Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

This version appears to have active content that checks the program being used to open it: when I try to open it using Preview on a Mac I see the following text:

"To view the full contents of this document, you need a later version of the PDF viewer. You can upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Reader from www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

For further support, go to www.adobe.com/support/products/acrreader.html"

Apparently Mac users are not expected to apply for natz...

Re: Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloa...osh&product=10.

Ian

Re: Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

I have done a lot of work with PDF files and I can say that the PDF files created by USCIS have been very poorly made. Some files have embedded fonts and some don't, some require different versions of Acrobat then others, some have been secured and some not, many of the fields are misaligned, some can be saved and some not and there are numerous incompatibilities like the one with apple preview. It's relatively easy to improve upon them by creating much more compatible files, with smaller size and make sure that fonts are always embedded - but I suppose this is too much to ask from USCIS. I could easily create improved and compatible versions of these files myself if many people would be interested - but thats unlikely.

Re: Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

You could always send away for the paper versions. USCIS will mail them to you. You fill this kind in with a "pen".

Re: Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

Now a days we can submit online application, which is a faster process compared to sending an email...whats your opinion?

Re: Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

Really do you expect government programmers to analyze the information in the HTTP User-Agent header to determine which type of operating system the user is running on?

Re: Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

Why would they need to do that?

Re: Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

Nope -- I expect them to use open standards for universal access.

And I don't want them promoting Adobe.

Re: Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

Portable Document Format (PDF) is an open standard for document exchange.

Re: Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

Precisely. But USCIS have made it unportable!

No idea what their particular reason for checking the reader software is. There is no reason I can think of that a publicly-accessible government form should contain DRM, nor should it use the latest bleeding-edge standard if there is not widespread adoption of that standard. And it should certainly never promote a commercial software vendor.

At least, I suppose, it matches the mindless architecture of their website.

Re: Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

No, but the default PDF app for Macs is Preview, which is fully PDF compliant. USCIS are deliberately choosing to require Acrobat. I agree with FB's comment above.

Re: Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

Preview is not fully PDF compliant. I wish it was - but its not - and I have reported tens of bugs to Apple about Preview alone. Now that doesn't mean that USCIS could not create more compatible PDF files with minimum effort - that would be really easy, I could do that myself in just a few minutes.

There are many more issues involving USCIS forms and Preview - for example, almost all USCIS forms have a barcode at the bottom - but this barcode is not visible when using preview. You can see it with Acrobat Reader though.

Re: Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

Nowadays you cannot submit an N-400 application either online or by email. So my opinion is to fill out the N-400 form however you can (fill out online and print, or use a pen on a hard copy), and send it via USPS as outlined in the N-400 instructions.

Rene

Re: Problem with N-400 PDF on USCIS web site
 

I know we cannot submit application online. But we can fill the application online instead of filling in hard copy. I felt its easier to fill online and finally we can take print out of application and send it to USCIS.