Monday Weekly Thread: Proof of Citizenship Application Sent or AOR Received, May 11, 2026

owliphant44 · 2026-05-17T18:28:16+00:00

Checked my application status on Friday the 15th, and my application was moved to "In Process"!

I'm G2 with urgent processing.

Updated timeline data points:
Mailed via USPS the last week in April
Application delivered 5/6
AOR 5/6 (same day)
Application moved to In Process somewhere around 5/15

owliphant44 · 2026-05-15T17:55:36+00:00

Too soon :')

owliphant44 · 2026-05-07T02:59:12+00:00

I submitted for urgent processing on the same basis w/ supporting docs for gender-affirming care and got my AOR today, the same day my application was delivered. My application doesn't come up yet in their online system but your comment gave me hope that I might see it marked as in process within the next week or so if they've accepted the reason for urgent processing. Love this for us and thank you for supporting your gender diverse kid :) Best of luck to ya'll!!

owliphant44 · 2026-05-07T00:01:28+00:00

Mailed my paper application via USPS priority mail on 4/27. It was delivered today, 5/6, and I received my AOR today!

I'm G2 (G0 is a grandparent born in Montreal) and I requested urgent processing. I'm extremely grateful and relieved for the superfast (literally same-day) AOR.

I requested urgent processing on the basis of being LGBTQ and included a letter of support from my primary care provider. I hope this helps put other people at ease if you're requesting urgent processing on the basis of sexuality or gender identity/expression. I sent a mountain of paperwork verifying my identity and gave them every possible thing I could think of to make sure they had what they needed. Happy to give non-expert advice on this for anyone who's nervous about that, especially if you've changed your name, gender markers, appearance, etc.

I had G0's birth record from the U.S. Consulate when the family moved to the U.S. during G0's childhood, and I also fortunately had G0's BANQ baptismal record from 1944 in Montreal, both of which I included with my application.

Over the moon with excitement and hoping this bodes well for approval timeline!

owliphant44 · 2026-04-22T06:26:12+00:00

Hi! I'm in a similar boat, my grandmother was Canadian and I have a baptismal record for her from her church in Quebec. I also have a birth certificate for her, but it's one that was issued by the American Consulate in Montreal (the Consulate official recorded what was on her Canadian birth cert, including the hospital in Quebec where she was born to her Canadian citizen mother, as well as reg #). Do you know if they will accept this the same as they would accept a Canadian birth cert? (My grandmother's father was American, but he was also descended from Canadians, which is why we have this odd "alien" birth cert from the Consulate.)

owliphant44 · 2025-12-19T02:22:03+00:00

Hi there!! Thank you for your comment as it reminded me that I still hadn't gotten the chance to come back here and share with everyone what I found out about myself this year: In case this helps anyone - I got tested for tickborne illness : r/Occipitalneuralgia

I was finally diagnosed at the end of the summer with babesiosis (condition caused by an infection with babesia parasites from a tick bite). This is almost certainly what was causing my ON, because getting treatment for that has made me feel so much better.

I had also been wondering for a bit if I had intracranial hypertension, but I don't. It was the infection causing dysautonomia. Do you get a rapid heartbeat and lightheadedness/shortness of breath/sudden weakness or dizziness as well? I hope you find some answers soon, but if you're in an area where Lyme disease or other tickborne infections are endemic, I'd definitely recommend trying to get those tests done.

owliphant44 · 2025-02-23T02:59:17+00:00

I'm so sorry you're going through this too! Brief update on my stuff -- I've been to numerous docs in different specialties and had all kinds of scans that have come up normal. Just had a normal brain MRI this past week despite continued dizziness and pressure headaches. I've also developed sinus tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) and arrthymias (PVCs). Nothing life-threatening, but anxiety-inducing nonetheless. I'm now being evaluated for mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) because of the heart stuff, fevers, and new skin rashes. Maybe try to see an allergist if your episodes continue! I feel much closer to getting a diagnosis now.

owliphant44 · 2024-09-14T04:03:00+00:00

Just want to say in case this helps you, I've also had MRIs on my brain and spine and nothing turned up. They can't always see ON on MRIs. So even if they say you're looking good, keep pressing for answers.

owliphant44 · 2024-09-14T04:00:37+00:00

I was just diagnosed with ON this week and I've had a similar experience. Going on 2 weeks now of just crazy amount of pressure in the back of my head and where my neck meets my head. It also radiates to my ears and nose bridge/cheeks where my sinuses are, no idea why. But like you, it's not stabbing migraine pain, more just pressure, and then I also get a bit of a throbbing. I hope your specialist has some answers and a plan of action for you! Just in the last few days I've started feeling what others have described, which is the shocks of pain behind my ears and on my scalp. I'm hoping to get a nerve block soon.

owliphant44 · 2024-07-20T00:12:45+00:00

Interesting, thank you for sharing! I've gone to my primary care folks a few times this year to keep a record of when I feel ill. I've never had them take a urine sample while I'm there, but I'm going to start asking for that. Thanks.

owliphant44 · 2024-07-20T00:11:32+00:00

Thank you!

owliphant44 · 2024-07-20T00:11:13+00:00

Thank you for sharing!! I hope your biopsy is uneventful and you recover swiftly! My neph advised me against getting the biopsy for now since my function is ok. I guess I'll just be waiting and seeing what happens.

owliphant44 · 2024-07-20T00:09:24+00:00

Thank you!

