N-400 days spent outside US and other clarifications

D

dannym

Registered Users (C)
My wife and I are considering applying for naturalization after having been legal Permanent Residents (GC holders) for 25 + years each.
We meet all the eligibility criteria as listed in Form N-400.
Here are a few questions that come to mind as we prepare to apply.
1. Do we send in our applications and payments together as husband and wife or are we expected to send them separately.
2. You are asked to list durations of trips made outside of the US for the last five years. They also ask that you give trip durations since becoming Legal Permanent Residents.
I am not clear as to which of the two applies - the five years or since we became Permanent Residents. If it is the latter, giving accurate travel dates from 25 years ago would be rather difficult.
It would be very helpful if readers could share and advise what they did in such situations where they had been Permanenet Residents for such a long time.
3. Lastly, what is the sequence of applying, fingerprinting and interview? Is the interview scheduled on the same day one is fingerprinted or is that at a later date and different location?
Thanks
Danny
 
Danny,

I'll attempts to answer the questions in the order you gave them.

1. Application for citizenship is an individual process, but there is a mechanism for grouping applications if you desire, although it is not recommended because if one person gets stuck (e.g. namecheck) you both get held up.

Simply put each application in a separate envelope with a check for $400 and the appropriate A# written on the front. Then (optionally) you can combine the applications in a larger single envelope and request group processing via a cover letter.

FYI - My wife and I submitted our applications separately, but at the same time. We were interviewed the same day, but had different oath ceremonies.

2. You are supposed to list all trips since becoming an LPR. :( Yup, its a pain in the backside, but do the best you can. USCIS do seem tolerant of vague data, especially if it is outside the 5 year window.

One of the reasons you need to list everything is because the IO will be trying to determine if you ever abandoned your LPR or broke continuous residency.

3. After sending your application, you receive a Notice of Action showing your priority date and case number. Several weeks later you will receive another letter scheduling you for fingerprinting at your local application support center (ASC). An indeterminate period after that (usually measured in months), you receive an appointment for interview, and lastly you receive an appointment to attend an oath ceremony. Sometimes, if you are very lucky, you may be able to take the oath on the same day that you interview.

The typical end to end timeframe is 3-6 months depending upon location and other factors. If you are unlucky and get held up in namecheck, your case may take considerably longer.
 
Thanks Boatbod. Appreciate the input. Guess its time to get to work on the travel dates !!!!
 
We downloaded and looked at the N-400 about 4 years before we finally submitted it - in part (a large part) because we had very little precise idea of our travels. In the end, we had pretty accurate data for 5 years, and pretty rough data for the 5 before that. For the most part, our description of our travels (in the first 5 years) was something along the lines of 2-5 trips to Canada each year, with most trips 10 days or less and no trip over 16 days. That worked for us.

good luck
 
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