Oath Ceremony Questions

[visajuser 0]

You should not destroy anything for at least he 2 years following your naturalization. Why? Because up to this point USCIS can revert your naturalization with the strike of a pen. No judge needed!

After that period has passed, it's up to you. I would at least keep the most important documents in a small file and just get rid of the filler stuff.

I didn't know about this. Thank you so much. However, doesn't USCIS have the right to strip someone's citizenship any time they like, not just the 2-year period?

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

I didn't know about this. Thank you so much. However, doesn't USCIS have the right to strip someone's citizenship any time they like, not just the 2-year period?

We have to distinguish between "revoking" one's citizenship and declaring the naturalization void. In the former case someone has been a US citizen, in the latter case someone thought he has been a US citizen until they tell him months later that this was just a bad dream.

It's not easy to revoke someone's citizenship. You would have to become the ruler of a foreign country (simplified stated), or join a terrorist organization and be involved in blowing up some nice building in the US of A. Such a case is highly unlikely and when taken to court, a judge or a panel of judges would not sign off on that unless it's blatantly obvious and self-evident. This applies to natural born citizen and naturalized (means "just like a natural-born") citizens equally.

The second scenario does not apply to natural born citizens, only those who have become USCs by naturalization. A natural born citizen cannot be stripped of his citizenship status, even if he turns out to be a mass murderer who ate the flesh of his victims, like Jeffrey Dahmer did. The added hurdle naturalized citizens have is everything within the "material misrespresentation" realm. Again, even here, once 2 years have passed, a judge is needed to sign off. However, if they found out, for example, that you lied at any point of your immigration journey, than USCIS declares your naturalization void based on the fact that it was obtained by misrepresentation.

There were two cases of female FBI agents who were found guilty of exactly that. They had married US citizens for the Green Card, got divorced, became federal agents, and one day they bragged. They were stripped of everything and send home to their former country of citizenship. Again, after 2 years the court has to get involved, but before that a very anxious USCIS offer may jump the gun.

Another prominent case was in 1999 when they found out, that an 84 year-old woman, who naturalized as a US citizen in the later 1950s, had worked at a prison guard in a female prison in Nazi Germany. Well, at that time everything was under Nazi control, prisons included, so any prison guard automatically had worked for the Nazi regime by default. Her mistake was that she did not mention this in her immigration and naturalization journey, and when it surfaced, she was stripped of everything and send home to her former country of citizenship (she had lost her German citizenship when naturalizing by default), where she died 11 days later. So here as well material misrepresentation was the charge. No terrorist connection needed.

For that reason, the first 2 years are critical. I trust a judge or a panel of judges much more than a single immigration officer in making such an important decision. For the same reason, the revocation of citizenship is something highly unusual, and it's also highly unusual that USCIS even takes such a case to the courts. What you need to avoid is that you have destroyed all of your paperwork in the first 2 years. It's so very unlikely that something bad is happening, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

[visajuser 0]

We have to distinguish between "revoking" one's citizenship and declaring the naturalization void. In the former case someone has been a US citizen, in the latter case someone thought he has been a US citizen until they tell him months later that this was just a bad dream.

It's not easy to revoke someone's citizenship. You would have to become the ruler of a foreign country (simplified stated), or join a terrorist organization and be involved in blowing up some nice building in the US of A. Such a case is highly unlikely and when taken to court, a judge or a panel of judges would not sign off on that unless it's blatantly obvious and self-evident. This applies to natural born citizen and naturalized (means "just like a natural-born") citizens equally.

The second scenario does not apply to natural born citizens, only those who have become USCs by naturalization. A natural born citizen cannot be stripped of his citizenship status, even if he turns out to be a mass murderer who ate the flesh of his victims, like Jeffrey Dahmer did. The added hurdle naturalized citizens have is everything within the "material misrespresentation" realm. Again, even here, once 2 years have passed, a judge is needed to sign off. However, if they found out, for example, that you lied at any point of your immigration journey, than USCIS declares your naturalization void based on the fact that it was obtained by misrepresentation.

