Apply for citizenship even I-751 still pending

[Gemini06 0]

Hello!

I'm new here and I found the forum so informative.. how I wish I've been reading this before so I didn't have the problem that i'm having now.

I filed for I-751 Petition to remove conditions on residence last Aug. 2008 but unfortunately I missed my original schedule for biometric because my appointment letter got lost in the mail. I requested for another appointment and i finally did my biometric last April 21, 2009. Since April until today I didn't hear any update on my application. I checked my case online but still it's under initial review.

I married an American Citizen and I already met the 3-years requirements to apply for naturalization. My question is.. is it ok to submit my application for citizenship even without the 10-year greencard? Is there any member here who did the same? I just want to make sure that I will not encounter any problem if I will apply for citizenship by January.

Hope to hear any input here.... Thank you all....

Happy Holidays!

[NickD 203]

Hello!

I'm new here and I found the forum so informative.. how I wish I've been reading this before so I didn't have the problem that i'm having now.

I filed for I-751 Petition to remove conditions on residence last Aug. 2008 but unfortunately I missed my original schedule for biometric because my appointment letter got lost in the mail. I requested for another appointment and i finally did my biometric last April 21, 2009. Since April until today I didn't hear any update on my application. I checked my case online but still it's under initial review.

I married an American Citizen and I already met the 3-years requirements to apply for naturalization. My question is.. is it ok to submit my application for citizenship even without the 10-year greencard? Is there any member here who did the same? I just want to make sure that I will not encounter any problem if I will apply for citizenship by January.

Hope to hear any input here.... Thank you all....

Happy Holidays!

You have show proof that you are a LPR, the only way we could do that was to submit a copy of my wife's expired conditional green card along with the current ony year extension notice. Since her one year extension was expired at her interview, she had to present her ten year card, a stamped passbook, or a current I-94 extension to still prove she was still a LPR. Fortunately her ten year card came in just two weeks before her interview.

With the long delays in I-751 processing, many had to do this. Even read cases where people got their USC certificate without even seeing the ten year card. but had that I-551 stamp or an I-94 to prove they were a LPR. The latter you have to get with an infopass appointment.

[Roosterwife 0]

I'm in the same position as you (see my post "Anyone In My Position") and have been advised to go ahead and apply for citizenship, which will force processing of my I-751. I sent a copy of my expired green card and my 1-551 passport stamp with my application and I'd advise you to do the same. (Getting a stamp turned out to be one of the simplest parts of this process!)

[NickD 203]

I'm in the same position as you (see my post "Anyone In My Position") and have been advised to go ahead and apply for citizenship, which will force processing of my I-751. I sent a copy of my expired green card and my 1-551 passport stamp with my application and I'd advise you to do the same. (Getting a stamp turned out to be one of the simplest parts of this process!)

You have to get that stamp or a I-94 by bringing in two passport photos of yourself if you do not have a current valid foreign passport that can be yet another pain in the butt if your consulate says, why should we when you are in this country. Have to do that to stay legal in the USA. It's criminal when the USCIS delays your I-751, they should let you apply for it a full year before your conditional card expires. But you will darn sure get it back if you send it in 91 days before your CRC expires.

[antda 13]

Hi Gemini06 and Everyone,

Lol..I can definitely understand your frustration here, in waiting for your I-751 to be approved (wow, 16 months is certainly a long time to wait!), as "I've been there, done that", with this stage of the immigration game....

For my I-751 case, it took 10 months for it to be approved (which is far more than the 6 months of service expectations)

And this was after 4 expedites/inquiries and a I-551 passport stamp, including 2 inquiries that involved getting my local congressman involved....

Lol..I'd still be waiting now, if they didn't intervene!

Oh and to add insult to injury, I was pregnant at the time..

And it was quicker for the baby to arrive in 9 months than it was to get that green card in 10 months!....

Overall, I ended up having the 10yr card for only 5 months, despite having to wait 10 months for it! (I had to give up my card when I got citizenship)

Still makes my blood boil too...(even though I don't have my card anymore since they took that away and I'm a US Citizen...lol...)

