Does one HAVE to become naturalized?

[howdy_howdy]

I liked this part:

You go quail hunting with Dick Cheney and accidently shot him in the face. However, nearby secret service don't take it as an accident and charge you as a terrorist. Soon after you are secretly sent off to a foreign country for a lengthy interrogation which includes waterboarding

LMAO!!!!

Horror story 1:

You're at your friend's bachelor party where a stripper is offering her services to you. You accept and get a little rough with her. Little do you know she is an undercover cop and shortly after charges you with solicitation of a prostitute and assault of a police officer.

Horror story 2:

You're out late celebrating your new job promotion at your local bar, but have a few too many and drive home drunk. You get pulled over at a traffic stop and are charged with aggravated DWI after your blood alcohol level measures 0.27


Horror story 3:

You go quail hunting with Dick Cheney and accidently shot him in the face. However, nearby secret service don't take it as an accident and charge you as a terrorist. Soon after you are secretly sent off to a foreign country for a lengthy interrogation which includes waterboarding.

 

[Vorpal]

Horror story 3:

You go quail hunting with Dick Cheney.

You could have stopped right there.

 

[Al Southner]

WBH - Also if your GC expires and you don't renew it, your status still remains with you. The GC is just a piece of document. I would assume if you go to a citizenship interview the GC should be valid though. Don't worry and accept things like that otherwise you'd be more of a slave. Anyway just opinion. In any case I'll definitely get it done much sooner.

You seems NOT to understand the gravity of the situation with green card holders. For many people, unless you are assured that you won't commit an egregious crime that can trigger a deportation, continue living on green card. There so many issues which can happen that you have no control over which an put your immigration status in limbo. Have you ever considered some of these scenarios?

You accidentally run over a pedestrian, killing him instantly, who happen to be a rabbi at the local synagogue? The prosecutor aggressively pursues that case because of the upcoming election, send you to prison for 10 years, and 5 suspended, and you start serving immediately. If you are a green card holder, the moment you enter prison, your deportation is guaranteed and soon as you complete your prison sentence. As a citizen, once you leave prison you are free, but you will be a felon for life. Who is better among these two characters? The green card or US citizen? Plus as a green card holder, once you are deported, you might have a permanent bar in the US. As a US citizen, no such a thing.

You are in Vegas having fun, a voluptuous woman is enjoying being around you, unbeknown to you, she is a prostitute extraordinaire and has been in jail numerous time. You invite her to your hotel to have fun with her fake boobs, undercover officer who knows her follows you two, as soon as you enter the hotel and you are warming up the beast, a knock on the door and cops bust in, under arrest for patronizing a hooker. As a green card holder, your moral turpitude standard has been compromised. As a citizen, you will pay the fine and leave with the prostitute to go back to your hotel to finish riding the fake bull...

If you weight $675 and 3 days off your job, against the far reaching consequence of an unintended consequence, I would chose $675 and 3 days off. You have vacation days for a reason, have you ever taken a vacation at your job?

 

[jayoa]

Speaking from experience, I have an in-law who is no longer in the US for ignorance and non-filing of his naturalization papers since he has had his green card in the 80s. Just like you, he did not plan on committing crimes, in fact he had just finished his masters after a BSc in computer science. In all he had to run away to Canada and forfeit all his accomplishments here including his green card for petty situation he unknowingly got tangled up in. Now he beats himself up for not filifng years ago when he had the opportunity, something that could have put him in a better position even with the situation he got into had he gotten his citizenship before all that.
Just so you know the degree of importance, In the past couple of weeks I just shelled out US$12,000.00 to the IRS in back taxes for the past two years (mainly b ecause i own a business and I hate book keeping and have just finally gotten to completing them) so I can be clear before my interview, for which I just got my YL yesterday. They have cashed one of the checks, as soon as they cash the other one I am calling them to fax me a transcript that I need for my interview. Yes, it is extremely important that you naturalize.

 

[Al Southner]

Speaking from experience, I have an in-law who is no longer in the US for ignorance and non-filing of his naturalization papers since he has had his green card in the 80s. Just like you, he did not plan on committing crimes, in fact he had just finished his masters after a BSc in computer science. In all he had to run away to Canada and forfeit all his accomplishments here including his green card for petty situation he unknowingly got tangled up in. Now he beats himself up for not filifng years ago when he had the opportunity, something that could have put him in a better position even with the situation he got into had he gotten his citizenship before all that.
Just so you know the degree of importance, In the past couple of weeks I just shelled out US$12,000.00 to the IRS in back taxes for the past two years (mainly b ecause i own a business and I hate book keeping and have just finally gotten to completing them) so I can be clear before my interview, for which I just got my YL yesterday. They have cashed one of the checks, as soon as they cash the other one I am calling them to fax me a transcript that I need for my interview. Yes, it is extremely important that you naturalize.

