N-600K Complete Experience

[SirenDoll 14]

Beep - we had B visas as well.

I did NOT over-explain at the border.

We had B tourist visas. I said we were visiting my family which was true.

We were asked why we didn't have ESTAs, I said I didn't know why we were refused (true) and that the consulate was satisfied to give us tourist visas.

 

 

I carried everything in case I was asked (see previous posts on what I carried.) I think it's critical to have the PDF I added in one post about the laws about being permitted to travel on a B visa for the N-600K visa.

But I wasn't going to explain it unless I had to, otherwise we would have missed our connecting flight (which we did anyway thanks SFO TSA and United!).

 

Just remember, tell the truth, but don't over-explain. If you get taken aside and require more explanation then pull out all the paperwork.

 

Travelling on B visas for the N-600K is legal, correct and you can prove it with that PDF. And as a backup have a lawyer that you can call.

 

[Beep 2]

Thank you  @SirenDoll . Yes we also have family there and we also plan to visit them on this trip. Thank you for all the help!

[OmarStuck 24]

On 1/24/2023 at 10:52 PM, Beep said:

Hi,

So I had a couple of questions, this forum has been really helpful.

First, my father lives in another country and obviously I can not take his original passport with me to the interview. What can be done?

Second: after the interview a few people have mentioned they got the US passport in the US. Are we supposed to travel back on the new US passport if we get it , or can the child travel on the passport on which he entered? Because the return tickets will be on first passport.

Any other point that I should keep in mind. Any advice is welcome,

Thanks

First:

It would be advisable to take his passport. You are supposed to bring the original. As another poster suggested, you can get it sent in the mail.

 

Second:

You can go home and apply passport from there so you don't need to wait.

[Beep 2]

Thank you

[FS1907 2]

On 12/12/2022 at 7:55 PM, SirenDoll said:

Hi FS1907

The conditions of the N600K are that you and the child reside overseas. 
and intend to return. 
 

if that is not your plan then you may need to do the I-130 and/or N-600

Hi SirenDoll, and thanks for the response. 

 

Well, we already arrived on January 12, and she was admitted through the Visa Waiver Programme. The thing is that I was under the impression that once she had her interview and received her citizen certificate, I wouldn't have to leave the country (they would adjust her status through her I-94 number somehow). I applied for the N-600k then we were living abroad but we moved now in January to permanently stay, another thing is that initially she did not qualify (since I did not live in the US after the age of 14) for CRBA. 

 

Leaving and entering the US is not a big issue for us since we are in Puerto Rico and can easily travel to DR and back in order to get her maximum stay duration renewed. 

[SirenDoll 14]

Hi FS1907,
I don't remember your whole situation.

 

If the child does not live overseas, then the form needed is the N-600.

This has similar eligibility criteria to the N-600K. The difference is whether the child lives overseas or not.

N-600 - child lives in USA

N-600K - child lives overseas.

In both cases, these are applications for a Citizenship certificate. This is because the child has inherited citizenship through either their grandparent or parent, but needs the certificate to prove citizenship to get a passport.

 

With the N-600K, you may encounter problems if you do not have proof of a return flight to the origin country. (The I-94)

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by SirenDoll

[Saiftariq 0]

Hi @SirenDoll Thank you for sharing your experience. Just want to ask whether while being abroad we can apply online and pay via a US issued credit/debit card but someone else’s card (wife’s family member). Also, if you could guide on what kind of evidence you attached as proof of presence for the grandparent for 5 years. Lastly, will there be separate online profiles/accounts for each child or can 1 be used?

 

Thanks in advance 😇  

[Saiftariq 0]

On 8/20/2021 at 10:24 PM, OmarStuck said:

I have recently complete the N-600K process for my children and would like to share the A to Z experience.

 

Why N-600K?

I am a US citizen father married to a non-US citizen mother. We are living overseas on a temporary basis due to employment. Our son and daughter were both born overseas.

 

When we applied for Citizen Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) for our first child, we were shocked to find out that my child was not born as a US citizen.

 

As per USCIS rules, the US citizen parent muse have lived in the US for 5 years with two years over the age of 14 for the children to be US citizens at birth.

 

I do not have the required residence time in the US so that was the reason the CRBA got rejected.

 

The N-600K allows your children to become US citizens if their grandparents meet the residency requirements mentioned above. However, you must be living overseas with your children!

