Tag Archives: naturalization

1 Year As A U.S. CITIZEN — & I Am Still Getting Used To It.

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by Anura Guruge
on April 28, 2024

Click to ENLARGE. Sorry I blurred out all the ‘useful’ bits. {smile}

Click images to ENLARGE.
With Judge Landya B. McCafferty
(who was incredibly nice & awfully impressive).

After 38 years as an alien (100% legal to boot) it takes time to sink in — especially in my old age. The kids think it is funny. Nobody, but nobody, has asked me of my nationality, directly, in that year. [Yes, I have to answer it if I apply for a credit card — which I do, occasionally, when I want to exploit all the 0% APR offers I get.]

I have voted in two elections — one Primary & the other local. In the Primary, to the surprise of many (& the disgust of my kids) I voted for a Republican! Ironic, BUT there is some symmetry. I only became a Democrat in 2004 (thanks to the younger ‘Shrub’ (who, to be honest, I vaguely like). Prior to that, for at least two decades I had been an ARDENT Conservative/Republican. I adored Regan. I so wanted the ‘Shrub’ to win in 2000. Then he totally disappointed me. My politics have changed over the year! Yes, I am still 70% a Democrat. But, I will NOT vote for Biden. That is a given. He has disappointed me too — & I used to be such a HUGE fan. But, I also have some major conservative tendencies. I am fiscally conservative, I WANT BORDER CONTROLS, I have some conservative leaning views when it comes to current social issue — BUT, I am 100% Pro-Choice. But, I can live with this. From what I can see, come November, I will NOT be voting for a President — but, I will vote down ballot (and many of those are likely to be Democrats). SMILE. It is NOT easy being I. SMILE.

So, during this last year:

>> I turned 70. Shortly afterwards, having waited 61 years to be told so, I was told I was Pre-Diabetic. NOT HAPPY. Doing my darndest to try & control it — though without much success. I have lost close to 25lbs ( 11Kg). I now weigh LESS than 140lbs (63.5 Kg, 10s). That is the LEAST I have weighed in all my adult life. I am delighted. I weighed myself this morning — & was quite SHOCKED! I am still losing weight. I am OK with that. Just surprised because I am eating like the glutton I am. Must be old age.

>> My youngest daughter (my youngest (of 4)) got her driver’s license in September 2023. [I think I got her a car.]

>> My youngest (i.e., daughter) turned 18 in March 2024. All my kids are grown up. Wow. I had to wait till 70 for that.

>> I had to call 911 twice — but fortunately nothing to do with us per se. One was to have a deer, trapped on a frozen lake, rescued & the other was when a truck caught fire across the road from us.

>> On April 8, 2024, I got to see the TOTALITY of the Solar Eclipse. That was cool.

>> I published 3 books. 2 in 2023, & one last week. SMILE. Kind of par for the course, i.e., 2 or 3 books a year. I think that was the 42nd as the SOLE-AUTHOR. I think I have 3 or 4 more as a joint author. I don’t count those.

So, those were the highlights. Wasn’t a bad year. Did a fair amount of trips. Met all my ambling goals — without missing a single. That makes me happy. So, I ambled in EXCESS of 6 MILLION STEPS as a citizen. Over 2,800 miles!

So, here is to the next year. Maybe this time next year, I will be more attuned to being a citizen.

Detailed Timeline As To How Long It Took To Get A U.S. Passport In Mid-2023 (& The 12-Week ‘Wait’ Is Accurate).

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by Anura Guruge
on September 10, 2023

Click to ENLARGE. Excel spreadsheet I put together for YOU.

Last week, while I was in Maine (again), my Naturalization Certificate arrived — on September 5, 2023.

That was the last step in the process — start-to-finish, soup-to-nuts. I had got my U.S. Passport, U.S. Passport Card & my documentation. That was it. It was finally, ALL DONE.

It had taken 125 days from START-to-FINISH.

117 days since ‘they’ received my paperwork at the Texas facility, 8-days after I submitted it all at a large U.S. Post Office.

