ANT IS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN! OATH CEREMONY DETAILED STORY….

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

(Note: there might be some grammar/spelling errors in the story, as I didn’t have time to fully edit it. As long as you can get the gist of it, so be it, I guess….Happy Reading!)

Here’s the long-awaited update to let you all know that....

“**Ant is an American Citizen!!**”

On 11/23/09, I went to the Buffalo, NY, local USCIS office for my citizenship private oath ceremony, and this is what happened that day:

(Note: Additional characters in the story…..

IO1=Immigration Officer 1, the same one that conducted the interview on 11/18/09

IO2=Immigration Officer 2, the same on that phoned about the oath on 11/19 and 11/20

DO=District Immigration Officer, ‘the boss’, conducts oath ceremonies)

7:30-9:00: The baby was crying throughout the night and in the morning, so we had no choice but to wake up earlier than usual, with no more than a few hours on and off of sleep before, for the long drive again to Buffalo, NY, which we only had a few days advance notice of, shortly passing the interview five days before. We ate a light breakfast, got dressed, and got the baby bathed and dressed for the day. Dressed in the same way as the interview I had a few days before, I again dressed in a red velvet hoodie jacket, dark blue velvet pants, white shirt with three heart-shaped American flags on them (like my online avator), American/Canadian flags lapel pin on my shirt, dark blue socks, black sneakers. My husband again dressed in a red and blue striped shirt, tan/brown pants, white socks, and black dress shoes. My baby son again dressed in a Buffalo Bills patriotic red/white/blue onesie shirt, dark blue elastic pants, a diaper, a thank-heavens-for-boys white/blue bib (he drools too much..lol..), and matching thank-heavens-for-boys light blue booties (the ones he got when he was born and came home from the hospital with). I made sure that I took my camera with me too, as I wanted to capture the special memories of this occasion. Before I left out the door, on this sunny but cold fall/autumn day, I snapped a few photos of the front of my house and snapped a photo of my green card, thinking that it would be the final time that I would have such in my possession, before I would have to surrender it for my citizenship certificate today….

9:00-11:00-I was feeling anxious and excited about the private oath ceremony today, and kept on thinking to myself that “This is the final stage of the process...In the next few hours I’ll officially be an American”. On the long drive to Buffalo, we again listened to Christmas/Holiday music on the radio, while I explained to my husband the concept of dual citizenship. “Well, when you say the oath, don’t you give up your former citizenship?”, he asked. To which I replied, “Well, on a moral/ethical level, yes, when I say the oath it requires me to do such; but on a legal level, no, as there is no way to enforce such by the US government that I must legally give up former citizenships and the Canadian government does not require me to give up my former citizenship either. Either way, at heart, I consider myself both American and Canadian, a dual citizen of both countries.” Along the way there, I couldn’t help but notice too, a big American flag in front of a local restaurant, so we pulled over, and I took a photo of that flag, waving in the wind on a cold fall day, and feeling even prouder of what it stands for….

