How I became a US citizen in 3 years.
My first thought of wanting to live in the US was after watching the sunset the National Monument in 2016. I took a solo trip to DC for many reasons but I found myself, anyway that’s another story to be told.
The journey to achieve what my family and myself did, required a plan of action but the moment of realization that this is happening is when I received my appointment/interview letter. An ample amount of people dream of living and working in the US legally,
this was not even in my wildness imagination to become a US Citizen growing up.
I love my home country of Trinidad and Tobago, we are people of diversity in ethnicity, foods, culture and religion. Our essence of life is togetherness and acceptance, it runs through our veins. It’s in our blood to show others how our culture is inclusive. The journey started when my aunt and uncle submitted the sponsorship papers for my entire family, my parents and four children in 2001. At the time, I was 14 years and I didn’t even know what the consequences or process was. I was unbothered. My siblings were also under the age of 18 except for my brother plus we were all single/unmarried.
Years after in 2010, we received a letter in the mail with my parents and youngest sister name stating our case was up for review. At the time, I wasn’t sad that my entire family wasn’t outlined in the document because I had a boyfriend however, I was heartbroken by the thought of my sister and parents moving. We had to provide paper work verifying that my US family can provide for our entire family thus documents were submitted. The final letter came in the mail with all our names present on it… what a relief! We had an interview at the US Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago. Before the interview we were ask to visit an assigned medical doctor for a health check and we were required to get a list of vaccination. By no means, it was cheap. The doctor visit and all the shots ran on the pricey side. I’ll recommend saving for this process.
On the day of the interview, we arrived with the sealed medical health check document. At the time, since the only person who visited the US was my mom, all questions was directed to her except for my brother, he was asked if he was married.
Questions for interview
- Did you ever stay in the US for more than 6 months?
- Who did you visit and stay with in the US?
- How many bedrooms/room does your sister house have?
- Describe the layout of the house?
- Did you ever work in the US while on vacation?
After the questions, was told we will need to move to the US within 3 months, on the very same day our application was approved. We paid the fee and provided our passports. Within three weeks, we received our passport with a temporary green card stamped on the inside.
During the interview, the officer told us if we don’t plan to move permanently; we’ll need to travel every six months to one year. Your green card or alien resident status will be abandoned if you stay out of the US more than one year.
Decisions to be made and changes to follow.
At the time, I was pursuing my MBA thus I decided to visit instead of moving. I traveled every six to nine months. I even made a business out of my travel. In 2016, when I ended my relationship, a decision was made to move to the US. It took almost a year but I moved in the fall of 2017. I found a job and restart my new life.
Filing for Naturalization
In 2021, our green card was up for renewal and we decided to file N-400 (Naturalization) instead of I-90 in the summer of 2020. It is recommended to file the N-400, six months before your green card expires. One of the most important criteria is spending half the time within the same five years in the US; equivalent to 913 days on US soil.
In October, my parents and I were asked to visit the local USCIS for our fingers prints/biometrics. This process was simple and fast, we arrived with the letter that states the appointment date and time. It took about 30 minutes.
At the beginning of February, I received my interview letter to visit the office in Montgomery, AL: I live in Georgia. I was happy even though, it was a 3 hours drive one way. I prepared for the interview, learn 100 answers to 100 questions. The US history test has been updated for all those filing after December, 2020.
On the day of the interview, I arrived no earlier than fifteen minutes before. They performed a security check similar to airport security. My documents/ID was verified and I sat awaiting my name to be called by the officer who will interview me.
The interview
The officer was friendly and asked about the drive then he placed me under oath to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. He asked questions using my application, name, address, where do I work, how long I lived here, the criminal questions and if there were any affiliation to organizations that were labeled terrorist. If there are any errors on your document, you’re given the opportunity to correct. I did have an error, I accidentally checked that I belonged to a Nazi group! What a big error but my application was still processed and later corrected. After the correction, I was asked six questions only then I was recommended to become a US citizen by the officer.
Final Chapter
USCIS was running a pilot program thus I got to Pledge my Allegiance to United States of America on the very same day. I received my certificate of Naturalization and my green card was taken away. I’m now a US citizen. Next huddle is for my parents and other siblings.