So, that is 4 MONTHS — BUT, I received my Passport & Passport Card within 3 months.

So, I was right SMACK in the 12-week WAIT they currently advertise.

Amusing that they wait EXACTLY a month after issuance of the Passport to start mailing back the documentation. Not sure why they wait a month. I guess they want to make sure the passport got delivered.

I am HAPPY. Got the Passport within the timeframe I had been told to expect. Wasn’t thrilled waiting 5 weeks to get back my documentation — BUT relieved that I am now all set.

Just thought that this timeline might help a few of you. Now you can work out where you are in the process. Hopefully things will get faster now that the Summer travel rush/bulge is history.

All the best.

I Got My U.S. Passport CARD Today — 2-Days After Passport & 12.7 Weeks (89 Days) After I Applied.

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by Anura Guruge
on July 29, 2023

Click to ENLARGE. Sorry, I don’t want to expose myself. (SMILE).

This is cool. Right on the heels of my passport. I am chuffed.

So, just like clockwork per the currently much-stated 11 to 13 week wait for a U.S. Passport.

Both were mailed from Houston, Texas. The passport was sent ‘Priority Mail’, the passport card, First Class. I suspect they were both mailed on the same day. I don’t care. Just glad to have BOTH of them.

Now just waiting on my my all important Naturalization Certificate. Hoping it will come soon. But, in a way, it no longer matters. I have these credentials to prove that I am somewhat bona fide. SMILE.

Had never heard of a Passport Card. They can ONLY be used for land or sea crossings. DEFINITELY not valid when crossing the border by air.

The land/sea works GREAT for I — when it comes to Canada (from my ‘Bold Coast‘). Maybe I will now, after a 20+ year boycott, again start visiting Canada. There were times in my life when I visited Canada twice a month!

I Got My U.S. Passport Today — 12.4 Weeks (87 Days) After I Applied.

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by Anura Guruge
on July 29, 2023

Click to ENLARGE. NO, I don’t think I will show you the inside. (SMILE).

So, ‘exactly’ per the 11 to 13 weeks, that they tell you. So, in a way it was like clockwork.

I applied in person (given it was my first U.S. passport) at a Post Office — after scheduling an appointment. That was on May 3, 2023 — five days after I got my citizenship (on April 28, 2023).

So, May 3 to July 29 –> 87 days (12.4 weeks).

But, ‘they’ (i.e., passport ‘authority’) tells you that their 11-13 week clock doesn’t start till THEY get all the documents in their hands. That, per their online tracking system, occurred on May 11, 2023. So, it took 8 days from the time I applied. The very nice postal lady who did my application did tell me that she doesn’t mail the documents in daily. She has to wait until she has a batch.

So, from May 11 to July 29 –> 79 days (11.3 weeks).

But, the passport was issued (i.e., dated) July 25. 4 days ago.

That puts it at 75 days (10.7 weeks)!

All good. I am NOT complaining. Just reporting the facts. Neat that they are working, so rigidly, per that stated timeline.

Now, I applied for a PASSPORT CARD too. No sign of that.

Also I didn’t receive my all important Naturalization Certificate either.

But, according to the tracking system I might still have to wait 8 weeks MORE to get all of this!

I Got A New ‘Social Security’ Card, Today, Dated The Same Day I Got Naturalized (At Last).

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by Anura Guruge
on May 5, 2023

Click to ENLARGE. Sorry I blurred out all the ‘useful’ bits. {smile}

Kind of COOL & symbolic BUT it has no bearing.

This was but a serendipitous coincidence. I just lucked out.

You are told to WAIT 10-days AFTER NATURALIZATION before contacting Social Security to notify them of your change in immigration status. And I sure intended to do so.

I happened to be very close to our local Social Security office the morning of my naturalization & decided to just pop-in to see IF I could get an appointment, 10-days HENCE to tell them of my new status as a citizen.

It transpires that at that office (which is relatively small) YOU have to wait in line to see a person to ask for an appointment!

Well, I lucked out. They weren’t very busy & there were only two others ahead of me. I got to see a representative within 10 minutes.

