USCIS / Certificate of Naturalization

[ryanaudino]

Hi.

I apologize if this is an issue that's been brought up in the past, but I couldn't find a quick answer for myself in a forum search, so I decided to make a new post.

I've been able to get together all my necessary documents very quickly (luckily, all of my family immigrated to, lived, and died in Rhode Island), and now all that remains to be done is obtaining my great-grandfather's Certificate of Naturalization from the federal government. Thanks to the other documents I've found, I know that he naturalized in 1944, and I have all the other necessary information, but I'm pretty confused as to what to do next.

A woman from USCIS told me that I'd need to use the N-565 form ("Application for Replacement Naturalization / Citizenship Document"), a $220 form that's meant to apply for a lost copy of one's own Certificate. It doesn't seem right, and I don't want to fill it out, send the check, and get my hopes up just to learn that I sent in the wrong application. Instead, I've noticed a lot of people here talking about the Freedom of Information Act and the G-639 form.

Basically, I was hoping that someone could advise me on where to go next. N-565? G-639? Something else? And if it is N-565, how am I supposed to fill it out without looking like I'm committing perjury / identity theft / whatever?

Also, does anyone know how long it takes the government to send one of these certificates? Weeks? Months? Years?

Thanks a lot for your help.

[wldspirit]

Use the G-639....as for time, depends on who you listen to.
Anywhere from two weeks to four months........ask for everything in the file. Include a copy of the death certificate, and have your photo id copied as well, along with a notarized request....this may help speed things up.
wldspirit

[ryanaudino]

Use the G-639....as for time, depends on who you listen to.
Anywhere from two weeks to four months........ask for everything in the file. Include a copy of the death certificate, and have your photo id copied as well, along with a notarized request....this may help speed things up.
wldspirit

Thanks for the advice. I called USCIS this afternoon and of course the woman who I talked to was extremely vague and unhelpful. She refused to give me a time approximation other than that "sometimes they take less than a year, sometimes more", and said that no extra documents could help the process. I guess I'll just bite the bullet, send in what I have, and hope for the best...

[mler]

You may also want to check NARA to see if his other naturalization documents (Petition, Declaration of Intent, Oath) are available through them. NARA hold records of naturalizations through the federal courts and works very quickly (one week by mail, one hour walk-in).

Several consulates will accept these documents in lieu of a Certificate of Naturalization.

http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/

[ryanaudino]

You may also want to check NARA to see if his other naturalization documents (Petition, Declaration of Intent, Oath) are available through them. NARA hold records of naturalizations through the federal courts and works very quickly (one week by mail, one hour walk-in).

Several consulates will accept these documents in lieu of a Certificate of Naturalization.

http//www.archives.gov/genealogy/

I have copies of all those other documents from NARA, and in fact today I called my local consulate (Boston) and asked the citizenship office if they would suffice instead of the actual certificate. The one man citizenship office, although very friendly and generally helpful, gave me a very strange reply. He said that, as long as I didn't have the original certificate (which I don't), I would have to use those other documents (Petition, Declaration, Oath), present them to the USCIS, and have them write a letter stating the date of my great-grandfather's naturalization (I've noticed that the Italian government is really into these affadavits). He made it sound as if a copy of the certificate of naturalization either wasn't necessary or wasn't acceptable. So anyhow, I filled out the G-639 for good measure, and tomorrow I'll call up USCIS again and ask them about the possibility of this letter.

Has anyone heard of anything like this before?

[wldspirit]

Don't get to discouraged....we have had two posters in the last two months who recieved their paperwork in less than 6 WEEKS from ICE.......
and as another member has pointed out, she has sent several request......each one varied and the longest took four months.
Good luck!!
wldspirit

[matta]

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[wldspirit]

This one slipped by.....
I have deleted the "garbage"....
Thanks Matta!!
wldspirit