Can the oath date be pushed back?

[sunlight999 3]

I am planning to mail the N-400 forum in April, and I project the oath date should be somewhere around Sep-Oct (correct me if I am wrong). But I will be traveling out of the country in September. Can I ask the oath date be pushed further back after I come back? Thanks!

[Alaska2012 462]

Why not wait to send it in? They don't really care about traveling plans and such.

[Cheezees 1,514]

Your request would (and should) be ignored so I would take Alaska2012's advice. Good luck!

[sunlight999 3]

Well, I will be traveling from end of March to mid May so I want to time the fingerprint date to be at mid to late May. That's why I am planning to send it in April.

Edited March 1, 2016 by sunlight999

[JimmyHou 610]

I am planning to mail the N-400 forum in April, and I project the oath date should be somewhere around Sep-Oct (correct me if I am wrong). But I will be traveling out of the country in September. Can I ask the oath date be pushed further back after I come back? Thanks!

Yes, you can reschedule the oath ceremony if you have to, but you should know a few things:

-Rescheduling errors occur sometimes; one applicant sent in a rescheduling request and was rescheduled for later in the same week, when they were still out of town.

-Rescheduling is unpredictable; some applicants get a date that is one month later and some have to wait 4 or 5 months for a new date. If you live somewhere where ceremonies are infrequent, you should think twice about this.

-Usually, if you inform your interviewer of your travel dates at the interview, he/she will make a note on your application that you should not be scheduled for an oath between certain dates. This doesn't always work, though.

-Sometimes the oath letter arrives only a few days before the ceremony, so you may miss the event before you have time to reschedule. If this happens, you'll need to write and explain why (although sometimes you get rescheduled automatically).

As to the timing; it's hard to tell... you could apply in April and become a citizen in July or you might not be interviewed until December. It depends on where you live and how long your background check takes.

Your request would (and should) be ignored so I would take Alaska2012's advice. Good luck!

Oath rescheduling requests are submitted and accepted frequently.

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[Alaska2012 462]

Also remember that the estimated times are just that, estimated. Sometimes you catch a break and everything goes fast. So with all that traveling around have someone check your mail. It can also drag out! A lot! So if you are in no hurry why not just wait to send it in when you are done traveling this year? Send it in after your September trip

[sunlight999 3]

Thank you all for the kind support! I will consider my options.