11:00-11:35: We got to the city at 11:00 or so, parked about one block away on the side of the street next to a meter (about $1.50 or so, as we paid for 1 ½ hrs of parking), as that was the closest parking space in front of the building. I fed and changed the baby, for the next few minutes in the car, so that he wouldn’t get fussy when we went inside. We decided again to bring the carseat and baby bag in this time, instead of carrying him in as we didn’t know how long that it would take for the oath ceremony. When we got inside the USCIS building at 11:30am, there were quite a few people ahead of us in line. When it was our turn, the same male guard as last time at the door asked, “What are you here for?” So I told them that I have a private Oath Ceremony scheduled there at 11:30, and that we were supposed to meet with IO2 for such. He asked me what my name was, and I gave the guard my driver’s license. By mistake, my husband had forgot his driver’s license at home, so he showed them another piece of photo identification when asked for such (lol..thank goodness too, that he didn’t get pulled over when driving that day). The male guard looked at a sheet of paper in front of him and confirmed that I did have an oath ceremony scheduled then and there. Another female guard then asked us to put our keys and wallets in the tray, and I put my black baby bag (which had baby diapers, baby wipes, my original documents, other documents, and the naturalization study booklet in it) on the conveyer belt to go through the x-ray machines. The male guard was friendly and then asked the standard “Do you have any cameras, cell phones, guns, weapons, knives, sharp objects, razors, staplers (huh), etc.?”. I said “no” to everything else, but I said “yes, I have a camera with me”, as IO2 told me on the phone that I could bring such for the ceremony, to which he checked again on the piece of paper that IO2 did write about such for me, and let me through with the camera with no other problems. As well, the male guard again asked if the baby bag had any baby food, such as baby formula, in it, to which I said “no”, and he looked confused again. Oh well. I then walk through the metal detectors with no problems; my husband then walks through the metal detectors with no problems, while carrying the carseat with the baby as he walks through. The female guard remarks at how cute the baby is and in one hand waves a black wand-like portable detector at him. As she waves the detector, she plays with the baby’s booties and toes with her other hand, and asks how old he is (to which we say 4 months or so). We then take the baby in the carseat, the baby bag, and the rest of our belongings, after going through the detectors. The female guard then told us to walk straight ahead to the waiting room area and go up to window 6 to sign in. When we get to the waiting room it was all full, and we had to wait our turn to get to window 6. When it was my turn at the window, I tell the immigration officer (the same one at window 5/6 that was at my infopass appointment in october) that I was there to meet IO2 for the oath. She then checks my name, and slowly reads from a piece of paper in front of her that I was supposed to meet with IO2. She tells me to walk back towards the entrance and take the elevators upstairs to the second floor. On the way to the elevators, we pass by the guards, who remarked about our cute baby again, and lead us to an empty elevator to go upstairs for the oath….

11:35-11:40-Pre-Oath Time…

When we get out of the elevators, we end up in an empty hallway. In the hallway there are display cases full of immigration-related memorabilia and a 10ft replica statue of the statue of liberty. At the end of the hallway was another waiting area, which was empty people-wise except for us, had a dozen or so chairs there, had magazines on small coffee tables, had framed Buffalo, NY themed photos and memorabilia on the walls, and had information about citizenship and English classes on the side. I looked out the windows from that second floor waiting room and, I could see the streets of Buffalo, NY below, with all the business-like people passing by on a busy weekday morning. Off to the side of the room, there was a window, with a receptionist behind a reception desk. So I told the receptionist that I was there to see IO2 for the oath ceremony and had to wait for a few minutes. Then an immigration officer, appeared behind a door and said that she wanted to meet with me alone first. So I took my wallet and went through the door, while my husband and son waited for me in the waiting room. While I was in the office area with IO2….

IO2: (has my entire immigration file in front of her, and places it on a table). Hi my name is IO2 (insert their real name here), and I’ll be in the ceremony today, along with the District Officer. Mrs. (insert my last name here), before we continue…I have to give you something to sign…Now this is what you would sign if you were in a group ceremony, and likewise you will have to sign this here too.

IO2: (gives me a copy of the “N-445 Form N-445, Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony” to sign, which on the first page has the date, my name, my A#, (but oddly enough, no address or location to where my oath ceremony was to be held at), and the second page had eight “yes/no” checkboxes to questions regarding marital status, traveling, illegal activity, etc. after the interview and before the oath)

Ant: (checkmarks the boxes with “no”, with a pen that IO2 gives me)

IO1: (walks into the room to where I am and greets me) Hi Ant. I just wanted to drop in and quickly say congratulations and good luck with the oath ceremony today.

Ant: Thanks. And thanks too, for willing to accommodate my request for a private oath ceremony. You can come to the ceremony too, you know.

IO1: No problem about the accommodations.

Ant: (continues filling out the form). By the way, for the last line for the N-445, which address should I use? The physical address where I live, or the mailing address where I get my mail (they are both different locations).

IO1: We went over this during your interview, about the different addresses. Use the one that you sleep in.

