My Journey to U.S. Citizenship – Step 1: Application

Today is the start of my journey to U.S. citizenship. I mailed my N-400 application to USCIS this morning, and will be blogging and recording each step along the way until the Naturalization Certificate arrives.

I will try to be as specific as possible, with hopefully enough details to help other DIYers. At a minimum, I would like to document the entire process so that people thinking about becoming a citizen have a live example to reference to. However, please keep in mind that your situation may be different from mine and adjustment in your application may be necessary.

Eligibility
First thing first, let’s check to see if I’m eligible to apply for citizenship, by going through the requirement list line by line:

  • You are a lawful permanent resident (green card holder): Sure.
  • You must be 18 years of age or older: I wish I had to think twice about this but yes, I met this requirement years ago! Oh well……time flies.
  • You have resided in the US as a lawful permanent resident (LPR) for at least 5 years, with no single absence from the US of more than one year. Absence of more than 6 months may restart the clock of counting Continuous Residence: Check. I did leave the U.S. several times on business and personal trips, but none exceeded three weeks, so I’m good.
  • You have been physically present in the US for at least half of the last 5 years (30 months): No problem. The total time I spent outside the U.S. in the last 5 years was less than two months, so I definitedly meet this requirement.
  • You have resided within a state or district for at least 3 months: Yep, been calling California home for 10 years now.
  • You must be a person of good moral character: I certainly think so 🙂
  • You can read, write, speak and understand basic English: No problem.
  • You have a basic knowledge of US history and government: Check (Note to myself: Go over the test questions before interview just in case).
  • You must show attachment to the principles of the Constitution: Done.

So, it appears that I’m indeed eligible. Now the question is when to file an application.

Note that my case is based on permanent residence through employment, but there are other ways to become an LPR and their naturalization requirments may be slightly different. For example, if you obtained your green card through marriage to a U.S. citizen, you only have to wait 3 years instead of 5 to be eligible for citizenship. Also, members and veterans of the U.S. armed forces, as well as their dependents, may be eligible for citizenship and may even qualify for expedited processing.

When to file?
You can apply for naturalization at any time as long as you meet the requirements at the time of filing. But if you want to become a citizen as soon as possible, you need to figure out the earliest date you can submit your N-400. USCIS will reject your application if you file too early.

You may submit Form N-400 up to 90 calendar days before your 5th (or 3rd if marriage-based) anniversary of becoming a permanent resident. For example, if your green card says “August 1, 2007,” you meet the 5-year permanent residence requirement on “August 1, 2012.” The earliest date you can apply for naturalization would then be May 3, 2012.

I’ve built a date calculator that can be used for this purpose. All you have to do is to select your anniversary date, and subtract 90 days (not 3 months) from it to get your early filing date.

The USCIS considers an application “filed” when they receive the package, and they don’t go by postmarks. So if you are in an absolute hurry, and want to make sure your application is received on exactly May 3rd as in the example above, you can actually mail it on the 2nd if you choose Next-Day courier service. If you use regular mail you have no control over when your application will be delivered, so the risk of filing too early would be higher. If possible, give it a few days of cushion just to be safe.

Form N-400
The Form N-400 is fairly straightforward. It took me less than half an hour from start to finish. One thing that helped was my habbit of scanning all immigration related documents, making it easy to search for information. My scanned old passport, for example, allowed me to quickly figure out the exact dates I was outside the country.

USCIS has the form, instructions, eligibility worksheet, and document checklist on their website for free download.

Form N-400 requires the following information, and some of them , if applicable to you, may need extra time to gather:

  • Part 1: Your Name and A-Number, including opportunity to change your legal name
  • Part 2: Your Eligibility
  • Part 3: Personal Information: SSN, DOB, Date of Becoming Permanent Resident, Current citizenship, Marital Status, Waiver Requests, etc.
  • Part 4: Address and Phone Number
  • Part 5: Information for Criminal Records Search: Gender, Height, Race, etc.
  • Part 6, Residence and Employment History for the Last Five Years
  • Part 7: Time Outside the U.S. including Exact Dates for Each Trip
  • Part 8: Marital History (including Current Spouse’s Marital History)
  • Part 9: Information about Your Children
  • Part 10: Long List of Yes/No Questions
  • Part 11, Your Signature
  • Part 12: Signature of Person Who Prepared the Form for You
  • Part 13: Signature at Interview (Don’t Sign Yet!)
  • Part 14: Signature for Oath of Allegiance (Don’t Sign Yet!)

Application Package
My naturalization application package included only five items:

  1. Form N-400
  2. Copy of both sides of my green card
  3. Personal Check for Payment of $680 ( = $595 + $85)
  4. Two Passport-Style Photos
  5. Form G-1145 for Electronic Notification (Optional)
One thing worth mentioning is that where to file your application depends on your residence (home State), delivery method (Express Mail, Courier Service vs. Regular Mail, e.g.) and whether you’re applying as a member of U.S. armed forces.

Photos

The photo requirements for naturalization are the same as other immigration related applications. You can get them at any place that offers passport photo services, such as the Post Office, Costco, CVS, or even online. However, it is also quite easy to do it yourself with a digital camera and an inkjet printer.

