meet the physical presence and continuous residence requirements, as listed in the M-476 guide to naturalization. So be sure you don't abandon status, and be sure that your total time outside the US won't total more than 18 months in the past three years (or 30 months in the past 5 years if not applying based on the three years married to and living with a US Citizen). Also, keep a record of your travel dates and bring it to your interview, so that the officer can verify you still meet the requirements.

Hi, Lucyrich:

by saying keep a record of travel dates did you mean all the travels made in the past or the records after N400 sumbitted? Because i don't have all my travel records, when I submitted my N400 I checked the stamps on my passport to find out the dates.... if this gonna be a problem when I go to interview? Thanks^^

My wife recently had her interview and one of the things the USCIS agent did was to look through her passport and verify that she did not make any additional trips outside the US other than those listed on the N400. There is a section of the N400 that will ask you to provide all trips outside the US, including day trips across the border since the time you arrived in the US. The agent also asked if she had made any additional trips since she filed her paperwork. So if you have not done so, keep a good record of the times you leave the US for a foreign land, even if it is just a quick jaunt across the northern or southern border. There is a good chance you will be asked.

UPDATE: On March 14th my wife had her interview at 9:30 am at the Fairfax,VA USCIS office and was sworn in as a US Citizen at 12:30 pm the same day.

Here is a quick rundown of what transpired:

On February 27th, my wife received an email from Agent Bridges @ in the 319(b) section of the Washington, DC USCIS Field office requesting to select an interview date of March 14, 21, or 28. She selected the 14th. She replied to the email. Two hours later she received a PDF I-797c telling her to report to USCIS Office in Fairfax, VA @ 8:00 am on March 14th.

Fast forward to March 14th. We arrive @ USCIS office in Fairfax, VA @ 7:45am and park in the Garage behing the Bldg. The office is located within a short walking distance of the Dunn-Loring Metro Stop on the Orange Line. When we arrived there were 11 people ahead of my wife. There were 3 agents doing interviews. After a 100 minute wait, my wife was called in by Ms. Hernandez. My wife was asked 10 questions, asked to write a sentence in English, Read a sentence in English, and briefly discuss her travels during the time she held her green card. The rest of the conversation was talk about my daughter and our impending reassignment to Italy. When she was done she was given a green slip of paper and told to be back in the 2nd Floor USCIS reception area between 11:15 & 11:30 am.

After taking a snack and coffee celebration break at the snack bar in the building next door, we head back to the 2nd Floor USCIS reception area. My wife gets in line with the other candidates, both 319(b) and regular candidates (62 in all) to check over the information on their certificate of naturalization. Then the candidates were seated in the 2nd Floor Conference Room in order that they were to be called by the USCIS Washington, DC Director who presided over the ceremony and gave the oath of citizenship. After about 40 minutes, family members and guests were allowed to file into the back of the room to watch the ceremony.

The ceremony took about 20 minutes after waiting 20 minutes for briefings and getting the room set up. It began with the singing of the National Anthem by everyone in the room (at least most tried). Next came a brief speech by the director, then came the oath of citizenship. After the oath finished, there was a video message from the President and a music video of scenes of the USA to the tune "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood. Then the supervisor called up each person to get their certificate of naturalization. After that was done, each person filed out of the room and back to the reception area to register to vote (if they were residents of VA and wanted to). We were all done by 12:50 pm.

While we were waiting for the ceremony I did get a good piece of INTEL from a lady who handles 319(b) cases for the State Dept. She told me that the best office by far for 319(b) cases is the office in Fairfax, VA since they have a team dedicated to these actions. She also mentioned that she gets fair results from the offices in Hawaii, Los Angeles, Miami, Tampa, & New York. She told me that the Fairfax office is the only one that does everything in one day, the others above do it over 2 days minimum. She also told me that they do most 319(b) cases at the Fairfax office on Friday. I know after talking with some of the folks in the waiting room early in the morning that they all were there for 319(b) cases. Most were DoD Contractors but there were two in the room that were from the State Dept. We did not meet anyone that day that was either a dependent of an active duty servicemember or DoD Civilian.

