To file or not to file?

[Mobius1 175]

I agree with Mike, one bad event such as a 500 ticket can turn your life in the US upside down (not always but a good chance). You never know how harsh the president is going to be and how he / she will affect your life.

 

Get this over with so you never have to deal with them again…

[AOSFairfax 111]

I would tend to agree with all the reasons provided here in favor of naturalizing (ease of every day life, not dealing with USCIS, can move abroad without worrying about keeping GC, more options for the future, etc). One thing that I haven't yet seen mentioned, is the ability to vote. And not just Presidential or US Congress / Senate elections but also, and perhaps most importantly, local elections. The ability to have a say in laws and regulations that impact your daily life I don't think can be overlooked. And it's definitely a privilege not everyone around the world has.

[Daphne . 1,852]

1 minute ago, AOSFairfax said:

I would tend to agree with all the reasons provided here in favor of naturalizing (ease of every day life, not dealing with USCIS, can move abroad without worrying about keeping GC, more options for the future, etc). One thing that I haven't yet seen mentioned, is the ability to vote. And not just Presidential or US Congress / Senate elections but also, and perhaps most importantly, local elections. The ability to have a say in laws and regulations that impact your daily life I don't think can be overlooked. And it's definitely a privilege not everyone around the world has.

Yes, very good point as well!

[Sarah&Facundo 594]

I completely understand. My husband, like you, has absolutely no interest in becoming a citizen. He has been eligible under the three year rule for almost a year now, and he just refuses. He doesn't consider himself American at all whatsoever and really doesn't even like living in the US. The ONLY reasons he would ever consider applying are 1.) to get rid of the USCIS forever and 2.) to be able to leave the US on a permanent basis, but have the freedom to visit my family in the US without worrying about visas or return way down the line if needed. Living as an LPR and as a USC really isn't any different, as long as you have a reasonably strong passport for traveling. 

[Loren Y 2,755]

6 hours ago, Leeman15251 said:

If you wanted to renounce US citizenship it is very expensive to do

Been trying to do this for years. cost just went up to about 2200 dollars just to file, then they hit you with anywhere from 35k to 70k in fees before you actually get to renounce. It's a complete hose job. they want to keep you on the hook for taxes until you die. I could completely understand not wanting to Naturalize, I think once my wife gets citizenship I'll have her file a I-130 for me and see if I can enter the US and just have a green card.. LOL.

[Mike E 11,739]

2 hours ago, Loren Y said:

Been trying to do this for years. cost just went up to about 2200 dollars just to file, then they hit you with anywhere from 35k to 70k in fees before you actually get to renounce. It's a complete hose job. they want to keep you on the hook for taxes until you die. I could completely understand not wanting to Naturalize, I think once my wife gets citizenship I'll have her file a I-130 for me and see if I can enter the US and just have a green card.. LOL.

Don’t you live in Vegas?

[EmilyW 1,428]

For me, I didn't want to deal with USCIS anymore.  And my home country - Australia - is not a country I feel a strong attachment to anymore (especially after their awful COVID response).

 

Like any country, the US has its good and its bad points. I don't feel 'American' but I do feel like I belong (first time ever, after living in Australia, Europe and Asia), hence getting naturalized seemed to be a natural next step.

Edited November 22, 2022 by EmilyW

[Olly_ 29]

15 hours ago, Daphne . said:

Am I just being silly? What were your reasons to file for naturalization? Just to be done with the Immigration process, or does being a USC mean more to you than that?

 

 

I filed as soon as I was eligible because I want to make sure I can keep my ability to live in the USA regardless of any future moves. I have no intention of leaving but most of my family are in the UK and who knows what the future holds - at least I won't have to worry about losing my status. I also want to be able to vote.

 

 

Having to file taxes for the rest of my life isn't really a concern - there is an expatriation tax that'd apply if I gave up my green card anyway and I'm not likely to move to a country with lower tax rates than the USA.

 

 

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by Olly_

[throwitaway 190]

16 hours ago, Mike E said:

1. One $500 traffic fine is enough to get one deported.  There are millions of pages of laws on the books; I am sure I’ve broken several of them.  
 

2. The convenience to enter and leave the USA as I see fit.  
 

3. F2A category was not current at the time I filed for citizenship, and I was fairly certain I wanted my girl friend to live with me the U.S.  

 

4. Canada had practically zero restrictions on multiple  citizenship. As you are a citizen of the Netherlands, multiple citizenship might be  complicated for you.  
 

These days, I feel alienated by my country of birth.  At my last visit, the government threatened to arrest me if I didn’t quarantine (I didn’t).   My values are now American, and some of my beliefs, if expressed in Canada, are hate crimes.    I’ve no regrets about the decision.  
 

At the time I was not bothered by the hassle of filing for a new gc every 10 years. These days, with renewals taking over 3 years, that alone would be enough to cause me to file N-400. I filed in February 2017, and by the middle of the year I was seeing reports of I-90 taking over a year. My gc was due to expire 2018.  I took oath 7 months before my gc expired. 

