OldUser

Exactly my thoughts. The problem is, USCIS fees isn't something people pay every day, so CC declines this "suspicious" charge more often than not. In addion, which checks, only two parties can make a mistake: - Filer putting wrong amount, not maintaining balance etc - USCIS clerk cashing the check With CC you can have three parties making a mistake: - Filer putting wrong CC info on forms, or close to limit, or whatever else - USCIS clerk trying to use CC - CC issuer blocking transaction as fraud by mistake

AFAIK the big CC issuers have complex AI driven algorithms and simply ignore such requests or say yes out of politeness which doesn't guarantee the transaction will be approved 100%. A lot of the times customer service doesn't have any way to affect this at all. Note that many CC don't even ask about travel plans anymore either or won't let you set it.

I'm a miles / rewards enthusiast myself, with nearly 20 CCs, pretty decent score and generous credit limits. 2% of places where I never pay with CC is USCIS and some mom and pop shops (where I'd feel taking adavantage of store owners if I payed with CC). One incident that spooked me was a charge of ~30-50 bucks at DMV or some other government institution that got declined. It was before I dealt with USCIS. I naturally decided to never use CC with USCIS due to potential decline. Lucky you being able to pay $22K on CC! The dealerships around me allowed $500 max on CC (too many savvy people living around me I guess). The biggest charge was overseas in a jewelry store. I was buying a very pricey item for my spouse, so no surprise it got flagged 😅

You may get an RFE and / or you may get an interview. Those are going to be perfect opportunities to fix answers.

Would love to hear from you more in detail here:

Can a correctly signed personal check be rejected? With amount in thr bank? Or cashiers check? Would be interested to see the data points. Of course, excluding incorrect fees. I feel like CC is the only payment where it can fail even if you do everything right.

Had it for about 6 years and use regularly. Just had few very unexpected declines for fairly small amounts over the years.

Glad to hear Amex works, though I had some legitimate transactions declined (flagged as fraudulent) on one of their top charge cards available to general public. I didn't risk it for paying USCIS fees.

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.