are they supposed to take my naturalization certificate for passport processing?

Hi thedeepsea,

If you are requesting your entire A-file, be prepared to wait for at least 1 year. I believe I waiting approximately a year and half to get a copy of my A-file.

that doesn't surprised me.... we are dealing with the USCIS here! :D

oh well... there's no hurry to get it now... I'll just wait patiently. :)
 
Hi thedeepsea,

If you are requesting your entire A-file, be prepared to wait for at least 1 year. I believe I waiting approximately a year and half to get a copy of my A-file.

I was not really thinking about ordering it. However, it would be nice to see what they have in the file versus what i have.
 
lolali
when you looked through your A file, did you find anything you did not know they had on you?
when ii was looking at the pile of docs the lady had on me, i saw stuff, like green letters, i know i did not submit. there were pink letters, purple letters and then of course white.
a few years back the company i was working for had me fill out those 60+ pages for national security clearance. i was told mine came back clear and i also had people tell me they received letters asking about me and my history but i never got a letter from the FBI showing what they had on my background. do you think my A file would have all that? i'd love to have it, if for nothing else, to show my kids they need to do better than their foreign mom.
yes, i am still struggling with letting go. i guess all the stress built up with applications, calling up, change of addresses (we move like no one else, now preparing to make a move to long island from MD), so every year i had to send change of address form, inform local and new local INS office etc.
yeah, would not let hubby do any reservations. he'd probably have us booked to china :) for all he knows.
 
lolali
when you looked through your A file, did you find anything you did not know they had on you?
when ii was looking at the pile of docs the lady had on me, i saw stuff, like green letters, i know i did not submit. there were pink letters, purple letters and then of course white.
a few years back the company i was working for had me fill out those 60+ pages for national security clearance. i was told mine came back clear and i also had people tell me they received letters asking about me and my history but i never got a letter from the FBI showing what they had on my background. do you think my A file would have all that? i'd love to have it, if for nothing else, to show my kids they need to do better than their foreign mom.
yes, i am still struggling with letting go. i guess all the stress built up with applications, calling up, change of addresses (we move like no one else, now preparing to make a move to long island from MD), so every year i had to send change of address form, inform local and new local INS office etc.
yeah, would not let hubby do any reservations. he'd probably have us booked to china :) for all he knows.

I think the colored paper contains sensitive information - as I saw red and green colored paper in my file as well. The A-File you get is all non-sensitive information, some things are blanketed according to the law. For example, I believe there are about 32 pages that are either completely or partially blanketed on my CD. They cover names of officers and individuals who had something to do with your cases. They cover all intelligence information dug up during the asylum proceedings. They also cover up the judge's notes or interviewing officer's notes.

Finally, the CD is in PDF and is not color so it is hard to tell whether or not each new entry into the A-File is marked by a color document. Each time you applied for something or completed something, it is entered as a separate sections and has its own cover sheet. The header on the cover letters read: "Cover Sheet - Record of Proceeding. This is a permanent record of the INS/USCIS. Any part of this record that is removed MUST BE RETURNED after it has served its purpose."

Go ahead and order it for the fun of it. Its a CD after all and can be kept in a safe place and for a long time. But wait a few months so the local DO has time to close up your file and send it back to the National Records Center.
 
lolali
good advice, i will wait a few months also because we will move in the next month or so. i am very interested in seeing whatever they will make available to me. good for genealogy purposes too if my 2 and 3 generations care to know what their grandmother and grand grandmother went through and came from.
lolali, do you have kids? after getting citizenship have you struggled at all about your identity? do you think about the fact that other generations that come from us won't care about visiting the old place and see where they are from?
my MIL has had me translate documents from 1800s as it turned out her mother's side of the family was pretty much from the area, not really, different nationality but i speak that language and was able to help her out dig in. but she is the only one interested in knowing where she is from. my husband could care less. i wonder if my kids would care at all
 
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