Time Outside the U.S.

[MrPDX 0]

I am assisting my step-father with his application for Citizenship. He is a Canadian Citizen who has been a permanent resident for 47 years. In completing the N-400 application, it is easy to track his time out of the U.S. for his trips to the Bahamas, Tahiti and Thailand, but I am curious about his trips to Mexico and his numerous trips to Canada.

At the time these trips were made, all you needed to cross the border was a driver's license. How can I possibly track every instance he was out of the country for more than 24 hours? Most of these trips were by car, so no boarding passes or cc receipts and since he had family there, there are no hotel receipts.

Since he probably has gone at least once a year on average for the last 47 years, what do we enter on the application.

Thanks!

[Robert&Karen 264]

What you posted here sounds perfect. Maybe you can narrow down the trips to summer time or other specific times of year? I think what you wrote is explanation enough. I think the length of time spent in Canada is more important than the number of visits however. Get as much detail as you can recall and run with that.

[Oksana & Max 94]

What I wrote on mine is multiple few days trips to the Canada and never had a problem.

[nwctzn 55]

I am assisting my step-father with his application for Citizenship. He is a Canadian Citizen who has been a permanent resident for 47 years. In completing the N-400 application, it is easy to track his time out of the U.S. for his trips to the Bahamas, Tahiti and Thailand, but I am curious about his trips to Mexico and his numerous trips to Canada.

At the time these trips were made, all you needed to cross the border was a driver's license. How can I possibly track every instance he was out of the country for more than 24 hours? Most of these trips were by car, so no boarding passes or cc receipts and since he had family there, there are no hotel receipts.

Since he probably has gone at least once a year on average for the last 47 years, what do we enter on the application.

Thanks!

For those cases make your best guess and when entering on the N-400 form, write next to the dates EST (for estimate). If the issue comes up during the interview, your step-father can explain that he does not have any records for those trips but that these are his best guess.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

First of all, and please trust me on this because I'm too tired to explain this for the n^th time, only trips lasting over 24 hours within the past 5 years need to be listed. The USCIS folks who created the N-400 were typical Americans, so they did a hell of the job hiding the fact that questions a, b, and c are constructed as a pyramid. How many trips have you made in the past 5 years? How many of these trips in the past 5 years lasted longer than 24 hours? Now please list those particular trips from within the past 5 years that lasted longer than 24 hours in detail.

That said, you can only give them what you have. If they ask you for your children, all of them, even the still-born ones, but you don't have any, never had, it's a mute point trying to make one real quick. You give them as much information as you have, and call it a day. Don't forget that you are committing a crime if you fill out the N-400 for your step-father without stating so at the bottom of the form, and he would be guilty of misrepresentation under oath, which is certainly among the things he will want to avoid particularly when filing for naturalization.

[warlord 73]

For all the trips to Canada/Mexico, they will just need an estimate as long as he wasn't out for great lengths of time. If it was for weekends and really short stays, then they won't be looking into that in great detail as long as the longer trips and stuff you mentioned are documented (which it appears he has). I was in a similar boat and couldn't remember myself, but they weren't concerned at all and just asked for an estimate, so he'll be fine...

[MrPDX 0]

First of all, and please trust me on this because I'm too tired to explain this for the n^th time, only trips lasting over 24 hours within the past 5 years need to be listed. The USCIS folks who created the N-400 were typical Americans, so they did a hell of the job hiding the fact that questions a, b, and c are constructed as a pyramid. How many trips have you made in the past 5 years? How many of these trips in the past 5 years lasted longer than 24 hours? Now please list those particular trips from within the past 5 years that lasted longer than 24 hours in detail.

That said, you can only give them what you have. If they ask you for your children, all of them, even the still-born ones, but you don't have any, never had, it's a mute point trying to make one real quick. You give them as much information as you have, and call it a day. Don't forget that you are committing a crime if you fill out the N-400 for your step-father without stating so at the bottom of the form, and he would be guilty of misrepresentation under oath, which is certainly among the things he will want to avoid particularly when filing for naturalization.

Thank you Brother! I went back and read the form. We can definitely account for his trips in the last 5 years. I am not completing the form for him as he is doing it himself. He has decided to apply for Citizenship along with my wife so the both of them can be Citizens together. Thank you for your help as another friend of mine who is a LPR is applying and was also going back too far when tracking time outside the U.S.

Thanks to my Visa Journey brothers and sisters. We could not have made this trip without you!

[Robert&Karen 264]

As the petitioner I too had to list time outside the US right down to specific address and phone number. Ever try that in a wear zone? What do I say, that I was in the third foxhole on the left? Do your best with the forms and cover letters can explain everything in detail.