First Lakenheath spouse naturalized in United Kingdom

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stacy Sanchez
  • 48 Fighter Wing Public Affairs
RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom --  With the help of the 48th Force Support Squadron passport office, a military spouse at RAF Lakenheath became the first person to be naturalized as a United States citizen through Expeditious Naturalization Oct. 11.

Lynn Ormesher-Imel is the first military spouse on base to file for citizenship under section 319B Expeditious Naturalization. As of 2008, spouses of military members who are on orders overseas can file for naturalization if the spouse is a lawful permanent resident of that residing country and have at least 20 months left at their current overseas location.

"After all these years that my husband has served in the military, becoming a U.S. citizen is just a fantastic feeling," Mrs. Ormesher-Imel said. "With the help of Claire Hartigan and the passport office, it made this process much easier. Without her it would have all been very confusing and daunting."

The passport office assisted Mrs. Ormesher-Imel by providing her with all the necessary paperwork as well as guidance on how to complete it. The overseas military spouse process is very specific and a simple mistake can hold up a package for months.

"One of the most important requirements to be naturalized is that the spouse must be able to remain at an overseas duty station for a minimum of 365 days after the naturalization takes place," Claire Hartigan, 48th FSS passport office agent  said.

Ms. Hartigan said other steps include a completed N-400 application for naturalization, along with fingerprints and the required documentations. This information is mailed to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service in Nebraska. The information is also e-mailed to a European hub in Rome to notify them that an application has been filed and that a spouse requires their naturalization interview and oath at an overseas Embassy. Once the application has been approved by Nebraska, the spouse's case is forwarded to Rome, who in turn notifies London that the case is ready for completion.

"Once someone has made a personal decision to become a U.S. citizen, it is very important that they have someone to help them achieve their dream," Ms. Hartigan said.

For Mrs. Ormesher-Imel, the naturalization took five months.

"Although the process was straight forward and smooth, it was nice to have Claire explain everything to us," Mrs. Ormesher-Imel said. "She definitely went above and beyond to help our family."

As a naturalized citizen herself, Ms. Hartigan said it is a privilege to assist spouses in achieving their dream of becoming U.S citizens.

"As a naturalized U.S. citizen myself, it was an honor and a privilege to not only help but to be included in Lynn's ceremony," Ms. Hartigan said. "In some ways, watching Lynn take her oath was like reliving my own experience. It was a very special day for Lynn and her family."

Since Ms. Hartigan's naturalization in 2004, she has helped more than 100 spouses complete the process. However, she said Mrs. Ormesher-Imel's case was extra special.

"I was able to witness the actual oath and see the smile on her face as she held the flag and we all recited the pledge of allegiance," Ms. Hartigan said. "It was wonderful."