Several personal concerns on N-400 application...

So much of my time/energy/efforts I poured here in answering all these serious concerns in details which no any attorney would ever even think to spend on anyone even if someone pays them big money, and I got not even an acknowledgement (which is different than thanks) !!! It says a lot about someone being "TRUE American"....Regret that I even bothered to respond....
 
Well, Johnny, the way I deal with these things, is that I never respond to questions which I see as morally reprehesive behavior. One, I am not excited about helping such people dodge the system, and second such behavior is not random, it is inbuilt, inherent and compulsive. Even in my personal life I stay away from these type of people. I am not surprised at this person's response. He does not think he did anything wrong- being an illegal person for so long, claiming to be a US citizen, repeatedly voting unknowingly (!) and now, after all that still wishing to be a US citizen solely on the basis of having 5 children with a US citizen. Only in the US can anyone get away with such an unimpressive track record.



JohnnyCash said:
So much of my time/energy/efforts I poured here in answering all these serious concerns in details which no any attorney would ever even think to spend on anyone even if someone pays them big money, and I got not even an acknowledgement (which is different than thanks) !!! It says a lot about someone being "TRUE American"....Regret that I even bothered to respond....
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Hi JohnnyCash,

For whatever is worth. I am always very impressed with your thorough and authoritative replies. They are always full of good insight and no-nonsense good advice. Yes, it is sometimes a bit frustrating that such a time investment receives relatively little effort in the acknowledgements. Sometimes, I have even seen people asking the same question more than once and never caring to even answer any of the questions asked of them. At least Want2BAmerican has been engaging in conversation in this thread. I know his background is far from spotless, but I still wish him well.

My 2 cents.
 
JohnnyCash said:
So much of my time/energy/efforts I poured here in answering all these serious concerns in details which no any attorney would ever even think to spend on anyone even if someone pays them big money, and I got not even an acknowledgement (which is different than thanks) !!! It says a lot about someone being "TRUE American"....Regret that I even bothered to respond....
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Well JohnnyCash, you may not realize it but your thorough and detailed answers (which take a lot of thought and effort to compile) are always read by many people on this forum. It may have not been acknowledged by the intended poster, but others on this forum (including me) have found it quite insightful, helpful, and we all appreciate and value them..... please do continue to help.
 
JohnnyCash said:
So much of my time/energy/efforts I poured here in answering all these serious concerns in details which no any attorney would ever even think to spend on anyone even if someone pays them big money, and I got not even an acknowledgement (which is different than thanks) !!! It says a lot about someone being "TRUE American"....Regret that I even bothered to respond....
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I applogize for not thanking and acknowleging your efforts. I did read the original response throughly, and it was simply an oversight on my part. I do appreciate your input, and hope that you will accept my appologies. :)
 
brb2 said:
Well, Johnny, the way I deal with these things, is that I never respond to questions which I see as morally reprehesive behavior. One, I am not excited about helping such people dodge the system, and second such behavior is not random, it is inbuilt, inherent and compulsive. Even in my personal life I stay away from these type of people. I am not surprised at this person's response. He does not think he did anything wrong- being an illegal person for so long, claiming to be a US citizen, repeatedly voting unknowingly (!) and now, after all that still wishing to be a US citizen solely on the basis of having 5 children with a US citizen. Only in the US can anyone get away with such an unimpressive track record.
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WOW! I assure you that if you knew me beyond an internet forum you would not feel the way you do. But it takes all kinds (you, me, everyone else here, and all in this great melting pot called America), and with what you have seen thus far I can respect your point of view.

I find it surprising that your last sentence follows the rest. It leaves me wondering if you think highly of the US, or not?
 
you seem to be in a predicament

It is hard to believe that anyone thinks they can vote without being a citizen. However, it is also hard to believe anyone will vote knowing it is illegal for them to do so because so few of the people who are eligible to vote even bother to do it. However, you might want to read the following - this gentleman was deported for registering to vote unintentionally even though he never voted - what you have done is considered a very serious offense and there is absolutely no leniency on this matter. Do you still live in the state/county where you registered to vote - if they ever get serious about illegal voting and cross reference voter registration with other records - you could still be at risk. it seems like you'll have to live with the possibility that this may come back to haunt you and meanwhile, you are probably better off not filing your N-400 because the only way to pass through the process is for you to lie (again) and you will then be at risk at all future times for lying to the USCIS.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/12/washington/12fraud.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

In Pakistan, Usman Ali is trying to rebuild his life after being deported from Florida, his legal home of more than a decade, for improperly filling out a voter-registration card while renewing his driver’s license.

