N-400 September 2022 Filers

[Spardasa 78]

Continue to wait on my wife's oath ceremony to be scheduled after the big approval.  The final wait sucks! haha.  

[Goodluckeveryone 42]

The online status just updated to oath with be scheduled. Interview was on Jan 25th. Now waiting for the date.

[Balakasha 11]

For those who already had the schedule for interview, would you upload new documents after the date of N400 submission, or print out those and bring to the interview?

[Joyoussinger 1,417]

6 hours ago, Balakasha said:

For those who already had the schedule for interview, would you upload new documents after the date of N400 submission, or print out those and bring to the interview?

We're printing them out and taking them with us.

 

[AffableAndy 107]

I am also printing them out and taking them with me. Interview tomorrow morning!

[Joyoussinger 1,417]

55 minutes ago, AffableAndy said:

I am also printing them out and taking them with me. Interview tomorrow morning!

Good luck!

[Vante 59]

Got my 48 month extension letter for my 751 but nothing regarding the N400 as of yet. Just waiting.

[KaelRos 8]

On 2/23/2023 at 2:29 PM, Crazy Cat said:

I wouldn't put any faith in that estimate.  Dallas office says 15.5 months.  My wife filed N-400 in Aug 2022.  She took the oath and became a citizen only 5 months later. 

Hello, my N-400 interview is at the end of this month. Should I go with my wife? Thank you! 

[KaelRos 8]

On 2/28/2023 at 10:28 PM, * Kristin * said:

SUCH a proud day! Husband had his interview at the Santa Ana office this morning. Note: there is a lot of construction in the area and some of the roads are pretty torn up right now (they are doing something to the tram tracks, perhaps?). Because of that, the parking lot that is immediately adjacent to the building was not accessible (the road was closed). Nevertheless, there is another parking lot (I think it was called P2) about five minutes' walk away.

 

Appointment time was 9:20 a.m. We got out of the car at 8:40 a.m. and walked over. There was a small queue outside the building. They let one party in at a time to go through the metal detector. Some features in the building are ancient -- for example -- the metal detector won't function properly if the automatic door is open (therefore, if you are queuing outside, you must stand back a little). We queued for probably 12 minutes or so. When going through the metal detectors, the guard said that I (the spouse) wouldn't be allowed in.

 

There are restrooms on the ground floor right when you enter. The interview rooms are on the second floor. The ceremony location is on the third floor.

 

When you enter the interview area, you'll check in at some windows on the far side of the room. The ask for your appointment letter and scan you into the system. Then, you sit down and wait.

 

We got in and situated about 9:05 a.m. There are two individual-stall restrooms within the interview room. Directly outside of the interview room, there are two cash-only vending machines -- one with beverages, one with snacks.

 

As I mentioned before, interview time was 9:20 a.m. 

 

9:20 a.m. comes... and goes. The officers call people from the front of the room, but also the back. So bear that in mind when choosing where to sit. 

 

9:56 a.m., husband gets called in. 

 

Spouses cannot go into the interview, so I went to the vending machine and walked around the hallway, stretching my legs. 

 

16 minutes and 43 seconds later, husband comes out! Success! Wahooooo! 

 

INTERVIEW DETAILS

- The officer asked for his passport, green card and driver, then said he was going to start reviewing his case

- Asked husband to write a sentence on a digital pad (write what I say)

- Then, asked him to read what it said on the pad (he read the sentence allowed)

- After that, the officer asked him the questions. Questions that were asked were:

• What is freedom of religion?
• What stops the government from being too powerful?
• Who is Commander in Chief of the Military?
• Who did the US fight in World War II?
• If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
• Name two US federal holidays. 

After the questions, he asked he was married to me (yes), asked if we had kids (no), how long he lived at our current address, if he'd been outside the US in the past 10 years, if he worked at his current employer, if he had served in the military (US? no? where -- and how long). Asked if he had any outstanding tax balances (no). Asked he had ever voted in an election (no). Asked if he belonged to any domestic or terrorist organizations (no). 

 

All in all -- he said it was very straightforward. The officer was direct (e.g. no pleasantries) and efficient. 

 

I think we were both expecting it to be much more complicated and complex. 

 

The officer did have a big stack of paperwork (my husband's file) in front of him. Not sure if it was his file for just the N-400 or if it was the file that includes everything.

 

After the interview, we (together) went upstairs to the ceremony. There were probably 15 - 18 other people in the room. Handed over your  Green Card... sat down and waited (probably 15 min). Did an oath. Got packet with certificate of naturalization. Informed how to apply for passport, etc. Congratulations! 

 

Wahoooooooo!!!!!

 

Extremely proud! 

Really nice, congrats! And thank you for all the details. 

[Spardasa 78]

19 hours ago, KaelRos said:

Hello, my N-400 interview is at the end of this month. Should I go with my wife? Thank you! 

So I was in the parking lot for my wife's N-400 interview, but did not come in. She was approved with no problems, but I was there in case I was requested (for combo interview). 

 

Her 751 hadn't been approved yet at that time as well, but the IO did her interview solely as a N-400.  

[OldUser 5,091]

21 hours ago, KaelRos said:

Hello, my N-400 interview is at the end of this month. Should I go with my wife? Thank you! 

Always, if you file under 3 year rule and especially if you have I-751 pending.

[KaelRos 8]

1 hour ago, OldUser said:

Always, if you file under 3 year rule and especially if you have I-751 pending.

Yes I filed under 3 years rule but didn’t apply right after I became eligible. And I have no I-751 pending, it’s been approved the same day after I started the N-400 application. 

3 hours ago, Spardasa said:

So I was in the parking lot for my wife's N-400 interview, but did not come in. She was approved with no problems, but I was there in case I was requested (for combo interview). 

