A really strange turn of events....

H

husaisa

Registered Users (C)
Here is the story -
#1) I have an appointment in Newark for oath taking on August 9, 2007.
#2) I HAVE to be in Hong Kong on business on August 20th, 2007.
Given that they take away away your GC at oath taking time, I am not sure how I get back in the country. Meaning I can fly out on my Indian passport and the visa from HK, but when I come back in do I
A) Travel with my Citizenship Certificate and show it at the port of entry and hope it carries the same validity as that of a passport.
B) Apply for some kind of an "advance parole" type of document which ensures my reentry.
C) Apply for the Passport at the HK consulate. But then my passport has not been stamped as I travelled out of the US...
D) Is there some other way of getting the passport other than the post office route, where I pay some fees and get the passport within 2-3 days.

At this point I am beginning to feel as the only person ever who actually would like to have a duplicate A#!!!! Then again, I did go for consular processing so I may end up with a duplicate A#......
Seriously, any suggestions/pointers would be very welcome. I always like to arm myself with all the knowledge out there before I sit across from a lawyer. And this site has always served me well.
Thanks in advance.
SH
 
File for the expediate passport immediatly after the oath ceremony. Just go to the post office and pay the extra I think $100 and you should get it pretty fast. Another option to make it faster I think is to show proof of your flight ticket that verifies you need it ASAP.

You will not get back into the us without your Passport. Some people have been able to use the Certificate with other docs at land crossings, but not to my knowledge at airport POEs...
 
I second Kagemusha's post. It is better to go to the passport agency to get the passport. Just schedule an appointment at your nearest passport agency and they give it to you the same day or 3 days at the most.
 
US Passport is a must

A) Travel with my Citizenship Certificate and show it at the port of entry and hope it carries the same validity as that of a passport.

husaisa,

I have found out thru attorneys that you can't enter US on your Citizenship Certificate. US Passport is a must so make sure you understand this. I am sure once you have your confirmed tkts handy, you can go to the passport office, either in DC or NY and get your passport done the very same day. Don't see this as an issue.

Enjoy your trip to HK.
 
husaisa said:
Here is the story -
#1) I have an appointment in Newark for oath taking on August 9, 2007.
#2) I HAVE to be in Hong Kong on business on August 20th, 2007.
Given that they take away away your GC at oath taking time, I am not sure how I get back in the country. Meaning I can fly out on my Indian passport and the visa from HK, but when I come back in do I
A) Travel with my Citizenship Certificate and show it at the port of entry and hope it carries the same validity as that of a passport.
B) Apply for some kind of an "advance parole" type of document which ensures my reentry.
C) Apply for the Passport at the HK consulate. But then my passport has not been stamped as I travelled out of the US...
D) Is there some other way of getting the passport other than the post office route, where I pay some fees and get the passport within 2-3 days.

At this point I am beginning to feel as the only person ever who actually would like to have a duplicate A#!!!! Then again, I did go for consular processing so I may end up with a duplicate A#......
Seriously, any suggestions/pointers would be very welcome. I always like to arm myself with all the knowledge out there before I sit across from a lawyer. And this site has always served me well.
Thanks in advance.
SH
Click to expand...
Passport Agency is your best bet. But be aware that even though the Passport Agency is same day passport, you have to schedule an appointment with them and that can take 2 weeks.

Do the following:

1. Contact the Passport agency 2 weeks before your interview and schedule an appointment the day following your interview.

2. Fill out the passport form etc. before hand.

3. If you take same day oath then go the next day to the passport agency and get your passport the same day. (This is assuming that you have to schedule an appointment with the passport agency for the day after your interview/same day oath).

4. If during the interview you are not approved then cancel your appointment with the passport agency and go to Hong Kong on your Indian Passport.

If you don't want to do all this, then at the end your inteview, if the officer asks "Do you want to take the oath today" state "No". Your oath will be held at least a month later, by when you will be back...
 