So in our case the Expedited Maturalization worked and it worked fast. Part of that was due to the fact that when we filed my wife had a pending I-751 case still open so they were able to use the Background check for both cases. We are both glad we are finally through with USCIS. The only things left to do is go to Social Security so that my wife can change her status on her SSN from Permanent Resident to Citizen and get her passport.

Good Luck to all of you on your path to citizenship.

I posted this in another discussion but this appears the more pertinent forum for this reply:

If you are military or a DoD Civilian you can apply for naturalization as soon as you receive orders. My wife just filed recently for expedited naturalization under INA 319.b because I am transferring from the US to Italy this spring. As soon as I got my orders, I filled out a DD Form 1278 and had it signed by my Director. For military personnel this form would be signed by your commander or director of your personnel office. Then we put the N400 packet together with all the information and photos required as stated in the form instructions.

Before we sent the packet off, we prepared a short memo requesting expedited naturalization under INA 319b explaining the circumstances why my wife qualifies for expidited naturalization. We also included a signed copy of DD Form 1278 as well as a copy of my travel orders and in my case because I am a civil servant I included a copy of my employment contract which shows that I have signed an agreement to serve 36 months in country. We have a tentative departure date of 13 April 2008.

Here is a list of documents we provided to VSC:

Memorandum to VSC "Application for Naturalization under section 319(b) of the Immigration & Naturalization Act explaining the circumstances as well as letting them know the case number of my wifes impending 1-751 action for removal of conditions

DD Form 1278

Travel Orders (DD Form 1614) - Military would use PCS or TCS Orders

Copy of Transportation Agreement (DD Form 1617)

N-400 Application

Copy of Wife's Permanent Resident Card

I-797 Receipt for I-751 Application (which includes extending permanent residence for 1 yr)

I-797 Receipt for ASC Biometrics which includes Application Number for I-751 Action

Marriage Certificate

Husband's Birth Certificate

Copy of Husband's Passport and DoD Civilian ID Card

Daughter's Birth Certificate

Two Bank Statements; one from early in our marriage and one from recently to show joint assets

IRS Tax Transcripts for Tax Yrs 2005, 2005, & 2006

2 passport Photos of my Wife

Check for $675.00 to Department of Homeland Security

We sent the application on 14 January 2008 and was received in Vermont on 17 January 2008. We received a receipt notice on 1 Feb 2008 and to our surprise they are not going to charge my wife an additional biometrics fee because she had her biometrics done on 21 Sep 2007 for her I-751 packet. They state on the I-797 that they are going to send me a check for $80.00 within the next 30 days. I'll wait and see. The other nice part is they state in the letter my wife will be notified within the next 90 days that she will be contacted by USCIS for an interview. After the experience of waiting 15 months to get her green card the first go around I'll have to see it to believe it. We are making plans now for my wife to come back to the DC area for her interview and ceremony after we arrive in country.

While I was doing my research to put the packet together, I stumbled across an FAQ sheet on a military website from the Fairfax VA USCIS office regarding 319(b) applications for government personnel. I have attached it along with an example of the cover letter we did for the 319(b) packet.

Here is our current timeline:

I-751 @ VSC

Date Filed: 13 Aug 07

NOA Date: 25 Aug 07

BIO Date: 21 Sep 07 (Alexandria VA ASC)

Still Waiting for Decision - Case has not been "touched" since 25 Sep 07

N-400 @ VSC

Date Filed: 14 Jan 08

NOA Date: 18 Jan 08

Received I-797c on 1 Feb 08 stating that we should be notified of date & time and place of interview within 90 days of this notice. We'll see

Good Luck to all those Military Spouses out there, especially those whose significant others are over in the sandbox.

UPDATE: On March 14th my wife had her interview at 9:30 am at the Fairfax,VA USCIS office and was sworn in as a US Citizen at 12:30 pm the same day.

