Do passport application at the ceremony ?

[Captain Oates 911]

I was planning to hurtle over the road with my certificate (when I get it ) and get 3 color photo copies done - and then whizz round to the post office and apply for a passport

I read now that they have a desk at the court and invite you to apply for a passport right there and then..

Presumably this is the USCIS running the show.

I don't fancy this coz

A: I bet I can't get a copy of the certificate before it disappears

B: if it's the USCIS then there is every chance they will ####### it up

What do you reckon ?

Edited August 28, 2010 by saywhat

[tweety 1]

...

B: if it's the USCIS then there is every chance they will ####### it up

What do you reckon ?

did you read this?: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/271354-citizenship-certificate-not-given/

'nough said... there would be no way in hell I would hand my naturalization certificate back to uscis...

[Captain Oates 911]

god !!!!

ok thinking

its the post office for me !!!!

[NickD 202]

god !!!!

ok thinking

its the post office for me !!!!

If there are three ahead of you, may have to wait a half a day for your turn at the oath ceremony. Either that, or some mistake will be made. Spend six long years in our military, really have grown a very strong dislike of lines.

Even in my half horse town we have the city clerk and the post office, post office always has lines so chose the city clerk. Did pick up a preprinted form from her, but only choice was to hand print it. So downloaded the form the Saturday before her oath ceremony so it can be neatly typed. Like to reproduce the forms exactly the way they are, printed on both sides. But after I did the final check, see they wanted single page sheets instead. Don't even begin to ask me why, you will here me cuss, so printed it out again on single sheets like they instructed to do so. What a waste of paper!

We made an 8:00 AM appointment the following Tuesday from her oath ceremony, but really didn't have to, we were the only ones there. Put her certificate in a protective plastic cover, she went to remove that to staple it to the form. Told her to stop right there, leave it in that plastic protective cover and staple on the plastic to the forms. She obeyed.

I used that thicker cellophane stuff used to separate files in a three ring binder, can bend it, but doesn't like sharp bends. Did that the dead tired night after her oath ceremony, long drive again. Cut it a half over on each margin the size of her certificate with an inch at the top and used Scotch tape on three sides. The DOS was kind enough to return it in my home made cellophane pouch in the same condition we sent it.

It came in a brown envelop first class mail three days later after we received her passport in one of those overnight stiff cardboard mailers that I had to sign for from exactly the same address in New Orleans where her passport came from. Don't ask me why they couldn't have put her certificate in that same exact mailer.

Wifes' IO chewed her out for not printing her name and alien number on her photograph in the left hand margin, when my wife responded, instructions said clearly to write that lightly on the rear of her photo with a light pencil. That was done. If I knew that is what they wanted, could have done that very neatly with my photo program and in any color they liked.

I plugged in a 100 W light bulb in a standard 18" high outlet with a 15" inch high stool a foot in front of that against a clear white wall. Stood 13 feet back using the telephoto on my digital camera, and took some odd twenty shots so she could chose which picture she wanted. No jewelry, no smiles, straight ahead, she really didn't like any of her photos without a smile so I made the final choice. But did take some with smiles and jewelry. Ha, she made me take more shots with her hair covering her bare ears, was acceptable. Sized six of those to a standard 4 by 6 and had Walgreens do 12 photos for 38 cents plus tax and cut those precisely with my paper cutter. That is went I could have typed her name and alien number very neatly in the left hand margin if I knew about it with any size print.

They took her photo and attached it to the certificate with double sided sticky tape, and used the USCIS seal half in her face and the other half on the certificate, she didn't like that either. But what the hell, its legal, also made high res scans of her certificate the night before our passport appointment. And printed those out in color to make sure they were good.

Two weeks later, we had the passport and certificate back in hand an felt out journey was over, well not quite. Didn't take care of SS yet, is at our county seat 40 miles away, go there on business once a month so why waste gas making any extra trip? So got there two weeks after the passport came in.

But now I understand you have to go to SS first, Obama gave them a hundred million bucks to set up a database and am hearing if the DOS does not see you in the database, they won't issue you a passport!

Something you better check into first.

[CanAmCharlotte 0]

But now I understand you have to go to SS first, Obama gave them a hundred million bucks to set up a database and am hearing if the DOS does not see you in the database, they won't issue you a passport!

Something you better check into first.

Does anyone have firtshand experience with this; i.e., that their passport could not be issued if they hadn't adjusted their status with SS first?

[CanAmCharlotte 0]

I just found this on the Social Security website but who knows how often they update it. It would indicate you can have your US passport before changing your status.

