When should I apply for citizenship?

A

asylumguy

Registered Users (C)
Hi guys,

I have my Green Card (asylee). On the GC it says "Resident Since: 07/19/04"

1)
If I understand correctly, I will eligible to apply for citizenship in 4yrs & 9months on 04/19/09. Is that correct?

2)
In addition to this, I am marrying a US citizen in 1 month. I heard that I can apply for citizenship sooner if I'm married to a US citizen. Is this true? if so, how soon can I apply?

3)
Would you recommend applying to citizenship because of marriage or would you recommend waiting for 2009 and apply using my permanent residency as asylee?

Thank you for you insight & happy new Year.
 
asylumguy
Suppose, you marry a US citizen on 02/08/07. Then you will me eligible to apply for US citizenship based on a continuous marriage to the same US citizen on 02/08/10. i.e. full three years after the date of marriage. In your current status, asylum-based PR, your eligibility to apply for US citizenship comes 4 years and 9 months after the date on your GC. It appears in your case that the marriage to the US citizen will not make any difference for you in terms of shortening your waiting time. For me, the fact of marriage to the US citizen helps to cut waiting time for a whole year.
 
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Morning said:
asylumguy
Suppose, you marry a US citizen on 02/08/07. Then you will me eligible to apply for US citizenship based on a continuous marriage to the same US citizen on 02/08/10. i.e. full three years after the date of marriage. In your current status, asylum-based PR, your eligibility to apply for US citizenship comes 4 years and 9 months after the date on your GC. It appears in your case that the marriage to the US citizen will not make any difference for you in terms of shortening your waiting time. For me, the fact of marriage to the US citizen helps to cut waiting time for a whole year.
Click to expand...

Correct analysis. :)
 
Asylumguy

Asylumguy,
What morning said is correct, just a little addition. You should apply after 5 Years minus 90 days from the date on your GC. Sometimes 4 years and nine months come out differently. I/O are very anal about this even for couple of days earlier, they have denied applications. Normally, they check this eligibility after you pass the interview and your test, so a lot of wasted time.
 
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My understanding is that citizenship applicants can apply citizenship after they have been permenant residence for five years. The 90 days is a rough estimate that the USCIS expects to process the application. The theory is that applicants should apply three months in advance so that when their file is ready for adjudication it would have completed the five years. For example, if USCIS gets more money and more officers and it makes the process take about two weeks, then the 3 month won't hold any more. In this scenario, applicants should file their application two weeks in advance. My point here is the filing of three months in advance is not law. The five years is the law.
 
Nope

Faysal, you are wrong once again. Here is the link to instructions for filing the N-400 from USCIS website. ON page 2 under the heading "When am I eligible to apply", it clearly states 90 days.
http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/n-400ins.pdf
You can apply 90 days before and not a day ahead and this rule is very strictly applied. If they complete the processing of your application before 90 days, then they wait to give you an oath date until you complete your years.
Here is an practical case from Citizenship forum to prove my point.
http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?t=236932
 
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Punjabi_Munda said:
Faysal, you are wrong once again. Here is the link to instructions for filing the N-400 from USCIS website. ON page 2 under the heading "When am I eligible to apply", it clearly states 90 days.
http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/n-400ins.pdf
You can apply 90 days before and not a day ahead and this rule is very strictly applied. If they complete the processing of your application before 90 days, then they wait to give you an oath date until you complete your years.
Here is an prctical case from Citizenship forum to prove my point.
http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?t=236932
Click to expand...

PM is right. I have heard of cases where they applied 1 day ahead and USCIS made a big deal. They are picky on this.

The citizenship forum even has a date calculation website so you can be exact. Here is the link

http://www.timeanddate.com/date/dateadd.html
 
Thanks

Thanks Wantmygcnow and Morning for actually seeing my point. Good to see people around who actually understand the issues. :)
 
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GrassRoot said:
Want, can you show how to use the date calculation ?
Click to expand...

You look at your "resident since date". For instance mine is 12/14/2004. So I am eligible 5 years(12/14/2009) but can apply 90 days before.

So you enter 12/14/2009 in the "enter date to add or subtract from" field
and then you put 90 days in the field where it says "DAY"S and select "subtract" and click "calculate new date"

It will give you date you should send your application.
 
Here you go...

Grassroot,
When you click the link, enter the date on your GC "Resident since" in the monthe, date and year columns.
Then at the bottom put the number of year and days to add or subtract, it will give you the date that you are looking for.
For example, if you got you GC on 09/25/05 and your GC says, Resdient Since 09/25/04, then put 09 in month and 25 in date and 2004 in the Year column. At the bottom put 4 in the year column and 90 in the days column. It will give you the date when you are eligible to apply for your Citizenship.
Thanks
 
Punjabi_Munda said:
Sorry Want, didn't see your reply before I replied.
Click to expand...