Here is a quick rundown of what transpired:

On February 27th, my wife received an email from Agent Bridges @ in the 319(b) section of the Washington, DC USCIS Field office requesting to select an interview date of March 14, 21, or 28. She selected the 14th. She replied to the email. Two hours later she received a PDF I-797c telling her to report to USCIS Office in Fairfax, VA @ 8:00 am on March 14th.

Fast forward to March 14th. We arrive @ USCIS office in Fairfax, VA @ 7:45am and park in the Garage behing the Bldg. The office is located within a short walking distance of the Dunn-Loring Metro Stop on the Orange Line. When we arrived there were 11 people ahead of my wife. There were 3 agents doing interviews. After a 100 minute wait, my wife was called in by Ms. Hernandez. My wife was asked 10 questions, asked to write a sentence in English, Read a sentence in English, and briefly discuss her travels during the time she held her green card. The rest of the conversation was talk about my daughter and our impending reassignment to Italy. When she was done she was given a green slip of paper and told to be back in the 2nd Floor USCIS reception area between 11:15 & 11:30 am.

After taking a snack and coffee celebration break at the snack bar in the building next door, we head back to the 2nd Floor USCIS reception area. My wife gets in line with the other candidates, both 319(b) and regular candidates (62 in all) to check over the information on their certificate of naturalization. Then the candidates were seated in the 2nd Floor Conference Room in order that they were to be called by the USCIS Washington, DC Director who presided over the ceremony and gave the oath of citizenship. After about 40 minutes, family members and guests were allowed to file into the back of the room to watch the ceremony.

The ceremony took about 20 minutes after waiting 20 minutes for briefings and getting the room set up. It began with the singing of the National Anthem by everyone in the room (at least most tried). Next came a brief speech by the director, then came the oath of citizenship. After the oath finished, there was a video message from the President and a music video of scenes of the USA to the tune "God Bless the USA" by Lee Greenwood. Then the supervisor called up each person to get their certificate of naturalization. After that was done, each person filed out of the room and back to the reception area to register to vote (if they were residents of VA and wanted to). We were all done by 12:50 pm.

While we were waiting for the ceremony I did get a good piece of INTEL from a lady who handles 319(b) cases for the State Dept. She told me that the best office by far for 319(b) cases is the office in Fairfax, VA since they have a team dedicated to these actions. She also mentioned that she gets fair results from the offices in Hawaii, Los Angeles, Miami, Tampa, & New York. She told me that the Fairfax office is the only one that does everything in one day, the others above do it over 2 days minimum. She also told me that they do most 319(b) cases at the Fairfax office on Friday. I know after talking with some of the folks in the waiting room early in the morning that they all were there for 319(b) cases. Most were DoD Contractors but there were two in the room that were from the State Dept. We did not meet anyone that day that was either a dependent of an active duty servicemember or DoD Civilian.

So in our case the Expedited Maturalization worked and it worked fast. Part of that was due to the fact that when we filed my wife had a pending I-751 case still open so they were able to use the Background check for both cases. We are both glad we are finally through with USCIS. The only things left to do is go to Social Security so that my wife can change her status on her SSN from Permanent Resident to Citizen and get her passport.

Good Luck to all of you on your path to citizenship.

If you are military or a DoD Civilian you can apply for naturalization as soon as you receive orders. My wife just filed recently for expedited naturalization under INA 319.b because I am transferring from the US to Italy this spring. As soon as I got my orders, I filled out a DD Form 1278 and had it signed by my Director. For military personnel this form would be signed by your commander or director of your personnel office. Then we put the N400 packet together with all the information and photos required as stated in the form instructions.

Before we sent the packet off, we prepared a short memo requesting expedited naturalization under INA 319b explaining the circumstances why my wife qualifies for expidited naturalization. We also included a signed copy of DD Form 1278 as well as a copy of my travel orders and in my case because I am a civil servant I included a copy of my employment contract which shows that I have signed an agreement to serve 36 months in country. We have a tentative departure date of 13 April 2008.

