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Hello all, I would first like to say TIA for any replies, answers and advice to my question, it really means a lot. I will try and keep this short.

Back in 2009 I entered the US on a K1 Visa, got married within the 90 days and life was good, for a while. Fast forward to 2011 and the relationship was broken, I don't want to get into details but all i will say is that there were major trust issues (for good reason) on my part, which in the end, forced us to grow apart and therefore the marriage ended in divorce after 2 years. Since I had created a new life here with a good job and made some great friends, with their support and help, I decided to push on and apply for my GC which was granted to me.

Fast forward to 2017 where I got married to an American girl and to this day, my marriage is still going very strong, Happily married with 2 beautiful kids, I am living the American Dream. My GC was due to expire in 2020, I was always planning on becoming a US Citizen but, as everyone knows, 2020 was, a difficult period around the globe, so, since I wasn't confident in doing the Citizenship before it expired, with all the madness that was going on with the Government during COVID, I just played it safe and did a 10 year renewal.

Currently, I am still a permanent resident through my Green Card. My question is, upon filling out the Form N-400, should I check the box stating that I am a spouse of a US Citizen or do I state that I am eligible for Citizenship since I have been here on a GC for well over 10 years? I am a little confused how to file since I originally came to the US through a K1 Visa.

Maybe its a simple answer but, I really wanted to get this correct first time since I will be trying to do all the paper work myself.

Thank You for taking the time to read and respond, it really means a lot.

Hi: I've been a GC holder since 2016, but I worked abroad for two stints (each time under a re-entry permit). I returned to the country a little over 4 years and 6 months ago, so I fall under the example given in section C.2 in the continuous residence chapter of the USCIS policy manual. Today, I comfortably meet the physical and continuous presence tests. I have no charges or convictions in any country, no debts, I've always filed my taxes as resident, etc, etc.

I intend to file soon. My GC expires in June, I will hit my 5 years in August, I'll have five years at my current address in September. But my case is fairly simple, I think, apart from my re-entry permit history and how to present those details. I'd like to get the process going and get the two year GC extension letter ASAP.

I have a few questions/details that I'm trying to untangle.

Address history question: Seems like a silly question but I assume I will list my foreign address and the start date of the lease, which commenced before my statutory period, because that's where I was living. Has that ever been a problem for anybody?

Second address history question: While I was out of the country, I did not hold onto a rental in the US. I changed my address via AR-11 to a friend's address, where I could pick up mail and occasionally stay. When I returned, I spent 6 weeks across 3 airbnbs while I found an apartment. (I am still in that apartment today.) That means I have 6 weeks between my foreign rental and my new US rental. Should I leave a gap and explain later in the N400 form? Should I list the airbnbs (and explain later in the N400)? Should I list the AR-11 address? Obviously I did not update the AR-11 until I actually had new place.

Travel question: I travel about 8-10 weeks of the year, often back home (my parents are aging), but also 1-2 times a year on a work trip to Europe. I never stay more than 2-3 weeks at a time, and when I'm home I stay in family accommodation. Often I have a return ticket with the origin in my home country, leaving a danging return for some time in the future. Since I spend 80% of my time in the US, I assume this travel pattern is not problematic?

Second travel question: obviously they know my border crossings and I've requested a list of my border crossings from CBP also. Should I collate this history, flight receipts, etc? Or is this only useful for people who get very close to the physical/continuous red lines?

Statutory period question: I expect the most recent re-entry permit is the only one relevant to my situation, since it partially covers my statutory period. But will they reach back deeper into my history? I received my GC in 2016 and then took a job abroad 5 months later; it's genuinely an accident of history, for a one-of-a-kind organization. I just wonder if somebody might question this, whether they're entitled to question it, and how to rebut.

I may have more questions as I dig into this process. Appreciate any pointers and experiences folks may share!

Wife was previously married in Brazil. She registered the marriage in her native Poland. She got divorced from this marriage in Brazil and also registered the divorce in her native Poland. The question is, are the certified copies of the Polish registered marriage and divorce copies acceptable for the NVC (,Odpis zupe ny aktu ma e stwa z adnotaci (wzmiank ) o rozwodzie.)?

From what I understand, in Poland they don't have separate marriage or divorce certificates. They have a marriage certificate with annotations of any divorce registered with the Polish registry. This is for a cr1. Warsaw embassy.

On 1/28/2026 at 6:25 PM, Dashinka said:

Moved to the US Citizenship Case Filing and Progress Reports Forum

As to your questions, your stepchild will automatically become a citizen when your wife becomes one assuming he is under the age of 18. No need to file a separate N400 for him, he can obtain a U.S. Passport using your wife s naturalization certificate. You should consider filing the N600 for him after he becomes a USC so he can obtain his own certificate of citizenship, but that does not need to be done immediately.

I am not sure about name changes in the case of derived USC through your wife. You may be able to do that via the N600 filing, but I am uncertain of that. As to last name changes, I think you would need a legal adoption for that.

You can look into getting an expedited passport for both through a U.S. passport agency in Washington DC immediately after the oath ceremony. Research this and you may be able to schedule an appointment accordingly. I believe you can get a same day passport if you have immediate travel plans.

Good Luck!

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies/washington.html Cool Games Free

Thank you, Dashinka!

Just to clarify, if my stepson is under 18 and living with us overseas under my government assignment, does he still automatically acquire citizenship the moment my wife naturalizes under 319(b), even though we re not physically residing in the U.S.?

Quick question for those who have been through/past this stage please.

Received the below email from the NVC today. How long did you wait from this stage until you got your case number and were able to log into CEAC? Thank you

The National Visa Center (NVC) recently received your immigrant visa petition from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Your petition is now waiting for data entry into our systems.