Travel after Interview?

[genYgal 0]

I am one of the October 2012 filers, and I apologize for not submitting my info earlier, but I had lost my login info here. I have a question about my ability to travel after the citizenship interview. I am scheduled to go in for the interview on December 12. My case is not complicated. I just applied based on 5 years of residence, no outstanding issues, etc. Assuming I pass the exam that day (but don't take the Oath any time soon), and they take my Green Card away, how can I travel to Canada and back a week later? Or am I allowed to keep my GC till I take the Oath? If I happen to take the Oath that day, I'm left with no GC and 8 days to figure out a US passport??? Help... I'm going crazy thinking about this one. A friend told me he had to spend ~200 bucks to get his US passport for the first time ever in his life, and I simply won't have the funds for that at this point. I have my Canadian passport, but I'm sure that won't fly with Customs upon re-entering. I really didn't want to travel with a pending case (either way I'll know if it's a yay or nay before my flight date) but try explaining that to parents.. Ohhh nooo... they said I just had to go visit. Hoping I didn't waste 400 dollars in plane tickets. If anyone knows anything about this, please kindly explain how it works. Thank you!

For anyone curious, I am being processed by the Jacksonville, FL office. I sent my N400 early October, and my priority date is October 9. I went in for FP on October 30, and my interview letter is dated Nov 7, with interview date of December 12.

[ujunnanna 2]

Don't worry. On the interview day, you either pass or fail. There are two options, both good for you.If you pass, They either swear you in that day(rare, but if they do, they will take your green card, or they send you home to wait for a swearing-in appointment) If they send you home, they will give you your green card back as that is still valid till you swear in....but if you use it to travel, you must declare so before your swearing in; or if they swear you in, you can call the state dept and ask for an expedited passport with proof of travel and get it in about 5 days or less. While it is doable, however, I will urge you to really reconsider your trip if possible: not because of the logistics, but because before your swearing in,you might need to explain it to an immigration officer, one you'd hope is in a good mood.

[RRK 8]

Another option is if you are sworn in and you live in one of the big cities that do same day passport you can do that if you have a travel proof. It costs $195 but if you cannot reschedule your trip than it is the only option, if you are sworn in on the same day. Here is the website, http://travel.state.gov/passport/npic/agencies/agencies_913.html . It cost more but it is possible to get your passport in one day with proof of travel! Good luck!

[Wilerao59 10]

I'm VERY surprised to see the time line of your case. I mean, you are scheduled for the interview just a few days over 2 months after filing N-400. I've been around all kinds of immigration forums for at least 10-12 years and I've NEVER seen anyone's case to have processed to quickly. Lucky you.

I don't know if the same day Oath is conducted in Florida after the interview but if they do then that would be good for you; otherwise it would take a while before you will be scheduled for the Oath. I would say 3-6 weeks. Please don't assume the time line of Oath in your case based on other Floridians because each case is dealt differently. Also, don't assume everything will go smoothly in your case just because you have no issue and straight forward case. I hope your case to be finalized right away after the interview, but I would like you to also open for any surprise as well. For example, just last week my wife had her citizenship interview. She also didn't have any issue whatsoever on the application other than what me and my wife knew of. She got approved with a flying color, but we got so disappointed when adjudication officer refused to hand over her oath notice despite of my wife didn't mind waiting to get the Oath notice. The USCIS district office where she went for her interview does hand over Oath notice right away to applicants which made us to keep our hopes up for this as well. So we got so disappointed. That's why it's my opinion not to assume/presume anything when it comes to dealing with USCIS.

I personally don't think you would have any problem in traveling, in and out of the US, either before and after the interview. Why? Because you have to remember that you would still be a LPR after the interview (even if your application is approved) and you could never be a US citizen until you take the Oath. So, it's not about the interview or approving of the application; rather taking the Oath which would make you a naturalized citizen. Thereby, until you take the Oath, you will still have your GC with you because they take away GC only when they give Oath and not after approving the application. So all the rules and conditions would still apply to you as a LPR until you take the Oath. So just use your GC to travel.

And somehow your Oath date falls in-between or close to your travel date then you may request the USCIS to reschedule your Oath date which they do all the time. I read a posting of a lady on some other immigration forum who delayed taking her oath because she had already planned and booked her cruise trip. According to her, she could have lost tons of money in canceling that trip for not only for her but also ruining the plan of her family. USCIS doesn't ask any reason as to why you want to reschedule your oath date.

