SOS: i just missed my oath ceremony today, i dont know how to fix it

[Shauna&Wael 211]

i will. really appreciate your help

no worries let us know what happens

[teeak 224]

This exact thing happened to my uncle. Because of a snow storm in NYC, the mail wasn't delivered until the afternoon on the day his oath ceremony was scheduled. He went to the address listed but it was already closed. He called USCIS and sent a letter explaining what happened. They said they usually give you three tries to attend an oath ceremony, after which, you will have to do the whole citizenship process over again. They scheduled a new oath ceremony about a month later so he was able to attend the second time around.

[Dave&Roza 748]

I would see if an INFOpass appointment is available and go and talk to them in person. I would not want to send the original letter to them but a copy the letter, the envelope it arrived in for the postmark, and a letter of explanation, but I would go the INFOpass method if one is available soon.

Dave

[koja 5]

This exact thing happened to my uncle. Because of a snow storm in NYC, the mail wasn't delivered until the afternoon on the day his oath ceremony was scheduled. He went to the address listed but it was already closed. He called USCIS and sent a letter explaining what happened. They said they usually give you three tries to attend an oath ceremony, after which, you will have to do the whole citizenship process over again. They scheduled a new oath ceremony about a month later so he was able to attend the second time around.

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thanks so much for replying. I just mail my explanation letter this morning. Hopefully I explain thing clearly so that they can reschedule my appointment as soon as possible. This application takes forever to finish

[koja 5]

I would see if an INFOpass appointment is available and go and talk to them in person. I would not want to send the original letter to them but a copy the letter, the envelope it arrived in for the postmark, and a letter of explanation, but I would go the INFOpass method if one is available soon.

Dave

It is too late, I already mail my letter this morning with initial oath form. I thought I need to mail the initial form, copy one does not court. And I already call the uscis twice, both representatives say that I need to mail the explanation letter and request to reschedule an appointment. Hopefully everything works out

[Shauna&Wael 211]

It is too late, I already mail my letter this morning with initial oath form. I thought I need to mail the initial form, copy one does not court. And I already call the uscis twice, both representatives say that I need to mail the explanation letter and request to reschedule an appointment. Hopefully everything works out

Wait, did you at least make a copy of the original oath letter for your own records? Please say yes!

[koja 5]

Wait, did you at least make a copy of the original oath letter for your own records? Please say yes!

yup, i do make a copy. The representative tells me twice to make a copy. if they do not say, i probably wont do it.haha

[Shauna&Wael 211]

yup, i do make a copy. The representative tells me twice to make a copy. if they do not say, i probably wont do it.haha

Good!

[truthsmiles 0]

Hi, everyone

i apply for US citizenship and receive the oath ceremony this afternoon. however, in the letter, it says the appointment was scheduled on August 12 at 8:30 am. I totally missed the appointment when i got the letter. i call the USCIS immediately and asked them if they can directly reschedule an appointment for me, they say that they cannot do that and ask me to mail the letter back with explanation. I try to search similar cases online, some people say that they receive letter from the USCIS about absenting oath ceremony and tell applicants what to do next. so do i need to wait for the letter or i just immediately send the USCIS letter and explain why i cannot attend the ceremony?

if i need to mail the letter with explanation immediately, i am not sure which address i need to put on the envelop, the location where i support to do the oath ceremony or the one is on the top of the envelop i received. Do i also need to fill out the oath form or leave it as blank. Also, after i mail the letter back, will I receive a confirmation letter or email. If not, how long will they mail me the new appointment letter. In addition, since i miss the appointment, will it cause any delay of my case or they refused to go over my case again.

sorry for so many questions because i already freak out and so worry about my case. can anyone kindly help me or give me some advises.

my location is New York City

thank you so much

First, don't freak out :-) You haven't lost anything except time.

You can take the steps others have outlined (making appointments, calling), but almost certainly even if you do nothing, you will get a letter that says "You missed your oath ceremony... We've rescheduled you for another one, and here's the date/time: ______" This new scheduled time will likely be around 1 month after the last appointment (probably September 2nd or September 9th - usually on a Wednesday).

If you're in a hurry, try showing up NEXT Wednesday (August 19th) at the same location and time. Bring the letter, and everything with you as described in the letter. When you arrive, explain to the guard what happened. There is a good chance they will let you in and you will be able to take your oath as normal. This is a process that happens every Wednesday (and some Saturdays) for many people, and your situation is very common.

Good luck and please post an update when you get your Certificate of Naturalization so we can congratulate you!

EDIT: I see now you've already sent your letter back. That's unfortunate but not the end of the world. You can still try going next Wednesday with your copy and explain that you mailed it back in a panic. You probably have a 50% chance of success, depending on the guard and how nice you are :-)

Edited August 13, 2015 by truthsmiles

[kingjb 1]

don't worry the same thing happened with my wife few weeks a go and we were all so scared but when you miss the first one they automatically reschedule you for a second oath ceremony like a month later just make sure that you check the status on line it will say that we have mailed you the date of the oath ceremony when you see that message on line wait one week and make info pass appointment at your local uscis office that send you the letter and explain to the officer that you already missed your oath ceremony once and due to mail issues you don't want to miss it again just ask them for the copy of the letter with the oath date and time they will print it for you keep it as a back up if you receive the other one in the mail good if not you will have the print out from the office they will accept it your fine don't worry

[koja 5]

First, don't freak out :-) You haven't lost anything except time.

