at1

Hello,

This is my first post. I've searched (I promise!) the forums and the information here has been very helpful - especially the links to http://www.richw.org/dualcit/

The problem about reading so many opinions is that I am a bit confused. I am a UK citizen and have been in the USA for 8 years on a Greed Card. I have toyed with getting my US passport for a few years but do not (of course) want to give up my UK passport - which I am getting conflicting answers on. I wish to go back to the UK for 3-5 years for family reasons and intend to return to California after that period. My life is here and I am OK putting it on hold for a while.

My questions are:

1. For sure - a UK resident can keep their UK passport and get US citizenship.
2. I know my GC will be handed in at at the naturalization but will I be asked to hand over my UK passport? Has this happened to anyone recently. Can I be sure that I will not be asked to give it up?
3. How long has the N-400 process taken for people?

Any experiences or links would be greatly appreciated.

All the best.

frrussre

1. YES. I have both passports, so do many many others.
2. I have never heard of anyone, with a UK passport being taken away. At the interview, they looked at mine to check on trips. It was then handed back to me. GC was not permanently handed over to the USCIS until the Oath Ceremony.
3. Depends on where you live. Mine took 10 months NYC. Others have taken 3 months - several years.
http://www.kamya.com/intro/natexp.html

Reg. Frank R.

scrubbedexpat099

There must be a million posts on this. All with the same conclusion/comments apart from the odd weirdo.

Unless you want to start all over again I suggest you get your application in pronto.

silvermine

don't forget a UK passport is the property of HM govt, not yours, and certainly not the US govt!

bettyboop80

I just took my test monday. i first sent in my application in march this year. i have had the letter for the test/interview about 2 months though, it was scheduled far out.
They did ask me in my interview would i be willing to give up my british citizenship for american...i didnt question the officer but as far as i understand this is just an on paper thing and that in america, you are JUST american and nothing else, but they cant take your passport and in england you are a duel citizen.

leedsPaddy

1) I hold 3 passports, British, Irish and now American. The only stipulation you have to follow being a US citizen is that they expect you to travel on the american passport only....however, take your british passport as well when you go back to the UK so that you don't have to the immigration thing.

2) They only take the green card from you at the oath ceremony but be warned, it seems that not a lot of customs agents at the canadian border know this. Last time I went to canada for a day trip, US customs / immigration agent didn't believe my american passport was real, a situation made worse by the fact that he was convinced I was pulling a fast one because I didn't have my green card either. The idiot pulled me aside and inspected my car from top to bottom and then made me wait while he checked me out despite me telling him that I surrendered my green card at the oath ceremony.

3) When I applied for Naturalization,I was living in PA where it was estimated to take upto 18 months. About a week after applying, we moved to Vermont where it took 2.5 months to get to the interview and then another month until the oath ceremony.

Don't hesitate, get your citizenship and be free of immigration forever

fatbrit

1. Only if you wish to live in a state of immoral ambiguity and be a permanent fugitive on the run.

2. British citizens are forced to fart on their passports during the ceremony. A USCIS official then applies a flame on a 6-foot taper to ensure combustion of same. While this is being done, they play the Pistol's rendition of God Save the Queen.

3. Participants included 18 females with the fraX full mutation (mean age 15.95 years, SD = 4.02 years) and 16 age-matched TD healthy females (mean age 15.5 years, SD = 3.85 years). The groups were roughly equated for race and ethnicity. The distribution for the fraX group was white = 16, Hispanic = 1, and Pacific Islander = 1. The distribution for the TD group was white = 13, Asian = 1, and unknown = 2. Intellectual functioning was assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition or the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Third Edition. TD subjects were screened for significant psychiatric and behavioral problems by using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; age 4-18 years) (18) and the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R; age 13 years through adulthood) (19). All TD subjects had CBCL or SCL-90-R T scores within 1 SD of the mean of a normative standardized sample. Diagnosis for fraX was confirmed by standard DNA testing (Southern blot), and procedures for calculating FMRP were based on methods described by Willemson et al. (20). All protocols used in this study were approved by the Stanford University School of Medicine, and written informed consent was obtained from subjects and their parents.

NC Penguin

Welcome to BE! There are several US immigration related forums elsewhere on BE. At least one is relevant to N-400 applications.

You're best off reading the N-400 instructions very carefully from the USCIS website. I hope you won't bring your UK passport to the N-400 interview or naturalization ceremony.


NC Penguin

bettyboop80

They asked to see my UK passport during my interview....at that point you are still 100% UK citizen and if you didnt have it, how would you have gotten into America in the first place?

scrubbedexpat099

I believe most people walk in.

frrussre

I swam, last few miles were tough. Dragging the piano behind, was a big mistake.
Reg. Frank R.

franc11s

JUST FOR REASSURANCE :-

YOU ACTUALLY CAN NOT BECOME NOT BRITISH WITHOUT DENOUNCING YOURSELF IN FRONT OF THE QUEEN so ;

Even though BCIS (INS) do not care, nor do they take your UK passport, even if one day they did, you can apply to UK EMBASSY and get another one in about 21 days.

If it HELPS, it now CLEARLY says in all US Passports, something like "if you are a dual citizen, we advise you to travel on your US passport if possible, otherwise if you get into trouble it would be harder for the US Embassy to help you. Of course, every brit, who's also a US citizen, travels to the UK on their British Passport because it saves getting in the QUEUE.

Remember, once you are a US citizen, you are protected by US laws. Even if you lose you US passport abroad, do something silly (like trying to enter the USA on a UK passport once your a citizen), they can't deport you. YOU ARE AN AMERICAN...... equal to every other American in every way. Likewise in Britain, you are a Brit... in every way... until you die....

Reassured?

fatbrit

Live and learn, eh?

Manc

actually a magistrate will do.......however even if you did, you may actually ask for it back and they'll give it you.

franc11s

Why doesn't that surpise me... funny world.... I wonder if you actually have to ask anyone other than youself to get it back Did it used to be just the queen in the old days?