By the way the selective service registration criteria applies only if you are under 31 at the time of your N400. I am under 31, so I needed it. Not sure of your age....
N400 2019-2020 Asylee Tracker
- Thread starter 7of9
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By the way the selective service registration criteria applies only if you are under 31 at the time of your N400. I am under 31, so I needed it. Not sure of your age....
HoustonAssi
Active Member
Hello! @7of9, @Fin, @busydoingnothin - Good luck on your final step of the journey !! You guys are Awesome in helping others!
As you're almost on last step of immigration journey; Would you mind giving few tips to other on 'mistakes to avoid', Ways to expedite the process and about Lawyers ...
As you're almost on last step of immigration journey; Would you mind giving few tips to other on 'mistakes to avoid', Ways to expedite the process and about Lawyers ...
HoustonAssi
Active Member
One QQ, anyone of you had your kids as dependents in your applications? They asked to bring Kids also at; Asylum Interview and in court Hearings?
I came to the US when I as 20. I registered in 2004 - absentmindedly, the college just gave us the forms. I completely had no idea what I was doing, as an international student, you don't really know what you are doing, the office of international students just gives you the forms to fill
. I checked the form I submitted. It's not signed, probably the reason why they need me to bring a copy - I downloaded this report from selective service site. The card they mailed me in 2004, I used to have it, for like 10 years. I know I have a copy somewhere scanned, but the card itself, I chucked it away years or so ago.
They usually want you to bring all your dependents, as long as you live with them. This applies to all stages of the process. If you don't live with them, or they are out of the country, then they don't expect you to bring them to the interviews (asylum, green card, citizenship).
I came to the US when I as 20. I registered in 2004 - absentmindedly, the college just gave us the forms. I completely had no idea what I was doing, as an international student, you don't really know what you are doing, the office of international students just gives you the forms to fill
I checked the form I submitted. It's not signed, probably the reason why they need me to bring a copy - I downloaded this report from selective service site. The card they mailed me in 2004, I used to have it, for like 10 years. I know I have a copy somewhere scanned, but the card itself, I chucked it away years or so ago.
I think the letter you got was a generic letter asking for everything. You were not really required to register when you were on F1 and now since you are beyond 31, you are past the requirement. It’s only an issue for people who are between 26 and 31 as USCIS considers not registering as a strike against GMC. If you are under 26, you can register right before your interview as well but if you are over 26, you cannot register anymore and hence you are screwed and have to wait until you are 31 to file N400. You are completely in the clear and can ignore the requirement. Even if you take the letter, they won’t ask the question.
I finished my journey last year! So glad to be done with it…
For fellow Asylees , here are some of my pointers based on my personal experiences
1. Patience: The immigration process is a game of patience. You will most likely have delays but do not let this get to you. Keep living your life and do not think much about the process. Trust that it will happen. It took me from 2011 to 2019 from start to finish and I had setbacks like delays, denials, hearings postponed etc. Thankfully, I finished school, got a job, dated girls, bought a house, invested money etc. If I had let my immigration case drive my decisions then I would be far behind. Some may consider it a risky approach but everything comes with a risk and it’s better than sitting home depressed always thinking about something beyond your control.
2. If you can afford, always take a lawyer with you. There is a reason why even justice Kavanaugh had a lawyer representing him during his accusations. So did Rudy Guliani, an ex US attorney. It is very difficult to defend yourself in an adversarial situation. There are pro bono attorneys as well.
3. Read the law and make sure your attorney is doing it right. I found a lot about asylum and immigration law after my N400 was delayed due a s horrible experience with the adjudicator. I wish I had put in the effort to do this from the very beginning. I was clueless and knew very little.
4. Have a Plan B. These days things are getting tougher and tougher and unfortunately if you look at the history, immigration never gets easier, regardless of Trump. It got tougher during Obama than Bush time and Clinton time was easier than the 2000s. It may be beneficial to slowly start thinking about the possibility of moving to another safe country if things don’t work out here. We asylees obviously can’t move back home
busydoingnothin
Active Member
Like Fin said above, don't let the immigration process get to you. Take the processing times and delays with a grain of salt because oftentimes it is not you, it is the system that is unfortunately flawed and can have major drawbacks.
While I was waiting for my asylum interview (which, by the way, took 3.7 years), I saved a lot of money, traveled across the US.
When I got approved and received asylum, I fixed all my teeth, got a surgery to fix my underbite and got braces (thank God, my job has a great insurance), traveled even more within the US, got a new car, went back to college.
Got my GC, went abroad for the first time since I got to the US, finally saw my family, graduate college, saved a lot of money.
This country has supported me all the way since day 1. I have never doubted it and I will serve it for the rest of my life even just simply for the person it has molded me into and all the experiences I lived through whether good or bad. It wasn't an easy journey and I am still on it but you just need to keep your head held high at all times because for some waiting times and delays can be discouraging.
As far as the asylum interview goes, always bring a lawyer, no matter what. It will save you money down the road. Never second guess yourself on that one.
@Rodney1990 what's happening with your application. I'm know Manhattan is brutal right now, they haven't been moving forward at all...
HoustonAssi
Active Member
HoustonAssi
Active Member
Thanks for encouragement!! Good Luck for your future!!
HoustonAssi
Active Member
Heard that NY is dead slow now. Is this true? It used to be very good; wondering what happened
Day 164: - 16 Days before Interview. - Nothing much happening Slight concern from a report I saw where someone had a cancelled interview that had been scheduled on July 22 for early August. Not sure how accurate that report is, but in the era of Covid-19, or even before that, cancellation of scheduled interviews is/was normal.
busydoingnothin
Active Member
My estimated time changed from December 2020 to June 2021. Ain't that nice
Rodney1990
Registered Users (C)
Nothing new from me. I haven't posted in a while but I've been following. My case is still saying 'We are taking longer than expected to process your case. You do not need to do anything at this time.'
Last time I called USCIS, it was still at NBC waiting on the interview date from Norfolk Field Office. The wait continues for me.
Last time I called USCIS, it was still at NBC waiting on the interview date from Norfolk Field Office. The wait continues for me.
The estimated wait time hasn't been working. But I think this new changes, could actually be accurate, since practically all offices are open now. The estimate has a big draw-back: It's only accurate based on current conditions, if anything changes, the estimate vary wildly. But I hope you will see it going down in the next several months.
Great hearing from you @Rodney1990. We have been in this battle together, so I thought I should check in. I hear in the last two weeks, NYC offices have been getting back online, so hopefully, you will hear something soon.
Rodney1990
Registered Users (C)
I actually moved to Virginia so I'm waiting on the Norfolk field office. My case was transferred on 03/31/2020.
New Fees for n400 application have been published: Increasing from (PDF link!) $640 to $1,160, 81% increase... Including lawyer fees, seems the journey to be a citizen could be taking 10k minimum. Where will people get the money? New fees effective Oct 2.
HoustonAssi
Active Member
And still you need to add Attorney fee... right?