Military Spouse needs some clarification

[Jolibee76 1]

Hi All,

I need some clarification on some things. I tried to do a search but had no luck.

-I've been told that you may start applying for citizenship 2 years and 9mths from when your 1st greencard was issued. Mine was issued 7/27/07 so does this mean i can apply this coming april 27?( i now have my 10 year greencard as of July 09)

- hubby is deploying to Afghanstain this late sept and i was wanting to go home to Australia with my baby( i am due this june) is this possible to do this while applying for citizenship..? or must i stay in the US for this process?

-how long does this citizenship process take in total?

-do you have to hand in your greencard when applying for citizenship? If so, when do you hand this in? Do u get it back if the unforseeable failing happens( the questions part! i've looked at the practice questions and gee wiz!)

- how many questions do you have to answer in order to pass?

The reason why i am applying for citizenship is my hubby is looking at embassy duty in germany after he comes back from deployment and i need to be a US citizen for this process to happen... it wouldnt be an issue if he wasnt deploying to afghan cos he would be here while i do all this.. but i dont want to be by myself with a newborn, waitng for this citizenship and him being at war.

i really appreciate you taking the time to read this and help out. I dont know where i would be without this website.

Cheers

Carolyn

[milimelo 4,477]

Hi All,

I need some clarification on some things. I tried to do a search but had no luck.

-I've been told that you may start applying for citizenship 2 years and 9mths from when your 1st greencard was issued. Mine was issued 7/27/07 so does this mean i can apply this coming april 27?( i now have my 10 year greencard as of July 09)

Yes, that is correct.

- hubby is deploying to Afghanstain this late sept and i was wanting to go home to Australia with my baby( i am due this june) is this possible to do this while applying for citizenship..? or must i stay in the US for this process?

I don't know how you would do this - you need to take biometrics again and attend an interview. Why don't you look into Feb 2010 N400 thread to get an idea how fast the process is going. You could possibly be done with everything on your 3 year anniversary of the green card.

You should also check with your doctor when is the latest you can travel before giving birth and return with a newborn if that is what you are thinking of doing.

-how long does this citizenship process take in total?

Between 3 and 6 months depending on how busy your local office is.

-do you have to hand in your greencard when applying for citizenship? If so, when do you hand this in? Do u get it back if the unforseeable failing happens( the questions part! i've looked at the practice questions and gee wiz!)

No, you only turn it in at the oath ceremony.

- how many questions do you have to answer in order to pass?

6 out of 10. They normally stop after you have answered the first six correctly.

The reason why i am applying for citizenship is my hubby is looking at embassy duty in germany after he comes back from deployment and i need to be a US citizen for this process to happen... it wouldnt be an issue if he wasnt deploying to afghan cos he would be here while i do all this.. but i dont want to be by myself with a newborn, waitng for this citizenship and him being at war.

In your position (and I'm a military spouse too), I'd apply as soon as possible with note on the application that husband is deploying. Also include your local congressman but do know that you won't be able to take the oath before your 3 year anniversary.

i really appreciate you taking the time to read this and help out. I dont know where i would be without this website.

Cheers

Carolyn

Best of luck to you.

[Jolibee76 1]

Thank Milimelo for your speedy response. We are looking at TAD ( temporary assigned duty) in California so i am hoping i will have a physical address for all this to take place as well cos this would be a hugge issue. This is really crazy timing for all this happen but thats military for ya.

I am defintely having my baby here and it will be about 3-4mths old by the time i travel to oz

[drsrk 0]

You can ask all these questions free from an Attorney using AILA.

www.aila.org/military

This information is available to your husband on AKO.

Furthermore, if your husband will be deployed for 1 yr or more, your application will be eligible for expediated processing.

Edited March 15, 2010 by doctorsrk