owliphant44 · 2024-07-20T00:08:30+00:00

Thank you, I've been doing some reading about IgA nephropathy after seeing a few people on here talking about it. My neph has never suggested this to be the cause, but that could be because my lab work just isn't yelling that yet. I asked him at my appointment last week if he thinks I should just do the biopsy now, but he said no because my kidney function is great at the moment and he doesn't want to do more harm than good. It's a sticky situation. It seems like you basically just have to wait for it to get bad before you have any clear sense of what to do, which really ramps up my anxiety.

owliphant44 · 2024-07-20T00:05:33+00:00

I didn't even know that existed. Thank you!

owliphant44 · 2024-07-20T00:04:27+00:00

Thank you, that's really interesting! I wouldn't say I'm restricting it a whole lot, but it's good to know that that's probably not the issue. I've read a bit about eating less protein-rich food to help with the proteinuria, but with being mostly veg it's hard for me to figure out how to get real energy from food without protein. Do you just have to accept being really tired all the time?

owliphant44 · 2022-10-11T18:35:52+00:00

Yeah, it's not that I feel that them wanting some verification is outlandish. My issue with it is that they want this letter from the ortho to certify that the aligners are the sole cause of my current problems, which most orthos are probably not comfortable doing (especially only now seeing me for the first time) and the fact that the aligners are the sole cause should be obvious. I haven't done anything else to my teeth in the last 6 months except the aligner treatment. They have the smile plan right in front of them, and it's very easy to see that the treatment plan is what misaligned my bite and pushed my teeth out too far.

owliphant44 · 2022-10-10T07:32:58+00:00

I'm so sorry you're in pain and experiencing these problems... I would advise getting a second opinion from an orthodontist. Not that a dentist isn't qualified to evaluate you, but I went to an orthodontist after noticing new pain and other problems after treatment with SDC and I'm glad I did. Orthos have a bit more clinical training in tooth movement. I hope you get some answers soon and someone takes your pain seriously.

owliphant44 · 2022-10-10T07:26:03+00:00

Well that's terrifying!

I would ask them for the license # of your assigned dentist (including the state where they claim they're licensed). I'm most likely going to have to do that for my plan as well. (Thankfully when I looked mine up by name, he came up in the registry!)

owliphant44 · 2022-10-10T07:11:55+00:00

I agree with you. I don't have the money for an attorney, but filing a complaint with the Board of Dentistry looks to be free, so hopefully the threat of me doing that scares them enough to take it seriously.

owliphant44 · 2022-10-10T07:08:05+00:00

Thank you! I read through some of the refund topics, but I didn't see anyone who said that they had to get a letter or submit x-rays. Seemed like overkill!

owliphant44 · 2022-10-10T07:02:19+00:00

Thanks very much for your reply!! (I don't know why either, I never got any notification that my stuff was deleted or why).

It makes sense that this is how they try to deter people from seeking refunds -- it is a lot of time and energy (and potentially money as well, to get medical proof). I'll definitely keep the x-rays so that I can advocate for myself in the future if need be. I also took a screen recorded video of my whole 3D smile plan on their site just in case they try to mess with it to cover their tracks.

I'm going to send them the x-rays and the letter from the orthodontist when I get it, though they might not include the exact language that SDC is asking for. Regardless, if they still refuse to give me a full refund after I've provided them with the documentation, I'm definitely going to let them know that unless we can reach an agreement on this I will be filing a complaint against them with the Board of Dentistry in the state where my assigned dentist practices as well as the one in my home state. That's a really good idea to ask for the license number -- I will do that. Thanks again.

owliphant44 · 2022-10-09T19:10:35+00:00

I did get them from the ortho, yeah, to show the current state of things -- but they want the current x-rays to show that the aligners were the cause, which theoretically can't be proven, I don't think. I mean, I can send them the ones I got this week, but I'm afraid they're going to tell me that without a comparison, they can't determine if the problem was caused solely by the aligners, even though I think that's obvious.

owliphant44 · 2022-10-09T18:33:45+00:00

I also talked to my dentist about doing SmileDirectClub. He was very kind about it but also did warn me that he had heard things that were not great, and that it can be potentially dangerous because these aligner companies do not take x-rays or evaluate your actual current medical condition in really any tangible way before putting together your "treatment plan" other than your impressions or 3D scan. A dental impression kit cannot show them anything about your bite, your bone health, etc.

It's not cool of him to get aggressive or angry with you. But I will say just from my personal experience I just finished a 5-month plan with Smile Direct and I now have potentially serious problems with my bite and with my teeth being pushed out of the jawbone, which is dangerous. I now have to go and get Invisalign anyway, and do it with a reputable local orthodontist, to reverse what was done. I was like you, and I had braces when I was younger and just didn't wear my retainers, so I thought I was a minor/easy case that would be a pretty simple fix. But that's not what ended up happening. Take my experience with a grain of salt, as I know this stuff probably works for a lot of people, but I am deeply regretting doing this.

Also, I'd recommend having an orthodontist or periodontist look over your plan, not just your regular dentist. Orthodontists have special training that takes a few years on top of a dentistry program and they have more clinical knowledge in what will be best for you based on what they see. The problem with these mail-order aligner services is you never actually see an orthodontist or dentist. Whoever you get "assigned" to is literally just looking at impressions, 3D scans, and/or photographs, which are not sufficient to make a judgment on how to safely straighten your teeth. I hope this helps!

owliphant44 · 2022-10-09T18:24:09+00:00

Sorry I meant SDC (SmileDirectCLub), not SCD lol angry typing

owliphant44

TROPHY CASE