Here is a list of documents we provided to VSC:

Memorandum to VSC "Application for Naturalization under section 319(b) of the Immigration & Naturalization Act explaining the circumstances as well as letting them know the case number of my wifes impending 1-751 action for removal of conditions

DD Form 1278

Travel Orders (DD Form 1614) - Military would use PCS or TCS Orders

Copy of Transportation Agreement (DD Form 1617)

N-400 Application

Copy of Wife's Permanent Resident Card

I-797 Receipt for I-751 Application (which includes extending permanent residence for 1 yr)

I-797 Receipt for ASC Biometrics which includes Application Number for I-751 Action

Marriage Certificate

Husband's Birth Certificate

Copy of Husband's Passport and DoD Civilian ID Card

Daughter's Birth Certificate

Two Bank Statements; one from early in our marriage and one from recently to show joint assets

IRS Tax Transcripts for Tax Yrs 2005, 2005, & 2006

2 passport Photos of my Wife

Check for $675.00 to Department of Homeland Security

We sent the application on 14 January 2008 and was received in Vermont on 17 January 2008. We received a receipt notice on 1 Feb 2008 and to our surprise they are not going to charge my wife an additional biometrics fee because she had her biometrics done on 21 Sep 2007 for her I-751 packet. They state on the I-797 that they are going to send me a check for $80.00 within the next 30 days. I'll wait and see. The other nice part is they state in the letter my wife will be notified within the next 90 days that she will be contacted by USCIS for an interview. After the experience of waiting 15 months to get her green card the first go around I'll have to see it to believe it. We are making plans now for my wife to come back to the DC area for her interview and ceremony after we arrive in country.

While I was doing my research to put the packet together, I stumbled across an FAQ sheet on a military website from the Fairfax VA USCIS office regarding 319(b) applications for government personnel. I have attached it along with an example of the cover letter we did for the 319(b) packet.

Here is our current timeline:

I-751 @ VSC

Date Filed: 13 Aug 07

NOA Date: 25 Aug 07

BIO Date: 21 Sep 07 (Alexandria VA ASC)

Still Waiting for Decision - Case has not been "touched" since 25 Sep 07

N-400 @ VSC

Date Filed: 14 Jan 08

NOA Date: 18 Jan 08

Received I-797c on 1 Feb 08 stating that we should be notified of date & time and place of interview within 90 days of this notice. We'll see

Good Luck to all those Military Spouses out there, especially those whose significant others are over in the sandbox.

Adding my wife's approval from 19 Feb 08 to the list.

UserName....Service Center...I-751 Date....NOA Date.....Biometrics....Interview......Approved...Remarks

Service Centre NEBRASKA

Kearinne..........NSC........04/09/07......04/30/07......06/02/07......__/__/__.......__/__/__

GKSYD1............NSC........07/25/07......07/26/07......09/06/07........none.........09/12/07

annelizabeth......NSC > CSC..08/15/07......08/17/07......09/28/07........none.........01/26/08

maguilart.........NSC > CSC..08/29/07......08/30/07......10/26/07........none.........11/30/07

Kitty0657.........NSC > CSC..08/31/07......09/02/07......10/26/07........none.........12/01/07

FVA...............NSC > CSC..09/10/07......10/03/07......11/01/07........none.........12/03/07

Michaelp..........NSC > CSC..10/09/07......10/11/07......12/05/07........none.........12/11/07

RaspberrySwirl....NSC > CSC..11/26/07......11/27/07......__/__/__......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Ron's_Wifey.......NSC > CSC..11/28/07......12/30/07......__/__/__......__/__/__.......__/__/__

edandying.........NSC > CSC..12/31/07......01/04/08......01/31/08......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Service Centre VERMONT

Gringa............VSC........04/27/07......05/24/07......06/22/07........none.........10/24/07

stef and kel..... VSC........05/29/07......06/06/07......07/09/07........none.........12/07/07

thea..............VSC........06/09/07......06/25/07......07/06/07........none.........01/04/08

