URGENT HELP! I AM TOTALLY LOST!

[BrownHorse 2]

Hello all

I just downloaded and completed N400 form for my wife as she is now eligible for U.S Citizenship. I have couple of questions regarding N400 package before I mail it out

Question#1: I am going through step-by-step guide on visa journey and it states to send following FOUR ITEMS :

If you are applying for naturalization on the basis of marriage to a U.S. citizen, send the following four items:

1. Evidence that your spouse has been a U.S. citizen for the last three years:

Birth certificate (if your spouse never lost citizenship since birth), or

Naturalization certificate, or

Certificate of Citizenship, or

The inside of the front cover and signature page of your spouse’s current U.S. passport, or

Form FS-240, “Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America,†and

2. Your current marriage certificate; and

3. Proof of termination of all prior marriages of your spouse-divorce decree(s), annulment(s), or death certificate(s); and

4. Documents referring to you and your spouse:

Tax returns, bank accounts, leases, mortgages, or birth certificates of children, or

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-certified copies of the income tax forms that you both filed for the past three years, or

An IRS tax return transcript for the last three years.

No.3 does not apply to us as none of have had any prior marriages. Having said that I have three items (Marrige cert, child's birth cert and cert of spouse US citizenship).. Will that suffice ? Am I missing anything ?

Question#2

I live in state of Michigan and instructions suggests two different mailing addresses. Where do I send it to and what is the best method to send it (fedex,usp or postal service ? ) Please kindly service. Thanks in advance!

[Inky 1,111]

If you reside in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Territory of Guam, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, send your application to the USCIS Phoenix Lockbox Facility

If you reside in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, send your application to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox Facility

Its in the instructions where you send it to, you may want to read them again just in case you missed more. You send it based on where you live.

[NickD 203]

Hello all

I just downloaded and completed N400 form for my wife as she is now eligible for U.S Citizenship. I have couple of questions regarding N400 package before I mail it out

Question#1: I am going through step-by-step guide on visa journey and it states to send following FOUR ITEMS :

If you are applying for naturalization on the basis of marriage to a U.S. citizen, send the following four items:

1. Evidence that your spouse has been a U.S. citizen for the last three years:

Birth certificate (if your spouse never lost citizenship since birth), or

Naturalization certificate, or

Certificate of Citizenship, or

The inside of the front cover and signature page of your spouse’s current U.S. passport, or

Form FS-240, “Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America,†and

2. Your current marriage certificate; and

3. Proof of termination of all prior marriages of your spouse-divorce decree(s), annulment(s), or death certificate(s); and

4. Documents referring to you and your spouse:

Tax returns, bank accounts, leases, mortgages, or birth certificates of children, or

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-certified copies of the income tax forms that you both filed for the past three years, or

An IRS tax return transcript for the last three years.

No.3 does not apply to us as none of have had any prior marriages. Having said that I have three items (Marrige cert, child's birth cert and cert of spouse US citizenship).. Will that suffice ? Am I missing anything ?

Question#2

I live in state of Michigan and instructions suggests two different mailing addresses. Where do I send it to and what is the best method to send it (fedex,usp or postal service ? ) Please kindly service. Thanks in advance!

Should have seen my stepdaughters' never married, female application, half of it was loaded with N/A's, if a section does not apply to you, type in an N/A.

In section 4, see a lot of "or's" for the required married application evidence. With our experience, should be all "and's" with the exception of complete IRS forms or just the transcripts.

If you sponsored your wife and went through the AOS and I-751, you probably recall sending all of this stuff before, well with citizenship with the marriage application, you do that all over again. For the five year, just need her green card for evidence and none of this poking around in your private life stuff. I was a bit impatient as was getting sick of her corrupted consulate office. Guess what, after she got her US certificate, still have to deal with that corrupted consulate office.

So how do you receive anything from the DOS or the USCIS? First class mail, and that is exactly how I sent out both applications for my wife and stepdaughter, and ironically, that is when we got the fastest service. Proof is the canceled personal check I sent them, they cash that within minutes and appears on my bank account. That gets printed out and placed in our folder. If it ever goes to court for any reason, but hasn't, a judge loves to see a canceled personal check.

[BrownHorse 2]

Should have seen my stepdaughters' never married, female application, half of it was loaded with N/A's, if a section does not apply to you, type in an N/A.

In section 4, see a lot of "or's" for the required married application evidence. With our experience, should be all "and's" with the exception of complete IRS forms or just the transcripts.

If you sponsored your wife and went through the AOS and I-751, you probably recall sending all of this stuff before, well with citizenship with the marriage application, you do that all over again. For the five year, just need her green card for evidence and none of this poking around in your private life stuff. I was a bit impatient as was getting sick of her corrupted consulate office. Guess what, after she got her US certificate, still have to deal with that corrupted consulate office.

So how do you receive anything from the DOS or the USCIS? First class mail, and that is exactly how I sent out both applications for my wife and stepdaughter, and ironically, that is when we got the fastest service. Proof is the canceled personal check I sent them, they cash that within minutes and appears on my bank account. That gets printed out and placed in our folder. If it ever goes to court for any reason, but hasn't, a judge loves to see a canceled personal check.

Hi Nick

Thanks for your kind reply. I remember going through $h1t load of paperwork when I had to apply for AOS to remove conditional status. I am calling consulate now as I am absolutely sick and tired of this #######. If she has a valid so called "permanent resident card" there is no way in hell I am going to provide them same docs again and again. All they will get from me is my cert of naturalization, child's birth cert and our marriage cert. PERIOD!

Thanks for your help though Nick!

