N400 5 Year Residency

[picara 3]

I decided to start this topic because of my own journey experiences as a 5 year Permanent Resident holder applying for US Citizenship.

What I found so far is that:

1) It's better to apply under the 5 year rule, because there is less paperwork to send in with your application (see below).

2) Your application is based on you alone, not your husband/wife, so you don't have to ask anybody else for their information and time.

3) If your name was ever different than what it is today or what it is on your green card, include an original document showing what it used to be, for example, I sent my marriage certificate with my application to show I had changed my name even though my application was not based on my marriage.

4) Since I did not have any problems with the law, late taxes, etc, I DID NOT include any mortgage paper, bank account statements, etc ,etc.

5) I am a stay-home-mom so I don't have a salary per say, but to become a Citizen under the 5 year rule, you don't have to have a job or be employed.

6) What I did send to USCIS by Certified Mail was:

a) Application N400, signed and dated

b) Personal Check (then I can check when it is cashed)

c) Copy of green card

d) One original Marriage Certificate

I did made copies of everything even the check for my own records, because you never know.

I sent everything on July 1, 2014 to the Phoenix Lockbox , had my fingerprints appointment on July 23 at Milwaukee, WI office, and now I have my interview appointment on Sept 18 at the Bloomington,MN office, wish me good luck and good luck to you all.

Picara

;-)

[kcoyclay1 98]

I decided to start this topic because of my own journey experiences as a 5 year Permanent Resident holder applying for US Citizenship.

What I found so far is that:

1) It's better to apply under the 5 year rule, because there is less paperwork to send in with your application (see below).

2) Your application is based on you alone, not your husband/wife, so you don't have to ask anybody else for their information and time.

3) If your name was ever different than what it is today or what it is on your green card, include an original document showing what it used to be, for example, I sent my marriage certificate with my application to show I had changed my name even though my application was not based on my marriage.

4) Since I did not have any problems with the law, late taxes, etc, I DID NOT include any mortgage paper, bank account statements, etc ,etc.

5) I am a stay-home-mom so I don't have a salary per say, but to become a Citizen under the 5 year rule, you don't have to have a job or be employed.

6) What I did send to USCIS by Certified Mail was:

a) Application N400, signed and dated

b) Personal Check (then I can check when it is cashed)

c) Copy of green card

d) One original Marriage Certificate

I did made copies of everything even the check for my own records, because you never know.

I sent everything on July 1, 2014 to the Phoenix Lockbox , had my fingerprints appointment on July 23 at Milwaukee, WI office, and now I have my interview appointment on Sept 18 at the Bloomington,MN office, wish me good luck and good luck to you all.

Picara

;-)

I have also applied under the 5 year rule because my husband passed away 2 years after we were married and just 5 months 2 weeks after I got my greencard. However, If he were alive, I would not have mind the paperwork, but it is true that we do not have to send in as many documents because our application is based on our residence. Congrats on your upcoming interview. Did you send in passport size pictures? Why did you send an original mariage certificate? You will still need to take an original with you to the interview as well as a copy. All the best

[J&N071213 57]

Good luck

[picara 3]

_{Hello kcoyclay1, yes I did send passport pictures , I forgot to mention that.}

_{I had to send in an original marriage certificate because it is illegal to make copies of marriage cert in Wisconsin, so I just went to our local City Clerk office and got 5 original copies right away, so that I have enough to use later for any other reasons.}

_{What paperwork did you take to your interview? some people say I still need to take copies of taxes and bank statements, did you? In my yellow letter all they ask for is my driver license and passport (old and new).}

_{Hope everything went well in your interview, good luck!}

_{And thanks, picara}

Edited August 29, 2014 by picara

[kcoyclay1 98]

_{Hello kcoyclay1, yes I did send passport pictures , I forgot to mention that.}

_{I had to send in an original marriage certificate because it is illegal to make copies of marriage cert in Wisconsin, so I just went to our local City Clerk office and got 5 original copies right away, so that I have enough to use later for any other reasons.}

_{What paperwork did you take to your interview? some people say I still need to take copies of taxes and bank statements, did you? In my yellow letter all they ask for is my driver license and passport (old and new).}

_{Hope everything went well in your interview, good luck!}

_{And thanks, picara}

Thanks for responding, picara. I have not done my interview as yet.

[picara 3]

Hello everyone, I am a new US Citizen!!!!!!

I am happy to say I had my interview Yesterday and everything went well. The Minnesota Office offers same day Oath Ceremony for those of us who are out of state applicants. So I had my appointment schedule for 10:30, got there at 10:00, went through metal detectors with my whole family, then waited until 11:10 when someone called my name. Lots of Officers/Officials are immigrant themselves, so it was pleasant to know they could relate to you in that way.

My interviewer was from some Asian country, sorry I didn't ask, he was very polite, he told me please do not sit down right away because he had to swear me in first, which we did really quickly, then petty much went through the whole application with me asking me the same questions, name, birthday, children, husband, etc, etc, and then he asked if I had a job and I said not, I stay home with kids, so he wrote by hand on the form: homemaker.

For the civic questions, they were soooo easy:

First read this sentence: " When is Flag Day?"

Then write this sentence: "Flag Day is in June"

Question were, what is the capital of my state, the us capital, when is independence day, and what is the supreme law of the land: the constitution

Then he asked the last questions on the form 47-52. Then he said congratulations you passed, please wait outside for your letter of invitation to todays oath ceremony. He took a few seconds to look through my passports, I only took with me my current one and the previous expired one, the oldest ones I did not take because those were outside the 5 years presence in the USA rule.

I was out of there by 11:30, came back at 1 pm, had to go through metal detectors again, I had to give up my Permanent residency card (green card), because at the end they give you your Naturalization Certificate, so now I must go and get my new US passport. The ceremony started at 2pm and was done by 2:30.

It was very touching, and exciting, I am glad I did this, I wish you all best of luck! Picara signing out!

p.s. if anybody has any questions for me please let me know and will try to answer them as best as I can.

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