F-1 student spouse

M

mkotwani

Registered Users (C)
Folks,
I am applying for citizenship, and my wife is an F1 student, and does not have a SS#. I had a few questions related to that

1.There is a section for the A# of the spouse. Do F-1 students have A#? Is it the same as the I94 num?

2. I was thinking of sending a copy of my wife's visa and I94 in any case. Does sending documents that were not explicity asked for cause any problems?

3. I read on the forum that if I change my address, I need to notify them, which I will do if I move. But the mailing address I am giving out is in another city by itself, about 400 miles away, but in CA itself. I want to put that because I might move, and I dont want notices to go to the wrong place. So, is it OK to do that, or does the mailing address have to be in the same city as the home address?

Thanks!
 
First of all, your wife should have a SS#. Every F-1 student gets one with a mention on it "Not valid without work authorization"...or something like, if I remember correctly.

Second, you cannot apply for citizenship for her....She needs first to get a GC and then the Citizenship. I assume that you are US citizen, otherwise you cannot sponsor your wife for a GC.

The A# means Alien #, a number that one gets when receives a EAD (Employment authorization document) and//or GC (GreenCard).

Good luck!

Adina
 
answers

mkotwani said:
Folks,
I am applying for citizenship, and my wife is an F1 student, and does not have a SS#. I had a few questions related to that

not having an SSN is just fine....

1.There is a section for the A# of the spouse. Do F-1 students have A#? Is it the same as the I94 num?

If they have obtained EAD, then they do. However, once you submit forms, the notice receipts (797) have a new A#...at least my wife seems to have gotten a new A# now. It's different than the I94 #.

2. I was thinking of sending a copy of my wife's visa and I94 in any case. Does sending documents that were not explicity asked for cause any problems?

What forms are you referring to ?. I think, the 485 requires proof of status. Is that what u are referring to ?
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adina said:
First of all, your wife should have a SS#. Every F-1 student gets one with a mention on it "Not valid without work authorization"...or something like, if I remember correctly.

Second, you cannot apply for citizenship for her....She needs first to get a GC and then the Citizenship. I assume that you are US citizen, otherwise you cannot sponsor your wife for a GC.

The A# means Alien #, a number that one gets when receives a EAD (Employment authorization document) and//or GC (GreenCard).

Good luck!

Adina
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Are you sure about that Adina? For an F1 students, they can only apply for SSN if they have a part-time job (on campus) waiting for them. If they are merely studying, they may not even have to apply (or have) SSN. Also, mkotwani seems to be applying for his Citizenship and is only listing his wife's information (since its needed) on the application.

To Answer your questions, I agree with kkboy:
1.There is a section for the A# of the spouse. Do F-1 students have A#? Is it the same as the I94 num?
> You can skip that section for her. An A# or alien number is usually permanently assigned during the GC process. A person sometimes can have multiple A# due to multiple status changes (from F1 to H1 to GC).
2. I was thinking of sending a copy of my wife's visa and I94 in any case. Does sending documents that were not explicity asked for cause any problems?
> Its up to you, but if I were you I will only send the documents needed as per the Guide to Citizenship and nothing else. USCIS can ask for RFE (Request for Evidence) before the interview or the I/O may ask if needed. But this is about your citizenship and most of the questions are going to be about you.
3. I read on the forum that if I change my address, I need to notify them, which I will do if I move. But the mailing address I am giving out is in another city by itself, about 400 miles away, but in CA itself. I want to put that because I might move, and I dont want notices to go to the wrong place. So, is it OK to do that, or does the mailing address have to be in the same city as the home address?
> Now watch out for this one because:
a) You are supposed to be living in your current address for atleast 3 months (90 days) so obviously you cannot give your future address
b) If you give your current address and then file AR11 (and I Suggest you call USCIS as well), your file move to the new District Office (even within same state) and may delay the processing of N-400. BTW: I have compared the zip addresses of your current and future residence to see if the District Address changes?
 
koolvik is correct....

..my apologies. I assumed that you are asking about your wife's info for her GC...

You are only talking about N400.

I was going thru the same situation but my wife had an EAD and A # and SSN as well. HOWEVER, the IO did read about my wife's status and asked " what's your wife's current status"? I said "She's on H-1B now".
Then he said " ah ok, I was a bit worried looking at the F1 status...kind of alerted me of something"
I dunno what the heck he meant by that but he was happy to hear that my wife had moved on to a dual intent visa by the time I reached the interview table..whew ! But be ready to answer any questions about her current status..and future status, her GC filing. He may ask you questions..so be prepared.

PS: MKOTWANI, put "NONE" in both fields of N400 ( A# and SSN for spouse).
Also, remember what koolvik said about the "90 day clause"...your app will be rejected if you don't file from the new location and if you haven't been ther efor 90 days. It's a domicile requirement...be safe.
 
