OldUser

She can keep it, but not automatically. She'd need to file some forms with Philippines government. Folks on this forum who went through US naturalization can give you set of steps. I'm not from Philippines so cannot comment. Cc @Chancy

Make sure your wife goes through each question after you fill it. Ultimately, she's the one responsible for the answers and has to go through naturalization. Good luck and keep us updated! Also, once she naturalizes in the US, she'll lose her Philippines citizenship. If she's interested in keeping it, she'd have to fill forms with her home country. Don't plan trips around naturalization interview and oath, or shortly after. She'll have to get a US passport first.

I don't think it's the case. I answered all questions based on your scenario and it showed eligible. You either answered something incorrectly or she's not eligible on some criteria based on your answers. Remember to answer everything from your wife's perspective. She is the one applying for N-400. She's the petitioner and beneficiary Did you answer question about being married to US citizen correctly? My answers if I was your wife based on 3 year rule: - Were one or both of your parents a U.S. citizen when you were born? - No - How old are you? - 18 or older - Are you a member of the U.S. armed forces? - No - Are you a lawful permanent resident? - Yes - When did you become a lawful permanent resident? - Between April 28, 2019 and April 28, 2021 - Are you married to a U.S. citizen? - Yes - Have you been married for 3 years or longer? - Yes - Has your spouse been a U.S. citizen for 3 years or longer? - Yes - Have you left the United States in the past 3 years? - Yes - Have any of your trips outside of the United States been longer than 6 months? - No Result: "You may be eligible to apply for naturalization." I don't think this form would ever tell you "Yes, you're eligible". It says "may be eligible" because there are other neuances to immigration process and form cannot evaluate everything.

That's also my preference. Didn't know they retry on personal checks. How soon after the first attempt they try again?

I would like to discuss pros and cons of all payment methods one can use to pay USCIS fees. Here's my view and understanding so far. Credit Card Pros: - Can earn miles / points / cashback - Can spread the payments (think of 0% APR intro + 10% effective cashback in the first year etc) - You know when USCIS charges it Cons: - Requires a credit history and card - Payment can be easily denied due to suspicious charge (yes, USCIS fees can be viewed as suspicious by bank IT systems) or hitting the limit. USCIS won't retry charging it. Personal Check Pros: - Money stays in your account for longer. Can earn some interest on it - You know exactly when it was cashed - Sometimes USCIS write / stamp case number as they endorse the check. You may learn case number before you receive text message / mail / update. More relevant for forms like I-485 which can only be filed on paper as of today. Cons: - Requires checking account - Requires discipline from person paying, e.g. maintaining the right balance to cover all payments and USCIS fees. - Requires knowledge how to use it 😃 - Doesn't earn rewards Cashier's Check Pros: - The fees are going to be covered for sure, since the amount is already withdrawn from bank account Cons: - Can be difficult or impossible to cancel, recover funds if lost or other reason - Sometimes costs money (depending on bank and bank account) - Not possible to know when cashed (correct if I'm wrong) - Doesn't earn rewards Money Order Pros: - Can be purchased at USPS and other places. Doesn't require bank account. - Guarantees funds to cover fees Cons: - Costs money - Depending on issuer, may be able to track / cancel etc but not always - Doesn't earn rewards Questions for you: 1. Did I miss any payment methods? 2. Did I miss any pros or cons for any payment method? 3. What other payment methods you wish USCIS accepted? (crypto, financing, Zelle, Venmo, Paypal, wire, etc etc) 4. What's your preferred payment method and why? 4a. If you prefer credit cards, is it because of rewards or is it because you can pay over time? Or is it because you never wrote a check? 4b. If you prefer personal check, is it because you don't have credit card? Or is it because you're worried payment may get denied? Or is it because you used to write checks? Or is it because you want to have money in account for longer? 4d. If you you prefer cashier's check, is it because you're worried your balance may not cover the fees? Any other reason? 4e. If you prefer money order, is it because you don't have a checking account? Is it because you're worried your balance may not covet the fees? Any other reason? Please do not walk by this thread, I'd love to see a good discussion 😊

You mean February 26? Or you had interview few days ago?

