martinzl

Just recently received the same message. It's nice to know something is happening but I don't think it necessarily means much of anything. It would have been nice if USCIS would have provided a better explanation of just what is entailed by this.

Just to be sure, back in 2017, I went looking for a lawyer and they wanted $4000 and I would have to do most of the work anyway. The lawyers did not seem to be too interested in this kind of immigration work. So, I did the I-129 myself. Go through the I-129 and unless you see something that your answer may cause a major issue, my advice would be to just do it yourself. The guides and people here at Visa Journey can be helpful. My fiancee was in the Philippines and I hired someone to help her on her end once the I-129 was approved primarily to assist her because she was not comfortable with putting her stuff together and using the computer.

On the one hand, advising someone to lie to USCIS in order to get a visa is not a good idea. It's a bad idea. On the other hand, telling them that she wants a tourist visa in order to visit her boyfriend will probably make it even harder to get the tourist visa. Best to forgo the tourist visa but if she still wants to try then always tell the truth.

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.

They may be screening through the obvious ones that will be approved although they should apply this to all of the 751's and not just the more recent ones. Also, since almost all are eventually approved, if this is the case, they should be pushing through many more. Another possibility is that the older ones are allowed to sit as many may become combo interviews for removal of conditions and citizenship. My wife waited over 2 years and wound up with a combo interview.

I still follow the board but I feel that the further I am removed from the active process, the less I may be able to help. I will also admit that it was good to be able to get most of our actions done pre-covid and our fiancee visa and subsequent AOS and citizenship was relatively simple. We still have a pending visa request for my wife's adult daughter so I may be looking for help down the road. I found this forum to be very helpful and it provided a great learning experience. I really appreciated the help we received from other members.

Thanks for the info. I really don't know her priority date but it's been 49 months since she filed so I doubt it's pending anytime soon. I don't know which, if any service center, has been given it. Hard to get info.

My wife, as an LPR, petitioned for her unmarried adult daughter. My wife now has her US citizenship. Does she have to contact USCIS to change the petition to an unmarried adult child of a US citizen? If so, how can she do this as it is nearly impossible to get through to USCIS? My wife is worried that she needs to follow all of the rules or else. Thanks.

Thanks for the info.

Right now they're saying 6-9 weeks to get a passport so we'll just have to wait and see. First step is citizenship.

Just received the letter yesterday that the green card was approved but would not be sent since citizenship was also approved. Now just waiting for the letter with the date of the oath ceremony. I told my wife to just hold onto the letter in case anyone questions her expired green card. We may be traveling back to the Philippines this summer. She should have her citizenship by then but delays being what they are, I don't know if she will have a US passport by then. If she doesn't should she get an I-551 stamp for her valid Philippine passport or can she travel with the Philippine passport and her US citizenship papers?

She should get the letter with the date sometime next week. Figure maybe next month. She was also approved for the 10-year green card but that will be moot. It was a combo interview but the immigration officer basically stuck just to the citizenship interview and she allowed me to stay for it.

Just wanted to post that my wife passed her citizenship interview today. Waiting for word on the oath ceremony. She studied hard reviewing the questions and watching You Tube videos. Been quite a journey and I am very thankful for the visajourney forum for helping us along the way.

If the rules say bring the BC, then i guess you should. My wife had her citizenship interview today. She listed one adult child who is a non-US citizen not living in the US. We brought a photocopy of her child's BC but the immigration officer did not ask to see it.

They just want to keep the fee increase in line with the increase in processing times. Someone has to pay for all of the additional extension letters being mailed.

My K-1 was very straight forward and I skipped the attorney. They wanted $4000 and I would still have had to do all the grunt work. However, depending on the situation of your fiancee, you may want to get her assistance in the Philippines. That's what I did as my fiancee was not too computer savvy and having someone there to help in her language made her feel more comfortable. They company I used only charged me half-price since they were only doing her end. As for Filipino Cupid, best to include relevant TOC although it looks like a dating site and not a marriage broker.

Thanks for the good advice. I will be taking my wife to her interview anyway so we may as well prepare for a combo just in case. "Be prepared" is the phrase that pays.

There are also numerous You Tube videos available to help you pass the test. But you need to study.

Thanks. I will probably get a copy of my birth certificate just to be safe. What's another $35 after all that has been spent already.

My wife just got the notice of her appointment for her citizenship interview scheduled for January 10th. She had filed her N-400 in January 2022. When she filed, her I-751 was and is still pending with the extension letter due to expire December 31, 2022. There was no mention of a joint interview. Is this normal or would that come separately? Also, she applied for citizenship under the 3-year rule but by the time of the interview she will have been in the US for 5 years and the interview is 2 days before our 5th wedding anniversary. Will this have any effect on the nature of the interview and what she will have to bring? Also, is my passport good enough for proof of my citizenship or do I need to get my birth certificate? I just hope it doesn't snow that day.