Citizenship Interview and NO Passport

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rikhyes

Registered Users (C)
Hello:

I have citizenship Interview in San Francisco and I do not have Indian Passport. Since day one in US soil I never had a passport. I did not enter US via immigration and filed for Asylum after entry. I recieved my GC green card 5 years ago (in 2002). During my last 11 years stay I never had passport and consequently NEVER traveled outside US.

What I understand that old passport is required in the interview for citizenship and I don't have it.

How should I handle this?

PLEASE HELP...
 
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No passport for interview

Hi,
You say that you never had an Indian passport. I am sure that you needed to provide passport ingo while you were going through your green card process. I am curious to know what visa you came here and how you passsed through immigration without a valid passport. Very important to know is during the interview they will definitely ask for your GC and Passports. You may have to provide the IO with a reason why you do not have passports. Hope this helps.I finished my interview on March 6th and you can go through my interview experience in the link given below:
http://www.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?t=242622
Hope this is helpful.
 
I did not enter thru immigration and filed for asylum and recieved my Green Card GC 5 years ago
 
rikhyes said:
I did not enter thru immigration and filed for asylum and recieved my Green Card GC 5 years ago
Click to expand...

interesting case.....

I just completed my citizenship interview 2 weeks ago and I can tell you that you DEFINITELY need a passport. Not to scare you, but my suggestion is that you hire an attorney because you will be GRILLED during your interview about a variety of things about your background.
 
Or, your interview might be like both my wife's and mine. The IO spent about 10 seconds thumbing through the passport during a 10-15 interview.

I would expect that an affadavit saying that you haven't had a passport and hadn't left the country would do.

I consulted an immigration lawyer at one point during my N-400 processing. He charged me $95 to listen to my condition, offer some informaiton (but not "advice") and tell me what he would charge. That might be the kind of thing you might consider asking an immigration lawyer (not a regular lawyer, one who is part of the immigration bar).
 
My oath letter said to bring "passport and/or all documents used for entries to the US". Perhaps you have the asylum evidence or whatever it was that you used as proof to enter the US. They basically want proof of trips abroad and since you don't have a passport then you obviously can't have gone anywhere.
 
Normally you only need your GC and appointment letter for the oath ceremony. If you have other USCIS-issued immigration documents (e.g. a reentry permit) you should take those too.
 
June 18th - I had my interview at Oakland today and I/O officer aksed me about Passport and I explained truely that I don't have it. I/O officer did not bother me after this.
 
Thank you for updating with the pertinent details, it will help people in similar situation, I am assuming you passed your interview and congratulations.

I did not get asked for a passport during my interview but I might have sent copies with the N-400 app, so did the IO ask you for the passport or did you mention it yourself.
 
After I/O officer took my Oath before starting the interview I/O officer asked me for Driver Lic and Green card and Passport.

I gave the Driver Lic and Green Card and Said that I don't have a passport. I/O Officer asked that did you enter using somebody else passport and I said NO. I said I entered US with NO passport. After that I/O officer did not ask anything.
 
Hmm I thought India is a democracy. It is a free nation.
how can you get an Asylum? How did you leave India without a passport? Then you say in your other post that you were arrested for domestic violence sometime back? I am sorry but Guy/Gal, I don't get all this.
 
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me too had that question!
There are millions of refugees who walk-in to India and get assylum - Tibetian and Sri Lankans come to my mind.

How did you manage to pull this off?


happy life said:
Hmm I thought India is a democracy. It is a free nation.
how can you get an Asylum? How did you leave India without a passport?
Click to expand...
 
happy life said:
Hmm I thought India is a democracy. It is a free nation.
how can you get an Asylum? How did you leave India without a passport? Then you say in your other post that you were arrested for domestic violence sometime back? I am sorry but Guy/Gal, I don't get all this.
Click to expand...

Hi rikhyes: Could you please reply to the above mentioned post. Thank you.
 
happy life said:
Hi rikhyes: Could you please reply to the above mentioned post. Thank you.
Click to expand...

Back off, happy_life. This is a forum for helping people with immigration questions, not to satisfy your curiosity. If he didn't want to respond, leave it at that.

-Prasad
 
PrasadIyer said:
Back off, happy_life. This is a forum for helping people with immigration questions, not to satisfy your curiosity. If he didn't want to respond, leave it at that.

-Prasad
Click to expand...

Dear Sri Iyer: I am asking him/her not you. So sri Iyer mind your business.

Hi rikhyes could you please reply. (It is hurtful to me that coming from India - a free country someone can be a refugee so far off)
 
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Can you give Happy life a break .He/She could be goign thru same ordeal and needs some pointers.China/Mexico/Cuba and philippins are also democratic counrty but more than half applications are asylum based.I guess it easier to get residency that way for those who might not have the luxury of hiring lawyers or paying high processing INS fees.So lets not be judmental in other peoples case and be helpful here.If you dont likes something please move on rather than repying in negative manner.:(
 
happy life - your question is too general. pl don't forget that every person or every case is different. I respect your good intention. But unfortunately I created this thread in order to help others in similar situation.

Please do not forget that someone's misery can be someone's pleasure. And I don't believe your intentions are as such.

Hopefully you got my answer if not please re-pharse and I will give another try.
 
I believe Canada once accepted a refugee from the US - it's a country generally known as a pretty egalitarian democracy.

Anyone can "claim" refugee status once they show up to a border. If they can make a case to the "refugee board" (or whatever the equivalent is called), they can be accepted.
 
No I didn't get it. I am still wondering how can anyone become a refugee from India (which says it is a democracy and I know that it is but after reading your story I am now confused about this) and get out of the country without a passport. I mean it is not canada or mexico that one can just walk across the border, one has to fly and one cannot do that without a passport and you said you didn't have one. I don't think you will answer this. I respect that but my intentions are honorable.
 
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Here is the refugee statistics for the year, which will give a rough idea where the refugees come from. Incidentally there were Asia had over 6000 refugees but there were 0 refugees from India.

http://www.cal.org/co/refugee/statistics/index.html#southasia


happy life said:
No I didn't get it. I am still wondering how can anyone become a refugee from India (which says it is a democracy and I know that it is but after reading your story I am now confused about this) and get out of the country without a passport. I mean it is not canada or mexico that one can just walk across the border, one has to fly and one cannot do that without a passport and you said you didn't have one. I don't think you will answer this. I respect that but my intentions are honorable.
Click to expand...
 
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