US Citizenship application problem

G

gp366

New Member
I was an international student in the US from Canada from 2000 to 2004. During my junior year in 2003, I lied to the immigration officer at the airport in Toronto, saying I was traveling to US because I didn't get the travel stamp. I got caught, got a lecture and a stern warning from 2 USCIS agents about lying. They told me that I had to get new travel documents from my school. I got them expedited a week later from my school and I was granted entry and resumed my studies and graduated in 2004.

In the mean time, I met my future wife and we married in early 2004. Applied for permanent residency and got my conditional green card soon after in 2004. During the interview, they did ask me what had happened in 2003. I apologized and told them it would never happen again. Got the conditional part removed on my green card in 2007.

Now I am applying citizenship. Form N-400 has questions about moral character and about lying to US officials.

I know that I have to be honest about what happened in 2003 when I was a student. I have not been in any legal troubles since that incident.

Will this incident prevent me from becoming a citizen? If I don't pass, can or will they take away my green card?

Thanks for the help
 
gp366 said:
I was an international student in the US from Canada from 2000 to 2004. During my junior year in 2003, I lied to the immigration officer at the airport in Toronto, saying I was traveling to US because I didn't get the travel stamp.
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What do you mean? Why would anybody travel to the US because they don't have a "travel stamp" (a visa stamped in your passport?)? Wasn't it true that you were traveling to the US, and also true that you didn't have a "travel stamp", so what was the lie?

Do you mean that you told them you were entering as a visitor, instead of telling them that you were entering the US to study?

Will this incident prevent me from becoming a citizen? If I don't pass, can or will they take away my green card?
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They knew about the incident before you got your green card, and you got your green card more than 5 years ago, so the statute of limitations to rescind your green card has run out and they can't take away your green card for that.
 
Yeah a couple of confusing parts in your story: the part about the travel stamp, and the travel documents from your school.

Anyway, like Jack says, they've known about this for a while and have been ok with it, so you WILL have to disclose it.
 
On the student visa, it had an area for the international student office to sign and date. This area allowed Canadians to travel to and from US for vacations and breaks. The signature was good for 6 months. Not sure if they do this anymore, but in the early 2000's they did.
 
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