GALYASTORPEDO.....VSC........07/24/07......08/24/07......09/08/07......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Alexpo............VSC........07/27/07......__/__/__......__/__/__......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Gemma12nel........VSC........08/07/07......09/04/07......10/02/07......__/__/__.......__/__/__

misterscn.........VSC........08/13/07......08/25/07......09/21/07......none.......02/19/08

DougandNancy......VSC........09/01/07......09/06/07......09/22/07......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Nina C............VSC........09/13/07......10/04/07......11/01/07......__/__/__.......__/__/__

rrp...............VSC........09/27/07......10/14/07......11/09/07......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Supersonic........VSC........10/09/07......10/10/07......11/29/07......__/__/__.......__/__/__

gatorubio.........VSC........10/31/07......11/05/07......12/13/07......__/__/__.......__/__/__

dnaleri...........VSC........12/04/07......12/19/07......01/12/08......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Hopeful...........VSC........12/21/07......01/03/08......__/__/__......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Lissa04...........VSC........12/26/07......__/__/__......__/__/__......__/__/__.......__/__/__

kenk3z............VSC........12/31/07......01/03/08......02/14/08......__/__/__.......__/__/__

mawilson..........VSC........01/14/08......01/16/08......__/__/__......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Kanyiri,..........VSC........01/29/08......__/__/__......__/__/__......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Service Center TEXAS

6901..............TSC > CSC..07/09/07......07/24/07......09/12/07........none.........09/20/07

Mahal.............TSC > CSC..07/27/07......07/27/07......09/28/07........none.........11/22/07

Jo1973............TSC > CSC..07/27/07......08/20/07......09/21/07........none.........11/01/07

Metta.............TSC > CSC..08/04/07......08/30/07......09/28/07........none.........11/28/07

guapitoyguapita77.TSC > CSC..08/14/07......08/30/07......10/12/07......__/__/__.......__/__/__

eau_xplain........TSC > CSC..08/18/07......08/21/07......10/11/07........none.........11/14/07

marksala..........TSC > CSC..08/21/07......08/24/07......09/28/07........none.........11/26/07

crommm............TSC...CSC..09/26/07......09/27/07......11/17/07........none.........01/09/08

BETTI29...........TSC > CSC..10/05/07......10/06/07......12/15/07......__/__/__.......__/__/__

AlNRosa...........TSC > CSC..10/22/07......__/__/__......12/21/07......__/__/__.......__/__/__

RichardS..........TSC > CSC..11/05/07......11/08/07......01/08/08......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Kajikit...........TSC > VSC..12/10/07......12/27/07......__/__/__......__/__/__.......__/__/__

xtin..............TSC........01/08/08......01/26/08......02/22/08......__/__/__.......__/__/__

micius............TSC > VSC..01/15/08......01/18/08......__/__/__......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Service Center CALIFORNIA

BASIL.............CSC........07/28/07......__/__/__......09/07/07........none.........09/17/07

gandagirl505......CSC........08/08/07......08/08/07......09/19/07........none.........10/31/07

Ca_babe...........CSC........08/16/07......08/17/07......09/28/07........none.........11/15/07

edisheri..........CSC........09/17/07......10/14/07......10/23/07........none.........01/29/08

bryand1...........CSC........11/17/07......11/19/07......12/26/07........none.........01/31/08

Babonsi...........CSC........11/17/07......11/19/07......01/04/08........none.........02/01/08

samsbs............CSC........11/26/07......12/13/07......01/03/08......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Jasman0717........CSC........12/14/07......12/20/07......01/17/08......__/__/__.......__/__/__

Please Add to the list. We received an email this afternoon that the Case was approved. Now it's time to sit back and wait for the actual card to show up in the mail.

misterscn.........08/13/07..........08/25/07....... 09/21/07........02/19/08

Huh, wonder if yours was already on an adjudicator's desk when the bulk TSC transfers hit or if VSC is going to continue adjudicating those who filed directly with VSC at a six-month clip. I don't see how, unless they treat all the TSC transfers as if they have just been filed.