J,

Good for you. Just outsource your bookkeeping to one of the small firms here in DC, it will cost you less than the $12k you just turned over to Uncle Sam. I agree with your point, your family member could have naturalized long time ago and avoided running to Canada, there's nothing wrong with Canada. The OP isn't planning on doing something wrong, but something wrong is planning to visit him in the future, by this time, Canada won't be accepting criminals from the US, Mexico will be the one accepting them...lol!!!

 

[Huracan]

You dismiss the voting part, but that should also be a good reason to naturalize, not just for the impact your vote can have on Federal elections, but on local elections. If you don't perform your civic duties some others will do to their interests, not yours.

 

[Al Southner]

You dismiss the voting part, but that should also be a good reason to naturalize, not just for the impact your vote can have on Federal elections, but on local elections. If you don't perform your civic duties some others will do to their interests, not yours.

Hura,

I respectfully disagree with you, "perform civic duties or others will their interest not yours" Lobbyist are the only people who have their way in this country, Americans are assaulted daily by laws passed by a do-nothing Congress full of old men who are wealthy. When last did you meet with your Congressman to discuss funding for a federal highway in your county? However, the lobbyist for the banking industry has been in his office 20 times in the last 6 months, to make sure the interest rates and late fee charges are kept in the financial reform legislation, plus he got $25,000 towards his reelection campaign. Who is going to win between you and the lobbyist? I will bet the lobbyist....lol!!!

I know this because I had to go and see a Congressman in my district about the same financial law affecting the private equity start-up which we just started...lol!!

 

[Huracan]

Disagreement noted I know it is easy to get disillusioned with the political process, and I am sure lobbyists more than anyone want to see disillusioned voters. I still think it is better to be involved than to throw up the hands up in the air and give up It might be difficult to force change in a big scale, but perhaps on a small scale, city, school.

By the way I found your post about the riding the fake bull hilarious

 

[jayoa]

J,

Good for you. Just outsource your bookkeeping to one of the small firms here in DC, it will cost you less than the $12k you just turned over to Uncle Sam. I agree with your point, your family member could have naturalized long time ago and avoided running to Canada, there's nothing wrong with Canada. The OP isn't planning on doing something wrong, but something wrong is planning to visit him in the future, by this time, Canada won't be accepting criminals from the US, Mexico will be the one accepting them...lol!!!

I know, I have tried outsourcing to some one else to do the book keeping but they don't do the books as good as they should hence it makes it hard to know who owes and who does not owe my business so I have to take the time to do it myself even though I hate to do it. What book keepers care about is balancing the numbers between the bank statements and reports. In my experience with book keepers, they usually do not take into consideration invoices that have been written but yet to be collected as well as owed vendor payments (receivables and payables) so those parts are left out even though the books may seem balanced. I just have to continue this way and learn the tricks of money management and investments that will help me pay less taxes according to my accountant.

 

[Al Southner]

Disagreement noted I know it is easy to get disillusioned with the political process, and I am sure lobbyists more than anyone want to see disillusioned voters. I still think it is better to be involved than to throw up the hands up in the air and give up It might be difficult to force change in a big scale, but perhaps on a small scale, city, school.

By the way I found your post about the riding the fake bull hilarious

Hura,

I am glad you enjoyed, we can afford to have fun and not be too uptight about this immigration stuff. The last time I was at the District Office, 99% of people looked like they drank grape juice with onions bread, all serious and scared, so why not bring levity to the board?

 

[Al Southner]

I know, I have tried outsourcing to some one else to do the book keeping but they don't do the books as good as they should hence it makes it hard to know who owes and who does not owe my business so I have to take the time to do it myself even though I hate to do it. What book keepers care about is balancing the numbers between the bank statements and reports. In my experience with book keepers, they usually do not take into consideration invoices that have been written but yet to be collected as well as owed vendor payments (receivables and payables) so those parts are left out even though the books may seem balanced. I just have to continue this way and learn the tricks of money management and investments that will help me pay less taxes according to my accountant.

J,

All noted. Any luck with a CPA? I view them to be certified in helping you rip-off the IRS hiding behind some arcane laws, if private equity managers pay less income tax than their maids, why you NOT you?