N-400 JANUARY 2012 FILERS

[HuffyTheSlayer 22]

Live blogging my oath ceremony...got here at 10:15 and there was a line out the door. Check-in was pretty straight forward. Turned in my green card which was a bit nostalgic for me. There are 739 people becoming US Citizens today. I ran into my IO from my interview which was pretty nice...she was very nice and excited for everyone. I'm sitting and waiting for the judge to show up around noon. Almost there...

Wait until you get home tonight and realise there's no green card sitting in your wallet. It feels really strange. Great to hear there are a nice amount of people in your ceremony. There was 4,439 in my ceremony yesterday . Took a very long time to get everyone seated, hopefully it will be a lot quicker to sit 739 people .

And yep, you are minutes away now from being done.

[UMUC 3]

Wait until you get home tonight and realise there's no green card sitting in your wallet. It feels really strange. Great to hear there are a nice amount of people in your ceremony. There was 4,439 in my ceremony yesterday . Took a very long time to get everyone seated, hopefully it will be a lot quicker to sit 739 people .

And yep, you are minutes away now from being done.

[UMUC 3]

Mr Huffy just a quick question

How long after your biometrics were you notified of your interview schedule? Like was your case updated on line immediately or it took more than a week? Just....nervous here?

Also when did you start studying immediately for thr test?

[ManuFred 10]

Mr Huffy just a quick question

How long after your biometrics were you notified of your interview schedule? Like was your case updated on line immediately or it took more than a week? Just....nervous here?

Also when did you start studying immediately for thr test?

There is several factors that contribute to how long it will take to get notified. Most people receive a notice 'placed in line for interview scheduling' within the first two weeks after bio but that is not guaranteed. Not receiving a notice within two weeks is not uncommon and doesn't say anything about the outcome of your case.

In fact, sometimes cases proceed upto an interview even though fingerprints were not processed correctly. Don't worry about it.

[DAndy127 0]

Thanks. It is nice to be done, but also very weird too! I didn't think I'd really feel too different or anything, but I do. It was a very touching ceremony and I think some of it must also be the relief of being done finally and knowing that no matter what happens, I will be able to be with my family and not have to worry about renewing or adjusting statuses any more. Feels strange to know that my GC is no longer in my wallet .

Yes! It's funny to think I will have had the unconditional GC for less than a year. I know I will be struggling not to get too teary at the oath. I used to truly believe that this day would never come.

First of all congratulations to all the new US citizens and those who got their Interview letter already

I have just received an e-mail update saying they sent me the appointment for fingerprinting... 3 months after I filed! When I filed the I-751 it took them less than a month to send me the bio letter.

Not happy.. this process is taking longer than I expected.

I'm sorry to hear that. The same thing happened to me during ROC. I heard nothing - then 3 months in I received a bio request. On the bright side, this may mean that things will finally pick up pace once that is done.

[jade_arb 3]

I called to make an appointment to apply for my passport and the next available date in my local post office is June 29th!! Grr.. I called the one day office and I need to bring a copy of my airplane tickets showing that I'm really traveling within 2 weeks.. Sigh! I'm just hoping I don't need to go out of the country within the next 2 months... I had not idea it took so long to get a passport.

[HuffyTheSlayer 22]

Mr Huffy just a quick question

How long after your biometrics were you notified of your interview schedule? Like was your case updated on line immediately or it took more than a week? Just....nervous here?

Also when did you start studying immediately for thr test?

wanttobeanamerica, I checked my status online at USCIS.gov using my receipt number and 4 days after I completed biometrics my status changed to in line for interview scheduling. 2 days after that I received my interview notice. All of my timeline is in my signature at the bottom of my post. How quickly you get scheduled for interview will depend on your local office and their work load, I think my office is quite a lot quieter than some of the other surrounding offices.

I started studying for the test properly about 2 weeks before my interview, before that I had downloaded a phone app that quizzes you on the questions and would go through it every now and again. I had a big advantage though as English is my first (and only) language. If you are not 100% fluent/confident in your English I think most people would advise to start studying when you start to apply. Right now the USCIS aims to get people's N-400s processed within 5 months of receiving them. This is a target and does not always apply to everyone as some people have more complicated cases than others.

I also think that some of your processing time can depend on whether you are immediately eligible to be a citizen when you apply, or whether you are applying with the 90 days before 3 years with marriage or 90 days before 5 years as a permanent resident. I think people who are applying at the 90 days before eligibility point have to wait a little longer for interviews, etc. because they have to wait until they hit 3 or 5 years as a permanent resident before they can become citizens.

I called to make an appointment to apply for my passport and the next available date in my local post office is June 29th!! Grr.. I called the one day office and I need to bring a copy of my airplane tickets showing that I'm really traveling within 2 weeks.. Sigh! I'm just hoping I don't need to go out of the country within the next 2 months... I had not idea it took so long to get a passport.

Ugh, that really sucks, Jade! I applied at my oath ceremony since they offered it right there. But I also live close enough to go to LA that if I hadn't applied and needed to travel at short notice, I would be able to book some tickets and hopefully get the passport quickly.

Edit: Just a thought, Jade. Do you HAVE to apply at your local post office? Could you try another one in your area, one or 2 towns/cities over? Might be worth checking into.

Edited April 18, 2012 by HuffyTheSlayer

[UMUC 3]

wanttobeanamerica, I checked my status online at USCIS.gov using my receipt number and 4 days after I completed biometrics my status changed to in line for interview scheduling. 2 days after that I received my interview notice. All of my timeline is in my signature at the bottom of my post. How quickly you get scheduled for interview will depend on your local office and their work load, I think my office is quite a lot quieter than some of the other surrounding offices.

I started studying for the test properly about 2 weeks before my interview, before that I had downloaded a phone app that quizzes you on the questions and would go through it every now and again. I had a big advantage though as English is my first (and only) language. If you are not 100% fluent/confident in your English I think most people would advise to start studying when you start to apply. Right now the USCIS aims to get people's N-400s processed within 5 months of receiving them. This is a target and does not always apply to everyone as some people have more complicated cases than others.

I also think that some of your processing time can depend on whether you are immediately eligible to be a citizen when you apply, or whether you are applying with the 90 days before 3 years with marriage or 90 days before 5 years as a permanent resident. I think people who are applying at the 90 days before eligibility point have to wait a little longer for interviews, etc. because they have to wait until they hit 3 or 5 years as a permanent resident before they can become citizens.

Ugh, that really sucks, Jade! I applied at my oath ceremony since they offered it right there. But I also live close enough to go to LA that if I hadn't applied and needed to travel at short notice, I would be able to book some tickets and hopefully get the passport quickly.

Edit: Just a thought, Jade. Do you HAVE to apply at your local post office? Could you try another one in your area, one or 2 towns/cities over? Might be worth checking into.

[UMUC 3]

Thanks for elucidating on the matter or question rather...my local office is in baltimore and i am filing 90 days before...its almost 5 years for me liks really near as we speak!

We will see how it goes

[HuffyTheSlayer 22]

Thanks for elucidating on the matter or question rather...my local office is in baltimore and i am filing 90 days before...its almost 5 years for me liks really near as we speak!

We will see how it goes

When you (or if you have already) apply, you should look into joining the appropriate month thread. You can also look through previous month threads to see if you can find other people from Baltimore and see what their timelines look like. If you are very close to the 5 year anniversary of having a green card, then you I wouldn't anticipate you having to wait too long for an interview date. But I don't really have any clue what processing dates are like for Baltimore. If you go to the USCIS website and check on your status, using your receipt number. At the bottom of the webpage, under your current status you can select the N-400 from the drop-down and select your local office and see what their average processing time is like. Have you checked your status online yet (uscis.gov)? That is often updated before you receive a paper notice in the mail (although it will not actually list the date of your interview, it will just tell you what date they sent your letter to you).

Edited April 18, 2012 by HuffyTheSlayer

[USA82 4]

Still waiting for my IL:(

[Gone 3]

Thanks for elucidating on the matter or question rather...my local office is in baltimore and i am filing 90 days before...its almost 5 years for me liks really near as we speak!

We will see how it goes

My local office is Baltimore as well. Sit back and relax, it takes 5 months right now (more for me, but I seem to be stuck in a pile of files).

[pinktulips2012 1]

Congratulations to all new Citizens: Pandawars, HuffyTheSlayer, and Jade_rb!

Congrats also for passing their interviews: Dandy127 and Rylee!

[pinktulips2012 1]

congratz ! what i read from other memphis interviewees ..... the oath may take some time, but who knows .....

I heard, there is an upcoming oath ceremony this coming May 16 it's either Knoxville or Greenville. I was hoping Rylee and I will be included in this batch:) who knows? Lol!

[UMUC 3]

My local office is Baltimore as well. Sit back and relax, it takes 5 months right now (more for me, but I seem to be stuck in a pile of files).