Scheduling Oath Ceremony!

[franklocks 0]

Hi Folks,

I write this letter with mixed feelings. My wife and I have worked very hard to enable me get through this citizenship stress. I got the letter today for my oath ceremony. Unfortunately, the day coincides with a day I am "billed" to defend my thesis. The letter indicates that I should inform USCIS as soon as possible if am not able to make it, and I will be rescheduled.

Is this case(rescheduling)common?Do you know anyone who has been in such a situation before? If so, how was this issue resolved? How soon can I be rescheduled? Can I propose my availability date to USCIS that fits into any of their ceremony times? I am indeed in a dilemma.OMG!

Your wonderful inputs are always welcome.

[v333k 59]

Hi Folks,

I write this letter with mixed feelings. My wife and I have worked very hard to enable me get through this citizenship stress. I got the letter today for my oath ceremony. Unfortunately, the day coincides with a day I am "billed" to defend my thesis. The letter indicates that I should inform USCIS as soon as possible if am not able to make it, and I will be rescheduled.

Is this case(rescheduling)common?Do you know anyone who has been in such a situation before? If so, how was this issue resolved? How soon can I be rescheduled? Can I propose my availability date to USCIS that fits into any of their ceremony times? I am indeed in a dilemma.OMG!

Your wonderful inputs are always welcome.

I think that rescheduling the oath is not very difficult but from what I know is that we cannot tell them when we are next available... they will schedule you for the next oath date (depending on their loic?!?!?!)

When is it? can you reschedule your thesis defense?

[franklocks 0]

My defense is on June 17th. I wish I could do that. I am planning on talking to my supervisor tomorrow and listen to what he says.Don't want to take chances. The more I think about this thing the more headaches I get.

I think that rescheduling the oath is not very difficult but from what I know is that we cannot tell them when we are next available... they will schedule you for the next oath date (depending on their loic?!?!?!)

When is it? can you reschedule your thesis defense?

[masterpiece 2]

The question to ask, Franklocks, is this...

Do i plan travelling with a U.S passport before 2010 ends?

If the answer is yes, then you do your utmost best to reschedule your thesis defence

If the answer is Heck, No.....then you make an infopass appointment with information about the defence of your thesis on that date with a passionate letter requesting that you be re-scheduled for the next available date. A copy of information about thesis defence should be with you for submission.

Now why would this cause you headaches? The only migraine Masterpiece would allow you have, at this time, is the one directly connected to the defence of your thesis....remember?...that singular act that could shore up your livelihood....

Answer the questions above and the headaches should go...puff!

[warlord 73]

Hi Folks,

I write this letter with mixed feelings. My wife and I have worked very hard to enable me get through this citizenship stress. I got the letter today for my oath ceremony. Unfortunately, the day coincides with a day I am "billed" to defend my thesis. The letter indicates that I should inform USCIS as soon as possible if am not able to make it, and I will be rescheduled.

Is this case(rescheduling)common?Do you know anyone who has been in such a situation before? If so, how was this issue resolved? How soon can I be rescheduled? Can I propose my availability date to USCIS that fits into any of their ceremony times? I am indeed in a dilemma.OMG!

Your wonderful inputs are always welcome.

Well re-schedualing is simple, it's the part of never knowing how long after you will get your new oath date is the problem. Some people have gotten it pretty quickly and many others have waited months and even years to get their next date. Problem is, is that you go back into the system. You could get lost, you could be placed at the back of the line and if you are in a busy area, this could mean a much longer wait then others.

So really they say you should never reschedual it unless absolutely necessary. If you had a vacation planned (which most people seem to have issues with) then they made the mitake of planning that trip and most will say cancel the trip. In your case though, I don't know how easy it would be if at all it would be to re-schedual your thesis defence. You could try and ask if that is possible and bring some evidence as to why. They make be able to make some arrangements. Otherwise you definatly don't want to miss that either.

So if you can't reschedual the Thesis defence, I would take the risk and try and re-schedual the oath and pray that you don't get lost in the system, or put at the end of the queue or just get held in a holding tank for months and months later. Really though, it looks like that might have to be what you will need to do...