Ant: Umm…I guess that would be the physical address then, since I don’t sleep in my mailbox..lol…(fills out the last section of the second page of the form with my physical address, signed at Buffalo, NY, date it as November 23, 2009, and sign it with my legal (but not full..oops…) signature, before I give it back to the immigration officers)

IO1: I have to get back to work, sorry I can’t stay. Congratulations again. (walks to the back area and into the back area of more offices)

IO2: (gives me a copy of the Certificate of Naturalization) Check it over and see if all the information on it is correct.

Ant: Wow, is this the certificate? (checks it over). Yes, all the information on it is correct, especially too, that it says that my former country is Canada, which is correct there (note: I was worried beforehand that they would get this one wrong, and did mention about it beforehand during the interview to put Canada on it, and not my other birth country).

Ant: (I look at the rest of the certificate, which has my photo, my birthdate, my gender, my height, my marital status, my former country of citizenship, my full name signed, my full name, approval from Buffalo New York, oath sworn by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, at Buffalo NY, dated November 23, 2009, and with the District Officer’s signature and name on it).

IO2: Can I have your green card too?

Ant: I only used this for 5 months.

IO2: That’s nice

Ant: But I waited 10 months for this card.

IO2: (laughs)

Ant: (gives her the 10yr green card, reluctantly…sigh…Goodbye green card!)

IO2: Ok, go have a seat in the waiting room again, and we’ll call you in again shortly.

Ant: (goes back out into the waiting room)

11:45-A few minutes later….Still Pre-Oath Time….

IO2: Can you come back in here for a few minutes, Mrs. (insert my last name here), you forgot to sign something.

Ant: (goes back into the office area)

IO2: You forgot to sign your Certificate of Naturalization. (give me a pen)

Ant: Did you want me to sign in my whole name, or with my legal signature?

IO2: Sign your whole name, like it appears on the certificate.

Ant: (signs my full name on the top signature line, where it says to sign)

IO2: Thanks. Can you go back into the waiting room again, and we’ll call you in again.

Ant: (goes back into the waiting room).

11:45-12:00-A few more minutes later….OATH TIME!

Present: Ant, D, Baby A, District Immigration Officer (DO), Immigration Officer (IO2)

IO2: Mrs. (insert my last name here), can you come back in here for the ceremony? Your husband and your son can come too.

Ant, D, and Baby A: (are led by IO2 into the office area)

D carries the carseat with Baby A in it and carries the baby bag in with him which has the camera inside. We are led to another smaller office, somewhere in the back rooms…

Inside the room, there is a desk, filled with paperwork, a small basket of chocolates/candy, along with a few chairs in front of the desk. This a room that is typically used for interviews and work, so it was a little bit cramped in there, with the all five of us people in there. D sits down on a chair, puts the carseat on the floor, while I am asked to stand at one end of the room in front of the DO.

DO: (dressed in a formal attire, with a dark blue jacket and pants, light blue tie, and white shirt). Hello, my name is (insert name here), and I’m here to conduct your ceremony.

Ant: Nice to meet you.

D: Nice to meet you too. Can I take a few photos of the ceremony? (takes out the camera)

DO: Sure. But just make sure you don’t get photos of the paperwork in the background. How about if we stand in this corner of the room, in front of this painting (it was some huge pastel-coloured piece of art, I notice too, that on the top corner of the room, right were I was standing there is a huge video camera mounted on the wall)

DO: (who is standing in front of me, reading off a piece of white paper, with his right hand raised). Can you raise your right hand like me, and swear to the following?

Ant: (raises my right hand and repeats after the DO)

DO: Wait, don’t repeat this part yet. Just say “I do” after I read this….

Ant: Oops..sorry about that….

DO: (continues reading something about do you agree to swear to….) Do you swear to….

Ant: I Do

DO: Now this is the part that you repeat after me. I’ll go through this line by line…

Ant: Ok..

DO: I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen

Ant: (repeats after the DO…)

DO: That I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic

Ant: (repeats after the DO…)

D: (takes a photo with the camera)

DO: That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same

Ant: (repeats after the DO…)

DO: That I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law

Ant: (repeats after the DO…)

DO: That I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law

Ant: (repeats after the DO…)

DO: That I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law

Ant: (repeats after the DO…)

DO: And that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.

