Should I file the N-400 now or wait....?

Question

I have been married for 7 yrs. with a U.S citizen; and I have been a lawful permanent resident since 2005.
Before I became a lawful permanent I had assylum status since 1997. should I file the N-400 now, or should I wait until 2008. I heard that the filing fee is going up. I need a good advise on this.

Thank you all.

Answer 1

before you file the N-400 you must send in the N-400A. The N-400A is the intent to submit the N-400. But first you must submit the C-120 sect 1-B, the intent to surrender the 219T, which you would have tendered with the C-120 sect1-A whilst applying for you citizenship. If you wait until January 2008 you will first have to enter the N-400 sect2,A which will replace the C-120 sect1-B and the 219T. But if you submit the N-400 sect2,A before January 2008 you will also have to hand in a RUT-29B in order to receive a reimbursement on the original fee of the N-400.
Should this not occur before the expiry date on your passport then you may be deported at your expense.
Good Luck,
You'r gunna need it!

Answer 2

if you had asylum status since 1997 you should have applied for permanent resident status in 1998, after one of asylum status, since you waited now you have be a resident alien 5 years before applying for N-400. You would not qualify for the 3 year deal since you did not gain your PR status through your American spouse. go to www.uscis.gov and take the N-400 eligibility test, not the same as the citizenship test, to ensure when you can file.

Answer 3

If you can apply for US citizenship as a 5 year permanent resident, it is better than applying as 3 year married candidate. The reason is that they'll scrutinize your application more if you're applying based on marriage. They want to make sure the marriage isn't a fraud. Its not a big deal, but you'll have to do more.

Answer 4

If you are married with an American citizen and you are permanent resident in the USA, after 18 months of continue residence you can apply , check here
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis