Filling out N-400

[itsy_bitsy 8]

Silly question, do I have to fill out the N-400 form all in CAPITAL LETTERS as the instruction says?

Part 7. Time Outside the United States.

A. How many total days did you spend outside of the United States during the past 5 years?

- Dumb question but it kinda confuses me and as paranoid as I am, I just want to make sure I type the right answer. I'm applying through a marriage-based residency. I have been here in the US since May 2007, so the past 5 years counts January 2007-April 2007 where I was still living in the Philippines. Does the "total days" spent outside the US include the days I lived in the Philippines before coming here?

[nwctzn 55]

Silly question, do I have to fill out the N-400 form all in CAPITAL LETTERS as the instruction says?

Part 7. Time Outside the United States.

A. How many total days did you spend outside of the United States during the past 5 years?

- Dumb question but it kinda confuses me and as paranoid as I am, I just want to make sure I type the right answer. I'm applying through a marriage-based residency. I have been here in the US since May 2007, so the past 5 years counts January 2007-April 2007 where I was still living in the Philippines. Does the "total days" spent outside the US include the days I lived in the Philippines before coming here?

No question is a silly or dumb question. We all have been going through this process and when the USCIS is involved it's good to be on the picky side all the time. It does not hurt.

Yes, fill everything in capital letters. I filled out the PDF document on my computer with "CAPS LOCK" on, so you do not forget

This 3 year / 5 year thing is confusing many people. You are applying based on 3 year marriage to a US citizen.

Read the question as: How many total days did you spend outside of the United States during the past 5 years (or 3 years) ?

and answer how many days you were out of the US for 3 years.

The same applies for your addresses and work information. Fill out everything based on 3 years instead of 5 years.

Best of luck!

Edited January 16, 2012 by nwctzn

[ingucis78 1]

No question is a silly or dumb question. We all have been going through this process and when the USCIS is involved it's good to be on the picky side all the time. It does not hurt.

Yes, fill everything in capital letters. I filled out the PDF document on my computer with "CAPS LOCK" on, so you do not forget

This 3 year / 5 year thing is confusing many people. You are applying based on 3 year marriage to a US citizen.

Read the question as: How many total days did you spend outside of the United States during the past 5 years (or 3 years) ?

and answer how many days you were out of the US for 3 years.

The same applies for your addresses and work information. Fill out everything based on 3 years instead of 5 years.

Best of luck!

see i wish i asked that quastion when i filed out my N400.applyed based on 3 year marriage,but still filled out everything for the last 5 years.i hope IO wont give me hard time about that.LOL

[itsy_bitsy 8]

No question is a silly or dumb question. We all have been going through this process and when the USCIS is involved it's good to be on the picky side all the time. It does not hurt.

Yes, fill everything in capital letters. I filled out the PDF document on my computer with "CAPS LOCK" on, so you do not forget

This 3 year / 5 year thing is confusing many people. You are applying based on 3 year marriage to a US citizen.

Read the question as: How many total days did you spend outside of the United States during the past 5 years (or 3 years) ?

and answer how many days you were out of the US for 3 years.

The same applies for your addresses and work information. Fill out everything based on 3 years instead of 5 years.

Best of luck!

Thanks a lot for the clarification. One more question if you don't mind. In Part 10 B, 8 a. Have you ever been a member of or associated with any organization, association, fund foundation, party, club, society, or similar group in the United States or in any other place?

- Does this include religious organization? Should I write down my religion under "Name of Group" or should I just skip this part?

Thanks again.

[nwctzn 55]

Thanks a lot for the clarification. One more question if you don't mind. In Part 10 B, 8 a. Have you ever been a member of or associated with any organization, association, fund foundation, party, club, society, or similar group in the United States or in any other place?

- Does this include religious organization? Should I write down my religion under "Name of Group" or should I just skip this part?

Thanks again.

Religion on its own is not an organization. So you can skip that part. In my case, I wrote down a professional organization that I belonged to (an engineering organization).

[Brother Hesekiel 2,235]

Thanks a lot for the clarification. One more question if you don't mind. In Part 10 B, 8 a. Have you ever been a member of or associated with any organization, association, fund foundation, party, club, society, or similar group in the United States or in any other place?

- Does this include religious organization? Should I write down my religion under "Name of Group" or should I just skip this part?

Thanks again.

You need to focus.