(See my vj timeline for more information and my detailed story.....)

If I were you, I would make an infopass with the USCIS to further inquire about your case and get a passport stamp to prove your current immigration status. If that doesn't work, my suggestion is to take your case up to your local senator/congressman/ombudsman to get your case further investigated and eventually approved. Political influence does help here..lol....

As well, if you are able to file for the N-400/US Citizenship, when you meet all those requirements, by all means, go for it! This will "force" your I-751 to be approved so that your N-400 can be approved too.

I agree, those who get approved quickly and without incident at this I-751 stage of the game are lucky. But who knows, maybe you'll have better luck in the N-400 stage, to make up for the delays and problems you had with the I-751. Lol..I know it did for me, as I got US Citizenship very quickly in 2 months (average wait is 4-6 months), with no problems for the interview, and on top of that, got an oath ceremony accomodation request honoured too. Guess that made up for the I-751 delays and problems for me, and maybe for you too if your citizenship is approved quickly and get lucky there.

Don't give up! There is hope.....

Hope this helps. Good luck with the rest of your journey too.

Ant (been there, done that....blood still boils...)

P.S. Don't rely on any online updates, as they are inaccurate anyways. For example, my online status still says "scheduled for interview" even though I've been a US Citizen for a month already!...Oh well.....Better off going in-person to your local office for a more accurate update instead.

Hello!

I'm new here and I found the forum so informative.. how I wish I've been reading this before so I didn't have the problem that i'm having now.

I filed for I-751 Petition to remove conditions on residence last Aug. 2008 but unfortunately I missed my original schedule for biometric because my appointment letter got lost in the mail. I requested for another appointment and i finally did my biometric last April 21, 2009. Since April until today I didn't hear any update on my application. I checked my case online but still it's under initial review.

I married an American Citizen and I already met the 3-years requirements to apply for naturalization. My question is.. is it ok to submit my application for citizenship even without the 10-year greencard? Is there any member here who did the same? I just want to make sure that I will not encounter any problem if I will apply for citizenship by January.

Hope to hear any input here.... Thank you all....

Happy Holidays!

Edited December 18, 2009 by Ant+D+A

[Gemini06 0]

Thanks for all the info...

BTW, i forgot to add this on my original post... I already went and got my passport stamp for another year of extension on Sept this year. And also, just 2 days ago, after reading this forum I also sent my letter to our senators here in Hawaii. I will try the congressman and ombudsman too to make sure that USCIS will touch my application.

Maybe if I will not get any reply from USCIS by january I will just go and apply for my citizenship.

I will continue to read this forum to learn all the process and also to update what is going on my application.

Mahalo to all....

[NickD 203]

Ombudsman for us was a complete waste of time. The I-751 experience for us gave strong motivation to apply for USC at the earliest date, especially when the nearest field office is a 450 mile round trip in snow and all that other nasty stuff.

[antda 13]

The I-751 experience for us gave strong motivation to apply for USC at the earliest date, especially when the nearest field office is a 450 mile round trip in snow and all that other nasty stuff.

I agree..Same here...

I got tired of dealing with the USCIS for the rest of my life....

So I had no choice but to apply for citizenship asap!

Lol...Despite still being $2000+ in debt because of this entire immigration process over the years, and $675+ just for the citizenship stage...

(which I will never get back, by the way..all simply because I moved to the USA to be with my loved one, only a mere few hundred miles away in the USA)

Oh and the added stresses, frustrations, extra other bills, wasted time, energy, gas, etc....

I just wanted it to end as soon as possible....(though I understood the meaning behind it, nevertheless)

Luckily my journey ended before the heavy snowstorms came

Lol....gosh knows what would have happended on our 200+ mile round trip in the snowy winter here....

Yikes...not worth putting mine and my family's life at risk for the USCIS' sake!

Ant

Edited December 20, 2009 by Ant+D+A