Right, I submitted the application online, then received a letter from Citi requesting additional documents (proof of passport or permanent residence card). I haven't replied to it. I think the bank should have had some time frame to make some decision on the application; I don't think they could just ignore it because the application has been submitted through the formal channel.

Probably, I would have accepted if they just replied after some time saying something like, "we have declined your application because we were unable to verify (blah-blah)." But at least I would have received a formal response. Only because the entire process was so strange, it triggered me to try to understand it in some detail. At some point, I even thought, is it possible there were some perpetrators in between asking for such documents? Again, this is the first time in more than a decade that I've been asked passport or green card for the credit card application. And so I asked my questions here.

I didn't intend to offend anyone, and maybe this is just not the right forum to ask these questions. But if anyone has detailed knowledge from the legal perspective, I would certainly appreciate it if you can share.