What does the word ANY mean? What does it mean to you? I tell you what its real meaning is: ANY. Any and all!

So if you are a member of COSTCO/Price Club, write it in unless you don't mind misrepresenting yourself to a government agent. AAA Auto Club? Ralph's or Von's Club? A religious organization?

It's not your business to decide what's important to them. They know what's important and what isn't, and they decide that all on their own. Your job is to list these affiliations and memberships truthfully. Not more, not less. It's not really complicated or tricky. Any means any and all.

[nwctzn 55]

You need to focus.

What does the word ANY mean? What does it mean to you? I tell you what its real meaning is: ANY. Any and all!

So if you are a member of COSTCO/Price Club, write it in unless you don't mind misrepresenting yourself to a government agent. AAA Auto Club? Ralph's or Von's Club? A religious organization?

It's not your business to decide what's important to them. They know what's important and what isn't, and they decide that all on their own. Your job is to list these affiliations and memberships truthfully. Not more, not less. It's not really complicated or tricky. Any means any and all.

If you are a member of a religious organization, write it down. But if you are just a religious person and attend church/synagogue/temple etc., I do not think that you need to list your religion there.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,235]

If you are a member of a religious organization, write it down. But if you are just a religious person and attend church/synagogue/temple etc., I do not think that you need to list your religion there.

Correct.

If she just silently burns incest and sacrifices snails in the privacy of her home and does not belong to any organized religious organization, like a church, she doesn't have to reveal her religious practice to the immigration folks.

[itsy_bitsy 8]

No question is a silly or dumb question. We all have been going through this process and when the USCIS is involved it's good to be on the picky side all the time. It does not hurt.

Yes, fill everything in capital letters. I filled out the PDF document on my computer with "CAPS LOCK" on, so you do not forget

This 3 year / 5 year thing is confusing many people. You are applying based on 3 year marriage to a US citizen.

Read the question as: How many total days did you spend outside of the United States during the past 5 years (or 3 years) ?

and answer how many days you were out of the US for 3 years.

The same applies for your addresses and work information. Fill out everything based on 3 years instead of 5 years.

Best of luck!

Do you have to write down the exact dates? I mean in a month + day + year format? I can't remember some of the dates exactly. Like how is it possible to remember what exact date you moved into an apartment or the exact date you were hired at a job? And I don't wanna make up dates just to follow the mm/dd/yyyy format. Would the month + year suffice?

Edited January 19, 2012 by itsy_bitsy

[nwctzn 55]

Do you have to write down the exact dates? I mean in a month + day + year format? I can't remember some of the dates exactly. Like how is it possible to remember what exact date you moved into an apartment or the exact date you were hired at a job? And I don't wanna make up dates just to follow the mm/dd/yyyy format. Would the month + year suffice?

They want the mm/dd/yyyy format. You can call your ex-employer's HR department and your ex-apartment leasing office for exact dates. In case you cannot get the exact date, make your best guess.

[Kajikit 65]

It never would have remotely occurred to me to write down my church in that question - it doesn't say anything about RELIGIOUS organisations in the question. But I wrote down the Friends of the Library because it is a registered organisation, and otherwise that section would be entirely blank.

[itsy_bitsy 8]

For the tax return requirements, we filed our last 2 tax returns (2009 and 2010) online via the H&R Block software. Would the print outs be OK to submit? The tax return print outs say "copy only, do not file", so I'm wondering if USCIS will consider online print-outs of tax returns as legit.

[nwctzn 55]

For the tax return requirements, we filed our last 2 tax returns (2009 and 2010) online via the H&R Block software. Would the print outs be OK to submit? The tax return print outs say "copy only, do not file", so I'm wondering if USCIS will consider online print-outs of tax returns as legit.

As far as I know they want tax transcripts, not copies of your tax returns. You can order tax transcripts from the IRS. Check out the IRS website.

[ingucis78 1]

As far as I know they want tax transcripts, not copies of your tax returns. You can order tax transcripts from the IRS. Check out the IRS website.

i was just trying to order some,but really had no idea what i need to order.my hubby also said he has no idea on what is needed

[nwctzn 55]

i was just trying to order some,but really had no idea what i need to order.my hubby also said he has no idea on what is needed

Go to the below IRS link and order a tax return transcript

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=110571,00.html

Edited January 20, 2012 by nwctzn