Want and PM, thank you for your prompt response.

Hopefully the congress can pass bill to reduce 5-yr to 4-yr or less. Also hope by then the infamous name check delay will be permanently gone.
 
GrassRoot said:
Want and PM, thank you for your prompt response.

Hopefully the congress can pass bill to reduce 5-yr to 4-yr or less. Also hope by then the infamous name check delay will be permanently gone.
Click to expand...


Anyone knows about any update on that law?
 
Punjabi_Munda said:
Faysal, you are wrong once again. Here is the link to instructions for filing the N-400 from USCIS website. ON page 2 under the heading "When am I eligible to apply", it clearly states 90 days.
http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/n-400ins.pdf
You can apply 90 days before and not a day ahead and this rule is very strictly applied. If they complete the processing of your application before 90 days, then they wait to give you an oath date until you complete your years.
Here is an practical case from Citizenship forum to prove my point.
http://boards.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?t=236932
Click to expand...


You love and enjoy pulling up my posts and commenting on them. You are the only person on this forum who does that if you noticed or not. I don't really understand you psyche but what you said is just what I said; You said, "If they complete the processing of your application before 90 days, then they wait to give you an oath date until you complete your years." This is the whole point I was making. I said one must complete 5 years to get his aoth. the three months are estimation of application processing time. and you just did a whole lot of research and digging and you just repeated what I said in your words. And you remember the embarassment that happened to you last time you challanged my post. Please go back to my post and carefully read it.
 
You are sick...

Faysal,
Like I have said before you really need help. I don't think your elevator goes all the way to the top floor. Its you who tried to negate what I said. I gave them the correct info that its 90 days and not three months and you are the one who negated what I said with your usual " a whole lot of nothing post", because you can't help it. You feel the need to post whether you have something constructive to add or not. Talk about embarrasment, huh? You are the one who were so embarrased that you told the forum that it's not what you meant in your posts when you called all asylees fake who go back to their COP. I know, now you have flip flopped your position on that like a politician. It was funny when you blamed it on your poor language skills. Oh another classic one was when you asked for Political asylum from this forum because you were looking for a safe haven from the troubles that your big mouth gets you in, every time you open it. You need professional help.
 
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Punjabi_Munda said:
Faysal,
Like I have said before you really need help. I don't think your elevator goes all the way to the top floor. Its you who tried to negate what I said. I gave them the correct info that its 90 days and not three months and you are the one who negated what I said with your ususal " a whole lot of nothing post", because you can't help it. You feel the need to post whether you have something constructive to add or not. Talk about embarrasment, huh? You are the one who were so embarrased that you told the forum that it's not what you meant in your posts when you called all asylees fake who go back to their COP. I know, now you have flip flopped your position on that like a politician. It was funny when you blamed it on your poor language skills. Oh another classic one was when you asked for Political asylum from this forum because you were looking for a safe haven from the troubles that your big mouth gets you in, every time you open it. You need professional help.
Click to expand...

Punjabi Munda: I appoligize to you 100% if you thought I was negating what you said. I was trying to clarify one point, and was expanding on what you said. Also there were others who posted their opinion.

I AGREE WITH YOU THAT I SAID I HAVE POOR COMMUNICATION BECAUSE YOU WERE NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT I WAS SAY; NOW IF YOU SAID IT TAKES 90 DAYS AND I SAID IT TAKES 3 MONTHS WE ARE SAYING THE SAME THING. WE ARE USING DIFFERENT UNITS. YOU USED DAYS; I USED MONTHS. 90 DAYS=3 MONTHS AND VICE VERSA.

DO YOU KNOW UNDERSTAND OR SEE THE LANGUAGE BARRIER. I WAS TAKING THE BLAME IN ORDER TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD; KIND OF SARCASTIC, AND YOU ARE STILL USING AGAINST ME. IF YOU CAN'T CONVERT DAYS INTO MONTHS OR MONTHS INTO DAYS AND YOU WANT TO GIVE SOUND FEED ON THIS FORUM AND CHALLANGE PEOPLE, THEN WE REAL ISSUE.

FINALLY, I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST YOU AND PLEASE ACCEPT MY APOLOGY IN CASE IF I HAD OFFENDED YOU IN THE PAST.
LET US GET OVER THE FUED. SAMAX...........
 
Hello P-M and faysal my dear buddies, you both contributed a lot and our forumees benefited a lot from your posts.. Let's get over and brace the future..
 
Ok

Apology accepted Faysal,
I do know how to convert months to days though. The fine line here is that if those three months happen to have two months of 31 days, then you'd be applying two days ahead and your application will be denied or I/O would ask to withdarw it since you don't fulfil the eligibility criteria. That's why Three months is not equal to 90 days here.
 
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