Bungled US replacement certificate of naturalization form - what now?
November 19, 2016 3:05 AM Subscribe
Made a fatal mistake on my N-565. Do I wait for US CIS to bounce it, or do I just send in a new application? I don’t care about the $. I only care about not pissing off US CIS and getting this done ASAP.
Anonymous for, I hope, obvious reasons.
I am a naturalized U.S. citizen. Many years ago I lost my certificate. I know already ... please don’t, it won’t help. Since I had (and have) a valid US passport at that time, I didn’t bother with getting a replacement. Until, of course, election night. Well, it turns out I shouldn’t do these things in a panic because I majorly effed up--I left out 2 pages of the form (not the one with the signature).
My understanding is that CIS bounces incomplete applications and tells you to resubmit (I guess feel free to tell me whether that’s true), but I don’t know if mine counts as that, or just as a fuckup that isn’t even worth processing and thus I will never, ever hear back. I can afford another round of the fee. But it might also look funky and thus illegal or whatever if I send in an effective duplicate application. If I have no choice but to wait, I will. I just want to know what the best thing to do is. I really had hopes of getting this done before inauguration. :(
Thank you in advance.
Anonymous for, I hope, obvious reasons.
I am a naturalized U.S. citizen. Many years ago I lost my certificate. I know already ... please don’t, it won’t help. Since I had (and have) a valid US passport at that time, I didn’t bother with getting a replacement. Until, of course, election night. Well, it turns out I shouldn’t do these things in a panic because I majorly effed up--I left out 2 pages of the form (not the one with the signature).
My understanding is that CIS bounces incomplete applications and tells you to resubmit (I guess feel free to tell me whether that’s true), but I don’t know if mine counts as that, or just as a fuckup that isn’t even worth processing and thus I will never, ever hear back. I can afford another round of the fee. But it might also look funky and thus illegal or whatever if I send in an effective duplicate application. If I have no choice but to wait, I will. I just want to know what the best thing to do is. I really had hopes of getting this done before inauguration. :(
Thank you in advance.
the form includes a customer service center phone number for information. you could ask them what to do.
posted by andrewcooke at 5:34 AM on November 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by andrewcooke at 5:34 AM on November 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
Yes, things like this are what customer service numbers are for.
USCIS gets funds from user fees, so they are especially motivated to continue processing paperwork regardless of who's sitting in the Oval Office.
posted by zennie at 7:01 AM on November 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
USCIS gets funds from user fees, so they are especially motivated to continue processing paperwork regardless of who's sitting in the Oval Office.
posted by zennie at 7:01 AM on November 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
IANAL, TINLA. I have seen this happen before. USCIS will return your filing to you. Calling the customer service number will not help you in this matter, and sending a duplicate filing will only gum up the works. Patience is your friend.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:16 AM on November 19, 2016
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:16 AM on November 19, 2016
Agree with the above, but for peace of mind you might want to pose this question on the forums at Visa Journey. Folks there deal with this sort of question all the time.
posted by cozenedindigo at 4:00 PM on November 19, 2016
posted by cozenedindigo at 4:00 PM on November 19, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
USCIS might bounce the entire application or send you a letter requesting the missing info, but you're on their timeline now and you really do need to be patient. Don't send a duplicate app--best case scenario with that you just wait even longer for them to sort it all out.
You're a US Citizen with a valid passport. I know this is really stressful right now, but waiting for the government to do their job is your best option. You will be ok.
posted by phunniemee at 4:57 AM on November 19, 2016 [3 favorites]