Oath experience at Richmond, Virginia

[inqztve 42]

Finally had my Oath ceremony yesterday at Richmond, VA after about 15 months of filing the N-400. Although almost two months were lost in cancelling and rescheduling the interview due to snowstorm at Norfolk in January. The ceremony was at 9:30 am at the Richmond Federal Court. There were 74 candidates in this batch. There were another batch at 11:30. I don't know if there were more batches. I believe, the number was restricted in each batch because of size of the courtroom.

 

Even though phones and cameras were not allowed in the building, it was an excellent process. The USCIS officers were very professional, friendly, and helpful and very well organized. For the 1st time, in all my interactions with USCIS, it was a very welcoming message from them. They started right on time. First, they checked everyone in and penitently answered any questions. Asked us to make sure the place in the Oath letter was the place where the ceremony was taking place and not people's home town. Anyone who had it filled otherwise, just needed to cross it out and fill in correctly. Same thing for other fields such as date etc. They also offered pens to anyone who needed it.  

 

He asked people to line up in single row to check in based on last 3 digits of the USCIS # in 3 groups starting with, 000-300, and then 301-600 and 601-999. He asked during the check in if I was arrested, got married or divorced or traveled out of the country since the interview. He asked the same questions to everyone. Couple of people, said they had speeding citations. He only wanted to see the citations but didn't cause any issues to anyone. He also collected the green cards but didn't ask for the previous green cards or other USCIS issues documents etc. Couple of people said they lost their green cards. He had them fill up an additional form and that's about it. Overall no one was denied. He was as helpful as he could possibly be. Everyone was given a packet with usual material in it and hand-written number on the packet. 

 

After the check in, everyone was instructed to sit in order of the number they were given. First 18 got to sit in the Jury chairs.  I was #19. Rest of us sat at bench on the left side of the isle and friends and family sat on the right side of the isle.  The officer then came over and verified the order and also asked us check with the person on our left and right to make sure everyone was sitting in the right order. At this time, he also asked us to make sure we verify the information on the certificate is correct once we receive it. He told us, any error spotted on the day could be corrected on the spot and for free of charge. He also informed us that we should sign the certificates once we verify everything is correct. We were also told to update the social security information in about 2 weeks to give enough time for Social Security Administration system sync with USCIS data. It may not take that long but I thought they were being on the safe side. He also gave us some information on how to apply for passport and voter registration etc.

 

After that the assistant district attorney came and talked to each one of us to make sure she pronounced our names right when she called us to collect the certificates at the end. They didn't have to do that, but I was impressed how diligently she tried to learn the names of all 74 people in a short period of time but still talking to everyone individually. After that, we are told that the judge invited students from local girl's school to come and observe the ceremony and learn how everything works in a civil society. About 70 little girls came from the school and they sat on the floor in front of the judge's bench facing us. At this time, we were instructed to remove any hats and rise as the judge was entering the room. Once the judge took her seat, and announced the court is in session and we are instructed to have a seat.

 

The assistant district attorney then filed the motion to the judge to grant the name change for people who requested it. The judge granted the motion and all 12 of them had their name change approved instantaneously.  They officer from the USCIS, then stood up and asked everyone to rise. He gave us the Oath of Allegiance. After that the judge gave her prepared remarks. It was very uplifting and seemed genuinely heartfelt. She said it was the favorite part of her job and how she loves to see the increasingly diverse faces of America. She even mentioned how the Virginia state legislature has become much more diverse in the last state election. After that we were asked to rise again, and she gave us the Pledge of Allegiance and declared us as new US citizen and congratulated us. There were big cheers and applause.

 

It was time to collect the certificates. An Officer from USCIS stood on the right side of the open area near the judges' bench with certificates. Local volunteers stood next to him with little US flags to be handed out to everyone. The judge came down form her podium and stood in line with them. She said she wanted to greet every new citizen and their family members individually. The assistant district attorney began to call everyone by name in the order everyone was seated after the check in. As we walked in that order, family members joined us to walk to the judge first in line, who shook our hands and expressed her gratitude to us for giving her the opportunity to welcome us to the country as the new citizens. I was genuinely heartfelt. We then collected our certificates from the next person standing in line after the judge and the little US Flags from the volunteers standing next to him and walked back to our seats. Everyone waited respectfully till all 74 of us collected our certificates. I expected at least a little bit of chaos, but it was extremely well orchestrated ceremony. The judge then declared the session was over. On our way out, we were handed out Virginia voter registration form. And, suddenly the journey was over.

 

[WandY 430]

Thanks for this great, uplifting story! This is truly the spirit of the American journey and you have documented it well. I wish that all of our nation's immigrants could feel this type of love for process and country. Welcome to America, and your new privileges and duties as a citizen.

[TBoneTX 45,524]

Thank you very much for presenting the details of your experience.  Reading your post will give hope to those who are mired further back in the process.  Congratulations, and all the best to you.

