filing for n400

[riokatrine 0]

hello to all,

i hope any give advice for this. i am waiting my 10 yrs GC to come this month or other month thats my estimate. for short i married for USC and we filed everything last year and still waiting my GC to come some of delay bec. of address changes. anyways i just curious if ever i could filed N400 naturalization and i read one of the section you have put the date since you become a resident. i dont even have the old one GC they took it from me. and i dont have any copy of it. only i had stamp passport which is i551 and the NOA1,NOA2. now my questions if ever i can filed n400 what date i can put it on? or just leave it blank since the uscis have already file on it? hope someone help me thank you

[motu 6]

First of all - Look at your greencard - when you receive it - it will say Resident since - that's the day you became a resident. You will need to be a resident for 3 years and married to a US citizen for the same three years to apply (90 days before the 3 years) for citizenship. If not married to a US citizen - then you have to wait for 5 years (less 90 days). Good Luck

[wannabe_texan 0]

You don't have a copy of your GC in your copy of the I-751 packet? In my case, the Resident Since date on my GC was the date we had the AOS interview. Yours may be the same if you were approved on interview day...

[riokatrine 0]

You don't have a copy of your GC in your copy of the I-751 packet? In my case, the Resident Since date on my GC was the date we had the AOS interview. Yours may be the same if you were approved on interview day...

thats the one thing i dont have it. what should i do.?

Edited May 26, 2009 by riokatrine

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Do you still have your approval letter on file from when you got the AOS? That would have the date as well. Do you have the Case Status number from when you filed for AOS? You may be able to go to the USCIS website, click on Case Updates, enter that number and it should come up and tell you that the application was approved on such and such a date. It is always a good idea to make copies of all important documents like Green Cards and keep them on file at home. I guess you can also call the Misinformation line and press 123 to speak to a real person, give them your A# (that will be on all of your documents and your copy of the I-751) and ask them to tell you what is the date of your permanent residency on file. Explain that you don't have your green card now and need to know exactly when you can file for citizenship.

Good luck.

[NickD 203]

I am shocked they took your green card away, even with the I-551 stamp in your passport. Guess all you can do is to provide a copy of that stamped page in your passport with a letter of explanation as you need to prove to the USCIS you are currently a lawful permanent resident. But you would think the USCIS should know that. Some of us when applying for the N-400 included a copy of both our green cards and the one year extension due to USCIS delays in processing the I-751.

Don't you keep a file of all of your USCIS transactions, I can easily go back if the green card was lost to get those dates. Also scanned everything we did with the USCIS and have all that in my computer plus any information received. Why do I do that? Accustomed to dealing with government agencies, they love to lose stuff.

Yet another option you have is to simply wait if and when your ten year card comes in, it will have the date on it when you became a LPR, just hope that date is correct, they also love to make typos.