He (a young man) was beyond helpful. He looked me up in the system (using my Social Security number (which was assigned to me in 1985)) & said that my change of status was already IN THE SYSTEM. I didn’t need to come back. It was all done. Nothing more required. I could leave with my existing card. It did NOT need to be replaced.

Social Security number does NOT change! If it did, it would wreak havoc. It would be like getting a new identity.

As I was getting up to leave this helpful young man asked “would you like a NEW card“? As far as I was concerned there was only one answer to that. He said you should get a new one in about 5 days! [I guess he did mean 5 working days.] I was skeptical. A new card from SSA in 5 days? Didn’t seem possible.

Well, it happened. I am impressed & humbled. That was quick & efficient. Wow.

So, here I am. New Soc. Sec. card dated 04/28/2023 the day I became a citizen.

I Became A U.S. CITIZEN Today — Approaching My 70th Birthday & 38 Years As An Alien In The U.S.

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by Anura Guruge
on April 28, 2023

Click to ENLARGE. Sorry I blurred out all the ‘useful’ bits. {smile}

Click images to ENLARGE.
With Judge Landya B. McCafferty
(who was incredibly nice & awfully impressive).

I put my old uniform on, bar the cufflinks & the cowboy boots.

Three (3) ‘Green Cards’ — as of August 1986. The 1st one (on right) DID NOT have an expiration date! I used it till 2007 (i.e., for 21-years).

I am still in SHOCK!

Wow. I never thought this would come to be. Family is equally amused & bemused. They are so, so used to me being an alien.

I applied over Thanksgiving weekend, last year, i.e., November 27, 2022, without asking or telling anyone. 5 months later I am a CITIZEN! I have already registered to vote, by a stroke of luck was able to apply for a new Social Security card (today itself, in person & the local SSA office) & have 2 sets of passport pictures. {I don’t hang around.}

Wow. I an U.S. citizen. Who would have thought!

In 2008, while campaigning non-stop like a black for ‘Obama‘ I said I will apply for citizenship IF he is elected. Well, that was 15 years ago. So, why didn’t I apply? Because in April 2009, with ‘Barack’ in the White House for just 3 months I had to STOP a racially-incited KNIFE FIGHT in the D.C. ‘metro’! Yes, I, in my 50s, having to jump into action, in a subway train to stop a white guy trying to knife a black kid BECAUSE the black kid had the audacity to sit next to him! There went the DREAM.

15 years later RACE is even more of an issue than it was pre-Obama. Obama did not heal race issues, he made it worse. That is THE REASON I finally decided to become a CITIZEN. I have to get MORE INVOLVED. Since getting Barack reelected in 2012 I have not been politically active. Part of that reason, deep down, was because I was NOT a citizen. That is going to change as of today. So, I became a citizen to play my part in U.S. democracy — now as a citizen. I owe it to Barack & my kids. SMILE. I could no longer just stand on the sideline & say it was NOT my problem. I won’t be able to do much, BUT at least I can now take part.

It now costs $700 to apply for naturalization.

Process is pretty slick. Lot of it is online.

My citizenship interview on March 15, 2023, in Bedford, NH was epic. The lady officer who conducted it, an ex-MP veteran who was injured badly in Iraq, was exceptional. Her personality, experience & training made her awesome. It was one of the best interactions I have had across a desk — & I have had thousands. She was amazing. She, even more than today’s Oath Ceremony, will always be the HIGHLIGHT, in my mind/heart, as to the 5 month process I underwent to get my citizenship. Yes, I know her name. It is on my ‘You Passed Your Citizenship Test’ form BUT I am not going to bandy it around. I was hoping I might see her today. Alas she was not there — from what I can see.

I encountered two 2-week delays during the process. The interview got delayed 2-weeks because of a storm. Then the oath ceremony also got delayed 2 weeks though I am not sure why. So, I lost a month. But, it is DONE.

I am NOW a U.S. Citizen!

Pretty AMAZING. I am still in shock.