almostthere2010

February 14, 2011

Good Luck to your stepdaughter Nick. Sometimes I've read that USCIS uses that option to do a little more research. I'm sure everything will be fine and soon you will receive the Oath Letter.

January 31, 2011

Hi Nick,

I applied based on being a resident for 5 years, not thru marriage and I did not include any tax returns on the application. During my interview I brought the tax returns with me but I was not asked for them.

I hope this helps

January 25, 2011

I called the 800 # and it was no help. They told me I need to fill out form N-565, but honestly I'm afraid of doing so as it may take too long. Next InfoPass appointment in Orlando is in two weeks. I may wait and go there but if is too much of an issue I'll just keep the name listed in the certificate. Is just a little annoying as my last names are a little long but I can live with it :lol:

I wont stress over it, after all I'm now a USC!!!

Thanks you all for the advice

January 24, 2011

Thank you Bob. What a mess. I guess the easiest route to take now is to keep both last names. I became a USC last Friday. I should have told the IO not to include that other last name, but didn’t. I can’t go back, what is done is done. During the ceremony I did try to get it corrected but it was too late. They told me that since that is what it was in the Application/etc that is what will stay.

I’m going to apply for a Passport tomorrow and then will have to change the name in the DL and SSN when I get a chance.

Thanks again.

I didn't assume you blamed anybody, nor did I try to be mean. I'm always like that, for no other reason than being the genuine me. I almost always go straight to the point, especially when I'm typing with two oversized thumbs on a tiny notebook, as it was the case this morning. So please take this with a grain of salt. Nothing personal nor unusual.

As I said before, the name on your certificate is now your legal name. If you apply for a passport, it will show your name exactly as it is written on your certificate. If you need a new driver license and they want to see your proof of legal presence or citizenship, they will issue the new driver license in the same manner. Same for the SSA. If you show up to update your status, your new SS card will have both last names on it. Especially since it's not a middle name, but the last last name, this can be a bit awkward.

If you absolutely think you can't or don't want to live with the name as written on the certificate, you need to petition for a name change.

I don't know how long ago you became a US citizen. If it happened just a day or two or three ago, you may want to try to have USCIS have it corrected. It will still cost you $345 but at least it won't take a year or so. If you became a US citizen weeks or months ago, that train has left the station and you need to petition for a name change like any celebrity does. It's a straight forward procedure but it cost time and money.

Now . . . another thing to consider is that your certificate is your one and only proof of citizenship. If you lose it or send it off you are document-less. I also don't know if you have applied for a US passport yet, so if you haven't, do it now. If you are absolutely sure that you don't need to travel internationally any time soon, you can go and just get a passport card for $25.00. Even the passport card will require you to send in your original certificate, but at least you have proof of citizenship then, aside from your certificate, just in case your certificate will be somewhere, for some time.

Depending on when you became a citizen, what you will have to go through is a big bag of trouble, or a really big one. Sorry, but that's the way the cookie crumbles right now and I don't see any way to deal with this in any other way.

Good luck!

January 24, 2011

:blink: I'm not blaming USCIS or trying to figure out if I made a mistake or two like you said. In the Spanish culture we sometimes use two last names. My question is, do I have to now put the two last names in my Driver License and SS? For some reason I'm thinking that the second last name is not required. If anyone else have anything of value to say I'll appreciated it

Thanks

At the Oath Ceremony we were told to check out our certificate with eagle eyes whether or not there was made a mistake, any mistake. Once we would leave the building, changing the certificate would require paying for a new one and if the name on their Certificate was wrong, that would be our name from then on unless a court-ordered name change would take place.

So your legal name on the certificate is now your name for life. If you don't like it, you will petition the court for a name change. Understand, it's not a correction anymore; it's now an entirely new petition. "I didn't think clearly" and "I didn't check" combined is not a valid excuse. USCIS didn't make a mistake. You made not one, but two.

January 24, 2011

Hi All!

I need some help. During my n-400 interview the IO asked if I wanted to list my 2^nd last name in my Certificate. At the time I wasn’t thinking straight and told him that will be ok. I believe he asked that because that’s how my name was listed in my original Passport. So now I have a dilemma.

My Naturalization Certificate shows:

First Name, Middle Name, Last Name, 2^nd last name (mother's maiden name)

My SSN card and DL shows:

First Name, Middle Name, Last Name

Now, I don’t want to change my name, can I just continue to use just 1 last name? I will be going to the SSN and DL to let them know I’m a Citizen, but are they going to try to update my SSN and DL with the other last name as well? How about for my passport?

Your help is appreciated.

January 21, 2011

I'm a US Citizen!!!! whooooo hoooo. The Oath ceremony was a wonderful experience. I'm glad is all over, and I don't have to deal with our friends at USCIS anymore. I tried to go to the SSN office and Driver license to update my records but the wait time was over 3 hours, so that is going to have to wait. I was able to register to vote, and will be appliying for a password next week.

Good luck everyone!!! :dance:

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***Fprints and Int Ltr: Please put the date of those appointments, not the day that you receive the letter.

