Nine long years later, I'm finally a U.S. Citizen

"Mid Engine" (jdlogan2006) 02/28/2019 at 18:48 • Filed to: None

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Went for my interview and oath thang yesterday, I’m officially a citizen. As a Canadian I was concerned they would force me to give up my Canadian citizenship , but the U.S. government flat out doesn’t care. So yeah, I’m a dually now.

Registered to vote, tomorrow I’ll be ordering up a passport. What an ordeal it has been folks..

CaptDale - is secretly British > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 18:55

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Welcome and congratulations !

HammerheadFistpunch > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 18:55

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Congradudo loneces.

When you started down this road I have to imagine you hoped the country would be in better shape by now.

Mid Engine > HammerheadFistpunch 02/28/2019 at 18:57

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Who coulda imagined Pres ident Pufflump? It’s inconceivable

Mid Engine > CaptDale - is secretly British 02/28/2019 at 18:58

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Hmmm.. where’s the gun rack  :)

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 18:58

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Welcome to the best country in America! No w that you can vote, you gotta promise to help us get a functioning government going. 

facw > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 18:58

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Congrats!

Please be sure to ship your superfluous  ‘u ’s back to Canada so our friends in the True North can make use of them. You won’t need them now that you are a US citizen.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 18:59

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Welcome to political shit show. 

Mid Engine > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 02/28/2019 at 19:00

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I registered to vote today, unfortunately I reside in WA, so my vote won’t change a damn thing here as it’s overwhelmingly Democratic. I’m hoping my vote will mean something at the state and local level though.

Mercedes Streeter > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 19:00

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Don’t worry, you’ll get to do your first ever vote as an American for possible future President Beto, Bernie, Clinton ( ?), and about 30 other fun people. Ooor you could say feck it and bet it all on red!

way2blu does a rev update > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 19:02

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Here’s a mid-engine dually:

Huge congratulations!!

For Sweden > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 19:03

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All Americans are duallys though

For Sweden > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 02/28/2019 at 19:03

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Have you seen Canada right now? He may just make it worse

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 19:04

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It means the most there since people tend not to vote on non-presidential ballots. Go us I guess?

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 19:10

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Congratulations! In my naturalization ceremony here (and oath thing) we had to sing multiple verses of the Star Spangled Banner. Did you have to do that?

Also don’t forget about the weird double tax rules that the US does if you work outside of the States.

Otherwise, welcome! Murica. 

Tapas > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 19:16

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Congratulations! I’ve stayed in the US for a while and know first hand what a  ridiculous shit show the immigration process is.

Just wondering...why did you choose to become a US and Canadian citizen, since you already were a Canadian citizen?

Once you’re a US citizen, it doesn’t matter where you live or where your income comes from - you have to file/pay taxes in the US. That’s the only reason I’d continue living in the US on a Visa as a future Canadian.

Mid Engine > facw 02/28/2019 at 19:17

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I still can’t figure out what the hell a freeway is, I’ve always called ‘ em highways.. I’m pretty sure I would require a full frontal lobotomy to use “ thru”

ranwhenparked > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 19:18

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Congratulations ! And w elcome officially  to the separatist lower provinces of British North America.

Mid Engine > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely 02/28/2019 at 19:21

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Yeah, we had to sing the tune, I’ve always kinda liked the Star S pangled (reminds me of a hockey game). I don’t do any work outside of the U.S. other than meeting with customers in Victoria and Burnaby B.C. occasionally .

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 19:22

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Mazel tov!

My bird IS the word > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 19:23

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Did  they teach you the national anthem?

Its born in the USA by springsteen. Lyrics are pretty easy.

facw > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 19:24

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Luckily I call the New York Thruway “The 90" (note don’t call interstates “The ”, this is a bad habit I picked up from a roommate from Buffalo) and “The Northway” based on which section I’m referring too.

But yeah, US names I can think of for highways:

Highway

Freeway

Interstate

Parkway

Thruway

Turnpike

Tollway

Probably more than one I missed

Mid Engine > Mercedes Streeter 02/28/2019 at 19:25

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The last thing I wa nt is socialism, been there and paid the ridiculously exorbitant taxes. That said I’m quite certain I could not in good conscience vote Republican, should be interesting!

bob and john > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 19:28

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yay! I’m Dual, canadian and romanian. 

CB > For Sweden 02/28/2019 at 19:33

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Oh man, our next election is going to be awful.

Mid Engine > Tapas 02/28/2019 at 19:34

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I like to have choices, also, wife 2.0 is an American citizen. No, I did not get citizenship by marriage, I did it on my own merit.