There were two cases of female FBI agents who were found guilty of exactly that. They had married US citizens for the Green Card, got divorced, became federal agents, and one day they bragged. They were stripped of everything and send home to their former country of citizenship. Again, after 2 years the court has to get involved, but before that a very anxious USCIS offer may jump the gun.

Another prominent case was in 1999 when they found out, that an 84 year-old woman, who naturalized as a US citizen in the later 1950s, had worked at a prison guard in a female prison in Nazi Germany. Well, at that time everything was under Nazi control, prisons included, so any prison guard automatically had worked for the Nazi regime by default. Her mistake was that she did not mention this in her immigration and naturalization journey, and when it surfaced, she was stripped of everything and send home to her former country of citizenship (she had lost her German citizenship when naturalizing by default), where she died 11 days later. So here as well material misrepresentation was the charge. No terrorist connection needed.

For that reason, the first 2 years are critical. I trust a judge or a panel of judges much more than a single immigration officer in making such an important decision. For the same reason, the revocation of citizenship is something highly unusual, and it's also highly unusual that USCIS even takes such a case to the courts. What you need to avoid is that you have destroyed all of your paperwork in the first 2 years. It's so very unlikely that something bad is happening, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

This is extremely valuable to know. Thank you so much for taking time to explain this! I will be sure to keep everything for 2 years. I am a Ukrainian citizen (but I never had a passport because I was still a kid when I entered the US) and according to a Ukrainian law, anyone who accepts citizenship of any foreign state must surrender the Ukrainian citizenship. There is a formal process of renouncing the Ukrainian citizenship and I thought about doing it as soon as I obtained my US passport. Do you think it is better to do it after the 2 years?

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

. . . . and according to a Ukrainian law, anyone who accepts citizenship of any foreign state must surrender the Ukrainian citizenship. There is a formal process of renouncing the Ukrainian citizenship and I thought about doing it as soon as I obtained my US passport. Do you think it is better to do it after the 2 years?

Gary, Alla's hubby, is going to love this one.Has it really been signed into law now?

http://mignews.com.ua/en/articles/11599.html

[NickD 203]

I bought a clip board along so my stepdaughter could fill out her the back of her oath letter while waiting in line. This was different as they let us wait in line with her, normally guests wait in a different line. Told her to fill it out, but don't sign it, wait until they ask for it. She signed it anyway, thankfully, they accepted it, but seemed to be in a hurry to get this thing over with. The officer just took a two second glance at it.

Definition of the word "refugee" is One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution. Neither my wife or daughter fit in that class, but does kind of throw you for a loop. As well as that statement about bringing in all your immigration papers. Felt like an idiot carrying that heavy brief case during my wifes' oath ceremony, was the only one. But for my stepdaughter, just the oath letter and her green card. But better safe than sorry. That's all they wanted for my wifes' oath ceremony.

As hers was my very first one, didn't know what to expect, but got to wonder why they even have those. Just videos, very impersonal, she already read the oath and signed it at her interview. No fanfare in handing her certificate, never signed it in front of an officer, and just a lip syncing service in saying the oath and the pledge of allegiance as a group. Was two officers present at my wifes' ceremony, only one at my stepdaughters. No one was looking at them to see if they were moving their lips or not.

My key role in all of this was to carefully read the certificate for any errors before walking out the door. If those aren't corrected then and there, I would be out another 400 bucks, and they would be in for another 6-12 month delay. My girls tend to get emotional with stuff like this, I think about the consequences. Another key role I played was to make sure in our own certificate signing ceremony at home was for them to follow the instructions about signing your name exactly like its printed on the certificate. Just a small thing, but why risk it?

Also a strong word of advice to be good between your interview and oath ceremony, after that, they can join the communistic party or get a speeding ticket. But still up in the air about that communistic party thing, we got that here when I am charged for someone else's heating, medical, living expense, etc., bills. So we must all be a member of a communistic party.