Ant: (repeats after the DO…)

D: (takes another photo with the camera)

DO: Congratulations. You are now a US Citizen. Here is your certificate and flag (gives me the certificate, a USCIS brown envelope to put the certificate in, along with a small American flag).

DO: As well, here is information as to how to apply for children to be citizens if they aren’t yet, information about how to sign the certificate, though I think you already signed such, and information about the employment and citizenship.

Ant: Thanks. Oh, one more question, do I have to notify social security, and/or other government agencies about citizenship status? And how long would that take for your databases to update such information.

DO: It shouldn’t take too long for such updates.

IO2: Congratulations Mrs. (insert my last name here) too.

DO: Why don’t we take a few more photos outside with your family, instead of here?

IO2: How about by that statue in the hallway?

(So we are all ushered out of the office area, and out into the hallway. D gives the camera to IO2, while Ant, D, and Baby A are in front of the 10ft replica statue of the statue of liberty. IO2 takes a few photos of us, with Ant holding the Certificate of Naturalization and American flag in front. In total, we end up taking 6 photos, of both the ceremony itself and afterwards in front of the statue)

DO: Be careful not to drop the baby. (looks at D holding the baby in his arms)

Ant: Don’t worry, we won’t…lol…

Ant: Why don’t you come into the photo too? (looks at the DO)

(So the DO stands with the three of us, while IO2 takes a photo of the four of us.)

DO: How old is the baby?

D: He’s about 4 months or so.

D: Do you do these private oath ceremonies often?

DO: Not too often, only under extreme circumstances by request.

D: Thanks for doing this for us.

DO: You’re welcome. We do what we can do accommodate others here.

DO: By the way, you said that you lived in (insert town name here), isn’t that near (insert name here) State Park?

D: Yes, it’s a few hours away.

DO: Congratulations again. Have a good one.

IO2: For the citizenship certificate, make sure you don’t lose that. Keep it in a safe place.

Ant: Yes, I know, it takes a long time and costs quite a bit to replace.

IO2: Though if you are applying for a passport, you have to give them the original, and they will send it back to you in a separate envelope.

Ant: Ok. But can I also make a copy for myself for personal use?

IO2: Yes, just a copy for yourself only. But others aren’t supposed to make copies of it, as it says here. (points to the line where it says, ”It is punishable by law to copy….”).

Ant: Ok. No problem. Thanks for arranging the ceremony for us too.

IO2: Nice meeting the all of you. Congratulations again.

(IO2 and DO go back to their offices, while we walk further down the hall, go down the elevators, and exit the building. There are more and more people coming into the building later on in the day, and the lines in front of the security guards are getting longer. As we pass by the lines, another person in line notices that I have my certificate and says, ‘hey, she has her citizenship certificate’. The female guard remarks about the baby again too. As we leave, I ask D to take a photo of me in front of the building, which he does, as I jokingly pose with my certificate and flag in my hand, while the wind blows…)

So my Citizenship Oath Ceremony Experience ends here, with us driving away from Buffalo, NY, and with me officially as a US Citizen! For the next 2-3 hours or so, we stop by at a mall in Buffalo, NY, where we celebrate by going to “Build-A-Bear Workshop” (ok, so I’m a child at heart…I like stuffed animals...lol..) and bought a patriotic stuffed animal/puppy (that is white, red, and blue in colour), which we named “Starry”, in honour of the special day. As well, we drive home for another 2-3 hours, and then stop for 1 hour or so at the local “Ponderosa” restaurant to celebrate with a buffet dinner, as the sunset in the night. We didn’t stay long to eat outside though, as the baby was getting fussy, and I was tired after such a long day/night. Also, when I got back home, D surprised me with a “Congratulations” card, with a message congratulating me for my citizenship too.

Overall, I was happy about my oath ceremony experience, and am happy with how the USCIS staff in Buffalo, NY was on that day. And yes, it is especially nice too see too, that they are accommodating to applicants and friendly to children too.

Most importantly of all, I can say, “I’m a United States Citizen, I am here to stay forever! I’m proud to be an American! And so, immigration journey ends here, after 3+ years. What a happy ending, after such a long wait, indeed!”

