Do they check the addresses and employment dates ?

[Vorpal]

A PDF/document from USCIS!

So let's discuss then. Based on your statement, if it is OK to put approximate dates for employment, then it is OK to put in approximate dates for your marriage, an approximate date for your date of birth, an approximate date for the date you became LPR. There is no end to this.

Let me guess...you must also think that in response to question B.8.a, it's necessary to list Costco/Sam's Club/local book club/PTA/etc. memberships?

According to an attorney's response to a question regarding approximate travel dates, it's acceptable to "give approximations if that is the only way you can fill out the form": http://www.justanswer.com/immigration-law/1fdmo-hi-currently-filling-form-n-400-become-citizen.html

This answer was regarding travel dates, something far more important than employment dates. A simple Google search will return many immigration sites/forums where it's clearly stated by many individuals who have undergone the naturalization process that month/year is perfectly acceptable for the employment history field.

With regards to me not having a look at the N-400, take a look at my signature. I have successfully undergone the naturalization process, listing my employment dates in month/year format.

 

[goro]

guys, come on already.

you can call your employers and get exact dates of you want. there's nothing wrong with it. But it is very unlikely this will be disclosed at the interview.
For example I too had all my tax returns with me, but they didn't bother to mention it. They usually have many naturalization interviews in one scheduled day and they want to finish with everyone as fast as possible. They don't have time to disclose everything with you unless there is something specific to your case.

 

[nwctzn]

I promised to stop the spam, but I have to answer your questions/remarks:

Let me guess...you must also think that in response to question B.8.a, it's necessary to list Costco/Sam's Club/local book club/PTA/etc. memberships?

No, I personally do not think that USCIS cares about those memberships and I did not report them on my own N-400. But I understand if people want to write those memberships down to have peace of mind and I saw on many forums that a fair amount of applicants prefer to list those memberships. USCIS will not deny your application because you listed your Sam's Club or AAA membership, so no harm with this.

According to an attorney's response to a question regarding approximate travel dates, it's acceptable to "give approximations if that is the only way you can fill out the form": http://www.justanswer.com/immigration-law/1fdmo-hi-currently-filling-form-n-400-become-citizen.html

This answer was regarding travel dates, something far more important than employment dates. A simple Google search will return many immigration sites/forums where it's clearly stated by many individuals who have undergone the naturalization process that month/year is perfectly acceptable for the employment history field.

Agree with you on this one. If you are totally not able to get the exact date information, you put an approximate date. But you try first to get the exact information, that's my philosophy. Some people suggest to put an extra sheet to the N-400 explaining that you put in an approximate date because you could not find the exact date. The same applies for employment dates. You give a call to HR of your ex-company and try to get the information. If you get it, you put the exact date. If HR is not able to provide you the info or you cannot reach them, you put in your best guess. You have peace of mind, and if the issue comes up during the interview (however small that likelihood is), you can say with a straight face that you tried your best to get the info from HR.

With regards to me not having a look at the N-400, take a look at my signature. I have successfully undergone the naturalization process, listing my employment dates in month/year format.

I meant that you most likely did not have a look at it lately. I clearly saw that you went through the N-400 process; I just wanted to point out that the date format issue is not in the auto-fill fields of the PDF. In all questions regarding dates, the format is given in MM/DD/YYYY on the N-400 form itself. So even if you take a print-out and fill in the form by hand, if you read the questions regarding dates, you will see that they want the MM/DD/YYYY format.

As a summary of this long thread, my two cents regarding exact dates is to try to obtain them from HR. Just give them a call. If you fail to reach them or HR is not giving you the dates for whatever reason, fill in your best guess. You will have peace of mind that you tried to get all the exact info and you can answer with a straight face and truthfully if anything is asked about this during your interview.

 

[Proxyon]

guys, come on already.

you can call your employers and get exact dates of you want. there's nothing wrong with it. But it is very unlikely this will be disclosed at the interview.
For example I too had all my tax returns with me, but they didn't bother to mention it. They usually have many naturalization interviews in one scheduled day and they want to finish with everyone as fast as possible. They don't have time to disclose everything with you unless there is something specific to your case.

What if my former employee is bankrupt ? That exactly happened in my case. The company offices are currently occupied by another company, they do not have phone or HR or whatsoever. They changed their name and no website exists. I can only remember I started back in October 2008, but don't remember the date. So I will just pick up any date from October 2008. And if USCIS decide to check it they may say I am lying, though I have no obvious reason to do so. Huh, confusing !

 

[nwctzn]

What if my former employee is bankrupt ? That exactly happened in my case. The company offices are currently occupied by another company, they do not have phone or HR or whatsoever. They changed their name and no website exists. I can only remember I started back in October 2008, but don't remember the date. So I will just pick up any date from October 2008. And if USCIS decide to check it they may say I am lying, though I have no obvious reason to do so. Huh, confusing !

No, you are fine. This is the perfect case where you can put with peace of mind your best guess for the date because there is no way for you the get the exact date. If the issue comes up (the likelihood is really small) you can clearly explain the situation.

 

[goro]

What if my former employee is bankrupt ? That exactly happened in my case. The company offices are currently occupied by another company, they do not have phone or HR or whatsoever. They changed their name and no website exists. I can only remember I started back in October 2008, but don't remember the date. So I will just pick up any date from October 2008. And if USCIS decide to check it they may say I am lying, though I have no obvious reason to do so. Huh, confusing !

let it go my friend. When I was applying, I was concentrating on one thing forgetting many others. USCIS doesn't care about all your employers....unless you got your visa through your employer, or some of your employers sponsored you in the past. If you already had resident status and worked without any sponsorship, nobody will ask you anything.

 

[Jackolantern]

I meant that you most likely did not have a look at it lately. I clearly saw that you went through the N-400 process; I just wanted to point out that the date format issue is not in the auto-fill fields of the PDF. In all questions regarding dates, the format is given in MM/DD/YYYY on the N-400 form itself. So even if you take a print-out and fill in the form by hand, if you read the questions regarding dates, you will see that they want the MM/DD/YYYY format.

That form having the MM/DD/YYYY format doesn't mean the exact date is required. The format is specified so that IF you have the exact date, you should write it as MM/DD/YYYY instead of DD/MM/YYYY or YYYY-MM-DD or some other format.

Exact dates of employment are almost always immaterial to naturalization. The main reason they ask for employment history is to check if you had any unexplained long periods of unemployment (which may indicate criminal activity or working off the books). And if your green card was employment-based they may want to see that you worked for the sponsoring employer (or another employer in a job that met the AC21 "same or similar" criteria). Getting an employment date wrong by a few days or weeks, or specifying the month+year without the day, doesn't matter for either of those things.