amerchin

You have to tell USCIS of your situation. Don't just get the GC and continue to work in China and not worry about it. If you don't reside in the U.S. for the majority of the time you will be questioned down the road on the renewal of the GC or citizenship application interview. Not doing anything to them means abandonment of your GC status meaning you don't want to be here in the U.S. Talk to USCIS and inform them of your job situation. Then fill out any necessary forms which will stay in your file folder at USCIS explaining why she didn't reside in the U.S. for the majority of the year.

Congrats to you both!

You didn't say when the wedding was so I'm going to assume it's before the interview date. As long as she shows up for the biometrics and interview appointment there shouldn't be any problem at all. If she can't make it to one or neither of the appointments you will have to inform USCIS for a change of date which will set everything back in receiving the GC. Don't ever stay pass 6 months in China if possible or there will be questions asked on the AOS and citizenship interviews of why she stayed there that long. Since she just wants to be at the wedding and you have an interview coming up I'm guessing she be there for only a couple of weeks at the most. I don't see any problems since you have the AP.

Congrats!

Is it possible to get this topic pinned on the experiences of our members at the Citizenship Interview listing: Questions asked? Sentences asked to be read. Sentences asked to be written, and etc. This would be helpful for the ones who will be going to the interview but it will also be interesting to see what the differences will be when changing from the old test to the new one. Will there be a new style or manner in the way they conduct their interview/test. Thanks

Congrats to you! Vermont's postings are not very up to date. My wife's 10 year GC was done and came before their listed processing now date.

I was thinking the same thing. Those two were in training so he can't let you get away that easily. Get the stuff he ask for as soon as possible and get the GC.

They just wanted to see how long he resided in the US in order to qualify for citizenship. Some people are overseas for over six months of the year due to a job or other reasons. His return home for a visit won't have any impact. Once again it's the time residing in the US that they're concerned about. 90 days before March 22 filing is fine. Good luck!

You will probably be asked one more time if and when she applies for citizenship.

Congratulations! You see what I mean when you look back at all the interviews that we were nervous about but found that it was easy as pie? Thanks for listing the details and questions. Now its time to celebrate and enjoy life as a citizen when she gets sworn in. Actually you can celebrate today and January 22, or from today till January 22. The only unfortunate thing is that she'll have to wait 4 years before she can vote for a U.S. President.

Good luck to you. My wife's friend passed her test this pass Thursday. I'm sure your wife will do the same. Once again good luck!

Follow the link to David's section: http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=16457 They'll ask a few questions on the form that you filled out on the yes/no section. Have you been involved, joined, committed in, blah, blah, blah. They may ask you about documents that they might have misplaced or lost that you know you have included in the package submitted to them. Basic questions which should be known such as how did you meet, etc. She asked my wife what are her parent's names. Where's she living now and what's she doing now. My wife said she was in school learning English. The following question was who's paying for her education. All in all there's nothing hard about the interview. The question posed to me was: Are you working and who do you work for? Our interview lasted about 10 minutes. The waiting time to be called for the interview was about an hour and a half. The waiting was the hardest part of it all. Good luck to you both on your interview.

Just remind her that in the passed applications, interviews. etc. everyone of us were nervous. When we finally went through all those obstacles it was usually just a piece of cake. Unfortunately people who have gone through the citizenship test know more about the US than some school kids. Study hard but take a rest as well. Even athletes get a day rest from practice. In other words don't cram or burn her out close to the exam date. Remember that even if you're nervous for her to pass don't let her see it or hear it in your tone of voice. Praise her when she gets it right to boost her confidence and she'll be less nervous. Good luck to you both!

This is your only chance to change your name without having to go to court to legally change it. That also means that you'll be paying them later to change it if you go toward the courts route. You can add, subtract or entirely change your name when you file your application. When I was a kid my mother was naturalized. I had to go with her for the interview. I automatically became a citizen because of it. At the interview I was asked if I wanted to leave my name as it is or would I prefer to change or add to my name. Do it now when you're filling out the application if she has already decided on which English name to use. Change of names rules are stated below: OI 336.3 Name change after petition filed and before final hearing. Whenever a petitioner's name is changed after the petition is filed and before the final hearing, the new name shall be shown parenthetically in the "Change of Names" column of the list of petitioners, followed by "by marriage," or "by divorce," or "by judicial action," as appropriate. OI 338.2 Change in petitioner's name, marital status, or personal description. When a change in the petitioner's name, marital status, or personal description occurs between the date of filing the naturalization petition and the final hearing, the officer attending the final hearing shall notify the clerk of court on Form N-338 thereof for use in preparing the naturalization certificate. A duplicate copy of Form N-338 shall be placed in the petitioner's file.

Congrats to you both! What's next? Applying for US passport, registering to vote, applying for relatives to come to the US. The possibilities are endless! My wife's friends had or is currently studying for the old test (the rush time filing period before the summer). She feels left out because when she applies for citizenship she won't have a choice on which test to take and will probably be taking the citizen classes without her friends.

How many locations do you think the biometrics machines are set up and are accepted by the US? There are several US consulates there but I don't know if they process biometrics. You won't know unless you try to contact USCIS and ask because I don't recall anyone here posting having to process biometrics in China. The other thing I was thinking is that if it was allowed for her to do the biometrics in China, and China was to do it, then Beijing would probably not be the place they'll send her. The only location would be back to Guangzhou where all things originated!