…

Mr. Ali, 68, who had owned a jewelry store in Tallahassee, got into trouble after a clerk at the motor vehicles office had him complete a registration form that he quickly filled out in line, unaware that it was reserved just for United States citizens.

Even though he never voted, he was deported after living legally in this country for more than 10 years because of his misdemeanor federal criminal conviction.
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Well, I do think highly of America. But I do belong to the more conservative thought of line and would feel more at home in a republican tent:) In this way of thinking, taking personal responsibility and rule of law is of high importance. The illegal and legal debate pretty much sums up both sides of the coin. Democrats are for legalization, and republicans are by and large not comfortable rewarding illegal behavior.

Thanks for responding to JohnnyCash, and after seeing your response I do think there is more to you then your internet profile and it was not right of me to arrive at any conclusions based on a handful of your postings:)


Good luck with your attempt to become your citizenship. I would though suggest that you excercise extreme caution in the matter.

Want2BAmerican said:
.... It leaves me wondering if you think highly of the US, or not?
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hhhmmmmm.....

Want2BAmerican,

I am having a hard time believing your story about the voter registration, unless you had blinders on when you filled in the registration form. You can tell yourself (and everyone else on this board) that you made an "honest" mistake..... and actually believe what you are saying, but sometimes, the facts are hard to refute....... And as JohnnyCash said - pleading ignorance of the law is not a valid excuse:

Check out these sample forms:
http://www.goodexperience.com/broken/i/03/09/vote.s.jpg
http://www.ewingtwp.net/voterreg.htm
http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/elec/images/voterreg1.jpg
http://www.douglas-county.com/Clerk/voteapp1A.asp

Clearly, you had to answer YES or NO to the question "are you a U.S. citizen" :rolleyes:

Sorry, I'm not being a jerk - just trying to make you see this through the eyes of an IO
 
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rogerkint said:
It is hard to believe that anyone thinks they can vote without being a citizen. However, it is also hard to believe anyone will vote knowing it is illegal for them to do so because so few of the people who are eligible to vote even bother to do it. However, you might want to read the following - this gentleman was deported for registering to vote unintentionally even though he never voted - what you have done is considered a very serious offense and there is absolutely no leniency on this matter.
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This case from 2005 might be an interesting read. Personally, I feel that voting when you are explicitly not allowed to is wrong. But to say that there is no remedy might be inaccurate, and that the laws and regulations are not as black and white as we may think. The conclusion to this case states that "[t]he IJ's finding of removability, summarily affirmed by the BIA, is wrong."

Just my 2 cents.
 
mario123 said:
I am having a hard time believing your story about the voter registration
...
Clearly, you had to answer YES or NO to the question "are you a U.S. citizen" :rolleyes:
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I understand what you are saying; what you are telling me, indirectly is "be aware that your position is highly unlikely to be believed... by anyone."

Just to re-iterate, if there was a box to be checked yes or no, 'are you a US Citizen?' I did not, nor would not check it. This was my 2nd license renewal. The question posed to me (verbally, not in writing), was simply, would you like to register to vote? No question(s) about my nationality or Citizenship. I would testify this under oath. I imagine to others this may seem almost impossible. Well, I believe that the representative either by hand or by computer checked the box that I am a US Citizen; assuming that that question even exists on the IL (my home state) voter registration card application...
 
shadowfox said:
This case from 2005 might be an interesting read. Personally, I feel that voting when you are explicitly not allowed to is wrong. But to say that there is no remedy might be inaccurate, and that the laws and regulations are not as black and white as we may think. The conclusion to this case states that "[t]he IJ's finding of removability, summarily affirmed by the BIA, is wrong."

Just my 2 cents.
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Looks like you registered just to respond. Quickly scanning the case looks interesting. She claims she was not aware that she was not a citizen...

Thanks for your input.
 
I think McDonald's case hinged on Hawaii's finding of voter fraud against her, and she contended that the Hawaii statute requires a knowing and willful violation which she denies doing.

It also helped that she lived within the jurisdiction of the 9th Circuit, which is fairly liberal (and has a reversal rate in the Supreme Court of about 75%). I don't necessarily agree with the Appeals Court ruling (from a layman's and hobbyist's point of view), but the argument was superbly made nevertheless.