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3. I read on the forum that if I change my address, I need to notify them, which I will do if I move. But the mailing address I am giving out is in another city by itself, about 400 miles away, but in CA itself. I want to put that because I might move, and I dont want notices to go to the wrong place. So, is it OK to do that, or does the mailing address have to be in the same city as the home address?
> Now watch out for this one because:
a) You are supposed to be living in your current address for atleast 3 months (90 days) so obviously you cannot give your future address
b) If you give your current address and then file AR11 (and I Suggest you call USCIS as well), your file move to the new District Office (even within same state) and may delay the processing of N-400. BTW: I have compared the zip addresses of your current and future residence to see if the District Address changes?[/QUOTE]

>>> Is it OK to specify the mailing address as different from the home address. My home address will be where I am living. For e.g if you go through a lawyer, the mailing address is his address, and the home address is yours. You are right about the 3 month residence requirement, but can I specify a different mailing address that is not in the same city?

Thanks!
 
mkotwani said:
>>> Is it OK to specify the mailing address as different from the home address. My home address will be where I am living. For e.g if you go through a lawyer, the mailing address is his address, and the home address is yours. You are right about the 3 month residence requirement, but can I specify a different mailing address that is not in the same city?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Good question and I am trying to see how you intend to use the combination of the mailing and permanent address. Most of the people on this forum have filled N-400 personally (including me) with only one permanent address. Others can chime in here as well.

Without knowing your timeline (when are filing, when are moving), the advise from us is going to be blindsided. Keep in mind that its your permanent address that has to match with address on N-400 and your DL at the time of the interview (and yes they check it for sure). If notices are going to be sent to your (future) Mailing address, are you going to be there in next 3 weeks after the application? (Since the NOA + FP Notice will be sent there)

Can't you wait for 90 days after you move (seems to be happening soon anyway) and then apply? Some DO are very fast and it’s been taking 3-4 months to get the approvals. In the long scheme of things a 4 month delay in N-400 is better than missing a notice from USCIS and trying to get it back for the next 6-7 months (or more than a year in some cases).
 
If you are F1 student, you have an assistantship, so, you get paid...unless you have very rich parents to pay for your studies. Therefore, you need a SS#. And with that...don't forget TAX RETURN!!!! Yes, you pay taxes...However, yes, is true you cannot work more than 20 hr per week and that needs to be done in campus...I've been there...done that...

Once you get your GC, you go to the SS Dept. and they change your SS Card. Again...I've been there...done that...

And, sorry...I thought he applies for his wife's citizenship based on all the questions...My bad!

You don't have to attach to many papers to the N-400. It's better to have them ready at the interview in case they ask for them.

Just say F1 student and that's it.

With the address...I would wait...move first, wait 3 mo. and do it afterwards. It's safer that way.

Good Luck....and welcome to the club...

Adina
 
koolvik7 said:
Good question and I am trying to see how you intend to use the combination of the mailing and permanent address. Most of the people on this forum have filled N-400 personally (including me) with only one permanent address. Others can chime in here as well.

Without knowing your timeline (when are filing, when are moving), the advise from us is going to be blindsided. Keep in mind that its your permanent address that has to match with address on N-400 and your DL at the time of the interview (and yes they check it for sure). If notices are going to be sent to your (future) Mailing address, are you going to be there in next 3 weeks after the application? (Since the NOA + FP Notice will be sent there)

Can't you wait for 90 days after you move (seems to be happening soon anyway) and then apply? Some DO are very fast and it’s been taking 3-4 months to get the approvals. In the long scheme of things a 4 month delay in N-400 is better than missing a notice from USCIS and trying to get it back for the next 6-7 months (or more than a year in some cases).
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I am actually giving out a relative's address as the mailing address. They are definitely not moving. I am not moving in with them, but I might just move within the same city. I dont plan to move for 3 to 4 months, even 6, but I dont want to discount that possibility. And I want to apply asap:(

It is like the case of a lawyer applying for you. They put their mailing address on the application.
 
Well, that is a very simplistic assumption! There are a large number of students, particularly at the undergraduate level who don't have an assistantship or on-campus job and thus are not eligible to receive an SS card. The scenario in the post 9/11 world is very different for obtaining SS number. Any one, including an illegal immigrant can get a tax ID for filing tax returns.
Education at state universities are typically very affordable, particularly in states like MN where foreign students pay in-state tuition fees, which is far less than what a US citizen from out-state would typically pay. So one does not need to have rich parents to study in the US.

adina said:
If you are F1 student, you have an assistantship, so, you get paid...unless you have very rich parents to pay for your studies. ....

Adina
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