I did mine at home: Stood against a white wall, made sure the lighting was good to avoid shadows, used a tripod, and took a bunch of pictures. Then I simply picked the best (looking) one and used the State Department’s online photo tool to crop it. Finally I printed two photos on glossy media using an all-in-one printer. The hardest task was actually cutting out the 2″x2″ photo and I used a precision knife and a metal ruler to do the job (and it worked out just fine). My camera is a DSLR, but even point-and-shoot cameras in recent years should have sufficient resolution and image quality for this purpose. Cell phone cameras shouldn’t be used, however. The State Department has a resource center offering extensive information on passport photos, including the photo tool I just mentioned.

After all the work, the photos you submitted are probably useless. USCIS will most likely take your photo during your biometric appointment and use the digital image instead. But since they still require actual photos, we’ll have to submit them.

Good enough for now. I’ll update whenever there is a status change.

 Entire N-400 Citizenship Application Process:

18 thoughts on “My Journey to U.S. Citizenship – Step 1: Application”

  1. Welcome to the club 🙂 We currently have five people tracking their progress here – mostly under the Step 2 post. You can get a rough idea of when you should expect the next phase. Good luck!

  2. Excellent blog and crystal clear steps for naturalization. I got it through a friend and it exceeded my expectation.It’s even better then N-400 Instructions PDF of USCIS. Just one thing was missing the check should be payable to U.S department of homeland security. ( not to USCIS or USDHS etc ).
    God bless you.
    Rajesh

  3. I am applying on a three year requirement (married to a US Citizen)
    The Form asks for “days outside USduring last 5 years.
    Also asks for number of trips during last 5 years.
    I have been LPR for 6years but because Iam applying for 3 year requirement, how do I complete that part?

  4. How come you did not submit any certificate, IRS transcript, etc?
    I am applying on a 3year requirement basis.
    I have been LPR for more than that. Wil the absences and trips be for the last three years?
    The 3years back from the date of application?

  5. Marriage-based naturalization cases require different supporting documents. My application was based on 5-yr requirement so I didn’t need to submit certificate or transcript.

    As to listing trips outside the U.S., I would put down whatever Form N-400 asks. USCIS should figure out which trips count based on travel dates. But this is just personal opinion.

  6. I mailed my N-400( Application for Naturalization) on May 27,2014 along with Form I-912 ( Request to waive the Fee). My 5 years anniversary since I got my green card is August 18, 2014 but I mailed my application 90 days prior to that. You can request for a fee waiver if you are receiving Means-Tested Benefits or if Your household income is at or below 150 percent of the poverty level at the time you file or if you have some financial hardship at the time of filing. Visit http://www.USCIS.gov/feewaiver for additional information. In my parcel I put Form G-1145 ( e-Notification of application/Petition Acceptance) on top then Form I-912 with copy of Medicaid card attached( Since I requested the fee waiver based on the fact that I am receiving means-tested benefit)then Form N-400 with two photos,copy of my green card & continuation sheet( since I needed more space to write all my employment history).
    USCIS received my mail on May 29, 2014 and sent me a text message on June 17, 2014 with the case number confirming my request for a fee waiver is approved. I received the notice by mail on June 20,2014. When I checked the status of my case, the N-400 Form was transferred to the concerned office for processing on June 13, 2014 after the fee waiver is approved. When I check my case status today June 24, 2014, it reads that a notice for appointment to have my finger print to be taken is mailed today.
    I will update whenever there is a status change.

  7. As I told you earlier, USCIS has mailed notice for biometrics appointment on June 24, 2014 and I received it today June 27, 2014. The post mark reads June 25, 2014. It is a Form I-797C with a Code-3 appointment, scheduled for July 3, 2014 @ 11:00 a.m.
    I will keep updating you.

  8. Update: On July 18, 2014, my N400, APPLICATION FOR NATURALIZATION was placed in line for interview scheduling. On the USCIS website it says When scheduling is complete, I will receive a notice with a time and place for my interview. It also stated that If I have not received the notice within 90 days of the date above, I can call customer service at 1-800-375-5283 for further assistance.

  9. . hi my green card is about to expired on march17-2016 but i took the quiz for elogibility ot has to be 6 months sp i stop filling ip the form pease tell me me if im eligible somce its exfirimg in 3 /2 months
    thank you

  10. Hi i send my n-400 forget write my selective services numberin it what should i do can send again to uscis or wait for the interview

  11. Hello,

    I am so glad to find this site! I have been in the US for most of my life but am not a citizen. I am finally going through the motions of sending in my application.

    I thought to myself, ” I should make a blog about this process”, but alas you have done so! ha

    I wanted to ask you, why did you send in the $85 fee for biometrics at the same time as your application? From my understanding I thought you have to pay that once you get an appointment notification to go in for biometric scanning.

    Also, why did you include passport style photos. I thought this was only necessary if you are outside of the U.S. when filing?

    I want to cross and my T’s and dot my I’s as I refuse to pay someone $250+ to file my application when I can very well do so myself with some time, diligence, and research.

    Cheers!

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