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N-400 September 2010 Applicants

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USCIS Arizona Lockbox

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UserName...........Sent......ChkCashd..NOA.......Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview...Oath......Office

newbie81...........09/03/10..09/07/10..09/08/10..09/23/10..10/08/10..11/15/10..12/13/10..Utah

luckytag...........09/09/10..09/15/10..09/15/10..10/20/10..10/25/10..12/02/10..12/02/10..Seattle, WA

RichardShane.......10/11/10..10/13/10..10/14/10..11/09/10..12/15/10..01/20/11............Sacramento, CA

DOZ................09/11/10..09/22/10..09/24/10..10/26/10..11/04/10..12/07/10..12/07/10..Seattle, WA

Dannyh86...........09/14/10..09/21/10..09/24/10..10/14/10..10/25/10..11/30/10..12/16/10..San Diego, CA

Morrocco4ever......19/15/10..10/06/10..10/04/10..10/28/10................................Salt Lake City, UT

mae................09/23/10..09/29/10..10/04/10..10/20/10..12/01/10..01/04/10............San Bernardino, CA

JeanneVictoria.....09/25/10..10/01/10..09/30/10..10/21/10..11/16/10..01/12/11............Tucson, AZ

canuck_girl........09/16/10..09/24/10..09/27/10..10/14/10..12/08/10..01/20/11............Los Angeles, CA

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USCIS Texas Lockbox

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UserName...........Sent......ChkCashd..NOA.......Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview...Oath......Office

Way2Go.............09/01/10..09/07/10..09/10/10..09/27/10..10/12/10..11/23/10..01/26/11..Jacksonville, FL

Agnar..............09/01/10..09/07/10..09/07/10..10/07/10..12/03/10..01/06/11..01/06/11..Newark, NJ

mzswing............09/01/10..09/09/10..09/11/10..........................................Atlanta, GA

Almostthere2010....09/10/10..09/17/10..09/14/10..10/06/10..12/18/10..01/19/11..01/21/11..Orlando, FL

PedroH.............09/13/10....n/a.....09/16/10..10/07/10..12/13/10..01/18/11..02/09/11..Charlotte NC

Lace ..............09/15/10..09/22/10..09/27/10..10/15/10................................Washington, DC

j_infy.............09/16/10..09/22/10..09/20/10..10/22/10................................Newark, NJ

mainyasha .........09/18/10....n/a.....09/22/10..........................................Dallas, TX

hhN400.............09/20/10..09/24/10..09/27/10..10/25/10................................Washington, DC

BL & LC............09/20/10..09/22/10..09/26/10..10/18/10................................NYC, NY

Ja_Tam.............09/21/10..09/24/10..09/29/10..10/15/10..12/03.10..01/06/11............Oakland Park, FL

R&W................09/22/10..09/28/10..09/28/10..11/01/10..11/05/10..12/14/10..12/14/10..Dallas, TX

MJZ................09/25/10..10/01/10..10/04/10..11/04/10................................Newark, NJ

Anh map............09/27/10..10/04/10..10/04/10..11/04/10..12/07/10..01/10/11..03/03/11..Boston, MA

SM&LP..............09/29/10..10/08/10..10/06/10..11/01/10..12/11/10..01/18/11............Oklahoma City, OK

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USCIS Lincoln, Nebraska Lockbox (Filing Under 319b, 328, or 329 of the INA)

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UserName...........Sent......ChkCashd..NOA.......Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview...Oath......Office

Manohara...........09/20/10..09/27/10..09/28/10..10/25/10..11/03/10..12/03/10............San Diego, CA

Jodee..............09/28/10....n/a.....10/07/10..10/27/10..11/10/10..11/30/10..12/16/10..San Bernardino, CA

Choir001...........09/03/10..09/21/10..09/21/10.(inc cards)..............................Fairfax, VA

Chrissepwoz........09/01/10..09/15/10..09/15/10.(inc cards)..............................Fairfax, VA

January 21, 2011

Hi canuck_girl. Sorry to hear about your experience. Have faith, I'm sure everything is going to work out on your favor :thumbs:

Hi Everyone,

So today I went in for my interview. I got in 45 minutes early, seeing how my appointment was at 10:30 am. We waited and waited and waited and then at 11:30 I was finally called in.

The IO was nice......

January 19, 2011

Thank you for the well wishes Ja Tam.

I had my interview this morning. I arrived at the USCIS office in Orlando 30 minutes before my appointment, but the building wasn’t open yet. After waiting 10 minutes I was the first person to get in. In my head I was thinking, I’ve heard is never a good thing to be the first or last person when it come to anything …. =)

Once inside the building we were required to go thru a security checkpoint similar to airports. I had to take my shoes and belt off. Once inside I was ask to place my interview letter at a desk and wait to be called. I probably waited 20 minutes before I was called. The officer was nice but professional. He sword me in and started going thru my application. He would ask specific questions about the information provided in the application. I was surprised that he asked about my previous marriage as I was applying based on 5 Year Residency. He asked how I met my ex wife, how long we were married, etc. He had my original file with all previous applications, so he could se everything that I ever submitted.

I was very nervous, not due to the information, but about the Civics test =). At one point I told him I was nervous and he ask if there was a reason I was nervous about? I told him the truth, that I don’t like tests and was not looking forward to the Civics questions. Anyways once he was done going thru the application he continued to the civics test. I don’t remember all the questions, but here are a few that I was asked:

What is one promise you make when you become a USC?

Who is the Governor of your state?

Where is the Statue of Liberty Located?

Name two US holidays?

Following he asked me to read and write a sentence. Once that was done he told me Congratulations, and that he will be recommending me for approval and told me that a letter will be sent by the mail. Then he said that they are having an Oath on Friday and asked me if I want to be a part of it. I told him of course =) . He then told to wait outside, he will pass the file to a Supervisor for approval.

That’s it. I have my Oath on Friday. Glad is almost over. Good luck to everyone of you and thanks for all the good advise in this forums

January 19, 2011