Same Day Approval for Citizenship Case for Unemployed Client with Minimal Income

• Applicant: Ms. Perez
• Nationality: Mexican
• Case Type: N-400 Application for Naturalization/Citizenship
• Processing Time: 5 months
• Challenges:
  1. Client did not know regulations for N-400 approval, creating doubt
  2. Client’s daughter was in the U.S Army, thus had to move around a lot
  3. Client did not have a consistent work history
  4. Client had low income, was currently unemployed

BACKGROUND

When considering applying for citizenship, many people get nervous about what they don’t know. This is primarily due to misinformation. Ms. Perez herself had many incorrect assumptions and beliefs as to why she would not qualify to become a U.S. Citizen, but she decided to schedule a consultation with our office nonetheless to see whether there was anything we can do to help. After learning more of the facts in regards to her specific circumstances, we confirmed that she was eligible to apply for citizenship. This was rather surprising to Ms. Perez whom believed that because she had travelled extensively due to her daughter being in the Army, she would have to wait for several years before applying. Furthermore, she had the false assumption that her low-income and unemployment would preclude her from pursuing her lifelong dream of becoming a Citizen of this country she deeply loved and called her home.

KEYS TO SUCCESS

Our legal team explained the citizenship process to Ms. Perez from beginning to end and informed her that her extensive travel history did not matter, what did matter, however was that ultimately, she had physical presence in the U.S. during the last five years preceding her application. Furthermore, she was concerned that being currently unemployment with little-income would present an additional challenge, when in reality there is no requirement that individuals applying for citizenship be employed. Due to the fact that USCIS has to ensure that applicants do not become a financial burden to the government once they become citizens, it is necessary and helpful to provide an explanation in regards to the unemployment. In Ms. Perez’ case it was simply due to the fact she was primarily caring for her grandchildren, while her daughter was in the Army.

Once we established Ms. Perez’ eligibility, we set about getting to the important parts of the case, preparing documentation and preparing for the interview. The organization and presentation of the case were absolutely critical for this case. We neatly presented her application and compiled the list of 10+ addresses and provided a supplemental explanation in regards to her unemployment.  We also ensured that there were no discrepancies or missing information. In addition, we were able to secure a fee-waiver for Ms. Perez due to her low-income which was a huge relief considering she was unemployed at the time.

Finally, we prepared Ms. Perez for the interview and Civics Test. Just like the information surrounding immigration processes, the cloudy nature of what really goes on in the testing and interview processes for N-400 applications makes them seem more intimidating than they truly are. We believe that if we can just reveal the nature of the process to our clients, give them exact directions on what will happen, what will be asked, and how best to answer, that they will represent themselves better and be more likely to be approved. It clears the doubt away and allows our clients to act naturally, to fully present themselves and their case to the case officers, which will result in more positive results for our clients.

OUTCOME

Ms. Perez’ case officer remarked about how neat and efficiently her application was prepared. In a rarity, Ms. Perez received same-day approval for her N-400 application and got her oath ceremony scheduled within two days. Her case took a total of five months from when she came to us to getting her sworn in, roughly half the time of an average case. Ms. Perez will get to live the rest of her life as a U.S. Citizen, much to the joy of her daughter and her grandchildren.

*Name has been changed to protect client identity