I love most things about Canada, but I was getting absolutely raped in taxes w ith no end in sight => socialism may sound good on paper but the reality is it encourages mediocrity. Get a good education, work your ass off, make good coin. Then the fucking government takes more than half of your pa ycheque and han ds it to folks who either do nothing or go through the motions. Also. the health care system in Canada is a disaster.

So, I reside in the U.S. where there’s a lot of jobs (I work in cloud computing, servicing Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure), I pay ~ 20% income tax, and go to any doctor I want. It’s possible that come retirement time I might return to Canada, TBD.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 19:41

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Congrats! I’m waiting for my citizenship interview to get scheduled sometime in the coming months.

By the way, check on the dual citizenship rules. My immigration lawyer (who also just completely randomly happened to be Sri Lankan, like I am) told me that once I accept my US citizenship my Sri Lankan citizenship gets voided – and the next time I go to Sri Lanka I basically need to re-apply for dual citizenship there. Obviously will vary with country, so might want to look in to what Canada’s rules are around such things.

Mid Engine > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/28/2019 at 19:44

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Study the infamous 100 questions, and be prepared for a long assed day. Took 7 hours all told...

Canada isn’t going to pull my passport, but if they did I would simply re-apply when the time came. I was born there after all (and paid a metric shit ton of taxes).

CaptDale - is secretly British > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 19:45

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I see you studied well for your test XD

Mid Engine > CaptDale - is secretly British 02/28/2019 at 19:47

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Well, I do have a pickup truck so I’m most of the way there.. all kidding aside I bought property in a somewhat remote area, I’ll probably need a shotgun sooner rather than later. 

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 20:02

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I had to write a nice letter to the Korean consulate explaining to them that I was now Murican and  I wasn’t going to be drafted into their Army, but that I’d have a nice US Passport to make up for it :D

So I don’t have that citizenship any longer, oh well.

Chariotoflove > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 20:04

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“Give me your tired, your poor Canadians yearning to be free...”

Anyway, congrats!

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 02/28/2019 at 20:04

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I studied extensively for a good period of time for my test. Here in Arizona, I’m not sure if I was the exception, but my test was 5 interview questions given by the interviewer. It might have been because I’m a fluent English speaker and don’t trip the “Suspected Deportable” flag, but the 5 questions were easy ones like “Who is the current President of the United States?” “When was the Constitution Ratified?”

This was 2008. Hopefully maybe you’ll have a similar experience?

Oh, and the answer on the study guide was 1789, but that is when it went into effect. The 9th state ratified it (making it official in 1788) so who knows wtf they want out of us. 

dogisbadob > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 20:07

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Yay congrats and welcome to AMerica

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 20:07

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Nobody in my group knew the words to the second verse, but only I a a nd maybe 3 other people could read along fast enough, and only one of us (not me) could carry a tune.

That was sort of a remarkable experience in the surrealness of it.

It was the same kind of thing as when people are like “SWEET CAROLINE DUH-DUH-DUH” and then they all mumble through the next bit. 

Mid Engine > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely 02/28/2019 at 20:08

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There’s 100 possible questions, they will ask you 10 of them and you have to get six right.  I answered the first six questions correctly and the “test” was over. They were pretty varied though

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 20:10

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Honestly I expected a bubble sheet and 50 questions of standardized testing variety. I used to be a nerd in school. I was kind of deflated after that, the test was a joke.

I actually debated saying “are you serious” after question 5, and I don’t even remember what it was. 

Mid Engine > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely 02/28/2019 at 20:11

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I love Sweet Caroline, I’ve been know to belt it out as loud as I can (yes, alcohol is always involved).  There were 80 people yesterday, six of us were white.  So, I’m not sure that the Chinese and Indians were doing much singing, I was having fun though. 

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 20:12

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I went to re:invent last year and honestly their ecosystem (flaws excepting) has gotten seriously robust. Do you like Azure better? 

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 20:13

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Alcohol is always involved. The good times never seemed so good.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 20:16

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Wow. A real-life version of the  0.000001% of the population who Fox News somehow manages to find.

Mid Engine > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely 02/28/2019 at 20:16

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Yes, I prefer Azure. Microsoft works very hard at introducing new technology in their datacenters that in turn costs them more, but they will not stop innovating . They also are very active in contributing to industry consortium’s .

AWS is a race to zero, beat the eve rloving shit out of suppliers on price , then eventually build their own shit and leave the “partner” high and dry . There’s no innovation, just software configured services running on their own servers. 

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > For Sweden 02/28/2019 at 20:17

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Dude, the biggest scandal going on in Canada is their PM tried to bully a cabinet member into cutting a deal for a construction company. That is small beans compared to OUR shitshow.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > CB 02/28/2019 at 20:17

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Well...you do live in the Entertainment Business !

