Filling out the N400 dates

[Exasperated 5]

Hello everyone,

As you may have read in some other posts of mine, I've decided to go ahead and apply for the N-400 under the "3 year rule". My question is about the parts of the form requesting information about the places you've lived in the last 5 years, the time you've spent outside the US and amount of trips in the last 5 years, where you've worked the last 5 years, etc.

Since I'm applying under the 3 year rule, it seems pointless/misleading to mention the time I've spent outside the US before I actually got the residence permit (since that would obviously add up to over 700 days - even though I've spent only 10 days outside the US since I got my residence permit). When it comes to where I've lived in the last 5 years and where I've worked in the last 5 years, I guess that makes more sense to specify, but I'm still unsure if that's relevant in my case, or if they would even want that information (in other words, if it's just a matter of the form stating 5 when they really mean 3 for filers applying under the three year rule).

I've read about multiple approaches people have when dealing with this:

1. Some people cross out "five" and write "three" on the actual form. In a way, this seems like the clearest method of specifying exactly what you're referring to. On the other hand, I'd always be wary to tamper with the USCIS form in any way (and get some kind of denial based on "corrupting the form" or similar - who knows with the USCIS).

2. Some people leave the form as it is, but fill it out as if it asked for three rather than five years. Of course, then you won't actually be answering the questions according to how they are written, but again, it makes more sense than giving your history for five years.

3. Some people actually answer the question as written and give their full history for five years. While this seems to be the most "safe" way of doing it, I would still be afraid to rely on the USCIS to substract the first two years (e.g. in the listing for "days spent outside the US" and having to make their own calculation of the remainder.

I would like to know ideas on how to best deal with this issue. Also, has anyone already filed under the three year rule and gotten approved, and if so, what approach did you use? In addition, if you did specify information only for three years, it would be great to know if you did so consistently for every question concerning "five years" or just when answering certain ones (specifically the ones about trips outside the US and days spent outside the US).

Thanks!

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

I did option 1.

I didn't need to do anything for "time outside the USA", because I hadn't left during the three years, so that was easy, just put 0 for days spent outside.

[OKflyboy 35]

Don't cross anything out, just put information for 3 years everywhere. They are only interested in the information since the day you became a LPR. A lot of people had not even moved to the US yet 4 or 5 years before they applied based on marriage:)

[tdegrenier 1]

Don't cross anything out, just put information for 3 years everywhere. They are only interested in the information since the day you became a LPR. A lot of people had not even moved to the US yet 4 or 5 years before they applied based on marriage:)

I agree with OKflyboy. They are only interested in the time since becoming an LPR.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Since becoming a LPR or for the past 5 years, whatever is more.

[NickD 202]

A lot depends on your situation, in the past 22 years, wife had only two jobs and two residences, so we actually went back 22 years. Days out of the country in the last five years? For her it was exactly 409 days. Now if you had hundreds of different addresses and jobs between the 3rd and 5th years, that can be messy.

Trips outside of the USA for over 24 hours, was a lot easier, since becoming a LPR, for us was exactly 1,007 days from the date of the application. Would have been much easier if we waited the five years, stepdaughter had to do that, since she barely turned over 18. Wife had a fresh ten year card, major motivation was to avoid maintaining her home country passport. That sure didn't work, has to do that anyway.

Major advantage of becoming a US citizen according to the USCIS is the right to vote, so she got to vote in a local election where 95% candidates ran unopposed. One key disadvantage was buying a wheelbarrow so she could haul in all the evidence she needed for marriage. Can borrow ours, we don't need that anymore.