"What if my immigration status or citizenship changed?

If your immigration status changed or you became a U.S. citizen, you should tell Social Security so your records can be updated. To get your immigration status or citizenship corrected, you need to show documents that prove your new status or citizenship. Only certain documents can be accepted as proof of citizenship for new and replacement cards. These include your U.S. passport, a Certificate of Naturalization or a Certificate of Citizenship. If you are not a U.S. citizen, Social Security will ask to see your current immigration documents."

[Kathryn41 3,205]

I also would not have chosen to file for my passport at the Oath ceremony - SSN yes, passport no. I made a number of colour photocopies and made sure I had those before I let the certificate out of my possession for a passport.

You can do your passport first or your social security update first. The choice is yours. I chose to do my SS first as I knew I had to hand over the original certificate with the passport application and it would be approximately a month before I got the certificate back. Even though my status hadn't been updated yet in USCIS database, I went with my certificate the following day to SSA and updated my records. They took a copy of the certificate and said that once USCIS database had been updated - probably about 10 days or so - I would receive my new card. I asked if a new card was necessary as my old one was unrestricted and still good, but they said 'yes - a new card would be issued'. I'm glad I did it that way as I received my updated SSN card a little over a week later.

I applied for my US passport the day after my SSN, and that is the one that gave me problems. I got my certificate back and my passport card in about a month - but my actual passport went missing in the mail. Nearly 2 weeks after getting the card and certificate I contacted the passport office and they said the passport had been issued at the same time so they cancelled that passport and expedited the re-issue of a replacement. The replacement passport arrived the day after the original passport that had been lost in the mail (over a month - who knows where it went) finally showed up. Others who had applied for their passports at the same time had their actual certificates go missing in the mail. Scary!

So, the choice is yours but you might want to do the easy update first at SSA, not because you have to but because it gets it done and out of the way while you wait for the passport to be processed.

Remember to update your Driver's License as well, especially if you register to vote. Voter's Registration checks the status as listed on the DL to verify eligibility and I had to go in and show my certificate as I hadn't done my DL yet (it still had 2 years to expire). You also need to have your voter's registration filed and accepted no less than 30 days prior to an election if you want to vote.

Edited August 29, 2010 by Kathryn41

[griffin 7]

YES YOU CAN APPLY FOR PASSPORT APLICATION AFTER THE CEREMONY BUT THE QUEUE IS LONG PLUS KNOWING THAT THEY WILL KEEP YOUR ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE I WANTED TO APPLY SS CARD UPDATES FIRST....SO WHAT I DID AFTER THE CEREMONY IS THAT I WENT STRAIGHT TO SSA OFFICE AND UPGRADE MY CARD ,YOU NEED TO SHOW THE ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE...THEN AFTER THAT I WENT STRAIGHT TO THE POST OFFICE AND APPLIED FOR BOTH PASSPORT AND CARD. FEW DAYS AFTER I RCVD MY NEW SS CARD WITH A GOLDEN USA LOGO AT THE MIDDLE...THEN 9TH DAY I RCVD MY CERTIFICATE THEN THE FF DAY I RCVD MY PASSPORT AND CARD.

Edited August 29, 2010 by griffin

[CanAmCharlotte 0]

Kathryn41--you make perfect sense as always. Thanks for posting. Unfortunately time is of the essence for me. My father in Canada is extremely ill and I have to get my passport as soon as possible after my oath ceremony so I can travel. I'll have to get the passport first and then deal with SSA later. (The SSA office where I live is a nightmare. You can easily stand in line for 2-3 hours before getting to speak to someone. I have zero patience these days.) I plan on paying the extra $$ and having my passport expedited. I'm wondering if they just process it faster but still send it through the regular mail. I'm hoping they'll send the passport via courier. My husband expedited his about four years ago and it took 5 days for him to receive it. He can't rememer if it came by courier.

[NickD 202]

I thought someone posted here a couple of several months ago, the DOS said their passport was delayed because they weren't in that new SS database yet.

But read hundreds of post, could be mistaken, could have cracked up. Do know for sure the SS has that database, they refused to do that under Bush, but did it for Obama because he gave them an extra hundred million.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Kathryn41--you make perfect sense as always. Thanks for posting. Unfortunately time is of the essence for me. My father in Canada is extremely ill and I have to get my passport as soon as possible after my oath ceremony so I can travel. I'll have to get the passport first and then deal with SSA later. (The SSA office where I live is a nightmare. You can easily stand in line for 2-3 hours before getting to speak to someone. I have zero patience these days.) I plan on paying the extra $ and having my passport expedited. I'm wondering if they just process it faster but still send it through the regular mail. I'm hoping they'll send the passport via courier. My husband expedited his about four years ago and it took 5 days for him to receive it. He can't rememer if it came by courier.