My wife filed for expedited Naturalization under INA 319b in January because I am being reassigned to Italy later this year. I'm sure that helped move things along because when we received our I-797 for naturalization, it stated she would be notified for her interview within 90 days. I've sent quite a bit of $$$ to USCIS over the last 6 months for both I-751 and N-400, both after the USCIS Price Increase.

I hope that they clear your TSC cases out of VSC as quickly as possible. We were caught up in the big backlog at MSC with our adjustment of status and our case languished at Lee's Summit for 13 months before it was moved to CSC and after it was moved my wife got her green card in 45 days, even after receiving an RFE.

in that case, will they be able to do everything in one step (interview and taking oath)?

I believe that taking fingerprints oversea should not be a problem.

What do you guys think?

Hi. I am going to apply for N400 under 319b expedited naturalization. But my husband is not military, i am applying under being an applicant who's us citizen spouse is employed abroad regularly

An American firm or corporation engaged in whole or in part in the development of foreign trade and

commerce of the U.S., or a subsidiary

I beleive DD 1278 is only for millitary. Is that right?

If we file N400 before departure, do we need to send a cover letter with the file to let them to know to be fingerprinted overseas.

Thanks for info, yes i will have the special letter, contract, everything to apply for N400, shall i apply before we depart, because we are always overseas, and we will come back only for 5 days to get some things and then we will fly out to my husbands new assignment,

If we do send application in that 5 days, how about fingerprints, shall i mention in cover letter that i am departingg with my husband i would like to be fingerprinted in us embassy? will uscis send me mail? how it will work?

Most American Interest Sections of US Embassies will do fingerprinting for US Citizens for a fee. It is about the same cost as having USCIS do the biometrics. The only bad thing about doing the fingerprint card is that once it is received by USCIS, it has to be sent via snail mail to the FBI where it then has to be digitized to see if they can find a match. It will slow down the process a bit but if you are in no big hurry then you should be OK. From my reasearch you can send you application in from overseas as long as your spouses employer states that your spouse will be overseas for at least 1 year after naturalization. That is the key to this provision in the law.

Another thing to remember is that if you do not have access to Embassy Pouch Mail or APO/FPO, make sure you add the additional time and cost of sending your packet through overseas mail or courier service. More than likely your mail from USCIS will come through the postal system so factor that time in as well. And forget about checking the status of your application online. Even after 40 days, our case is still not showing up on USCIS Case Tracking.

bump

[/quote

Please Add to the list. We received an email this afternoon that the Case was approved. Now it's time to sit back and wait for the actual card to show up in the mail.

misterscn.........08/13/07..........08/25/07....... 09/21/07........02/19/08

in that case, will they be able to do everything in one step (interview and taking oath)?

I believe that taking fingerprints oversea should not be a problem.

What do you guys think?

Hi. I am going to apply for N400 under 319b expedited naturalization. But my husband is not military, i am applying under being an applicant who's us citizen spouse is employed abroad regularly

An American firm or corporation engaged in whole or in part in the development of foreign trade and

commerce of the U.S., or a subsidiary

I beleive DD 1278 is only for millitary. Is that right?

If we file N400 before departure, do we need to send a cover letter with the file to let them to know to be fingerprinted overseas.

The DD Form 1278 is only for Military and DoD Civilian personnel who are being reassigned overseas. Since your spouse is working for a US Company, they will have to provide a letter on Company Letterhead. If possible, try to get it notarized so they don't come back and question its legitimacy.

My wife is taking classes for her exam through the Adult Continuing Education Program offered by Fairfax County Public Schools. It is the same place where she took her advanced English classes. She is also using the study guides available through USCIS website.

Ditto here. I-751 Case info is there but when I try to plug in my wife's receipt number for her N-400 it shows that

Case Status Retrieval Failed

This Receipt Number cannot be found at this time in this automated system. Please check your case receipt number to see if it is correct. If you have questions or concerns about your case status, please contact the National Customer Service Center.

Since she is applying for expedited naturalization under 319(b) INA it may never show up.

