Filing n-400 in December and traveling next year, what are the risk?

[POA 175]

Hello fellow VJ's,

So I am filling N-400 this December and I believe the processing is 6 months or more. However, we are planning to visit the Philippines next year around May. What am I risking if I leave while my N-400 is on process? Will it be denied if I am not here during my oath taking? Will my PH passport be invalidated if my N-400 was approved even without taking the oath yet?

Thanks a bunch!

[POA 175]

Hi POA. You will not be a U.S. citizen until the day you take oath even if you are approved at the time of interview. So traveling in between interview and oath should not affect your Philippines passport in anyway. That being said, it's a little tricky to travel during naturalization since there are three things we have to look out for: biometrics, interview and oath. It's also really hard to predict the time frame between each of these steps, especially now. If you look at the other monthly threads, people who filed in April, May and June 2016 are still waiting when in the previous year naturalization took about 6 months or less.

I'm also planning on filing my N-400 in December like you so I would caution you to not plan a travel in May just yet. I'm thinking of planning a travel, which for me is required, but I will be closely watching how the other months start moving along. Good luck!

Thanks for the info CookieCat. The flights are just crazy low in May and would like to take advantage of it but of course I would not jeopardize my n-400. So if I got the biometrics and interview before May does that mean I should be fine? Can the biometrics and interview be re-scheduled in case we are out of the country?