Mid Engine > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 02/28/2019 at 20:18

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I have a degree in Econo mics, shapes my thinking

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 20:23

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While I do agree, you gotta admit most of the financial success in the tech industry is made by the people who subsequently improve on the pioneers. It sounds cynical, but I think the pioneers who emerge financially on top of the pile are the exception to the norm. Apple’s Ipod and Macintosh come to mind, as well as Amazon itself, as well as Microsoft to some extent in their previous generations of software.

I just think it’s more common to see a buyout of a new tech, and then adoption by a large company, or its eventual orphanage.

For Sweden > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker 02/28/2019 at 20:28

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Ordering a cabinet minister to not prosecute your friends is pretty big beans, for all people kind.

Tapas > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 20:31

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Awesome!

That does make a lot of sense when you put it that way. I do agree that that the taxes here are no bueno.

dumpsterfire! > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 20:58

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Congrats!

Manny05x > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 21:58

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I remember when i did it the ceremony was really nice.

Mid Engine > bob and john 02/28/2019 at 22:05

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True story: I hired a Romanian when I lived in Montreal, Razvan is one the funniest dudes I’ve ever met ( spitting image of Andy Kaufman) . One day he comes into the office and announces he had completed the immigration process and was now a Canadian citizen. I said wow, tha t’s great! His answer: fuck the immigrants in this country! Get rid of em all. I laughed my ass off

DC3 LS, Fuck Hyundai, now and forever > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 22:11

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The Puget sound area is, but out east is a whole other story...

Although generally the Dems do win the state.

bob and john > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 22:11

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I find most razvans are funny. Dunno what it is. 

fintail > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 22:15

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Congrats. Y ou picked an interesting time to join this gongshow.

Mid Engine > fintail 02/28/2019 at 22:29

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Well, not sure I picked the timing. I a pplied for citizenship and under past administrations it ta ke s 3-4 months. I had to wait 20 months. POTUS tells immigrants to come to this country “the right way” and deliberately introduces significant delays. He’s a monster.

gearboxtrouble > Mid Engine 02/28/2019 at 22:29

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Congratulations fellow citizen. I naturalized last year myself and retained my UK passport. As long as your other nationality doesn’t force you to renounce it on becoming a US citizen, it is perfectly fine (and actually sometimes convenient) to have two passports. The UK has no problems with my new US citizenship and I’m pretty sure Canada wouldn’t either. 

Cé hé sin > Mid Engine 03/01/2019 at 04:46

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Why, though?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Mid Engine 03/01/2019 at 09:14

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Dually! Nice - congrats. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Mid Engine 03/01/2019 at 09:22

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Thanks for the first-person insight to a modern socialist nation.

Great place to live if you don’t want to work; not so great if you do. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Mid Engine 03/01/2019 at 09:27

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On the upside, you can, without guilt, exercise your right to not vote, like I did in Oklahoma in the last presidential election. Hoping to have someone for whom I can proudly make a mark for in 2020, but not holding my breath. 

Mid Engine > Cé hé sin 03/01/2019 at 10:53

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Why what?

Cé hé sin > Mid Engine 03/01/2019 at 10:54

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Why become a US citizen?

Mid Engine > Cé hé sin 03/01/2019 at 11:02

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There’s no downside, once you’re a citizen you have all the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else. My Green Card was due to renewed in the next few years so I saved a bunch of coin by not having to do that. 

Cé hé sin > Mid Engine 03/01/2019 at 12:33

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We had a client who found one! H e became a citize n when he was out there and when he came home permanently on r etirement he had to do a US tax return every year. They just wouldn’t leave go.

Mid Engine > Cé hé sin 03/01/2019 at 12:54

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That would be fine with me, I’d rather pay 20% to the U.S. and file from wherever I may be, than 35% to Canada. Simple math

Cé hé sin > Mid Engine 03/01/2019 at 15:29

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Not so fine for my late client! H e had to do his I rish return and an American one even though he wasn’t even resident there and then claim an offset of the US tax against ours. Double the fee though so fine by us. I had to ring the US revenue about him once and got somebody with a barely comprehensible Spanish accent and a shortage of interpersonal skills.

Mid Engine > Cé hé sin 03/01/2019 at 15:37

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I’m self sufficient, no worries

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Mid Engine 03/04/2019 at 13:55

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Oh geez, that’s a long day. I should really dust off that booklet they gave me with the 100 questions. Browsed through it and it looked super simple, but I don’t want to deal with the embarrassment of being stumped by some of the more obscure stuff and failing the test!