You should also know that you can obtain US Passport immediately on the same day by going personally to one of Passport offices, but it would cost you $60 extra in addition to have your trip-ticket. In my opinion, paying extra $60 to be with your family on time wouldn't break or make you up. But if you don't want to spend this much money, then you may delay your Oath and can still use your GC.

Good luck....

[gstrength 20]

I am one of the October 2012 filers, and I apologize for not submitting my info earlier, but I had lost my login info here. I have a question about my ability to travel after the citizenship interview. I am scheduled to go in for the interview on December 12. My case is not complicated. I just applied based on 5 years of residence, no outstanding issues, etc. Assuming I pass the exam that day (but don't take the Oath any time soon), and they take my Green Card away, how can I travel to Canada and back a week later? Or am I allowed to keep my GC till I take the Oath? If I happen to take the Oath that day, I'm left with no GC and 8 days to figure out a US passport??? Help... I'm going crazy thinking about this one. A friend told me he had to spend ~200 bucks to get his US passport for the first time ever in his life, and I simply won't have the funds for that at this point. I have my Canadian passport, but I'm sure that won't fly with Customs upon re-entering. I really didn't want to travel with a pending case (either way I'll know if it's a yay or nay before my flight date) but try explaining that to parents.. Ohhh nooo... they said I just had to go visit. Hoping I didn't waste 400 dollars in plane tickets. If anyone knows anything about this, please kindly explain how it works. Thank you!

For anyone curious, I am being processed by the Jacksonville, FL office. I sent my N400 early October, and my priority date is October 9. I went in for FP on October 30, and my interview letter is dated Nov 7, with interview date of December 12.

Florida does not do same day Oath, chances are you will be scheduled within 3-4 weeks but, you can always reschedule. They do not take your GC until the ceremony, the will ask you if any changes had happened since you had your test. so, you will have to tell them about your trip and the duration.

[DCINDC 0]

genyGal,

They don't take your green card at the USC interview only at the Oath Ceremony well unless you get to do a same day Oath Ceremony.

But as others have chimed you can use a third party agency to super expedite your US passport application with a confirmed travel itinerary. It'll cost you $200-$400 but you can get your passport in a day's time in some cases/locations and with some agencies. You'd still have to visit your local passport acceptance facility or USPS so they can verify your docs etc prior to contracting the 3rd party agency. So that's always an option. If you're going through the USPS route, expedited at $60 more, would cut processing time down to 2-3 weeks. Standard service can take up to 7 weeks I believe, again depending on your location. To give you an idea on costs going through the USPS route, I checked all the options (book, card, expedite, overnight) and it cost me $240 including the USPS fee and money order fees.

[flutter95 4]

I'm VERY surprised to see the time line of your case. I mean, you are scheduled for the interview just a few days over 2 months after filing N-400. I've been around all kinds of immigration forums for at least 10-12 years and I've NEVER seen anyone's case to have processed to quickly. Lucky you.

I don't know if the same day Oath is conducted in Florida after the interview but if they do then that would be good for you; otherwise it would take a while before you will be scheduled for the Oath. I would say 3-6 weeks. Please don't assume the time line of Oath in your case based on other Floridians because each case is dealt differently. Also, don't assume everything will go smoothly in your case just because you have no issue and straight forward case. I hope your case to be finalized right away after the interview, but I would like you to also open for any surprise as well. For example, just last week my wife had her citizenship interview. She also didn't have any issue whatsoever on the application other than what me and my wife knew of. She got approved with a flying color, but we got so disappointed when adjudication officer refused to hand over her oath notice despite of my wife didn't mind waiting to get the Oath notice. The USCIS district office where she went for her interview does hand over Oath notice right away to applicants which made us to keep our hopes up for this as well. So we got so disappointed. That's why it's my opinion not to assume/presume anything when it comes to dealing with USCIS.

I personally don't think you would have any problem in traveling, in and out of the US, either before and after the interview. Why? Because you have to remember that you would still be a LPR after the interview (even if your application is approved) and you could never be a US citizen until you take the Oath. So, it's not about the interview or approving of the application; rather taking the Oath which would make you a naturalized citizen. Thereby, until you take the Oath, you will still have your GC with you because they take away GC only when they give Oath and not after approving the application. So all the rules and conditions would still apply to you as a LPR until you take the Oath. So just use your GC to travel.

