GeoffM

My wife lost her GC and we're about apply for naturalisation. I've found a couple of threads asking the same thing but one was 14 years ago; the other 6 years ago, and we know things change over the years. Uncle Google has conflicting answers. So: does she need to have applied for a new GC in order to complete all the naturlisation steps?

And to make sure I understand this correctly, the parents apply for N400 and name the kids on the forms, we pay $725 or whatever each per adult, but the kids don't do/pay anything until after naturalisation when we can simply apply for passports for them ($80)?

Thanks.

Rete

I'm unsure of what your wife should do about her lost green card. I'm assuming like many permanent residents on the board she does not carry the card with her at all times but has put it away somewhere safe. If it were stolen she would report it to the police but since you said lost, I'm not sure if that is applicable.

She can try to make an infopass appointment and tell her story there and ask for an I-551 stamp in her passport. They can advise her there if she should file for a new one. It is expensive and takes 12 to 18 months to get in the mail from recent reports. So it seems rather pointless to do this since the naturalization should be adjudicated by that time.

They take your green card from you at the naturalization oath ceremony. Yes, the children will become automatic USC when she or you do. You can get them their US passports at the same time you get yours/hers. They will need to see their birth certificates and your original naturalization certificate so best to do it all at once at one office.

Since you will be leaving the US soon after becoming US Citizens, do not leave until you have those passports in hand and if you can afford to, file the N-600 (one for each child) to obtain their citizenship certificates from USCIS.

GeoffM

Win some, lose some I suppose. I'd budgeted $3000 for the 4 of us, not realising the kids are nearly free - but then the cost of a replacement GC is $540!

Yes, it's expensive and seems pointless but these are the hoops through which we are deemed to jump so I'll get her that InfoPass appointment.

Thanks.

sun_burn

Good luck. I'm under the impression they give you the I551 stamp on your passport if you demonstrate circumstances to warrant it, e.g. you applied for GC renewal but it's administratively delayed, and you have immediate travel plans.

That's one reason why I started N400 proceedings a year ahead of my GC expiring, so that hopefully I won't need to do anything about the green card before I turn it in. Well I could fall through the cracks as one of those whose naturalization takes a few generations

GeoffM

Hmm, she already has a temporary I551 stamp in her current UK passport. I think the stamp may have expired (1 year limit?), though not the passport. The actual GC that is lost had just over 4 years remaining. Does she need a new stamp?

I see we can get an InfoPass appointment next Friday, about an hour from here, so that's good.

lansbury

Somebody asked this the other day and I found some information on a lawyers web site. That information said USCIS might issue a passport stamp if the GC was lost after naturalization was applied for. If lost before the application a stamp would not be issued. I'll see if I can find that web site again and post a link.

GeoffM

Once I started the N400 application online it stated I needed the GC or the I90 receipt number if it was lost (/stolen/etc). Filled out the I90 online and got a receipt number either immediately or the following day (can't remember which). However, neither are actually required to submit the N400 online!

We're missing a long form birth certificate for one of the kids (but do have short form) and a good copy of our marriage certificate (right hand end chopped off). Both we can get in a week or two. Am I right in thinking they are only required by the interview? Nobody really looks at the online application until then?

Wife is a dual citizen of the UK and Philippines. We've put UK as her citizenship but obviously has a Philippines birth certificate. We've also submitted her UK naturalisation certificate. Is that combination likely to be okay? We could switch it all to Philippines citizenship if necessary.

Regarding whether the GC was lost or not: well, it was in her handbag in a church. The bag mysteriously went missing (in church - honest lot much?!) and unfortunately the GC was in her purse. As nothing of value was lost she didn't file a police report - well, except $540 for a new GC

jxv73

With the new N-400 online system, lookout for your fingerprint documents online. You can print the PDF. This way you are not trusting a mailer from USCIS. I also went in for an early fingerprint (Atlanta ASC) without issues using this PDF printout.

GeoffM

Yesterday we got an email to say an appointment had been made for biometrics (for the I-90) and to find it under the Documents tab in the online case status. I clicked around for a bit, went back to the email, yep should be there, back to website, nope. Read the email a bit better and there was a small note "may take a few days to appear"!

N400 part 12 Q9 perplexed us a bit. In a section asking about nefarious activities in the past, it sneaks in the question "To what organisations do you belong?". Let me see: VW Beetle Appreciation Society, the AAA, the Rollercoaster Enthusiasts Club... I've seen all sorts of interpretations on the forums which range from "they're only interested in KKK, IRA, ISIS etc" to "no harm listing the American Society of Critical Care Nurses" kind of thing. Leaning towards the more meaningful/good moral character of the latter.

rpjs

I listed everything I could think of which was an actual membership organization, i.e. I had some right to participate in its management. So I listed the National Trust, trade unions, even book clubs I belong to here in NYC. I didn't list "membership" where I was just buying access to something for an annual fee so things like English Heritage, the New York Transit Museum etc. The reason why I included the NT and not English Heritage is that as a member of the NT I could (and did) vote by post in the AGM and EH (as was then) was simply a government department and "membership" just got free access to its buildings for an annual fee.

I don't recall the officer at my interview asking me anything about any of them.

Rete

Same here.

S Folinsky

A few years back I represented a client who had filed for naturalization based upon his military service under section 329 of the Immigration & Nationality Act. [Long story -- he mistakenly thought he had been born in the United States and the brown material hit fan when he applied for a passport].

There is a question about advocating the violent overthrow of ANY government. Of course, we answered "yes." At the interview, the examiner asked why we answered "yes." "I was a Marine in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Regime change, you know?" Examiner changed "yes" to "no" stating "that is not what we meant."

GeoffM

FWIW, which is not much given how timescales slide, we have an ETA of September (7 months), and that's for San Bernadino CA according to Mr. F.

tom169

LOL

Mr Weeze