-----

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

[Mikey888 8]

On 4/19/2018 at 1:21 PM, inqztve said:

Finally had my Oath ceremony yesterday at Richmond, VA after about 15 months of filing the N-400. Although almost two months were lost in cancelling and rescheduling the interview due to snowstorm at Norfolk in January. The ceremony was at 9:30 am at the Richmond Federal Court. There were 74 candidates in this batch. There were another batch at 11:30. I don't know if there were more batches. I believe, the number was restricted in each batch because of size of the courtroom.

 

Even though phones and cameras were not allowed in the building, it was an excellent process. The USCIS officers were very professional, friendly, and helpful and very well organized. For the 1st time, in all my interactions with USCIS, it was a very welcoming message from them. They started right on time. First, they checked everyone in and penitently answered any questions. Asked us to make sure the place in the Oath letter was the place where the ceremony was taking place and not people's home town. Anyone who had it filled otherwise, just needed to cross it out and fill in correctly. Same thing for other fields such as date etc. They also offered pens to anyone who needed it.  

 

He asked people to line up in single row to check in based on last 3 digits of the USCIS # in 3 groups starting with, 000-300, and then 301-600 and 601-999. He asked during the check in if I was arrested, got married or divorced or traveled out of the country since the interview. He asked the same questions to everyone. Couple of people, said they had speeding citations. He only wanted to see the citations but didn't cause any issues to anyone. He also collected the green cards but didn't ask for the previous green cards or other USCIS issues documents etc. Couple of people said they lost their green cards. He had them fill up an additional form and that's about it. Overall no one was denied. He was as helpful as he could possibly be. Everyone was given a packet with usual material in it and hand-written number on the packet. 

 

After the check in, everyone was instructed to sit in order of the number they were given. First 18 got to sit in the Jury chairs.  I was #19. Rest of us sat at bench on the left side of the isle and friends and family sat on the right side of the isle.  The officer then came over and verified the order and also asked us check with the person on our left and right to make sure everyone was sitting in the right order. At this time, he also asked us to make sure we verify the information on the certificate is correct once we receive it. He told us, any error spotted on the day could be corrected on the spot and for free of charge. He also informed us that we should sign the certificates once we verify everything is correct. We were also told to update the social security information in about 2 weeks to give enough time for Social Security Administration system sync with USCIS data. It may not take that long but I thought they were being on the safe side. He also gave us some information on how to apply for passport and voter registration etc.

 

After that the assistant district attorney came and talked to each one of us to make sure she pronounced our names right when she called us to collect the certificates at the end. They didn't have to do that, but I was impressed how diligently she tried to learn the names of all 74 people in a short period of time but still talking to everyone individually. After that, we are told that the judge invited students from local girl's school to come and observe the ceremony and learn how everything works in a civil society. About 70 little girls came from the school and they sat on the floor in front of the judge's bench facing us. At this time, we were instructed to remove any hats and rise as the judge was entering the room. Once the judge took her seat, and announced the court is in session and we are instructed to have a seat.

 

The assistant district attorney then filed the motion to the judge to grant the name change for people who requested it. The judge granted the motion and all 12 of them had their name change approved instantaneously.  They officer from the USCIS, then stood up and asked everyone to rise. He gave us the Oath of Allegiance. After that the judge gave her prepared remarks. It was very uplifting and seemed genuinely heartfelt. She said it was the favorite part of her job and how she loves to see the increasingly diverse faces of America. She even mentioned how the Virginia state legislature has become much more diverse in the last state election. After that we were asked to rise again, and she gave us the Pledge of Allegiance and declared us as new US citizen and congratulated us. There were big cheers and applause.

 

It was time to collect the certificates. An Officer from USCIS stood on the right side of the open area near the judges' bench with certificates. Local volunteers stood next to him with little US flags to be handed out to everyone. The judge came down form her podium and stood in line with them. She said she wanted to greet every new citizen and their family members individually. The assistant district attorney began to call everyone by name in the order everyone was seated after the check in. As we walked in that order, family members joined us to walk to the judge first in line, who shook our hands and expressed her gratitude to us for giving her the opportunity to welcome us to the country as the new citizens. I was genuinely heartfelt. We then collected our certificates from the next person standing in line after the judge and the little US Flags from the volunteers standing next to him and walked back to our seats. Everyone waited respectfully till all 74 of us collected our certificates. I expected at least a little bit of chaos, but it was extremely well orchestrated ceremony. The judge then declared the session was over. On our way out, we were handed out Virginia voter registration form. And, suddenly the journey was over.

 

How long did you wait for the Naturalization(Oath Ceremony) Letter?

 

I have been approved for N400 last February 26 in Norfolk, VA and still waiting for my Oath Ceremony letter in Richmond, VA. 

