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We'll be eligible to apply for US citizenship this year :-)

Can anyone who has gone through the process recently provide some insight to the process?
I have the application forms - are there specifics I should know? web sites I should
look at? How long might it take?

Do I still have to demonstrate English comprehension even though its the only
language I speak? :-)

Ghostrider,

Cool I hope every works well and you join us as a fellow citizen!

Do I still have to demonstrate English comprehension even though its the only
language I speak? :-)

Last year I was looking to move to the UK to accept a job offer I had there. I had to take a test to prove I knew how to read and write English... Well I guess American is different than English

I wound up not taking the job because the pay wasn't enough for the cost of living in London... GUess I should have taken it because I just found out before Christmas that my current job is over as of 3/31...

My wife just started the process to get her citizenship so I wish I had some advice, but right now we are learning the process for ourselves. It sure can be a long path, but from what I understand, American makes the process easier than a lot of other countries. Good luck to you.

I've been through the process. However having served in the Military I don't think my situation was/is the same as yours. Basically fill out the paper work. Make your required appointments and keep your nose clean. I take it since you are eligible that you have gone through the process for temp and permanent residency status. Mine was as simple as filing the paperwork and waiting, fees were waived due to service, and waiting to be contacted. I received a letter of appointment for finger printing, did that. Once that was done it was hurry up and wait. Another appointment letter, this time I went for an interview with Agent. This lasted all of 15 minutes. The Agent called me in after reviewing my documents and asked me if I could make the swearing in ceremony the next day, but like I said your experience may differ form mine. From start to finish it took somewhere around 4 months.

There was a guy in front of me that had a 20 year old weapons charge that had been trying to get his for 10 years. Take form that what you will.

Not sure if you have to take the English competency exam or not. Being from the U.K and all.

The Only site I can think of that might help you is the INS site. Any other sites are filled with folks looking for free advice from Immigration Lawyers and Lawyers looking to get clients. Speaking of which, it might be in your best interest to get a Lawyer on retainer to help you navigate the system. I did that for my initial entry. Best 700.00 bucks I ever spent. HE filed all the paper work for me and my wife. Notified us of any hurdles that were coming up, But this was in Michigan were it wasn't unusual to wait 4 or 5 hours just to submit paper work or see someone.

Start studying now for your naturalization test. I mean you're going to have at least a 6month wait.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/ ... 2ca60aRCRD" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Anyway good luck. Getting my Citizenship was one of the proudest moments of my life.

Oh I'm Canadian so I didn't have to take the English exam.

Gunner21 wrote:I've been through the process. However having served in the Military I don't think my situation was/is the same as yours.

The US military or the Canadian military? I've often thought it was, um, odd that you could serve in the US military without being a citizen and not be offered immediate citizenship upon a non-dishonorable discharge. Perhaps there're good reasons for making ex-servicepeeps jump through the hoops, but I'm not creative enough to think of them.

I served in both. I was Canadian Reserves Armored RECCE (RECON Scout), while waiting for direct entry, then U.S. Infantry after 9/11 . Service members still have to go through the process but it felt like I was being inducted to the Good ole Boys Club, merely a formality. I dunno maybe since I passed BG check and already took an Oath with the Army and with no criminal history and an honorable discharge I was Good Guy Greg.

However they did at one point try to deport me because I missed an appointment. My Wife told them They were more than welcome to go get me, and that they should bring body armor and plenty water.

http://www.dhs.gov/files/immigration.shtm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


You should be able to find all the questions you need to learn, a lot of history and government, they might ask one or two questions for you to answer, they might ask you to write a short sentence ( I drove my red car to work today)
easy, but you have a lot to study, you need to get started
It does not take very long once you file and get your fingerprints taken.

http://www.uscis.gov/USCIS/Resources/B3en.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/ ... 2ca60aRCRD" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My mom got her citizenship (she is originally French) just a year before my dad died. That turned out to be fortuitous timing for her. She had been a resident alien married to an American citizen for 37 of the 38 years of their marriage before he passed. Although I don't know much about these things, my impression is that her continued stay in the U.S. after his death could have been problematic had she not become a citizen. She stopped teaching at Caltech about the time of his death and was no longer employed after that.

A resident alien has the right to live and work in the USA but they can't vote except for Democrats.

My mom got her citizenship (she is originally French) just a year before my dad died. That turned out to be fortuitous timing for her. She had been a resident alien married to an American citizen for 37 of the 38 years of their marriage before he passed. Although I don't know much about these things, my impression is that her continued stay in the U.S. after his death could have been problematic had she not become a citizen. She stopped teaching at Caltech about the time of his death and was no longer employed after that.

If she was a legal permanent resident (aka 'green card') there shouldn't have been any problem. OTOH, gov't haven't been known
to always follow their own policies consistently.

Well I guess American is different than English

yes.
And I speak Canadian, which is halfway in between. :-)

ghostrider wrote:

Well I guess American is different than English

yes.
And I speak Canadian, which is halfway in between. :-)

That explains your accent

ghostrider wrote:

Well I guess American is different than English

yes.
And I speak Canadian, which is halfway in between. :-)

Yes, but you're improving. I haven't seen an "Eh, yah hoser yah" punctuating any of your sentences.

The Annoyed Man wrote:

ghostrider wrote:

Well I guess American is different than English

yes.
And I speak Canadian, which is halfway in between. :-)

Yes, but you're improving. I haven't seen an "Eh, yah hoser yah" punctuating any of your sentences.

...which reminds of the joke about the young missionary woman from Minnesota who went to work in the mission fields in Palestine. There, she met a young Palestinian believer. They fell in love and were married. They named their first son Yasser Youbetcha.