If I was in your shoes, I'd seek legal help from a reputable immigration lawyer. Too much is at stake and this has to be well documented to overcome any doubt the child is a US citizen

CC is the subjectively the worst option out there. So many times CC charges gets denied due to potential fraud... I'm a fan of personal checks. No downside to it, if you have the funds and have a discipline not to spend it 😃

Or the OP hasn't been a US citizen for the last 3 years which he should, since she went through K-1

1. Did she have any trips over 6 months outside of the US since becoming an LPR? 2. Are you a US citizen? 3. Did she answer questions correctly?

For this and many other reasons, she should get her certificate of naturalization issued, actually. One day her passport may not be renewed and she may be asked for proof of citizenship. Was she in full custody of her father living in the US at the time he naturalized? Then yes, you can put his date of naturalization.

Not guaranteed either, unfortunately.

Thank you. I just see the posts every week people not knowing whether USCIS used their money order or not. That's good to know. Do all issuers provide this service? Additional point for personal checks - sometimes USCIS stamps / writes case number on the back of it as they cash it, so you get a picture in the banking app before you get text / mail etc with case number.

I would not spend much time thinking about countries as a whole since it's not something you can control. Instead, practice with her, short truthful answers. Spend time more talking about each other so she knows and remembers what you do, where you live, your marital past, how you met etc etc

It's all an estimate anyways. It's pretty useless for majority of people because of huge inaccuracies.

Why do you only have 2 year extension? USCIS been sending 48 month letters for newly filed and pending cases for a while now.

Why money order? Have money (more than required) in the account and use personal check. That way you know when USCIS processes payment. Not possible to track with money order.

Money order is not trackable. A good old personal check is superior as you know when USCIS cashes it

Just come to the US ASAP. If she has a valid GC, there's 90% chance she can just come through. No need to explain anything to anybody unless asked. Then she can stay in the US until she naturalizes. She can file N-400 4 years and 1 day after coming back. Good luck!

Atlanta takes about 19 months for 80% of cases as of today

Depending where your field office is, it can take a bit long. For example, SF takes about 19 months for most cases. On the positive side, if you get 10 year GC instead of 2 year conditional, you won't have to go through removal of conditions which itself can take 2-2.5 years easily. See processing times here: https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times//home

It depends whether she wants to change name now (good opportunity) or at N-400 stage (good opportunity). She has to put maiden name in other names used whenever she decides to use married name on immigration forms. Putting married name will result in GC issued in married name. Putting maiden name will result in GC issued in maiden name. Getting GC in married name means names won't match on her foreign passport and GC, meaning she either has to: - Get passport replaced with married name OR - Carry marriage certificate whenever travelling internationally to explain difference between name in passport and GC

Congratulations on getting approved! Yes, USCIS tough, and it should be always taken seriously. Immigration has a lot of small but important nuances. Couldn't agree more. They're a government agency, not a friend, who seek to deny not approve cases, unless you give them all forms and evidence to prove otherwise. I disagree with this statement. I filed I-485 with a good, competent lawyer, and I'm glad I did. No RFEs, no issues, relatively fast approval and total cost of under 5K including filing fees back in 2019/2020. Otherwise, I'm not sure how many mistakes I would have made. Agree with this. Immigrant should be proactive. Also recommend signing up for USPS Informed Delivery. Also recommend not moving while any USCIS petitions are pending, because moving creates a lot of potential for mail to get lost.

That's true. On today's Jim Hacking show I also heard about some unbelievable timeline. Somebody got message "card being produced" a day after filing I-90 !

If she has approved EAD, she's fine. She probably needs to file US taxes if she's already considered a US tax resident.