My complaints about Canada are classic “first world” problems compared to my wife’s complaints about her country of birth (celebrating its diamond anniversary of brutal and quixotic  military dictatorship).  She filed N-400 about as soon as she could, and she will not be able maintain her original citizenship as a result. She hopes to be a U.S. citizen in 2023. 

 

Love everything you’ve just said about Canada. 

[Marieke H 2,490]

I have been eligible to file for naturalization under the 3 year rule for a while now, but I decided to at least wait until I am eligible under the 5 year rule, because that requires less evidence (we have nothing to hide, but we are kinda done with sending USCIS tons of information about our finances and marriage). I will be eligible under the 5 year rule in a few months, but I am not really in a hurry to get it done. It is a lot of money, and at this point I don't feel that it is worth it. I definitely plan to keep my Dutch citizenship as well, and I am glad we have that option as Dutchies.

 

My main reason to apply would be to be able to vote, which also might help to feel more like this country is home now. Also, I sometimes see job openings that you have to be a citizen for. And my family has recently joined the Civil Air Patrol and we may be occasionally visiting military bases in that capacity; I am assuming that entering a military base would be a bit more complicated for me as a non-citizen.

 

I still have 8 years left on my green card. I am sure I will apply for citizenship at some point in the next few years. I do want to become a citizen before my green card expires, so I can be done with USCIS, but it is not a huge priority at the moment.

[mam521 2,044]

I'm eligible to file under the 3 year rule in January.  We plan to file because I have kids who are eligible for more scholarships and will have an easier time with attending US institutions than if they were "simply" GC holders.  

 

I also think the majority of people who have to deal with USCIS on an ongoing basis end up with some sort of PTSD or trauma.  The experience isn't fun and the rules are subject to change on a whim.  I don't want to have to deal with that every decade. 

 

I want to be able to vote.  I pay taxes and contribute to the country.  I should have a say. 

 

I'm Canadian, through and through.  I love that maple leaf and always will.  It's where my family lives, it's where my babies were born.  But, after you've lived away, it's never going to be "home" in the same way it once was, and that applies to anywhere.  Everyone gets nostalgic, but there's a bit of romanticism about how things were when you were "home" and how it changes since you lived there last.  I lived it first hand when I had to go back for 18mo and wait for my interview.  There were a lot of creature comforts that I loved and was happy to have access to after being gone 5 years, but there were a lot of things I missed about the US after living there for 5 years.  Home is where you hang your hat and surround yourself with people and things you love.  As you do more and see more, you realize that you're never going to be 100% content in a single place because you've been shaped by your experiences abroad and there's always going to be something you long for from those adventures.  Having my US citizenship just makes it a little bit less stressful to continue my journey as a global citizen, to seek out more experiences all while understanding the concept of "home" will never be the same as it was prior to setting out on my first adventure.  

[carmel34 3,618]

My aunt, a Canadian citizen, married an American many years ago and came to the US as an LPR at about age 20.  She was very proud of her Canadian citizenship, and chose to remain so throughout her life.  She raised her family and lived and died in the USA for more than 60 years and never wanted to naturalize.  Her husband was an officer in the US Air Force, and they lived for a long time on the base--she did not have any problems.  I remember once asking her why she did not want dual citizenship, and she said, "I was born Canadian and will die Canadian."  It is a personal choice, and my aunt viewed the strong loyalty to her birth country as incompatible with the oath of citizenship required to naturalize in the USA, and she could not, in good conscience, say the words:

 

“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all
allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom
or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; 

Edited November 22, 2022 by carmel34

[.yana 597]

I know plenty of people who do not get naturalized and don't see any issue with that.

 

The main reasons for me were:

1) Passport that grants me visa-free entry to most countries (Russian passport is very restrictive)

2) Hassle-free entry to the US (Russia/US relationship is not exactly stable)

3) Right to vote

 

 

[Marieke H 2,490]

12 minutes ago, .yana said:

I know plenty of people who do not get naturalized and don't see any issue with that.

 

The main reasons for me were:

1) Passport that grants me visa-free entry to most countries (Russian passport is very restrictive)

2) Hassle-free entry to the US (Russia/US relationship is not exactly stable)

3) Right to vote

 

 

I definitely see the benefits of getting US citizenship in your situation! I think the country of origin is a huge factor in determining if and when applying for US citizenship is important.

[Naes 12,205]

One reason for me that isnt mentioned here, was estate taxes. 

 

As we bought a house together, if my spouse passed away when I am not a citizen, there would be different rules applying to me. It may not matter if I just sell the house, but if I wanted to stay here I would have to deal with all that while coping with losing my husband.

And who knows especially if I have children.

 

Im not really finance oriented person but it just felt like too much extra to deal with in an already sad time. 

 

Edited November 22, 2022 by Naes