N-400 October 2018 Filers

[Butterfly83 28]

I am really confused.
The online application is asking for all times/travel spent outside the US during the past 5 years. While most people can only apply 5 yrs after their green card was approved, we can apply through marriage after 3 yrs. Do I still include all times spent outside the US for the past 5 yrs or only 3? (Obviously they are asking this because of the travel regulations - no more than 6 months - for green card.) There is a lot of travel info before my green card, I was living a pretty nomadic life moving/traveling around the world. I was visiting my now-husband several times on an ESTA (which is INSIDE the US but as a tourist, NOT living here!!!) so I can't even batch all the travels together for 2013 - 2015. However the system still adds up the days 'spent outside the US' and since I was supposed to be outside the US prior to my marriage, the total number is pretty high total. (I only spent about 2 - 2.5 months total outside the US within the past 3 yrs of our marriage/green card and I haven't even left at all for a year.) 

[dakalti 4]

If you are applying through the 3 years/marriage route, then you only need to fill out the trips in the last 3 years. 

[dr_medovet 15]

I am preparing for submitting my N400 now 

but i have a question:

Being a member in a career syndicate ( veterinary syndicate) should be indicated in the form  for the Association Question?

 

Thanks a lot

[Jon & Jess 3]

Just checked my status online and it says that bio metrics appointment was scheduled on 10/19/2018. But it's not showing in my documents yet so I can't see for when. Hopefully the document will be there on Monday.

[Greencardchicago 38]

5 hours ago, Jon & Jess said:

Just checked my status online and it says that bio metrics appointment was scheduled on 10/19/2018. But it's not showing in my documents yet so I can't see for when. Hopefully the document will be there on Monday.

I got the same notice, I guess its gonna show up in the next couple of days.  

[Tony&Natasha 16]

Greetings,

Pending I-751 (Remove Conditions).

We became eligible to file N-400 on the 16th.

We filed online on October 16th and uploaded almost all of the requested documentation. (It was a rather painless process!)

Yesterday (1-/20) we received and email that our bio-metrics appointment has been scheduled with an appointment letter to follow within a few days.

Good luck everyone!

 

Regards,

Tony&Natasha

[Butterfly83 28]

21 hours ago, dakalti said:

If you are applying through the 3 years/marriage route, then you only need to fill out the trips in the last 3 years. 

Are you just assuming this or does it say it somewhere? It says 5 years, it doesn't say that 3 yrs if marriage route. Is there a supplemental booklet or sthing that explains it? I don't want to go based on assumptions.

[gregcrs2 1,778]

2 hours ago, Butterfly83 said:

Are you just assuming this or does it say it somewhere? It says 5 years, it doesn't say that 3 yrs if marriage route. Is there a supplemental booklet or sthing that explains it? I don't want to go based on assumptions.

Try reading the instructions.  No assumptions were given.

 

[sjoy321 8]

Hello everyone! We just filed my husband's n-400 and it says the estimated completion date is January 2020. Let's hope it doesn't really take that long! Wishing everyone here a fast and easy process

 

 

[Butterfly83 28]

1 hour ago, gregcrs2 said:

Try reading the instructions.  No assumptions were given.

 

Auch. I've read the instructions I've found here https://www.uscis.gov/n-400
Clearly, I am asking because I found nothing in regards to this. Can you, please, help me out. Are there some other instructions elsewhere I am missing? Where can I find them? Maybe you could link to it?

[Butterfly83 28]

1 hour ago, gregcrs2 said:

Try reading the instructions.  No assumptions were given.

 

This is what the instructions say . I don't find anything about the 3-year situation based on marriage. Do you have any other information? If you could link it, I would appreciate it. 


Part 5. Information About Your Residence List every address where you have lived during the last 5 years (including other countries) prior to filing your Form N-400. Start with where you live now, and then include the dates for each place you have lived in a month, day, and year format (mm/dd/yyyy). For example, type or print May 1, 1998 to June 1, 1999 as 05/01/1998 to 06/01/1999. Provide your mailing address if it is different from your current address. Provide “In Care Of Name” information, if applicable. If you do not have a State or Province, enter the name of your city again in that box. If you do not have a ZIP or Postal Code, enter “00000” in the ZIP or Postal Code box. Form N-400 Instructions 12/23/16 N Page 7 of 18 NOTE: USCIS may not be able to contact you if you do not provide a complete and valid mailing address. If USCIS rejects your Form N-400, USCIS may not be able to return the fee for the Form N-400 to you if you do not provide a complete and valid mailing address. If you are residing outside of the United States, filing under INA section 319(b), and you want USCIS to collect your biometrics in the United States, then you must provide an address in the United States. USCIS will send a letter to your U.S. mailing address notifying you when and where to go for your biometrics services appointment.

