Hey, I recently applied for naturalization but got denied because of ‘poor moral character’ due to my military discharge. My discharge is labeled as ‘uncharacterized,’ but USCIS pointed to ‘pattern of misconduct’ on my papers. I only served 5 months before being separated, and I read that uncharacterized discharges are treated as honorable now. Can they really hold this against me? Has anyone been through something similar?
Wait, uncharacterized means honorable now? That’s news to me. I thought those were like a gray area.
Frost said:
Wait, uncharacterized means honorable now? That’s news to me. I thought those were like a gray area.
Yeah, I found that info on the USCIS site. It says they consider uncharacterized discharges as honorable now. Pretty confusing tbh.
Frost said:
Wait, uncharacterized means honorable now? That’s news to me. I thought those were like a gray area.
So uncharacterized is basically treated like honorable? What about misconduct—does that override it?
@Mai
Apparently it can. The issue is they listed ‘pattern of misconduct’ on my papers, but my discharge was entry-level, not for misconduct.
@Mai
You might need to fix that with the Army first. There’s a form for correcting discharge details—DD Form 149, I think?
If they marked misconduct, even by mistake, USCIS might take that at face value. Did you check your actual discharge papers?
Indy said:
If they marked misconduct, even by mistake, USCIS might take that at face value. Did you check your actual discharge papers?
Yeah, it says ‘pattern of misconduct,’ but it’s definitely entry-level service. Looks like they made a mistake.
Indy said:
If they marked misconduct, even by mistake, USCIS might take that at face value. Did you check your actual discharge papers?
Sounds like you need the Army Board of Corrections to clear that up. They deal with stuff like this all the time.
USCIS looks at moral character pretty strictly. Even if uncharacterized = honorable now, ‘misconduct’ could still be a problem.
Ellison said:
USCIS looks at moral character pretty strictly. Even if uncharacterized = honorable now, ‘misconduct’ could still be a problem.
Exactly. That’s why I think correcting the paperwork is key. I’ll reach out to the Army for help.
Ellison said:
USCIS looks at moral character pretty strictly. Even if uncharacterized = honorable now, ‘misconduct’ could still be a problem.
Good call. Filing that correction might take time, but it’s worth it if it helps with naturalization.
Does USCIS ever dispute uncharacterized discharges as dishonorable? Or are they usually okay with it?
Hollis said:
Does USCIS ever dispute uncharacterized discharges as dishonorable? Or are they usually okay with it?
From what I’ve read, they shouldn’t dispute it if it’s entry-level and marked uncharacterized. But that ‘misconduct’ note complicates things.
Hollis said:
Does USCIS ever dispute uncharacterized discharges as dishonorable? Or are they usually okay with it?
Makes sense. Definitely get that ‘misconduct’ note cleared up—it’s probably throwing off their review.
FYI, DD Form 149 is used for discharge corrections. Pretty straightforward, but it can take months to process.
Blake said:
FYI, DD Form 149 is used for discharge corrections. Pretty straightforward, but it can take months to process.
Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll get started on that ASAP!
Blake said:
FYI, DD Form 149 is used for discharge corrections. Pretty straightforward, but it can take months to process.
Yep, and make sure you include all the supporting documents to speed things up. Good luck!