BECOMING A U.S. CITIZEN SOON? Please Note that USCIS is Giving a Facelift to Form N-400, Application for Naturalization/Citizenship.

As part of an initiative to improve existing Forms, the USCIS responded favorably to suggestions received from the general public. The result is a recent revision of Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. The revised Form N-400 provides USCIS with additional tools to make important eligibility determinations, present customers with clearer instructions, and incorporate technology that improves efficiency and accuracy for both USCIS and its customers.

Please note that although the form is newly revised, the eligibility requirements for naturalization have not changed.

As always, the Immigration and Nationality attorneys of Nachman Phulwani Zimovcak (NPZ) Law Group, P.C. strongly encourage you to seek qualified immigration assistance with regard to the preparation of any U.S. and/or Canadian immigration law process. “There are so many potential areas where a small, seemingly insignificant, error can end-up costing a great deal in time and effort to rectify. It is important to respond properly to each query posed on the Form.” says David H. Nachman, Esq., one of the Managing Attorneys of NPZ Law Group, P.C., an Immigration and Nationality law practice which handles Naturalization and Citizenship matters for clients throughout the U.S. and around the world.

The revised Form N-400 now includes additional questions to conform with the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004 and Child Soldier Prevention Act of 2007. Responses to these questions help the government make a complete and informed determination of an applicant’s eligibility for U.S. citizenship. The questions relate not only to concerns surrounding good moral character, but also to issues relating to the security of the United States.

Clearer and more comprehensive instructions now help customers understand the naturalization application process by providing specific instructions on how to complete each part of the application, as well as highlight general eligibility requirements. 2D Barcode Technology at the bottom of each page now greatly enhances the government’s ability to scan data for direct input to the computer systems. This feature results in improved data quality, efficiency in processing, and overall integrity of the naturalization program.

“This, of course, means that the data can be checked for consistency across many databases,” says Ludka Zimovcak, Esq., one of the Managing Attorneys at the NPZ Law Group. This also means that the government is now, more then ever, able to detect inconsistencies between Green Card Application Filings and Naturalization Filings. Michael Phulwani, Esq., another of the Managing Attorneys at the Nachman Phulwani Zimovcak (NPZ) Law Group, P.C., points out that “at Naturalization interviews, the Officers want proof that individuals worked for the companies that did their PERM Labor Certification Applications.” Also, at the interviews, we are seeing that Adjudications Officers are asking for proof of familial relationships to confirm that persons were or were not married or single at the time of the Green Card interview.

The revised Form N-400 is now available at www.uscis.gov/n-400. The public may continue to use previous versions of the form for a 90-day transition period. Please take note that on Monday, May 5th, 2014, the USCIS has stated that it will no longer accept outdated versions of the N-400 and will reject and return outdated N-400 Forms submitted after May 5, 2014. The public is encouraged to access the revised form at www.uscis.gov/n-400, fill it out electronically, print, sign and then mail it to USCIS according to the form instructions. Individuals who are unable to fill out the revised Form N-400 electronically may instead print the form and complete it by hand in black ink. Customers can also call 1-800-870-3676 to order the revised form by mail.

Mr. Nachman stated: “The USCIS has additional resources online at www.uscis.gov/n-400