Torn if wait for i751 or apply for n400..

[Mike E 11,739]

1 hour ago, 854Turbo said:

How likely is for this to happen right before your travel? I reckon about as likely as getting the i-751 denied while abroad.

Statistically my house is not going to burn down.

 

And yet I have had fire insurance on all my homes for the past 40 years.

 

Similarly statistically if OP files N-400 now it, I-751, and the U.S. passport will all be approved and in hand before departing for Australia for the wedding.  There is no question about that.

 

For OP, his brother’s wedding is a once in a life time thing. Missing it would be bad. 
 

Dealing with an I-751 denial while abroad would be worse. Especially if USCIS informed CBP before it informed OP. Which USCIS is known to do. So that OP can be blind sided at the port of entry. And locked up until an immigration hearing. 
 

These are all rare events. And yet they do happen.

 

The fire insurance here is:

 

* WoM to attempt to force I-751 approval before the wedding

 

* delay N-400 so that biometrics, RFEs, interview and/or oath are not scheduled.

 

Absent the wedding, I would file N-400.

 

I’ve contributed all I can, and I don’t wish to argue or bicker, so I won’t post more in this thread. 

[martinzl 91]

9 hours ago, OldUser said:

WoM on I-751 is a possible solution.

I would also say to file N-400.  However, travel could become an issue.  Your timeline indicates you are from the Philippines.  Once you take the US oath of citizenship, you lose your Philippine citizenship because the US oath requires you to renounce all other citizenships. So technically your Philippine passport would no longer be valid, although no one may know that.  Philippines allows for dual citizenship but only in you reapply for citizenship. When you reapply, the Philippines does not require you to renounce US citizenship. So, if you do get approved for US citizenship, you may want to take someone else's advice and try to get the oath delayed until your return.

[Scandi 4,166]

1 minute ago, martinzl said:

I would also say to file N-400.  However, travel could become an issue.  Your timeline indicates you are from the Philippines.  Once you take the US oath of citizenship, you lose your Philippine citizenship because the US oath requires you to renounce all other citizenships. So technically your Philippine passport would no longer be valid, although no one may know that.  Philippines allows for dual citizenship but only in you reapply for citizenship. When you reapply, the Philippines does not require you to renounce US citizenship. So, if you do get approved for US citizenship, you may want to take someone else's advice and try to get the oath delayed until your return.

The US does not make you get rid of other citizenships when you become a US citizen. The US simply ignores other citizenships. 

[OldUser 6,624]

13 minutes ago, martinzl said:

Once you take the US oath of citizenship, you lose your Philippine citizenship

That is true

 

13 minutes ago, martinzl said:

because the US oath requires you to renounce all other citizenships. 

This is not true.

 

The reason why @Don0 will lose Philippines citizenship is due to their citizenship laws, not US.

[SalishSea 17,818]

11 hours ago, mari04 said:

Apply for n400. You should do it no matter what as last my as your first 751 is not denied and it is 2 years and 9 months from conditional gc issue. Nowadays, they do not process i751 until you file n400. It seems like it for sure. 

This is absolutely incorrect.  My husband has not filed an N-400, and his I-751 was approved after 18 months.  No interview, no RFEs.  He originally adjusted from a K-1.

[Me and her 279]

File N-400.

[Don0 73]

We've decided (husband and I) to just wait out my RoC and file n400 when I get back. If I do file my n400, there would be a lot of things to consider that might lead me to either miss the interview or my brother's wedding such as the timing of the interview, oath taking  getting the US passport. I'll wait til end of this year to have USCIS sort it out and if nothing comes, by start of next year, the wom would be something to tackle. Not in a hurry to get a citizenship too so this seems to be the decision we're at at the moment.

 

Thank you for everyone's input! Really appreciate it! 

[Don0 73]

Hi everyone! Unsure if anyone is following this. But just an update.

 

As I was editing my N400 draft (so it does not "expire"), I saw a change in my I751 case status. It showed "Case was mailed to me" Yey!

 

No RFEs, no interview. And yes, I am under CR1 where an interview was expected. So maybe USCIS have changed "strategies"? Whatever it is, just happy I will have my card in a few days in the mail! 😊

 

Thank you everyone! Decided to apply for N400 when I get back next year from my brother's wedding. Gotta chill from all these USCIS stuff. 

[854Turbo 20]

Congrats! Very interesting update...so you filed May 2022 and the service center was SRC?

[Don0 73]

1 hour ago, 854Turbo said:

Congrats! Very interesting update...so you filed May 2022 and the service center was SRC?

Thank you! It's MSC, National Benefits Center. There were also no notifications it was transferred. 😊