Citizenship ~

[Vaughn]

My stepdaughter arrived home from work last night and announced she is ready to
apply for USA citizenship. I was both stunned and delighted as she's been thinking
about this step for several months.

The truth is - I have no clue where to begin, except to browse official sites - USCIS?

Let's see, she arrived in the USA in November 2002, rec'd Conditional GC April 2004,
and the 10 year GC roughly 2 years later. 20 years of age.

Is this a pretty much straightforward paper process like the others we've been through?

[philb]

My wife's citizenship interview is scheduled for November.  So far it has been very straght forward, fill out the forms, pay the fees, get finger printed again, etc..  It took about 2 months from the time she applied until she received the NOA in regards to her interview.  I would assume the process would be pretty much the same for your stepdaughter.  Your wife has not applied  for citizenship as of this time?

Anyway, the instructions on the UCIS web site were actually pretty clear.  Much easier than most government forms.

[Vaughn]

Your wife has not applied  for citizenship as of this time?

Not yet. Mildly interested, and my bet is that she'll watch our daughter get her
feet wet first ~ 

Thanks for the encouragement, I'll start a laundry list. Why they need fingerprints
over and over again is beyond me, but we'll play the game.

[Vaughn]

Nobody's leaving my wife behind, LOL. "I want TOO American citizenship..."

I'm barking out instructions line by line. Think we hit a snag, a simple opinion or
two would be appreciated...

Part Three
D. Country of Birth - Write the name of the country where you were
born. Write the name of the country even if it no longer exists.

Both were born pre-perestroika. So the answer is USSR, right?

The reason we ask is that RUSSIA is listed as Country of Birth on their GCs.

[philb]

My wife listed USSR as country of birth on the application.  I am not sure what her green card says since it is with her in Ukraine until next week.

[philb]

I forgot to add.  Good for your wife.

[viking]

According to the times of your posts it took your wife just 1 hour and 23 minutes to make up her mind? Wonderful!!!! Congrats. Now you are doubly delighted.

[Vaughn]

Thanks philb and Vike -

I feel like a taskmaster tonight.

[remiel6]

Yes, the answer should be USSR.

[ConnerVT]

If it was me, I would put whatever the USCIS thinks says it is on the Resident Alien Card.  Otherwise, it will pop up somewhere as a discrepency on some system (or on someone's desk), and take that much longer to sort out.

USCIS is a lot like the Motor Vehicle Department, where everyone does the same thing the same way, just in their own different way.   

A great example is that my stepson's Resident Alien Card says he was born in the USSR, which is interesting because the USSR no longer existed in 1998.

[remiel6]

I advised USSR because it specifically says on the questionaire to say the name of the country even if it no longer exists. Unless of course the Birth certificate says something else. I would say what ever the Birth record says to avoid any red flags

[tfcrew]

Technically...
The country of Ukraine was previously called Ukraine S.S.R.
Likewise Latvian S.S.R. or Mondolvian S.S.R. etc.
Thousands of Ukrainian immigrants born in the 50s 60s and 70s list their birthplace as Ukraine.

Now if your GF was born in Prussia? or Austria-Hungary?.... But then just how old is your girlfriend?

[tfcrew]

Also this reminds me..
Did immigration take anyone's wive's packet with original documents and not return them like they did us?

[OlgaH]

Part Three
D. Country of Birth - Write the name of the country where you were
born. Write the name of the country even if it no longer exists.

Both were born pre-perestroika. So the answer is USSR, right?

The reason we ask is that RUSSIA is listed as Country of Birth on their GCs.

I think it should be the same country as in a Birth Certificate.

In my Birth Certificate a country of birth is USSR, the same country in my international passport and on my GC.

[OlgaH]

Also this reminds me..
Did immigration take anyone's wive's packet with original documents and not return them like they did us?

We did not send original documents, we sent only copies. 

[tfcrew]

On Svetlana's birth certificate it says [translating from the copy] born Kiev Ukraine.
In Warsaw Aug 2000, the US Embassy took her original documents and placed them in a packet which remained sealed until Customs Chicago where they took them.
We couldn't be the only ones that happened to.

[OlgaH]

tfcrew,

Did you make an inquiry about the documents?

[Vaughn]

$675 X 2 = Ouch !!  Applications being mailed out tomorrow....

Like OlgaH, we seem to have all our original documents in hand, nothing missing.

[tfcrew]

With a valid passport, the need for the orig Brth Cert became moot.
She was granted residency.
However, I feel that the documents are her property, not Immigrations.

I see Vaughn that your family has been residence here [as mine] 5+ years.
So they do not have to file based on marriage to a citizen.
So it appears on that basis that items like divorce papers ..IRS tax records..Marrige licence are not necessary?
 Also under the signature of the N-400 it states in part 12 'did someone else prepare the application for you?'
 I filled it out for her so do I need to fill that in with my name .. or is that just intended for immigration attorneys or something.??

[Vaughn]

However, I feel that the documents are her property, not Immigrations.

I agree with you 100%. They have the right to view them, but not to retain them.

I see Vaughn that your family has been residence here [as mine] 5+ years.
So they do not have to file based on marriage to a citizen.
So it appears on that basis that items like divorce papers ..IRS tax records..Marrige licence are not necessary?
 

Other than the 10 page N-400 application, the only items we are required to submit are
copies - of her divorce decree (original and English translation), Green Card (front & back),
two passport-style photos (no jewelry, no glasses), and of course, the fee.

[tfcrew]

You know..
Based on the 5 yrs residency--
I think it's odd that they would require a previous marriage divorce papers but they don't require a copy of the current marriage license.
??
I mean I read that step several different times and still conclude that it could be taken basing the application on marriage to a citizen.. or based on 5 yr residence either way.

It is just not very specific in those terms.

Svetlana's birth certificate? After further review..we never had the original original we had a copy of the original made in Kiev.
And translated there....oh well silly me.

[Vaughn]

Yeah, that IS odd. They want proof of a foreign divorce that occured ~15 years ago, but
no proof of marriage to the citizen with whom she lives. Go figure. Further, ALL these
documents are long since filed at DHS. The need for re-fingerprinting, at an itemized cost
of $80, also baffles me - but hey, let's chalk it up to fraud prevention.

We have another records issue looming - my stepdaughter's Intl Pasport renewal. It's
ready, but they want her to personally claim it. How convenient - Wash DC is 7 hours
away. They've imposed a year-end deadline...  geez, will the DC Russians arrest her?

We're now planning a seat-of-the-pants journey in December - just to pick up something
they could easily pop in the mail. We submitted a pre-paid Express Mail envelope - but
that's only used to return her app if there's an error. When you do things right, you win
a trip to our nation's Capitol on your own nickel. Isn't this fun?

[Vaughn]

Notice of Action received in today's mail. No surprise as they cashed the checks last week.

Now awaiting a fingerprint "invitation"...

[tfcrew]

As there is no particular 'citizenship forum' I'll keep this thread bumped from time to time.
Svetlana received her N-400 NOA the day after Thanksgiving.
Youtube has some pages on the interview and test questions...

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=us+naturalization+interview&search_type=&aq=0m&oq=naturalization+interview

[tfcrew]

We have another records issue looming - my stepdaughter's Intl Pasport renewal. It's
ready, but they want her to personally claim it. How convenient - Wash DC is 7 hours
away. They've imposed a year-end deadline...  geez, will the DC Russians arrest her?

 

But being Russian citizens..they have the luxury of even doing that. Ukrainians do not..they have to return to their original OVIR office to renew.
Whenever the US citizen papers are issued..the foreign passport will be rendered otherwise useless anyway because the green card is surrendered at that time.