 

The I-130 option was not suitable for us as we do not plan to live in the US in the near future. Additionally, the N-600K process takes much less time than the I-130 option.

 

Your children must be below 18 years old!

 

There are two steps to this process:

• Filing of N-600K form
• Interview

 

N-600K filing

 

The N-600K form can be submitted online and it is fairly straightforward to fill out.

 

First of all, you must submit proof of US citizenship for yourself (US citizen parent) and the US citizen grandparent.

 

You must have proof that the US citizen grandparent has met the residency requirements mentioned previously. This could include transcripts, proof of employment, etc. 

 

In addition, you must show proof that you and your children live overseas.

 

You will also be required to select a field office which will do your interview. I would recommend you to choose a Field Office which has a direct flight from your country (just to make life easier). However, please take note that each field office is run differently (more on that later).

 

There is also a filing fee. I will not place a number here since it could change in the future.

 

Interview

The interview is a mandatory part of the process and must be done in the US.

 

Prepare your (US citizen) parent and your children's passport. If you need a B1/B2 visa for your children, make sure to apply for it ahead of time.

 

There will be a note on the B1/B2 visa (once you receive it) stating "Issued for Naturalization Pursuant to 9 FAM 402.2-4(B)(7)". The consular office might not be aware of this so make sure you bring all information necessary for B1/B2 visa.

 

Once the N-600K form has been accepted, you will be contacted by the field office to setup an interview date. Some field offices are more flexible than others with this.

 

The US citizen parent and the children must be in attendance for the interview.

 

Once you pass the interview, you will be given the Certificate of Citizenship. Congratulations!

 

Our Experience

We applied for the N-600K in October 2020 based on my parent's US residence. My parent and I are both US Citizens, of course.

 

We received a RFE from the field office and replied promptly and they accepted our case in December 2020. They informed us that we could choose any date 1 year from the acceptance date. We originally had it in another field office that asked us to come that month (during COVID!) so we requested to be moved to a different field office that was also convenient for us.

 

We scheduled our interview for July 2021.

 

We required visas for our children and we had no issues with the embassy with this regards.

 

The interview was straightforward. They asked me for proof of entry for the children and they saw my children. The interviewer was just cross-checking the information with me during the interview. 

 

Within one hour of the interview, the Certificate of Citizenship was ready for us and we finished the process!

 

Please feel free to comment below and I will answer any questions that come up.

Hi @OmarStuck

 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I have 2 questions if you could guide me. Firstly, regarding the selection of the field office, will the processing time (https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/) of the application vary depending on the field office I select (I am applying and paying online)?

I am referring to the processing times mentioned on the above shared link.

Secondly, I am applying for my two children through their mother (US citizens) and their maternal grandfather. I am not a US citizen nor do I have a visit visa at the moment. However, currently my plan is to fill out the N-600k applications for my children and then apply for the visit visas for the three of us (2 children and myself). What do you think are the chances of them rejecting my visit visa? As I want to travel with my wife and children for when they travel for the interview. Any help with this regard would be great. 

[SirenDoll 14]

Hi Saiftariq

 

Quote

Just want to ask whether while being abroad we can apply online and pay via a US issued credit/debit card but someone else’s card (wife’s family member). Also, if you could guide on what kind of evidence you attached as proof of presence for the grandparent for 5 years. Lastly, will there be separate online profiles/accounts for each child or can 1 be used?

 

I can't answer the credit card question, as I used my own. But I suspect it won't matter who's card it is.

 

Proof of presence for the grandparent for 5 years:

• high school diploma
• university diploma and transcripts
• car registrations
• social security reports
• tax file reports
• utility bills

The form and form guide give you suggestions and links.

 

Yes, I had to do separate online accounts for each child.

I managed it by having a gmail account.
Most people don't know this, but you can have a gmail account, and by adding a full stop / period anywhere in the email prefix it can be an alias.

Eg
firstnamelastname@gmail.com

you can make aliases that look like:
firstname.lastname@gmail.com
first.namelastname@gmail.com
firstnamelast.name@gmail.com

f.irstname.lastname@gmail.com

f.i.r.s.t.namelastname@gmail.com etc

All of which can be used to setup USCIS accounts and then any emails will come into the firstnamelastname@gmail.com account

Link: Make Several Gmail Addresses Out of One - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Dots don't matter in Gmail addresses - Gmail Help (google.com)

 

I just tracked every account in a spreadsheet, as well as all the application numbers and receipt numbers etc.