[Ann&James 179]

On 4/19/2018 at 1:21 PM, inqztve said:

Finally had my Oath ceremony yesterday at Richmond, VA after about 15 months of filing the N-400. Although almost two months were lost in cancelling and rescheduling the interview due to snowstorm at Norfolk in January. The ceremony was at 9:30 am at the Richmond Federal Court. There were 74 candidates in this batch. There were another batch at 11:30. I don't know if there were more batches. I believe, the number was restricted in each batch because of size of the courtroom.

 

Even though phones and cameras were not allowed in the building, it was an excellent process. The USCIS officers were very professional, friendly, and helpful and very well organized. For the 1st time, in all my interactions with USCIS, it was a very welcoming message from them. They started right on time. First, they checked everyone in and penitently answered any questions. Asked us to make sure the place in the Oath letter was the place where the ceremony was taking place and not people's home town. Anyone who had it filled otherwise, just needed to cross it out and fill in correctly. Same thing for other fields such as date etc. They also offered pens to anyone who needed it.  

 

He asked people to line up in single row to check in based on last 3 digits of the USCIS # in 3 groups starting with, 000-300, and then 301-600 and 601-999. He asked during the check in if I was arrested, got married or divorced or traveled out of the country since the interview. He asked the same questions to everyone. Couple of people, said they had speeding citations. He only wanted to see the citations but didn't cause any issues to anyone. He also collected the green cards but didn't ask for the previous green cards or other USCIS issues documents etc. Couple of people said they lost their green cards. He had them fill up an additional form and that's about it. Overall no one was denied. He was as helpful as he could possibly be. Everyone was given a packet with usual material in it and hand-written number on the packet. 

 

After the check in, everyone was instructed to sit in order of the number they were given. First 18 got to sit in the Jury chairs.  I was #19. Rest of us sat at bench on the left side of the isle and friends and family sat on the right side of the isle.  The officer then came over and verified the order and also asked us check with the person on our left and right to make sure everyone was sitting in the right order. At this time, he also asked us to make sure we verify the information on the certificate is correct once we receive it. He told us, any error spotted on the day could be corrected on the spot and for free of charge. He also informed us that we should sign the certificates once we verify everything is correct. We were also told to update the social security information in about 2 weeks to give enough time for Social Security Administration system sync with USCIS data. It may not take that long but I thought they were being on the safe side. He also gave us some information on how to apply for passport and voter registration etc.

 

After that the assistant district attorney came and talked to each one of us to make sure she pronounced our names right when she called us to collect the certificates at the end. They didn't have to do that, but I was impressed how diligently she tried to learn the names of all 74 people in a short period of time but still talking to everyone individually. After that, we are told that the judge invited students from local girl's school to come and observe the ceremony and learn how everything works in a civil society. About 70 little girls came from the school and they sat on the floor in front of the judge's bench facing us. At this time, we were instructed to remove any hats and rise as the judge was entering the room. Once the judge took her seat, and announced the court is in session and we are instructed to have a seat.

 

The assistant district attorney then filed the motion to the judge to grant the name change for people who requested it. The judge granted the motion and all 12 of them had their name change approved instantaneously.  They officer from the USCIS, then stood up and asked everyone to rise. He gave us the Oath of Allegiance. After that the judge gave her prepared remarks. It was very uplifting and seemed genuinely heartfelt. She said it was the favorite part of her job and how she loves to see the increasingly diverse faces of America. She even mentioned how the Virginia state legislature has become much more diverse in the last state election. After that we were asked to rise again, and she gave us the Pledge of Allegiance and declared us as new US citizen and congratulated us. There were big cheers and applause.

 

It was time to collect the certificates. An Officer from USCIS stood on the right side of the open area near the judges' bench with certificates. Local volunteers stood next to him with little US flags to be handed out to everyone. The judge came down form her podium and stood in line with them. She said she wanted to greet every new citizen and their family members individually. The assistant district attorney began to call everyone by name in the order everyone was seated after the check in. As we walked in that order, family members joined us to walk to the judge first in line, who shook our hands and expressed her gratitude to us for giving her the opportunity to welcome us to the country as the new citizens. I was genuinely heartfelt. We then collected our certificates from the next person standing in line after the judge and the little US Flags from the volunteers standing next to him and walked back to our seats. Everyone waited respectfully till all 74 of us collected our certificates. I expected at least a little bit of chaos, but it was extremely well orchestrated ceremony. The judge then declared the session was over. On our way out, we were handed out Virginia voter registration form. And, suddenly the journey was over.

 

Congratulations 

[inqztve 42]

3 hours ago, Mikey888 said:

How long did you wait for the Naturalization(Oath Ceremony) Letter?

 

I have been approved for N400 last February 26 in Norfolk, VA and still waiting for my Oath Ceremony letter in Richmond, VA. 

If I remember correctly, My interview was on March 8th and the Oath was on April 18th. The received letter for the Oath date on March 26th.

[inqztve 42]

Just now, inqztve said:

If I remember correctly, My interview was on March 8th and the Oath was on April 18th. The received letter for the Oath date on March 26th.

Also, please keep in mind, they do it only once a month at Richmond and it can get backlogged.