Does it ever end?

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brahmachari99

Registered Users (C)
Now that I finally mailed my N-400 application a day ago, I thought I'd take an early peek at this "Life after citizenship" subforum. I thought this forum would be all about wild celebrations, getting drunk, partying 24/7, painting the town red, and all sort of things. Instead, what I find is posts about losing citizenship certificates, worries about having to get visas to the home countries, surrendering old citizenship, property ownership in old country, inability of non-citizen parents to get visas, etc etc.

Do our travails never end, even after supposedly reaching the end of the journey?
 
brahmachari99 said:
Now that I finally mailed my N-400 application a day ago, I thought I'd take an early peek at this "Life after citizenship" subforum. I thought this forum would be all about wild celebrations, getting drunk, partying 24/7, painting the town red, and all sort of things. Instead, what I find is posts about losing citizenship certificates, worries about having to get visas to the home countries, surrendering old citizenship, property ownership in old country, inability of non-citizen parents to get visas, etc etc.

Do our travails never end, even after supposedly reaching the end of the journey?
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we gave that up the day we decided to leave our homes
 
Not everyone has parents who need visas. Not everyone has to get a visa to their home country. Not everyone has to give up their original citizenship. Not everyone cares about agricultural land in India.

Relax.
 
I am not an Indian nor my parents have to have a visa, etc.. but think if you get married to someone from your home country - yep there we go USCIS from ground zero again.
 
INS becomes a part of who you are. I still feel pretty uncomfortable when I see border patrol agents. I still drive the speed limit because I don't want to get a ticket. I try hard not to get in trouble with the law because I was afraid of being deported for over 15 years!
Nothing really changed yet...
 
USER2345 said:
INS becomes a part of who you are. I still feel pretty uncomfortable when I see border patrol agents. I still drive the speed limit because I don't want to get a ticket. I try hard not to get in trouble with the law because I was afraid of being deported for over 15 years!
Nothing really changed yet...
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It is amusing to see your reasons not to drive over speed limit or get in trouble with the law. For most people it is respecting the law of the land.
 
For some people naturalization means the start of a new cycle (visas for relatives, dealing with old country's non-acceptance of dual citizenship, etcetera). For me, for the foreseeable future, my contacts with USCIS are done, they were done when I got my child's replacement certificate of citizenship a few months ago. However, I am still here, trying to give some good advice to people who are embarking in this journey, so in a way it never ends ;)
 
brahmachari99 said:
Now that I finally mailed my N-400 application a day ago, I thought I'd take an early peek at this "Life after citizenship" subforum. I thought this forum would be all about wild celebrations, getting drunk, partying 24/7, painting the town red, and all sort of things. Instead, what I find is posts about losing citizenship certificates, worries about having to get visas to the home countries, surrendering old citizenship, property ownership in old country, inability of non-citizen parents to get visas, etc etc.

Do our travails never end, even after supposedly reaching the end of the journey?
Click to expand...

It's like marriage.:)The day you decide to marry your problems start and ends when you get cremated.. And if one goes through the pain then can understand the value of citizenship of the country where that person was born which s/he decided to let go. :p
 
I sort of agree with USER2345. INS/USCIS becomes a part of you. Despite being a citizen I still feel uneasy when doing the the immigration check at airports. Or even simply when I cross over to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. But it appears to me that as first generation immigrants our troubles never end. I am a citizen who just successfully acquired GC for his parents. But now I have to start thinking about OCI for myself and my kiddo :).

Vinayak
 
I am jealous of my and your guys future kids who will be born here in America, they will not have to deal with USCS ever nor will they ever know the amount of suffering I went trough.
 
USER2345 said:
I am jealous of my and your guys future kids who will be born here in America, they will not have to deal with USCS ever nor will they ever know the amount of suffering I went trough.
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That's true. Natural born citizens of the US and other Western countries who really have an easy time entering and leaving countries often take this for granted.
 
cafeconleche said:
That's true. Natural born citizens of the US and other Western countries who really have an easy time entering and leaving countries often take this for granted.
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The US is actually one of the few developed countries that has "jus soli" (by birth) citizenship. Many others don't have it, and both your parents must be citizens for you to be a citizen at birth. Also, for example, in France your passport doesn't prove your citizenship; it serves only as an indication of French citizenship, that is, it establishes the presumption of French citizenship.

In other words, if you're born to foreign parents living legally in France, forget about citizenship at birth; you have to apply for it once you reach adulthood or the legal age of 18.
 
Its true, men in uniform still make me uneasy, just by habit. I didn't want to worry about explaining my tickets or run-ins with the law during the immigration process. On the flip side, I have become more of an *** to people that are asses. Don't mind getting a little citation for indulging in a cussing contest or tussle anymore!:D
 
Its all upto the individual..

As long as you have friends/relatives that are not citizens, USCIS will be a part of your life..
Having said that, I was never uncomfortable dealing with the BP agents, never worried about traffic tickets just because I'm an immigrant, never woke up wondering what will happen if US deports me.. Its all part of life..
One thing though, think of yourself as American. I think thats the important thing. When you feel like an American, you will automatically behave like one. I learned this the day I set foot in this country. My immigration status is my business and the USCIS's business. Nobody else's..
 
USER2345 said:
I am jealous of my and your guys future kids who will be born here in America, they will not have to deal with USCS ever nor will they ever know the amount of suffering I went trough.
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Sometimes I wonder if that is a good thing. I lived in India, the middle east and about 13 yrs in the US now. I think all this makes your life much richer. It is amazing how Americans(I guess I am one now-just getting used to it!!) take everything for granted-like a birthright.

As far as speeding goes-that is one thing I will do. I think nowadays in India they have speed limits-or at least signs. but I learnt to drive there and no signs -you just drove at the appropriate speed not some sign on a freeway.

I was a just a bit nostalgic thinking back at my oath ceremony, about all the old meories. Until then I was an Indian and now an American. I did the whole F1, H1, Greencard, citizenship route. The A file was very thick for me-they even had my old transcripts from my indian university(I guess the school sends a copy of the transcripts to the USCIS?)
Life does move in varied ways.
 
tnwalker said:
I was a just a bit nostalgic thinking back at my oath ceremony, about all the old meories. Until then I was an Indian and now an American.
Life does move in varied ways.
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Well, ethnically you're still an Indian. That's the great thing about America; you can be anything you want/are ethnically while being legally an American (or not).
 
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