Ah, well, then it makes more sense for you to do the passport first. I know my first passport came by priority post (that is the one that got lost). The second, expedited one came by courier and I had to sign for it. You may ask if there is a way you can get it couriered back as well to ensure you get it as quickly as possible.

If your father is extremely ill and time is of the essence, you might also ask to have your oath ceremony deferred until it is an easier time for you, then just use your Canadian passport to travel right away. That way you won't have to worry about being trapped in the US when you need to be in Canada.

Good luck to you and I am sorry about your father.

[CanAmCharlotte 0]

I just found some rather startling info on a government website. Now that the passport fees have increased, they have received a glut of applications and even the expedited ones take 2-3 weeks (somewhat less if you apply at a Passport Agency Office in person as opposed to mailing in your documents---AS IF!!!) The ones that are not expedited take up to six weeks. Yipes. Of course if you happen to live in a few cities like New York, Boston, Miami, Chicago (and a couple more), you can get one on the spot if you need to travel out of the country asap by going to a Regional Passport Office to apply.

Sigh.....

If your father is extremely ill and time is of the essence, you might also ask to have your oath ceremony deferred until it is an easier time for you, then just use your Canadian passport to travel right away. That way you won't have to worry about being trapped in the US when you need to be in Canada.

Good luck to you and I am sorry about your father.

Yes, I have to make a decision about this.

[Captain Oates 911]

I also would not have chosen to file for my passport at the Oath ceremony - SSN yes, passport no. I made a number of colour photocopies and made sure I had those before I let the certificate out of my possession for a passport.

You can do your passport first or your social security update first. The choice is yours. I chose to do my SS first as I knew I had to hand over the original certificate with the passport application and it would be approximately a month before I got the certificate back. Even though my status hadn't been updated yet in USCIS database, I went with my certificate the following day to SSA and updated my records. They took a copy of the certificate and said that once USCIS database had been updated - probably about 10 days or so - I would receive my new card. I asked if a new card was necessary as my old one was unrestricted and still good, but they said 'yes - a new card would be issued'. I'm glad I did it that way as I received my updated SSN card a little over a week later.

I applied for my US passport the day after my SSN, and that is the one that gave me problems. I got my certificate back and my passport card in about a month - but my actual passport went missing in the mail. Nearly 2 weeks after getting the card and certificate I contacted the passport office and they said the passport had been issued at the same time so they cancelled that passport and expedited the re-issue of a replacement. The replacement passport arrived the day after the original passport that had been lost in the mail (over a month - who knows where it went) finally showed up. Others who had applied for their passports at the same time had their actual certificates go missing in the mail. Scary!

So, the choice is yours but you might want to do the easy update first at SSA, not because you have to but because it gets it done and out of the way while you wait for the passport to be processed.

Remember to update your Driver's License as well, especially if you register to vote. Voter's Registration checks the status as listed on the DL to verify eligibility and I had to go in and show my certificate as I hadn't done my DL yet (it still had 2 years to expire). You also need to have your voter's registration filed and accepted no less than 30 days prior to an election if you want to vote.

excellent post - I had not considered the driver's license thing. Hope they don't test my eyes - I always worry about that. Logically they just retick the status on the file but all sorts of weird things happen.

I do need to do SS and what about IRS ? If my USC wife dies, they tax her wad heavily before the ALIEN spouse gets it - not so if the spouse is a USC. It's one of the factors that swung me to apply.

That stuff about the post office losing the certificate in the mail is something I will try and forget but it makes me determined not to part with the original before getting 3 color photo copies!

[Captain Oates 911]

I thought someone posted here a couple of several months ago, the DOS said their passport was delayed because they weren't in that new SS database yet.

But read hundreds of post, could be mistaken, could have cracked up. Do know for sure the SS has that database, they refused to do that under Bush, but did it for Obama because he gave them an extra hundred million.

There was the Ukrainian lady who believed it would take several months for the USCIS to update their database and the passport could not be issued until then. I put her right on that but she was still doubting what I was saying that the passport could be applied for same date as the ceremony...

[Captain Oates 911]

I also would not have chosen to file for my passport at the Oath ceremony - SSN yes, passport no.

Does mean that the SS can be updated at the ceremony place ? Last time I visited a SS office was Clearwater Florida and it felt like an alleyway in Kabul at 2am. I walked backwards to my car