[dakalti 4]

@Butterfly83 - I was in the same situation and I asked this question in this site a few weeks ago and you can check out the responses there. Also here is the logic - if I am applying through the 3yr rule, I might have been living outside the US prior to that and therefore the answers to Date exited the US and Date entered the US, Days spent outside the US are not applicable. If you want some reading material, here you go (https://www.uscis.gov/policymanual/HTML/PolicyManual-Volume12-PartG-Chapter2.html). Feel free to send this to an attorney and verify if you need more clarification. 

[Butterfly83 28]

2 hours ago, dakalti said:

@Butterfly83 - I was in the same situation and I asked this question in this site a few weeks ago and you can check out the responses there. Also here is the logic - if I am applying through the 3yr rule, I might have been living outside the US prior to that and therefore the answers to Date exited the US and Date entered the US, Days spent outside the US are not applicable. If you want some reading material, here you go (https://www.uscis.gov/policymanual/HTML/PolicyManual-Volume12-PartG-Chapter2.html). Feel free to send this to an attorney and verify if you need more clarification. 

That's helpful thanks. Though what you attached still doesn't clarify my question, it only talks about the 6-month rule which is not a problem. Since I got my green card I only spent a couple months total outside the US and I was in the US every day for the past entire year. Prior my green card I was not living in the US, but mostly traveling the world, but I visited the US a few times during that period as a tourist.
https://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/SLB/HTML/SLB/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-29/0-0-0-9898.html 

In my case the 'date existed/days spent outside' makes sense in my case. I was living outside of the US 2013 - mid-2015 (prior marriage), but I visited 3x on an ESTA as a tourist to see my now husband, so I actually entered/existed the US and while I was here on an ESTA obviously I was not outside the US either. 

I came in for the 4th time on ESTA in May 2015, got married in August, and got my green card in January 2016.

However, it is only logical that they are asking about my travels for the past 3 years. I may put down everything for the past 5 though. I mean, once they type your info in/scan you passport they anyways see your travel history and they also know when you got your green card... I mean putting down all my travel history for the past 5 years is not really a problem, it is more like a pain in the butt to have so many entries...
 

I am most certainly NOT hiring an attorney. This entire process is already a ridiculous amount of money, an attorney would be a complete waste!

 

[gregcrs2 1,778]

43 minutes ago, Butterfly83 said:

That's helpful thanks. Though what you attached still doesn't clarify my question, it only talks about the 6-month rule which is not a problem. Since I got my green card I only spent a couple months total outside the US and I was in the US every day for the past entire year. Prior my green card I was not living in the US, but mostly traveling the world, but I visited the US a few times during that period as a tourist.
https://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/SLB/HTML/SLB/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-29/0-0-0-9898.html 

In my case the 'date existed/days spent outside' makes sense in my case. I was living outside of the US 2013 - mid-2015 (prior marriage), but I visited 3x on an ESTA as a tourist to see my now husband, so I actually entered/existed the US and while I was here on an ESTA obviously I was not outside the US either. 

I came in for the 4th time on ESTA in May 2015, got married in August, and got my green card in January 2016.

However, it is only logical that they are asking about my travels for the past 3 years. I may put down everything for the past 5 though. I mean, once they type your info in/scan you passport they anyways see your travel history and they also know when you got your green card... I mean putting down all my travel history for the past 5 years is not really a problem, it is more like a pain in the butt to have so many entries...
 

I am most certainly NOT hiring an attorney. This entire process is already a ridiculous amount of money, an attorney would be a complete waste!

 

Why would they care about anything BEFORE you residence date on your green card?  We travel out of the USA often.  Pretty much a ratio 2 months in USA and 1 month international travel.  We will only be providing information for 3 years since "residence since date" on the green card since it will be a naturalization based on marriage to a US citizen.  This topic has been discussed many times here on VJ.  

[Butterfly83 28]

51 minutes ago, gregcrs2 said:

Why would they care about anything BEFORE you residence date on your green card?  We travel out of the USA often.  Pretty much a ratio 2 months in USA and 1 month international travel.  We will only be providing information for 3 years since "residence since date" on the green card since it will be a naturalization based on marriage to a US citizen.  This topic has been discussed many times here on VJ.  

Thanks for being 'nice'. Why are you even on this thread anyway if you are not filing for N400 this October (and looks like not for another year +)? Sorry that I don't read every single post every day but only ask people on a relevant thread where others are applying to the same thing when I do. Besides, when I searched the forums, nothing relevant enough popped up. And I am not necessary looking for opinions but if anyone has read it anywhere that it is not 5 yrs for us, because it says on the application and guides that they want 5 yrs. Why? I don't know. But it certainly doesn't say "except in case of marriage"....