Physical Presence Evidence

[kankerot 0]

Had the appointment. All went well. CRBA approved with no questions.

The points that need to be noted.

1) A Naturalisation certificate is nothing more than that, it is not proof of physical presence in the US. You are required to bring it with your US passport.

2) The requirement is 5 years physical presence in the US prior to the birth of the child when one parent is a US citizen, The best way to prove this is with official documents from colleges, schools or government departments on official paper ie college transcripts, tax returns etc. Employment records, wage slips etc can be easily forged so they are not strong pieces of evidence. Passports is another strong piece of evidence.

3) Do not worry about getting the exact dates in your passport for entry/exit as the embassy will have access to your entry/exit records. Just be truthful as sometimes you may not have a stamp in your passport but your record for entering/ exiting will have been recorded.

4) If you have a marriage certificate in a foreign language then you need to have an official translation from either the embassy of the country you had the marriage or some other officially recognised translator. These points are key.

The embassy staff are not there to catch you out, they know the rules and apply them as consistently as possible. Those who complain usually have weak cases and blame the rules and not themselves. Personally I found that the embassy provides all the guidance that is needed but its natural to get a second opinion via forums.

So to clarify read the forms and guidance clearly and see which rules apply. To prove physical presence you need official documents to cover 5 years otherwise it will be rejected or more information may be requested. The embassy websites lists exactly what is needed in plain english and follow it precisely.

[kankerot 0]

Just to add tax returns can be filed when not in the country and unless you have exit and entry stamps on your passport then they can discount that as well or take it under for further consideration. Nothing beats school/ college transcripts on official paper.