[franklocks 0]

Thanks to all for your inputs. Masterpiece, am not planning on travelling this year and I guess your antidotes have really worked. My headaches are lessened now;better than before,lol! Warlord, I agree with your submissions and I really have to pray that my final decision on this case would not make things complicated.HMM!

Well re-schedualing is simple, it's the part of never knowing how long after you will get your new oath date is the problem. Some people have gotten it pretty quickly and many others have waited months and even years to get their next date. Problem is, is that you go back into the system. You could get lost, you could be placed at the back of the line and if you are in a busy area, this could mean a much longer wait then others.

So really they say you should never reschedual it unless absolutely necessary. If you had a vacation planned (which most people seem to have issues with) then they made the mitake of planning that trip and most will say cancel the trip. In your case though, I don't know how easy it would be if at all it would be to re-schedual your thesis defence. You could try and ask if that is possible and bring some evidence as to why. They make be able to make some arrangements. Otherwise you definatly don't want to miss that either.

So if you can't reschedual the Thesis defence, I would take the risk and try and re-schedual the oath and pray that you don't get lost in the system, or put at the end of the queue or just get held in a holding tank for months and months later. Really though, it looks like that might have to be what you will need to do...

[faith620 0]

I am afraid that I might end up in a similar situation. I just received my interview letter, and I'm scheduled for July 13. Then, for almost the entire month of August I will be out of state for work (can't really reschedule that). So, unless my oath is going to be scheduled end of July or in September, I am going to have to reschedule.

[franklocks 0]

Faith620, I have a plan. Can we swithc dates? I wish I were scheduled on your date? Oh, wishes, wishes, wishes! Just kidding! So long as we don't have controls over some of these issues, we are bound to be caught in the web with near-to-no solutions to get out of it. I wish we could also tell USCIS what we want, and someone would listen to us. Maybe some day.

I am afraid that I might end up in a similar situation. I just received my interview letter, and I'm scheduled for July 13. Then, for almost the entire month of August I will be out of state for work (can't really reschedule that). So, unless my oath is going to be scheduled end of July or in September, I am going to have to reschedule.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

For those who have not yet had their interviews and know there will be a conflict with some of the dates shortly following the interview, tell your Interviewing Officer that you have potential conflicts on such and such dates and ask if they can schedule your ceremony around those times. Most of them have the flexibility at that time to do so.

If you have received an oath date and it conflicts with another commitment that you can't avoid, then contact USCIS. It is probably a good idea to contact them in writing, or else in person at an InfoPass (I don't like to rely on their phone service), explain the conflict (having to defend a thesis is an excellent reason to ask for a different date) and ask for a date after your defense date. Larger centers tend to have fairly regular oath ceremonies. Smaller ones don't have them as often so you do run the risk of having to wait for a while if you are associated with a smaller office/center.

It isn't a problem though, to request a reschedule - unlike requesting reschedules of interviews for immigration benefits. There is a lot more flexibility involved in the final stage of the process - citizenship.

Good luck on the thesis - and on the citizenship oath.

Edited June 5, 2010 by Kathryn41

[franklocks 0]

Thanx Kathryn41. I anticipated to be sworn in in July or August. I didn't know it was going to be that early. In any case I have made the necessary contacts and would probably reschedule my oath date. Thanks to all VJs. Your contributions to cases on this has always been helpful. Long live VJ!

For those who have not yet had their interviews and know there will be a conflict with some of the dates shortly following the interview, tell your Interviewing Officer that you have potential conflicts on such and such dates and ask if they can schedule your ceremony around those times. Most of them have the flexibility at that time to do so.

If you have received an oath date and it conflicts with another commitment that you can't avoid, then contact USCIS. It is probably a good idea to contact them in writing, or else in person at an InfoPass (I don't like to rely on their phone service), explain the conflict (having to defend a thesis is an excellent reason to ask for a different date) and ask for a date after your defense date. Larger centers tend to have fairly regular oath ceremonies. Smaller ones don't have them as often so you do run the risk of having to wait for a while if you are associated with a smaller office/center.

It isn't a problem though, to request a reschedule - unlike requesting reschedules of interviews for immigration benefits. There is a lot more flexibility involved in the final stage of the process - citizenship.

Good luck on the thesis - and on the citizenship oath.