From all of the research I have done if you have not done your ceremony by the time your conditional green card expires you will have to file I-751 to keep yourself in legal status. Since your card does not expire until March 2009 you should be in good shape as long as your husband gets his orders 4-6 months prior to your departure. To be safe, set aside the required paperwork and funds for the I-751 just in case. If for some reason you can't do your ceremony prior to your departure you will have to fly back to US territory to do your exam, interview, and ceremony. From Korea that could be Guam, Hawaii, or the West Coast. The nice part about filing under 319(b) is that you can pick the field office you want to use rather that having to return back to the office where your current duty station is.

Also, in case I do not file 751 but N400 as soon as my husband gets his order. What will happen if N400 is pending and my cond. GC is expired (march 2009).

Will I have problems to get back to the US?

I posted this in another discussion but this appears the more pertinent forum for this reply:

If you are military or a DoD Civilian you can apply for naturalization as soon as you receive orders. My wife just filed recently for expedited naturalization under INA 319.b because I am transferring from the US to Italy this spring. As soon as I got my orders, I filled out a DD Form 1278 and had it signed by my Director. For military personnel this form would be signed by your commander or director of your personnel office. Then we put the N400 packet together with all the information and photos required as stated in the form instructions.

Before we sent the packet off, we prepared a short memo requesting expedited naturalization under INA 319b explaining the circumstances why my wife qualifies for expidited naturalization. We also included a signed copy of DD Form 1278 as well as a copy of my travel orders and in my case because I am a civil servant I included a copy of my employment contract which shows that I have signed an agreement to serve 36 months in country. We have a tentative departure date of 13 April 2008.

Here is a list of documents we provided to VSC:

Memorandum to VSC "Application for Naturalization under section 319(b) of the Immigration & Naturalization Act explaining the circumstances as well as letting them know the case number of my wifes impending 1-751 action for removal of conditions

DD Form 1278

Travel Orders (DD Form 1614) - Military would use PCS or TCS Orders

Copy of Transportation Agreement (DD Form 1617)

N-400 Application

Copy of Wife's Permanent Resident Card

I-797 Receipt for I-751 Application (which includes extending permanent residence for 1 yr)

I-797 Receipt for ASC Biometrics which includes Application Number for I-751 Action

Marriage Certificate

Husband's Birth Certificate

Copy of Husband's Passport and DoD Civilian ID Card

Daughter's Birth Certificate

Two Bank Statements; one from early in our marriage and one from recently to show joint assets

IRS Tax Transcripts for Tax Yrs 2005, 2005, & 2006

2 passport Photos of my Wife

Check for $675.00 to Department of Homeland Security

We sent the application on 14 January 2008 and was received in Vermont on 17 January 2008. We received a receipt notice on 1 Feb 2008 and to our surprise they are not going to charge my wife an additional biometrics fee because she had her biometrics done on 21 Sep 2007 for her I-751 packet. They state on the I-797 that they are going to send me a check for $80.00 within the next 30 days. I'll wait and see. The other nice part is they state in the letter my wife will be notified within the next 90 days that she will be contacted by USCIS for an interview. After the experience of waiting 15 months to get her green card the first go around I'll have to see it to believe it. We are making plans now for my wife to come back to the DC area for her interview and ceremony after we arrive in country.

While I was doing my research to put the packet together, I stumbled across an FAQ sheet on a military website from the Fairfax VA USCIS office regarding 319(b) applications for government personnel. I have attached it along with an example of the cover letter we did for the 319(b) packet.

Here is our current timeline:

I-751 @ VSC

Date Filed: 13 Aug 07

NOA Date: 25 Aug 07

BIO Date: 21 Sep 07 (Alexandria VA ASC)

Still Waiting for Decision - Case has not been "touched" since 25 Sep 07

N-400 @ VSC

Date Filed: 14 Jan 08

NOA Date: 18 Jan 08

Received I-797c on 1 Feb 08 stating that we should be notified of date & time and place of interview within 90 days of this notice. We'll see

Good Luck to all those Military Spouses out there, especially those whose significant others are over in the sandbox.