I hope you found this story interesting and helpful to read. Thanks for reading about my oath ceremony experience story! And thanks too, for being such a supportive, friendly, and helpful online community along the way, vjers. 2500 posts later…!

Good luck to everyone else on your immigration journeys too, and may it be happy one for you and your family, with the same happy ending too….

Ant (I am a United States Citizen! And the Americans, Ant, D, and Baby A, lived happily ever after in America!....) :

Edited November 30, 2009 by Ant+D+A

[raymaga 25]

Congrats!!! Best wishes!!!

Why were you given a private oath ceremony?

[mobama94 0]

Congrats!

Was wondering about that too, under what special circumstances can one be granted a private oath ceremony?

[nayalamb 0]

congrats Ant!

glad the long journey is over for you!

[NickD 203]

LOL, with that other long thread in this site, did you have any problems with this?

DO: That I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law

Guess you have to apply for a US passport now, hope the DOS returns your new certificate, I made several colored copies of my wife's before we applied. SS was easy, had the same old form on my computer, just changed her status and the date, had her sign it, and on my next trip to our nearest SS office, showed her certificate and took it back with me, they wouldn't accept one of my beautiful colored copies, but made their own on their dirty copy machine.

First thing my wife did was to bring her certificate to the legal department of her employer, they were so happy for her and that they could remove her from their immigrants to watch data base.

Our DMV did not want to see her certificate, just a utility bill to prove her address and told her just to check I am a USC box, they gave us a very hard time when she had her one year extension notice, they never heard about that.

Voter's registration didn't want to see her certificate either, just her driver's license and for her to check she was a USC. Her driver's license had to be good, as we proved her address with a utility bill.

Congratulations, and now you are a USC just like you were born here, except you cannot run for the presidents office, but can run for any other office and even get a government job now.

[milimelo 4,500]

Congratulations Ant!!! You're done with USCIS

[MoroccanInTexas 24]

Congrats Ant

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your replies, well wishes, and greetings. Here are my replies to your replies:

Raymaga-Thanks for the congrats. There are particular reasons that I requested a private oath ceremony, that I outlined in a 2-3 page letter and with additional evidence, which I submitted during my interview. I can’t go into detail here as to why I wanted such, but believe me, that it was best for me and my family that this was done instead of a traditional group ceremony. Glad though, that immigration was understanding about that, and did give me the request accommodation after all.

Congrats!!! Best wishes!!!

Why were you given a private oath ceremony?

Mobama94-Thanks for the congrats. There are particular reasons that I requested a private oath ceremony, that I outlined in a 2-3 page letter and with additional evidence, which I submitted during my interview. I can’t go into detail here as to why I wanted such, but believe me, that it was best for me and my family that this was done instead of a traditional group ceremony. Glad though, that immigration was understanding about that, and did give me the request accommodation after all. As for who can get a private oath ceremony, it really depends on one's unique and individual circumstances, and as to how the immigration officer will respond to such requests. Either way, the immigration officers that I dealt with were quite understanding and accomodating, so I was glad that I asked, and had my request granted, even though I was worried before that they might not be able to do such.

Congrats!

Was wondering about that too, under what special circumstances can one be granted a private oath ceremony?

Nayalamb-Thanks for the congrats. I'm glad too, that the long journey is over for me. After 3+ long years, it seemed liked forever. and it has come to an end now! Hope your long journey will be over for you soon too.

congrats Ant!

glad the long journey is over for you!

NickD-Thanks for the congrats.

Lol...no, I have no problems bearing arms, if required by law. Lol...our neighbours have guns (I live in a rural area, and a lot of people around here hunt during hunting season), so I can see why as to why people would need such. As well, the country of America was founded during those times where having a gun or other weapons for survival reasons was acceptable, so I can see the historical context of that it is a consitutional right for people to "bear arms", am who am I to intrude on others' rights. However, even though I agree to bear arms, it doesn't mean that I will necessarily use those weapons. I can bear the arms, but nowhere does it say that I have to use it. Do you know what I mean? Lol..sure the government or anyone else can give me a gun, but I probably wouldn't know what to do with it. Lol...I'll just hold the gun in my arm, and stand still, while others around me shoot. On a moral level, I don't believe in shooting people or animals with guns, so I would never ever do such anyways. I'm better off giving the gun off to the neighbours or someone else that needs it more than I do...lol...A gun does me no good.....