And somehow your Oath date falls in-between or close to your travel date then you may request the USCIS to reschedule your Oath date which they do all the time. I read a posting of a lady on some other immigration forum who delayed taking her oath because she had already planned and booked her cruise trip. According to her, she could have lost tons of money in canceling that trip for not only for her but also ruining the plan of her family. USCIS doesn't ask any reason as to why you want to reschedule your oath date.

You should also know that you can obtain US Passport immediately on the same day by going personally to one of Passport offices, but it would cost you $60 extra in addition to have your trip-ticket. In my opinion, paying extra $60 to be with your family on time wouldn't break or make you up. But if you don't want to spend this much money, then you may delay your Oath and can still use your GC.

Good luck....

I am also an odd case as the OP in the sense of timelines. I have my interview tuesday and it'll be two months since I filed.

[mamaSue 38]

I am also an odd case as the OP in the sense of timelines. I have my interview tuesday and it'll be two months since I filed.

You're very lucky too....I filed July 3rd and I've been in a neverending line for an interview at Atlanta since September 13th!

[genYgal 0]

Thank you for all the awesome replies! So as long as I don't take the Oath the same day, I should still have my green card and be able to exit/enter the States. I have no problem letting them know of my plans, showing them my return ticket and school schedule for next semester. I intend to come back! lol Only flying out to Montreal for Xmas for one week. I did request a last name change (due to divorce) so I know I'll have some work to do once/if I'm granted citizenship. I am willing to reschedule my travel plans (at a cost of course, doh!) if I'm cutting it too close, but I'm just gonna pray it all works out smoothly.

Wilerao59: I too am surprised how fast my case has moved so far. I think they are making it up to me for the ordeal that my residence papers were. lol I think lots of people applied at the same time as me (August 2005) and I am also convinced someone fell asleep on my file/case. It took them a year to give me residence which even at the time was longer than most people's timelines. My employment authorization also took close to a year to be approved. I basically had EA for one month before I was granted the green card, at which point the EA became useless of course. Can you say "wasted money" on EA?.. Could've just filed for adjustment of status and waited a year staring at the ceiling, since that's kind of what ended up happening. I am grateful they are processing me ahead of schedule so far, but we shall see how long it takes for them to actually schedule the Oath (assuming I pass the interview!). I read here some people wait for months.

gstrength: Thanks for letting me know that little tidbit about Florida. If that is indeed the case, things should work in my favor so that I still have my GC till then.

Does anyone know if N400's based on 5 years are processed faster than 3 years/marriage based n400? Could that be why my case went fast so far? Just a thought I had. Seems like the 3 year approach can be a bit of headache with all the evidence one must submit, which is why I didn't take a chance with it when my 3 years were up in 2009.

[sib 7]

It took my husband about 2 month to be scheduled for the oath after the interview. He was in Jacksonville too.

So I guess you will travel with your green card and your Canadian passport. After the oath you need to leave US with your US passport and entering US with your US passport. You will enter Canada with your Canadian passport. This is when having dual citizenship. You need to keep both passports actual and with you when you travel to your 'other' home country.

Have fun.

Sib

[Wilerao59 10]

Does anyone know if N400's based on 5 years are processed faster than 3 years/marriage based n400? Could that be why my case went fast so far? Just a thought I had. Seems like the 3 year approach can be a bit of headache with all the evidence one must submit, which is why I didn't take a chance with it when my 3 years were up in 2009.

No, I am very sure that there is no relevancy of which could go faster-processing of N-400 fling based on either 5 years' rule or 3 years' rule. When they process a case, they just see an application of N-400 than anything else. However, other factors could play a part in delay processing like complicated case or not filing up the application completely or accurately or not submitted at least required documents or assigned adjudication officer being too lazy/busy, etc..etc...

My wife's application for naturalization is based upon 3 years' rule and she has already been interviewed on her case which is a way ahead of applicants in NYC who filed their application based on 5 years' rule. It think it's just a matter of luck; otherwise it's the same USCIS that not only delayed your application for USCIS for that long but also made you to spend money/time/efforts on obtaining EA, but now your naturalization case is being processing by them too quickly. I'm sure you know too well that USCIS is not making up to you this time just because they took all the time in this world to process your application last time for green card. It's all about matter of fact when it comes to dealing with USCIS...I mean, could you imagine just a single person (interviewing officer) decides your destiny on behalf of this almighty agency of US govt. and most of the times especially in NYC district offices many of these officers don't even speak correct and good English? Do I need to say more??? I guess no.....