 

Quote

regarding the selection of the field office, will the processing time (https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/) of the application vary depending on the field office I select (I am applying and paying online)?

Yes
You can look up processing times. But my advice is just make it somewhere convenient to the family member helping you out.

 

Quote

 I am not a US citizen nor do I have a visit visa at the moment. However, currently my plan is to fill out the N-600k applications for my children and then apply for the visit visas for the three of us (2 children and myself). What do you think are the chances of them rejecting my visit visa? As I want to travel with my wife and children for when they travel for the interview. 

That's unlikely to be an issue.

Just make sure that when you visit the embassy/consulate to get the B visa for the visit, that you take the PDF that I attached in an earlier comment.
The N-600K is a not frequently used process, so a lot of consular staff are not very familiar with it.

Initially, I was told "oh no we can't give your children a tourist visa as they are supposed to be citizens", but then I showed them that PDF with the laws about it, and then they read it, and instantly said "oh right... yes we can". Because the whole purpose of the B visa is to get them into the country to get them the citizenship.

Your B visa shouldn't be any issue at all.
If your children are 16 or 17, make sure that you highlight that in the application for expedited processing!

Good luck.

 

[Saiftariq 0]

1 hour ago, SirenDoll said:

Hi Saiftariq

 

 

I can't answer the credit card question, as I used my own. But I suspect it won't matter who's card it is.

 

Proof of presence for the grandparent for 5 years:

• high school diploma
• university diploma and transcripts
• car registrations
• social security reports
• tax file reports
• utility bills

The form and form guide give you suggestions and links.

 

Yes, I had to do separate online accounts for each child.

I managed it by having a gmail account.
Most people don't know this, but you can have a gmail account, and by adding a full stop / period anywhere in the email prefix it can be an alias.

Eg
firstnamelastname@gmail.com

you can make aliases that look like:
firstname.lastname@gmail.com
first.namelastname@gmail.com
firstnamelast.name@gmail.com

f.irstname.lastname@gmail.com

f.i.r.s.t.namelastname@gmail.com etc

All of which can be used to setup USCIS accounts and then any emails will come into the firstnamelastname@gmail.com account

Link: Make Several Gmail Addresses Out of One - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Dots don't matter in Gmail addresses - Gmail Help (google.com)

 

I just tracked every account in a spreadsheet, as well as all the application numbers and receipt numbers etc.

 

Yes
You can look up processing times. But my advice is just make it somewhere convenient to the family member helping you out.

 

That's unlikely to be an issue.

Just make sure that when you visit the embassy/consulate to get the B visa for the visit, that you take the PDF that I attached in an earlier comment.
The N-600K is a not frequently used process, so a lot of consular staff are not very familiar with it.

Initially, I was told "oh no we can't give your children a tourist visa as they are supposed to be citizens", but then I showed them that PDF with the laws about it, and then they read it, and instantly said "oh right... yes we can". Because the whole purpose of the B visa is to get them into the country to get them the citizenship.

Your B visa shouldn't be any issue at all.
If your children are 16 or 17, make sure that you highlight that in the application for expedited processing!

Good luck.

 

Hi @SirenDoll

 

Thank you for your response.

 

We need to provide proof of presence for 1 grandparent right? Or it can be for both?

 

Furthermore, in our case, the grandparents first got the green card and were later naturalised so they obviously lived in the USA for 4-5 years to be naturalised. Then they had their children in the US and after a few years they moved back. So what kind of documents do you think we can provide to prove all this? Cuz it’s a long long time ago (20+ years) and we’re currently just looking for documents and most of the documents you listed above and those listed in the form haven’t been found

[SirenDoll 14]

Focus on one grandparent, because that's how the form works. Use the one you have the most evidence for.

 

Residence needs to be from when they became citizens. The time period before that won't count.

 

Quote

Proof of Required Physical Presence in the United States.

