N-400 application returned with strange reason

S

sjsharma2001

New Member
Hello,

My N-400 application was returned back to me a couple of weeks after applying with the message:

"The Service center is unable to process your petition/application because someone other than CIS has endorsed the fee payment you submitted. Please submit a new payment and return it with your petition/application.

For security purposes, all checks and money orders are endorsed "For Deposit Only" upon receipt. You may present this letter to the financial institution issuing the remittance when requesting a refund."

This is what I had sent in:
The completed N400
2 photos
front and back copy of green card
personal check for $390 payable to "US Citizenship and Immigration Services"

Anyone know what I am supposed to do? Just the usual personal check is fine, correct? I did put my A number in the memo section and on the back of the check . Maybe I should not have written anything on the back?

I called the NSC number today but the wait time was 30 minutes and the system directed me to call another time and hung up!

Any insight is welcome.

Thanks
SS
 
JoeF,

Form M-477 “Document Checklist” page 1, all applicants must send the following 3 things with their N-400 application, states that

3. A check or money ….write your ‘A” number on the back of the check or money order”

please advise.

JoeF said:
Yup. That's the problem. Never write anything on the back of a check you write.
Click to expand...
 
sjsharma2001 said:
This is what I had sent in:
The completed N400
2 photos
front and back copy of green card
personal check for $390 payable to "US Citizenship and Immigration Services"
Click to expand...

I remember making the check out to "US Department of Homeland Security".
 
applyforcitizen said:
JoeF,

Form M-477 “Document Checklist” page 1, all applicants must send the following 3 things with their N-400 application, states that

3. A check or money ….write your ‘A” number on the back of the check or money order”

please advise.
Click to expand...

I wrote the "A" number on the back of the check or money order. Payable to US Department of Homeland Security
 
Last edited by a moderator:
JoeF said:
Yup. That's the problem. Never write anything on the back of a check you write.
Click to expand...

i do not think the reason of the OP's check being rejected because of the wrong payable to.
 
sjsharma2001,
Did you get your original check back with your application? Maybe you or someone else signed it by mistake?
 
I looked at the scanned image of my encashed check, and I had written my A# right next to the words Endorse Here but above the lines where the X and signature and address lines are.

The correct payee is "U.S. Department of Homeland Security" per the latest instructions in the Guide to Naturalization -- other information elsewhere on the USCIS website about the payee was / is outdated.
 
Hello everyone,

Thanks for your replies.

Looks like one mistake was the payable to.. Should be Department of Homeland Security (as per the latest naturalization guide towards the very end)

Yes I received the check back. There is no "signature" on the back. There is nothing in the "Endorse here" box. In the center of the check, I had written the following " N-400 MYNAME A# XXX-XXX-XXX".

It says on the back of the check that I am not supposed to write, stamp or sign anything below the "Endorse here" box. So that IS a problem.

But my question is: If I write the A number in the "Endorse here" box, won't that cause a problem as well (since that box is for endorsing)? Has anyone recently submitted a personal check with the A number in the "Endorse here" box? Or anyone submitted a personal check with nothing on the back? (and the check was cashed by DHS). Would it be better to send cashier's check or money order instead?

Thanks
SS
 
As I described, I wrote my A# immediately above the Endorse Here signature line and it was accepted and cashed without any problems. I suspect they rejected yours because it was below this block, where you're not supposed to write anything. Also,from the description of what you wrote, you had put you own name on the back -- that's definitely a no-no as only the payee's name should be on the back for check endorsement. You should just write the A# and that's it!

If you don't want to risk this, then maybe you could write the number on the front -- most personal checks have a "memo" line there where you can put account numbers, etc. for the payment.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
sjsharma2001 said:
Hello everyone,

Thanks for your replies.

Looks like one mistake was the payable to.. Should be Department of Homeland Security (as per the latest naturalization guide towards the very end)

Yes I received the check back. There is no "signature" on the back. There is nothing in the "Endorse here" box. In the center of the check, I had written the following " N-400 MYNAME A# XXX-XXX-XXX".

It says on the back of the check that I am not supposed to write, stamp or sign anything below the "Endorse here" box. So that IS a problem.

But my question is: If I write the A number in the "Endorse here" box, won't that cause a problem as well (since that box is for endorsing)? Has anyone recently submitted a personal check with the A number in the "Endorse here" box? Or anyone submitted a personal check with nothing on the back? (and the check was cashed by DHS). Would it be better to send cashier's check or money order instead?

Thanks
SS
Click to expand...

Why don't you just send a cashiers check, if you have concerns. It is a rule of thumb, that you cannot write anything on the back of the check below the line which says "for financial institution use only" You can however write your A# where it says endorse here...

Your check was rejected because you wrote something in the space where you are not supposed to!
 
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