I think you have to consult with a knowledgeable attorney if you are still going for citizenship. I would personally not risk it. But that's just me. :)

P.S. I registered because I wanted to congratulate someone for receiving an interview letter, but your thread interested (and distracted) me. I read that court ruling when it came out because it was pointed out in one of the other immigration forums, and I was immediately reminded of it when I read your case.

Again, you should consult with a knowledgeable attorney if you are going to pursue citizenship. And do keep us updated. :)
 
I am the wife of Want2BAmerican. First of all I would like to say "THANK YOU" to you all for taking the time to answer my husbands questions.

I just wanted to chime in here. I know it is hard to believe that my husband did not know that he shouldn't vote. I had no clue either and I took the US Citizenship test I believe which is mandatory in the 10th grade.

A little background...

My husband and I met when we were 21. We married at 22. Way to young to get married, but we were young and in love. At that age you think you know everything, but now at 35 I realize we really didn't know much. I knew my husband was not a USC. I honestly felt like I was telling him to do the "Right thing" by voting. As a USC I don't think about the rules of citizenship everyday. I wish I did. I remember some voting came around and I was disappointed that he did not vote. I honestly felt like it would be better that he voted. Like it was saying..."I care so much about this country, I want to make sure I do what I can for it". I know it sounds ridiculous, but it is the truth. So, when it came time to renew his license and they asked about registering to vote...I was right there saying absolutely he will register. As far as the citizenship question, I don't remember it either so I can't respond. I know now, only after reading your responses, that this was wrong and it should not have been done. I love my husband very much. We have 5 beautiful children...ages 8 weeks to 12 years. We live a normal life. We live an upstanding life. We are honest people(even if it is hard to believe). I mean, my gosh, I don't know how many times I realized that I didn't pay for something at the grocery store and walked right back in and made sure it was paid for. We raise our children to be honest and compassionate. I guess I am saying all this because I don't want you to see my husband as just an illegal immigrant. He is a wonderful man who provides for his family.

I am proud to be an American. I am the first one to stop and respect the flag, I say the pledge of allegiance proudly, I hold my hand to my heart while listening to the National Anthem and I make sure everyone in my family is too. I would never intentionally disobey any law.

My husband has a lot of thinking to do. I don't want him to risk living in the US to become a citizen. I wouldn't want to leave, but I will follow him anywhere.

Again....Thank you so much, the advice is truly appreciated.
Cathy

PS be kind when responding to me, I don't post much:eek:
 
Thanks for posting Honey!

Just to add and further clarify, my wife and I are very very close, we seem to do so many things together. Whenever possible we are together. She is not my spokesperson, nor my puppet - meaning she does not do all the talking for me. I have no accent other than a midwestern American accent.

When I spoke to the immigration attorney Friday, she initially wished to know who I was calling about (what relationship to me). When I explained it was for myself, she proceeded to explain that she could always tell when a potential immigration/naturalization client was calling on their own behalf, as they always had some type of accent. She was rather surprised at the lack of accent. It was a first for he.

Not quite 100% sure I needed to mention all that, but in painting the picture I did not want those reading this to think that I am either: a) quiet and reserved; or b) allow my wife to (or years ago, allowed my wife to) communicate on my behalf because of my accent or lack of knowledge or intellect.

We simply make a wonderful team, as evidenced by our success thus far as a couple and family unit. So tough these days, even when both share the same background, religion and culture, let alone differing ones...

Hope that all makes sense!
 
equate said:
Hello mate

Getting denied for citizenship is not your only concern. You have commited some major blunders. Voting while being LPR is considered a false claim to be US citizen. As a penalty, ineligible non-citizens who knowingly vote may be deported.
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Yep that's what I was thinking too. It could be grounds for deportation with the voting issue. And with the Selective Service and the domestic report, just will fuel it even more for them to make a decision. You can stay (as for now) on a GC for as long as you wish. This might be very well you're best choice.

You cannot use an expired passport for any travel. In some countries they won't accept passports that are 6 months away from expiring. If you are driving across the border, you can use your Green Card. You won't be able to even board the plane in the US without a valid passport. They check that when you go on international flights right at check in...
 
Want2BAmerican

Go to a Canadian consulate and get a new passport. Believe me, you do not want to travel with a "White Passport". You will need to get visa anywhere you go (except Switzerland).

As for innocent mistakes, there is only one place the forgiveness is guaranteed - it is there in Heaven. Here on Earth, it is a much tougher crowd.
 
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