time to apply for citizenship

[mehdi123 0]

first time i ask a question ,

but before that let me thanks everybody for the great job you are doing for the lost people we are sometimes in the big sea of immigration

i'm married with my wife for almost 4 years it was in septembre 2004 i applied for adjustment of status few months after that.it took immigration a lot of time and i recieved my green card in oct 2005.

so my question is when to apply for citizenship.

because if you read the guide on the m476 on page 22.WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THE MEANING OF 'YOU MAY SEND ..........

If you are applying based on 5 years as a Permanent Resident or 3 years as a Permanent Resident married to a U.S. citizen, you

may file for naturalization up to 90 days before you meet the continuous residence requirement. For example, if you are applying

based on 3 years of continuous residence as a Permanent Resident married to a U.S. citizen, you can apply any time after you

have been a Permanent Resident in continuous residence for 3 years minus 90 day

You may send your application before you

have met the requirement for continuous residence only. Therefore, you must still have been married to and living with your U.S.

citizen spouse for 3 years before you may file your application.

You must also meet all the other eligibility requirements when

you file your application with USCIS.

[NickD 202]

first time i ask a question ,

but before that let me thanks everybody for the great job you are doing for the lost people we are sometimes in the big sea of immigration

i'm married with my wife for almost 4 years it was in septembre 2004 i applied for adjustment of status few months after that.it took immigration a lot of time and i recieved my green card in oct 2005.

so my question is when to apply for citizenship.

because if you read the guide on the m476 on page 22.WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS THE MEANING OF 'YOU MAY SEND ..........

If you are applying based on 5 years as a Permanent Resident or 3 years as a Permanent Resident married to a U.S. citizen, you

may file for naturalization up to 90 days before you meet the continuous residence requirement. For example, if you are applying

based on 3 years of continuous residence as a Permanent Resident married to a U.S. citizen, you can apply any time after you

have been a Permanent Resident in continuous residence for 3 years minus 90 day

You may send your application before you

have met the requirement for continuous residence only. Therefore, you must still have been married to and living with your U.S.

citizen spouse for 3 years before you may file your application.

You must also meet all the other eligibility requirements when

you file your application with USCIS.

You should definitely apply for your I-751 90 days before your 2nd green card anniversary because if you wait until your 2nd anniversary, your green card would be expired and you will lose all privileges of being a permanent resident like keeping your job so you can afford to eat. But instead of getting a new green card, you get a very valuable A size sheet piece of paper that you are suppose to protect, but carry with you that nobody understands. Especially other government agencies. And when that runs out in a short year, have to run back to your field office with a foreign passport that is current. Ha, try to get a passport from some countries that consider you a deserter for leaving your country, but you need that for a I-551 stamp, have to carry your passport with that stamp that nobody understands. And depending on your officer, may give you anywhere from 30 days to a year, oh your new green card will come in by then. But if that 30 days goes by, have to drive another 425 miles or more to get that second I-551 stamp.

When you finally do get that new green card, no longer good for your lifetime, just ten years, and that ten years can go by like a flash, and exactly how does one mark a calendar ten years from now when they haven't even printed them yet? If you lose your wallet, call your CC company, oh, we are sorry, send you out a new card for free and get it about four days later. Driver's License can be pretty quick if you can make it to a DVM office, but will cost you 30 bucks or so depending on your state. But if you lose your green card, around 350 bucks and may take a year to get a new one. And you are suppose to always carry it with you.

Point is, applying for a ten year green card should be done 90 days before it expires that is your anniversary date, and at the current processing times, 18 months before it expires is more like it.

But you are allowed this same 90 days, call it a grace period when applying for you N-400, we took advantage of that even though we never received our new green card. Just send in a copy of your expired green card, one year extension notice, or a copy of your I-94 or I-551 stamp in your passport that proves you are a valid permanent resident. If you have your new green card, less copying to do.

We send our N-400 86 days before my wife's 3rd green card date anniversary, was way to busy chasing all over the country trying to get her a valid foreign passport just in case and they scheduled her N-400 interview just 20 days after her anniversary date. But we have no idea when her oath will be scheduled, but I have already purchased new tail lamps for her car so we won't have to explain traffic violations, damn bulbs can burn out at anytime.

Also have mixed emotions about surrendering her green card, man the trouble, expense, and traveling we had to do to get that card. But with the burden it caused us, will be equally happy to see it go.

I memorized all the test questions, and while we are driving, may hit her with a question, ha, as a born US citizen, suppose to know all that stuff, but a recent poll showed that only 7% of Americans know some of that stuff.

I don't recall reading your question in your post.