Thanks guys!!
I think I am getting a clear plan of action here. I did try to get an appointment in NY, but after about 15 minutes on the phone, the voice said that they could not take my call. I think they only give appointments if you have 2 weeks to travel. Again that would be cutting it too fine. I think I will do an infopass to set up an appointment. Some answers -
- No I am not a Canadian citizen
- I do not want to delay the oath taking... (is the GC physically taken from you only at time of oath?)
More on this later after I speak to a lawyer...perhaps there is some form (advance parole) which can be used on this. The thing is that once the go ahead for the meetings in HK is given, there is substantial capital and time commitment from my company, so it is diffcult to rollback.
later
SH
 
Remember that once you obtain US citizenship, my understanding is that you MUST travel in and out of the US with a US passport, even tho' (depending on your nationality) you might be able to travel outside the US on your passport of origin.

In your case I think there is another option to fighting the system (passport agency) to get an "emergency" passport and that is to use one of the reputable agencies (see other posts this site). All it takes is money but they will do it all for you. You will need bone fide evidence of impending travel.
 
"Infopass" is a USCIS thing. Passports are State Department things and the state department doesn't have an "infopass" program.

If you want a passport in a hurry, you can make an appointment with one of the state department's 14 "passport agency" locations or use one of the for-profit (all it takes is money) passport expediting companies. As I understand it, their role is to stand in line for you (i.e., you need to meet all the requirements (immediate travel, etc) that you'd need to meet if you were to stand in line).

Yes, they take your GC at your natz ceremony. You get your natz certificate that same day.

There is no other acceptable travel document for American citizens to enter the country with (by air) at the moment. You can arrive on land from Canada or Mexico without a passport, but, by air, you need a passport. If you are going to Hong Kong, you will need a passport. If you are not giving up your current citizenship, you could possible travel to there on your old passport. But, as an American, you must enter the US on a US passport.

There is no "advance parole" -like thing available to you.

If you were really desperate, you could drive to Montreal, enter Canada on your Natz Cert or your former passport, fly to HK on your former passport, return back to Montreal, entering Canada again with your Natz cert or former passport and finally drive back south again to the US, entering with your Natz cert. You might still have problems - the immigration folks may ask you what other countries you visited when you arrive back in the US.

It would seem to be easier to make an appointment and get a last minute passport though.
 
husaisa:

Since you mentioned that you're currently an Indian national, you do not have the option of traveling on your old passport after your oath ceremony. India considers it illegal for you to use your passport if you acquire another citizenship. Furthermore, all US citizens are required to exit and enter the US on a US passport.

The easiest way to make an appointment at a passport agency is to call at night. That way you don't have to wait to talk to a person. There is an automated system you can access after listening to a lot of junk. When it asks you whether you are traveling within 14 days, just say yes. It will let you make an appointment 14 days in advance of the appointment date if you say "yes." When you show up for your appointment all you need to have proof of is travel within 14 days of the appointment date (not the date when you made the appointment). I had to do the same thing for my wife because she had a similar situation to yours.

So, here's what I'd do if I were you.

1) Call the 800 number late at night on Saturday, July 28th (so July 28th night or July 29th AM).
2) With the menu options, follow the one to make an appointment at one of the 14 regional passport agencies.
3) Once you do that, it'll make you select your passport agency.
4) When it asks you whether you're traveling within 14 days, say "Yes"
5) Make an appointment using touchtone for Friday, Aug 10th.
6) You'll get a confirmation number. NOTE IT DOWN.

7) On Aug 10th, show up at your appointment time. They'll verify your appointment time and number and verify that you're traveling within 14 days (bring your paid ticket or itinerary).

8) You'll get your passport within 2 days.

Since US citizens don't need a visa to travel to HK, you'll be fine.
 
If a personal visit to a passport office sounds unappealing (and you really MUST have a passport to travel to/from HK), you could always employ the services of a passport agent. e.g. "A Rush Passport" One of our regular contributors used them recently and reported good results. A little pricey, but maybe worth it for peace of mind.

http://www.arushpassport.com/
 
Thank you all so very much!! I really am overwhelmed with this show of support and concern. I spoke to a lawyer (company)over the weekend armed with all the above knowledge. I have been told by my bank "not to worry about it". they will be using American Express who I am supposed to deliver my certificate of citizenship to. They say they will get the passport in the next 2 days. Since Amex is also doing my flight bookings, I think any slippage on any front should be covered well.
While I still have your kind attentions, going thru the interview experiences, it occurs to me that most of the dup A# problems emanate from the Councellor processing GC route. Is there any truth to it? Or is it just me extrapolating anecdotal evidence....
Best
SH
 
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