My Oath Experience at Chicago

[dreamer15 4]

I applied for citizenship based on 5 year rule. I had my interview on Mar. 10th at 101 Congress Pkwy. After the interview, I was given n a notice with decision yet to be made. After three weeks, I received email notification that Oath is scheduled and I had my Oath on Apr. 13th in the same building where I was interviewed. I didn't have a name change . So, it was an Administrative Oath service. My Oath was scheduled at 9 am. I reached the building by 8:30am. After clearing security checks , I went to the third floor. With me, I carried Oath ceremony letter and Green Card. I had filled the back of the oath ceremony letter the previous night. The room started to get crowded close to 9. People who were attending oath were asked to sit in the middle area and their friends and family were asked to sit on sides. IO officers were asking to fill back of the oath form and were asking whether anyone is accompanied by interpreter. I wish they said the instructions through micro-phone. Most of their instructions were unable to be heard by people who were seated at back. Then around 9:15 they allowed one row at a time to enter the auditorium. Before entering the auditorium they checked whether back of the form is filled and asked to show the Green Card. I didn't have changes since my interview. So , I moved in the line. I’m not sure whether they cross verified details for people who had changes since interview. Right before entering the auditorium an IO crossed the back of the form with red pen. Staffs at the desk collected green card and gave a token to seats. On each seat there was a package which had a letter from President, Oath of Allegiance, national Anthem, folder to keep Naturalization certificate, passport application form and voter's guide.

After that, family and friends were asked to enter the auditorium. It was a small auditorium and I felt congested. Around 9:45 the ceremony started. I was expecting a judge but someone who introduced himself as supervisor at immigration service conducted the ceremony. A small video about US was shown. Then everyone was asked to stand up for National Anthem . Then in alphabetical order he called names of the countries and asked people who belonged to that country to stand up. After that, he asked everyone to raise their right hand and asked to follow as he read Oath Of Allegiance and Pledge Of Allegiance. Then he congratulated everyone and a small video message from Obama was played. Another small video about America was played and they asked people from each row one after the other to come and collect their certificate. Finally, he asked to apply for passport and update Social Security Administration. Photos were allowed to be taken inside the auditorium but not outside. While coming out, they were handing out voter's registration form. The ceremony was done by 10:30.

Couple of things about the certificate. Make sure all your information are correct. They had the picture taken during bio-metrics in the certificate. For people who care about how they look, please make sure you are photo ready while going for bio-metrics.

I am happy that I am done with USCIS and I would like to thank all VSJ fellow members whose posts have helped me through every step in this process.

[akihon 129]

Thanks very much for this

Really good to know. Were you able to apply for your passport there and then?

Edited April 13, 2016 by akihon

[TBoneTX 43,061]

Congratulations! Update your VJ timeline.

*** Thread is moved from the US Citizenship main forum to the Case Progress subforum. ***

[dreamer15 4]

Thanks very much for this

Really good to know. Were you able to apply for your passport there and then?

No. That facility wasn't there in Chicago. Planning to go to a nearby post office.

[akihon 129]

No. That facility wasn't there in Chicago. Planning to go to a nearby post office.

Cool. Thanks. I'm waiting for my interview notice right now, and will be taking the oath in Chicago as well.

[GOLFER 4]

No. That facility wasn't there in Chicago. Planning to go to a nearby post office.

Thanks for the detailed review. Actually Chicago passport agency is right next door on Dear born St with same day passport service with urgent fee and you have to have appointment and urgent travel. Here is the website and address :

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/information/where-to-apply/agencies/Chicago.html

Physical Address:

Kluczynski Federal Building

230 S. Dearborn Street, 18th Floor

Chicago, IL 60604-1564

[AlmostMex 0]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[Nevin 12]

Thanks for the detailed info!! i have my OATH scheduled day after tomorrow.

[DASH_US 23]

Hello everyone,

 

I hope you are all doing well. I wanted to share my recent experience of passing the interview earlier this week to help others going through a similar process.

 

Here is the timeline of my application:

- Applied for I-751 in 12/21/2021

- Applied for N-400 online on 12/23/22.

- Received the receipt notice on 12/23/22.

- My interview was scheduled for 06/05/23.

- The interview was held on 07/25/23.

I applied under the 3-year rule based on my marriage, with a pending I-751 in Chicago, IL.

On the day of the interview, I arrived at the Chicago local office and went to the second floor, where I stood in line with my appointment letter. The officer took my details and asked me to wait for my turn. I patiently waited until 9 am, but nobody called me. Feeling concerned, I approached the officer's desk to inquire about the delay. She informed me that the wait time shouldn't exceed an hour. She took my details again, and shortly after, they called my name.

 

As my I-751 application was still pending, the officer conducted a combo interview and also called in my husband for the interview. We both took an oath to speak the truth during the interview.

 

The officer began with the I-751 interview, going through the case file I had submitted two years ago. She asked me about my name, date of birth, my husband's name, and his date of birth. She inquired about how we met, where and when we got married, the location of our wedding, our honeymoon destination, and our travel history since marriage. She also asked about the proposal and the attendees at our wedding, inquired about children, and asked about the place I lived when I first met my husband. Additionally, she questioned us about the number of countries and cities we have visited together. I provided various supporting documents to prove that we are living together, including lease agreements, joint house insurance, joint bank account statements, all travel tickets and hotel reservations from the past three years, over 25 pictures of us together, joint phone bill, car insurance, and tax transcripts for the last three years. She also asked if we owed any money to the IRS, to which I informed her that we had a small amount owed but that it was already paid off during our tax filings. Unfortunately, we didn't have evidence of the payment, so she asked us to log in to our IRS account, take a screenshot, and email it to her. Thankfully, we were able to do so, and after reviewing everything, she approved our I-751 case. She did not ask any questions to my husband during this part of the interview.

 

Following the I-751 interview, she proceeded with the N-400 interview. She asked for my name, current address, my husband's name, his date of birth, and all previous addresses where we have lived since moving to the US. She inquired about the countries I have visited since entering the US. She also checked our transcripts again and inquired about any outstanding taxes. I confirmed again that we had a small amount owed but that we had already paid it to the IRS while filing taxes. She asked if she could use the same screenshot I had shared earlier as evidence, and I said yes. Then she moved on to the civics questions:

 

1.       How many years do we elect a president for?

2.       What is the rule of law?

3.       How many U.S. Senators are there?

4.       What does the President's Cabinet do?

5.       Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

6.       What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?

After that, she asked me to read a sentence (I don't remember) and write a sentence (New York was the first capital city) in English. She then asked me some yes or no questions. Next, she asked if I wanted to change my name, and I said yes. She confirmed my new name and address and asked me to sign. Then she congratulated me and approved my N-400 application. I inquired if my oath ceremony could be expedited as I have travel plans on August 24. She said she would try her best, but changing the name takes time as it needs to go through the court, and the judge has to sign and approve it. I left the office at 9:30 am. To my surprise, within 2 hours, my status changed to "oath will be scheduled." The next day, my status changed again, and my oath was scheduled for August 16, which left me in shock. On the same day, my I-751 status changed to "approved." Now I am eagerly waiting for my oath ceremony. Finally, the long process is over!