Any document that proves the U.S. citizen parent’s physical presence in the United States. This pertains to grandparents if the parent does not meet the requirement. For example:

1. School, employment, or military records;

2. Deeds, mortgages, or leases showing residence; Form N-600K Instructions 09/17/19 E Page 11 of 15

3. U.S. Social Security Administration reports;

4. Attestations by churches, unions, or other organizations; or

5. Affidavits by third parties having knowledge of the parent’s (or grandparent’s) residence and physical presence.

 

Current Status of U.S. Citizen Grandparent.

The grandparent must be a U.S. citizen, or must have been one at the time of death of the U.S. citizen parent, if the sponsoring U.S. citizen parent is using the grandparent’s physical presence in the United States to meet that requirement.

N-600K, Application for Citizenship and Issurance of Certificate Under Section 322 (uscis.gov)

 

That quote is what the instructions say.

 

Things that prove residence are things that have an address on them.

Or things like school, university, employment records before the internet let everyone work and study remotely.

 

We had

tax returns

car registration

passports

birth certificate

utility bills
medicare 

social security

 

 

[Saiftariq 0]

9 hours ago, SirenDoll said:

Focus on one grandparent, because that's how the form works. Use the one you have the most evidence for.

 

Residence needs to be from when they became citizens. The time period before that won't count.

 

N-600K, Application for Citizenship and Issurance of Certificate Under Section 322 (uscis.gov)

 

That quote is what the instructions say.

 

Things that prove residence are things that have an address on them.

Or things like school, university, employment records before the internet let everyone work and study remotely.

 

We had

tax returns

car registration

passports

birth certificate

utility bills
medicare 

social security

 

 

Hi @SirenDoll

 

1 last question 😅

 

After the interview appointment and getting the certificate of citizenship for the children, what is the process of applying for their passports and how long does that take if we apply for it within USA? I’m reading that it’s taking around 8-10 weeks. That’s too long for us. Can we apply in the USA and get it delivered back home to Pakistan? Is that possible? Or if we chose to come back without applying for the passports and applied here at the consulate/embassy, what would be the documents required and would they ask why we didn’t get the passports made in the USA only?

 

Also, regarding counting the presence inside USA before they became citizens, on this link (https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-12-part-h-chapter-5) it says that ‘

Like the citizen parent, a grandparent’s physical presence is calculated in the aggregate and includes time accrued in the United States during periods when the grandparent was not a U.S. citizen.’ so that is what I’m basing my argument on. I want to mention this point in a cover letter as well and back it up with as many documents as possible too.

 

Thanks again for the help ☺️☺️ 

 

 

 

[SirenDoll 14]

Oh wow that’s a good find. 
physical presence before being a citizen counts.

nice!!

 

Regarding the passports. Wait until you have returned to Pakistan to apply through the consulate/embassy.

 

My understanding is that if you have a US passport then you are obliged to use it for travelling in or out of the United States. But the N-600K requires you to enter on the foreign passport, and if you don’t leave on that passport then ICE may believe you have overstayed.

I could have the wrong understanding there, but to me it made sense just to get the passports once I returned to my home country. 
(Also because of hassle, wait time, cost etc)

 

Embassy/consulate does not care about you getting the passports in USA or not.

 

We needed the Certificate of Citizenship, local ID, birth certificate, photos, and parent ID to get the passports
It was very straight forward. 

 

[reddymeda 1]

Hi All,    

 

I am newbie here. I recently applied for Citizenship Certificate for my 12 year old daughter (N600K) .  This forum is of great help.  I applied online and used Indian Bank issued credit card. Credit card was also not in my name. The payment was successful. Receipt was generated the same day. 

 

Receipt states that biometrics appointment will be fixed soon and and intimation will be sent.  Do we have to go for biometrics appointment before Interview?

 

Can someone please clarify?

 

 

[Saiftariq 0]

On 2/13/2023 at 4:31 PM, reddymeda said:

Hi All,    

 

I am newbie here. I recently applied for Citizenship Certificate for my 12 year old daughter (N600K) .  This forum is of great help.  I applied online and used Indian Bank issued credit card. Credit card was also not in my name. The payment was successful. Receipt was generated the same day. 

 

Receipt states that biometrics appointment will be fixed soon and and intimation will be sent.  Do we have to go for biometrics appointment before Interview?

 

Can someone please clarify?

 

 

Hi @reddymeda

 

No idea about the biometrics things but would really appreciate if you can keep us updated about your application progress and any communication you have with the US authorities. Thanks