You can take the steps others have outlined (making appointments, calling), but almost certainly even if you do nothing, you will get a letter that says "You missed your oath ceremony... We've rescheduled you for another one, and here's the date/time: ______" This new scheduled time will likely be around 1 month after the last appointment (probably September 2nd or September 9th - usually on a Wednesday).

If you're in a hurry, try showing up NEXT Wednesday (August 19th) at the same location and time. Bring the letter, and everything with you as described in the letter. When you arrive, explain to the guard what happened. There is a good chance they will let you in and you will be able to take your oath as normal. This is a process that happens every Wednesday (and some Saturdays) for many people, and your situation is very common.

Good luck and please post an update when you get your Certificate of Naturalization so we can congratulate you!

EDIT: I see now you've already sent your letter back. That's unfortunate but not the end of the world. You can still try going next Wednesday with your copy and explain that you mailed it back in a panic. You probably have a 50% chance of success, depending on the guard and how nice you are :-)

thank you so much for responding and advising me. because i do lots of researches yesterday and i call the uscis twice. it seems that returning the letter is the only way to reschedule the appointment. meantime, i am so worried about my case because i am the first person who have this kind issues around me, so i cannot ask my friends or families for help. I feel that i should let the USCIS knows as soon as possible so that they can reschedule my appointment fast. i do not want my case to be closed or forever delayed.

you mention about the next week ceremony. i have question about it. because during the ceremony, they are giving the citizen certificate out, which provide that you are a citizen. since i am not on the list, will i am able to get the citizen certificate if they allow me to participate.

[Shauna&Wael 211]

thank you so much for responding and advising me. because i do lots of researches yesterday and i call the uscis twice. it seems that returning the letter is the only way to reschedule the appointment. meantime, i am so worried about my case because i am the first person who have this kind issues around me, so i cannot ask my friends or families for help. I feel that i should let the USCIS knows as soon as possible so that they can reschedule my appointment fast. i do not want my case to be closed or forever delayed.

you mention about the next week ceremony. i have question about it. because during the ceremony, they are giving the citizen certificate out, which provide that you are a citizen. since i am not on the list, will i am able to get the citizen certificate if they allow me to participate.

At this point, you've already done your due diligence. Showing up to the oath ceremony with a 50% chance of being let in is risky to say the least. Even if you are let in, it could confuse things, which is the last thing you want in the final stage of your journey. And you brought up a great point, if you're not on the list, I highly doubt you'll get your certificate the same day. Just be patient and wait for your SCHEDULED ceremony.

[koja 5]

don't worry the same thing happened with my wife few weeks a go and we were all so scared but when you miss the first one they automatically reschedule you for a second oath ceremony like a month later just make sure that you check the status on line it will say that we have mailed you the date of the oath ceremony when you see that message on line wait one week and make info pass appointment at your local uscis office that send you the letter and explain to the officer that you already missed your oath ceremony once and due to mail issues you don't want to miss it again just ask them for the copy of the letter with the oath date and time they will print it for you keep it as a back up if you receive the other one in the mail good if not you will have the print out from the office they will accept it your fine don't worry

Hi, thanks for responding and congratulation to your wife. she made it and there is no more waiting

after i missed the first ceremony, i check my case statue everyday because i think uscis will update new information on it. however, the statue did not update at all. it stills says that your oath ceremony letter has been mailed. so i am not sure when they are going to send the second oath letter. will they update the new deadline because now on the website, the deadline is September 2 for the old appointment.

and i feel sad now. it seems like i mess up the steps. i already mail the explanation letter. This morning i tried so hard to get everything done and rush to post office and mail my letter. i even late for my work. I am not sure what i need to do now since i already mail the letter before they update new information in my case. Do i need to wait and see what is going to happen or make an infopass.

[koja 5]

At this point, you've already done your due diligence. Showing up to the oath ceremony with a 50% chance of being let in is risky to say the least. Even if you are let in, it could confuse things, which is the last thing you want in the final stage of your journey. And you brought up a great point, if you're not on the list, I highly doubt you'll get your certificate the same day. Just be patient and wait for your SCHEDULED ceremony.

i think now the most important thing for me is to be patient. Do not over thinking and over stress. Giving the uscis a little bit of time to process my case. If i do not get any respond after September 2, i think i need to make an infopass or call USCIS again.

thanks for your advises

[Buckyball 22]

They said they usually give you three tries to attend an oath ceremony, after which, you will have to do the whole citizenship process over again.

But this is not the case if they send a letter that late that you can't attend the ceremony. Another USCIS fail