You have to file the I-751 90 days prior to the 2 year GC expiring. Once they receive your application they will send the NOA letter that states that they have extended the expiration date by one year. Remember that after they send this NOA the following one will be for the biometrics which shouldn't be delayed or your application might get delayed as well. My wife's biometrics appointment letter pretty much came a month after the NOA. The appointment itself is 1 1/2 months from the NOA, if you look at my timeline. Can they do the biometrics in China? I don't know! As for the letter if someone at Candle that you have met and trust, and who's going back to Beijing sometime in between your dates, then they might help you bring it to her.

As long as your marriage certificate list her name as: her first name, her maiden name, and then your last name then that's fine. You can file it as such. But if the name doesn't match the marriage certificate, changed or additional name, then don't do it. We filed the AOS with her maiden name even though she took my last name as stated on the marriage certificate. All the records and filings previously were under that name so we didn't want to take the chance on any problems with someone at USCIS having a bad day and seeing the A# and the name on the application is different without checking more carefully. Others here have filed with the new name without any problems. When we filed the AOS for the 10 year GC we used the married name. You can file it either way married or maiden name.

Taxi rates: Night surcharge of $.50 after 8:00 PM & before 6:00 AM. Peak hour Weekday Surcharge of $1.00 Monday - Friday after 4:00 PM & before 8:00 PM. $45 from Manhattan to JFK. La Guardia is by meter but don't forget you'll have to travel from the east side to 12th Avenue and 42nd on the west side. Crosstown traffic is the worst. The meters now keep turning (at the now higher rate) while you're stuck in traffic. Even if you don't have to wait for your luggage you'll hit Manhattan during rush hour and possibly truck deliveries. So flat fee or metered depends on the day and hour. Subway doesn't go to 12th Avenue so if you take mass trans you will have to take the M42 bus on 42nd street. The consulate opens at 9AM to Noon and then from 1PM till 2:30PM, so its best to handle this as early in the morning as possible. It's very common to see the line forming on the sidewalk before they open (Reminds you of DMV lines when they were on Worth Street, but usually not as bad). Passport or travel docs for nationals are on the 2nd floor. Its probably better to call the consulate some time this week to make sure whats required before hopping on that flight. Even confirming this I would probably bring everything anyway just to be safe and not make a wasteful long trip. Passport for sure, marriage license (especially if there's a name change or addition, and GC. The restaurant George mentioned at 125 Canal is called the Grand Sichuan. It's between the cross streets of Bowery and Christie Street. It faces the Manhattan Bridge. If they go to Chinatown there's no telling how much they'll spend with all the stores around the area. Just because you're on a tight schedule doesn't mean they won't have anytime to shop. You're talking about Chinese home merchandise and food.

My wife finally received her 10 year GC. I made sure her name, A#, Birth date, were correct. I never looked at her resident since date. My wife pointed out that the date of residence since on the two year GC was 3/15/06 (Biometrics Day) while the 10 year GC is 5/15/06. May 15 was her AOS interview day. I thought the resident since date was to be the same as the two year GC? I don't know if this was a typo or is the approved interview date starts her residence in the U.S (new procedure)? If she was in a hurry to file for citizenship (in December) I might of contacted USCIS about this, but she wants to wait a little longer before filing. No matter what, she'll have to take the new test. She wants to hear more about how the new one pans out. I have been monitoring the citizenship section for her at Candle. The other reason for delaying it for a while is that she's needs to increase her understanding of the English language. Conversation is hard on her while grammar is easy for her to fill in the blanks. If someone speaks fast she won't be able to comprehend it. There's no new citizenship test classes offered right now in our area because the test is still new. They're still teaching from the old test.

The last time my wife went back to China I told her to take my Samsonite suitcase and she bought back (almost an entire suitcase full) of dried shrimp and squid through JFK. They let her through without a scan. I have notice that if your baggage and clothes look American or western enough they will let you go through without scanning your luggage. If you bring over large duffel bags and asian type luggage they will scan you for sure. If you were wondering she had to buy another smaller piece of luggage with wheels to place her clothes into. My Samsonite had to be aired out a few days from the smell of the dried @^$#! A friend of my wife had dried scallops confiscated. Go figure? She's will be taking her chances when customs decide to scan her luggage or not. If she does decide to do it then remind her how much money can she cope with losing (the cost of the merchandise). If they find it, it will feel like seeing them dump your money in the garbage can. I have heard of searches where one customs officer will let it through and yet a different officer will confiscate the same item. The way I see it is its your fate or luck on that day at the airport. My wife also bought the stuff back from Beihai.

Congrats to you!

Congrats and it's about time! We're the ones who have to suffer on their mistakes. Back then we had to wait because they sent package 3 here in the states instead of sending it to her in China which cost us time. Now we're still waiting for the 10 year GC. According to the average waiting time we should have gotten the 10 year GC already if everything went smooth. Once again congrats!

Congrats! Travel and enjoy yourselves but at the same time collect your evidence of docs that have both your names on it for the future I-751 application.

Welcome back with your financee to the USA! Now get on the next waiting line! Please.