USCIS_319b_FAQ.pdf

319b_Example_Cover_Letter.pdf

If you are military or a DoD Civilian you can apply for naturalization as soon as you receive orders. My wife just filed recently for expedited naturalization under INA 319.b because I am transferring from the US to Italy this spring. As soon as I got my orders, I filled out a DD Form 1278 and had it signed by my Director. For military personnel this form would be signed by your commander or director of your personnel office. Then we put the N400 packet together with all the information and photos required as stated in the form instructions.

Before we sent the packet off, we prepared a short memo requesting expedited naturalization under INA 319b explaining the circumstances why my wife qualifies for expidited naturalization. We also included a signed copy of DD Form 1278 as well as a copy of my travel orders and in my case because I am a civil servant I included a copy of my employment contract which shows that I have signed an agreement to serve 36 months in country. We have a tentative departure date of 13 April 2008.

Here is a list of documents we provided to VSC:

Memorandum to VSC "Application for Naturalization under section 319(b) of the Immigration & Naturalization Act explaining the circumstances as well as letting them know the case number of my wifes impending 1-751 action for removal of conditions

DD Form 1278

Travel Orders (DD Form 1614) - Military would use PCS or TCS Orders

Copy of Transportation Agreement (DD Form 1617)

N-400 Application

Copy of Wife's Permanent Resident Card

I-797 Receipt for I-751 Application (which includes extending permanent residence for 1 yr)

I-797 Receipt for ASC Biometrics which includes Application Number for I-751 Action

Marriage Certificate

Husband's Birth Certificate

Copy of Husband's Passport and DoD Civilian ID Card

Daughter's Birth Certificate

Two Bank Statements; one from early in our marriage and one from recently to show joint assets

IRS Tax Transcripts for Tax Yrs 2005, 2005, & 2006

2 passport Photos of my Wife

Check for $675.00 to Department of Homeland Security

We sent the application on 14 January 2008 and was received in Vermont on 17 January 2008. We received a receipt notice on 1 Feb 2008 and to our surprise they are not going to charge my wife an additional biometrics fee because she had her biometrics done on 21 Sep 2007 for her I-751 packet. They state on the I-797 that they are going to send me a check for $80.00 within the next 30 days. I'll wait and see. The other nice part is they state in the letter my wife will be notified within the next 90 days that she will be contacted by USCIS for an interview. After the experience of waiting 15 months to get her green card the first go around I'll have to see it to believe it. We are making plans now for my wife to come back to the DC area for her interview and ceremony after we arrive in country.

While I was doing my research to put the packet together, I stumbled across an FAQ sheet on a military website from the Fairfax VA USCIS office regarding 319(b) applications for government personnel. I have attached it along with an example of the cover letter we did for the 319(b) packet.

Here is our current timeline:

I-751 @ VSC

Date Filed: 13 Aug 07

NOA Date: 25 Aug 07

BIO Date: 21 Sep 07 (Alexandria VA ASC)

Still Waiting for Decision - Case has not been "touched" since 25 Sep 07

N-400 @ VSC

Date Filed: 14 Jan 08

NOA Date: 18 Jan 08

Received I-797c on 1 Feb 08 stating that we should be notified of date & time and place of interview within 90 days of this notice. We'll see

Good Luck to all those Military Spouses out there, especially those whose significant others are over in the sandbox.

USCIS_319b_FAQ.pdf

319b_Example_Cover_Letter.pdf

My wife has travelled twice to Peru and had no problem with her married name on the ticket. We did go to the Peruvian Consulate in Washington to register our marriage and change the name in her passport and DENI but because they put only a stamp in there, it is very confusing to airline personnel. We flew American Airlines twice and my wife had to present her passport & green card both leaving the US and Peru. She never encountered any problems whatsoever.

BTW the process of registering the marriage and getting a DENI is about 45 days from the time you apply until the documents show back up at the consulate. Make sure you call the consulate ahead of time as the website is vague of all the documents you need. And if you are going to register your marriage with the civil registry you will need 2 witnesses with either DENI's or Passports. The witnesses do not have to be Peruvian citizens.