Form N-445 question - Have you traveled outside the United States?

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vectorP

Registered Users (C)
In the Form N-445, Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony, the second question is "AFTER the date you were first interviewed on your Application for Naturalization, Have you traveled outside the United States?"

The choice is YES or NO.

I traveled ouside US for a week after the date I was first interviewed on my application for naturalization, but before the Naturalization Oath Ceremony. So I should answer this question as YES. Will this travel and the YES will not allow me to join or finish the Naturalization Oath Ceremony by an USCIS officer or a Judge at that Ceremony? so I can not become US citizen?

Please help!

Thanks
 
I don't think it should be a problem at all. Unless the IO has any reason to suspect that you had any intentions of abandoning residency in the US, travel outside the US between the interview and oath shouldn't be a problem. The IO may ask to see stamps in your passport or some other proof of travel but I don't see why they would hold up your oath for this.

-KM
 
vectorP said:
I traveled ouside US for a week after the date I was first interviewed on my application for naturalization, but before the Naturalization Oath Ceremony. So I should answer this question as YES.

Thanks
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I don't think a week away will raise any flags at all. If you were say out for 2 months then that might be a different story.

Another case might be if you had taken a lot of trips before and just barely made the residency requirements and this trip put you over that limit, then it might be a issue.

And yet another case would be if you visited a known terrorist sponsoring country, then they might want to investigate some more.

Other then that, they'll just want to maybe check your passport and maybe ask a few other questions (did you work, etc). The people that run into issues are ones that leave to live/work outside the US before the oath date, not those on a short trip or vacation...
 
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VectorP,
I travelled for a week to Canada between my interview and oath. I answered "Yes" to that question on the N-445 and mentioned the dates. Just mention your travel in your N-445. It only makes a difference in cases where an applicant barely fulfilled the physical presence requirement at the time of the interview. In that case, the USCIS has one year to administratively revoke naturalisation if they notice (probably after the oath ceremony) that due to the extra travel between the interview and oath, the applicant failed to fulfil the physical presence requirement.
 
The existing answers have pretty much covered the issue, but I'd like to add that it is every applicant's responsibility to make sure they continue to meet the basic eligibility criteria through the entire naturalization process. i.e. you must maintain physical presence, continuous residence and residence within a district (and also marriage if your application is based upon 3yr marriage to USC) right up until you take the oath.

IMHO the question you are asking about is a USCIS attempt to spot people who have already moved abroad and are simply flying in to attend an oath ceremony. For most people it really isn't something to be overly concerned about.
 
It also has to do with the USCIS closing someone's immigration file at the time of naturlization - the USCIS wants to be able to verify that the applicant has fulfilled all residencey and physical presence requirements at the time of the oath and not only at the time of the interview.

For the vast majority of the applicants it makes no difference. It just matters for applicants who brely met the requirements at the time of the interview.
 
Just answer yes and bring some proof of the travel (which I don't think they'll even ask about). As long as you meet the continuous residence and physical presence rules on the date of your oath ceremony, I believe you will be good to go.
 
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