Edited May 23, 2011 by BrownHorse

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Hi Nick

Thanks for your kind reply. I remember going through $h1t load of paperwork when I had to apply for AOS to remove conditional status. I am calling consulate now as I am absolutely sick and tired of this #######. If she has a valid so called "permanent resident card" there is no way in hell I am going to provide them same docs again and again. All they will get from me is my cert of naturalization, child's birth cert and our marriage cert. PERIOD!

Thanks for your help though Nick!

You still gotta send the tax transcripts. No way to get around that.

[BrownHorse 2]

You still gotta send the tax transcripts. No way to get around that.

Do I have to send last three years tax returns or can I just submit the most recent one ? Please advise

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Do I have to send last three years tax returns or can I just submit the most recent one ? Please advise

If you look in the requirements, they need the last three years. They are free, so not a big deal.

[BrownHorse 2]

If you look in the requirements, they need the last three years. They are free, so not a big deal.

sorry to be pain but I e-file through H&R and they had sent me tax return via PDF file. Can I print them out and send it to them ? Where do I get the transcript from ? Please help

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

sorry to be pain but I e-file through H&R and they had sent me tax return via PDF file. Can I print them out and send it to them ? Where do I get the transcript from ? Please help

http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=232168,00.html

[BrownHorse 2]

I just went through USCIS.gov site and looked up the N400 process line by line. It states if your spouse have traveled outside US for more than six months, then you're required to submit last 3 years of tax returns and pay stubs. By doing so will ensure you've returned to US to continue to work and pay taxes! Luckily she has not traveled six months or more so I will not be submitting any of these #######. I will contact USCIS to confirm this.

Here the copy right from Form M-477 (Document Checklist for N400)

If you have taken any trip outside the United States that lasted 6 months or more since becoming a Lawful Permanent

Resident, send evidence that you (and your family) continued to live, work and/or keep ties to the United States, such as:

An IRS tax return “transcript” or an IRS-certified tax return listing tax information for the last 5 years (or for the last 3 years if

you are applying on the basis of marriage to a U.S. citizen).

Rent or mortgage payments and pay stubs.

[NickD 203]

Tax transcripts are free from the IRS, easiest way, applicants passport/s are required so the IO can compare the traveling dates with what you put down. Know my wifes' IO faked that, took us literally hours to check that out, stamps all over the place with some on top of others. You don't get out of this with the five year either, forgot about that for the minimum resident requirement.

I was teed off when the wanted yet another copy of my divorce papers, 51 pages printed both sides, but you have to do it, its not like if you are unhappy with the USCIS you can go someplace else. The file of evidence we sent in was over an inch thick, but apparently still not enough. We heard a couple of years ago they also wanted a joint utility bill. Didn't send that in, but heard problems a friend was having, so surprise, we got one. Wifes' IO was annoyed that she had that.

Latest craze that caused delays, even for the five year, did you have any traffic violations? Yes, I got a ticket for $86.00 for not parking for a half an hour at a stop sign, cop said I rolled. We need proof you paid that fine, another delay for more evidence. Latest posted one I have never heard about, this woman applicant has to bring her husband in as evidence of a marriage. Where does it ever say that in the required evidence?

One thing that occurred to me since I have certification from other government agencies, always had to appear in front of a board with as little as three board members and as many as seven where a vote was taken. With the USCIS, only one person behind that desk that literally has your life in his/her hands. then I wonder if the applicant is being approved by the supervisor, or is it the performance of that IO that is being questioned? Either way, you pay the price.

Have to show a degree of confidence in your interview, but certainly not aggressiveness or egotism. Feel how you dress makes a difference, feel my wife wearing an expensive business suit went against her as she had a very not well dressed woman IO. While the instructions seem objective enough, all cut and dry, feel many subjective items enter the picture. Key problem is only having one IO making all those decisions, can't fight that, a crystal ball would sure help.

[Shub 78]

The tax transcripts are a requirement, they are not optional, regardless of whether you've been out of the country for 6+ months. M-477 states that clearly.

If you are applying for naturalization on the basis of marriage to a U.S. citizen, send the following 4 items:

1. ...

2. ...

3. ...

4. Documents referring to you and your spouse:

a. Tax returns, bank accounts, leases, mortgages, or birth certificates of children; or

b. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-certified copies of the income tax forms that you both filed for the past 3 years; or

c. An IRS tax return transcript for the last 3 years.

That is above where it says what you quoted from M-477.

Edited May 23, 2011 by Shub

[izziexez 0]

i am so lost on the whole thing. how does anyone know what to do.. i do not know if i should file the k1 or the k3...(we will be married in turkey). so do i file the k1 here or wait till i go and get married and file a k3? I am not rich so we might have a problem with the IRS i dont know anyone who will co-sponsor. I am lost in a nightmare of red tape. can he come here after we file or should i stay in turkey and can i stay in turkey while the process is taking place?

thank you and if anyone can help please..........

[BrownHorse 2]

I did not want to wait another week for IRS to send me 3 years worth of tax transcripts and not to mention memorial day weekend next week. I would just delay things so I ended up sending them copies of my W2s/1040s from past 3 years.

So to summarize this, here is what I ended up mailing them (USPS next day):

-N400 signed and dated

-e-Notification form

-Photocopy of spouse's green card (both sides)

-Two color identical photos with name and A# written on the back

-$$$$680.00 check for DHS

-3 years tax returns/W2s (They were all filed jointly)

-Copy of Marriage Cert

-Copy of my naturalized certification

-Copy of child's birth cert

I hope thats enough proof! Wish me luck and thanks for all your help as always! VJ Rocks....

[BrownHorse 2]

The tax transcripts are a requirement, they are not optional, regardless of whether you've been out of the country for 6+ months. M-477 states that clearly.

That is above where it says what you quoted from M-477.

Correct but is either A or B or C .... I am still confused about this whole process. Hopefully I have sent in right docs..