As for the US passport, at first I wanted to do such, but finally decided against it. I'm afraid that I they will lose my original certificate, which I paid so much and took so long to get. Sigh, why can't they be satisfied with a photocopy or certified/notarized copy, instead of the original, despite applying for a passport in-person? Surely they can trust an in-person application, right? Other agencies are ok with that, so what gives with the passport agency?

It's one thing to lose a $30 birth certificate, that can be replaced in a few weeks....It's another to lose a $400+ certificate of naturalization, that takes a few months to replace...Someone should complain about this...Seriously! Lol..Because of all this, I'm not taking that risk, and decided not to apply for a US Passport after all. Instead, I'm applying for an New York State Enhanced License...which works just as well for me for land travel between the USA and Canada, which is what I do my travelling most with anyways....I can't risk losing the orignal certificate at all!

For the SSN...no problems...Just updated them 1 day later...they took a photocopy of my certificate....changed my immigration status...I signed for it....(and 10 days later...today...that was quick...Round 3...Very Good)...I got my new SSN card...(lol..even though I didn't need a new one, but they insisted on giving me one anyways...so now I have 2 cards...lol...). Wish they could have been faster for my first card though (which took 8 weeks, due to verification of immigraiton status...Round 1...Not Good), and that they didn't delay my son's card (took 8 weeks there too..sent it to the wrong address...Round 2...Not Good).

No need to update an employer...as I don't work....(am a homemaker/stay-at-home mom)

As for the DMV, I updated them, when I applied for an Enhanced Driver's License, 2 days later. They took a photocopy of my certificate, verified such with the SSA, and had no problems. As well, for the EDL, they needed proof of residency, which I provided them with such. I'm still waiting for the card..They said it would take 2 weeks to get such...So hopefully I will get that soon, and be able to take a trip back to Canada before the holidays.

I also applied for Voter's Registration at the DMV, when I got my new license. It was at the bottom of the EDL form...just checkmarked a few boxes...

Lol..Now, if only I can convince my husband to register to vote too...lol....(he's never voted before, despite being a USC....lol...)

Lol..Nah, I don't think I'll be running for president or any government offices or working for the government anytime at all...Don't think they would want me in politics anyways...Lol..I'm not much of a rule stickler and am more fair than the government here..I'd be fired of I worked for the government!

Congrats too, on your wife being a USC, and good luck to you and her in your life as US Citizens here in America!

LOL, with that other long thread in this site, did you have any problems with this?

DO: That I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law

Guess you have to apply for a US passport now, hope the DOS returns your new certificate, I made several colored copies of my wife's before we applied. SS was easy, had the same old form on my computer, just changed her status and the date, had her sign it, and on my next trip to our nearest SS office, showed her certificate and took it back with me, they wouldn't accept one of my beautiful colored copies, but made their own on their dirty copy machine.

First thing my wife did was to bring her certificate to the legal department of her employer, they were so happy for her and that they could remove her from their immigrants to watch data base.

Our DMV did not want to see her certificate, just a utility bill to prove her address and told her just to check I am a USC box, they gave us a very hard time when she had her one year extension notice, they never heard about that.

Voter's registration didn't want to see her certificate either, just her driver's license and for her to check she was a USC. Her driver's license had to be good, as we proved her address with a utility bill.

Congratulations, and now you are a USC just like you were born here, except you cannot run for the presidents office, but can run for any other office and even get a government job now.

Milimelo-Thanks for the congrats. I agree, I'm done with the USCIS! I feel as though a weight has been lifted off my shoulders there!

Congratulations Ant!!! You're done with USCIS

MorroccanInTexas-Thanks for the congrats.

Congrats Ant

Again, to everyone, thanks for the congratulations, and thanks for being such helpful, friendly, and supportive people along the way....Without vj, I wouldn't be where I am now...

And to everyone: Good luck with the rest of your immigration journeys, and may your journey end happily too....

Ant