 

Her 751 hadn't been approved yet at that time as well, but the IO did her interview solely as a N-400.  

Thank you for your response! 

[Markip1 71]

So, I'm a citizen! I attended my ceremony yesterday at Federal Plaza (Brooklyn office - Floor 8 ). It was a 10am start and we were out of the building by around 11:30am. Big shout out to the security staff at the front of the building, who were as ever sparkling in their insolent effrontery and rudeness. I assume it must be in their training that if someone doesn't speak English too well, screaming what you are trying to say to them louder and louder directly in their face will help them to understand what you mean. Never having to deal with these goons again was a large motivation for applying for citizenship to be honest, and I am glad to see the back of them.

 

The ceremony experience was all very straightforward, and somewhat anti-climactic to be honest. The ceremony was basically conducted in a waiting room. If you've been to the USCIS office at Federal Plaza before and waited in a hall with a ticket in your hand watching the TV screens to announce your number, then it's basically that room. There were no videos to watch, no speeches were given, no anthem was played, there wasn't even a US flag in sight. I felt overdressed in trousers, shirt and tie, as most people were dressed very casually. There were probably between 50 and 75 other people there, and interestingly it appeared that they were doing same day interview/oath ceremonies for some people in attendance, although they were taken to another room for their oath and were not involved in our ceremony beyond having their documents checked in the main room.

 

The process went something like this:

• Everyone had line up to have their form checked, confirm a few questions about anything that had occurred since their interview, and hand in their Green Card (they also took my EAD/AP card but they didn't seem to bothered about those).
• They then had you check your naturalization certificate for any errors. If there was an error they would correct it on the spot at no cost for you, but if you left without requesting the change then you were on the hook for the full cost of a replacement at a later date. They took the certificate back once I had confirmed all the details, and they handed me two envelopes - one was a welcome letter from the President, the other contained information about what to do next as a US Citizen, a passport application form, and a copy of the constitution. They also gave me a small American flag.
• After you had been up to the window to do the above you were told to sit back down again.
• It took a while to check everyone in, but we were allowed to use phones or read a book so the time passed pretty quickly. Once everyone was checked in, an officer stood at the front, read the oath for us to recite, then told us to sit back down again. Officer said she had information available if we wanted it about applying for jobs at USCIS now that we were citizens, which got a few wry laughs from the crowd.
• She then called us up one by one to the window to collect our certificates and we were free to go.

If anyone has any questions about the day feel free to ask. Before the event, I was mainly curious about what people would wear, and if they would allow family in to see the ceremony, and the answers to those questions were 1) wear pretty much whatever you like and 2) yes, my wife was allowed in no questions asked at all. I was also interested in the actual process of the ceremony, but now I realize there was very little to wonder about. It was all very straightforward and easy to navigate, but it had all the excitement and romance of the easiest trip to the DMV you've ever had. I'm over the moon to be at the end of this process, and can now fully embrace life in the US, but it would have been nice to have experienced a little bit of pageantry and occasion while taking the final step. That might just be the British person in me talking though. We love a drawn out ceremony.

 

The rest of the day was lovely though, my wife and I had lunch, and then wandered around Manhattan in the sleet and snow. Our wedding day was beset by awful weather so it felt like completing the circle for the naturalization day to bring more of the same. I think it'll take a few days to sink in that we are done with all the admin and fees and intrusion, but already it feels great to know that life here will now be much more straightforward, and that I can now become fully involved in all the rights and responsibilities that come with being a citizen.

 

Thanks to anyone who has offered help and guidance over the years, it's genuinely appreciated. Good luck all.

[Joyoussinger 1,417]

7 minutes ago, Markip1 said:

So, I'm a citizen! I attended my ceremony yesterday at Federal Plaza (Brooklyn office - Floor 8 ). It was a 10am start and we were out of the building by around 11:30am. Big shout out to the security staff at the front of the building, who were as ever sparkling in their insolent effrontery and rudeness. I assume it must be in their training that if someone doesn't speak English too well, screaming what you are trying to say to them louder and louder directly in their face will help them to understand what you mean. Never having to deal with these goons again was a large motivation for applying for citizenship to be honest, and I am glad to see the back of them.

 

The ceremony experience was all very straightforward, and somewhat anti-climactic to be honest. The ceremony was basically conducted in a waiting room. If you've been to the USCIS office at Federal Plaza before and waited in a hall with a ticket in your hand watching the TV screens to announce your number, then it's basically that room. There were no videos to watch, no speeches were given, no anthem was played, there wasn't even a US flag in sight. I felt overdressed in trousers, shirt and tie, as most people were dressed very casually. There were probably between 50 and 75 other people there, and interestingly it appeared that they were doing same day interview/oath ceremonies for some people in attendance, although they were taken to another room for their oath and were not involved in our ceremony beyond having their documents checked in the main room.

 

The process went something like this:

• Everyone had line up to have their form checked, confirm a few questions about anything that had occurred since their interview, and hand in their Green Card (they also took my EAD/AP card but they didn't seem to bothered about those).
• They then had you check your naturalization certificate for any errors. If there was an error they would correct it on the spot at no cost for you, but if you left without requesting the change then you were on the hook for the full cost of a replacement at a later date. They took the certificate back once I had confirmed all the details, and they handed me two envelopes - one was a welcome letter from the President, the other contained information about what to do next as a US Citizen, a passport application form, and a copy of the constitution. They also gave me a small American flag.
• After you had been up to the window to do the above you were told to sit back down again.
• It took a while to check everyone in, but we were allowed to use phones or read a book so the time passed pretty quickly. Once everyone was checked in, an officer stood at the front, read the oath for us to recite, then told us to sit back down again. Officer said she had information available if we wanted it about applying for jobs at USCIS now that we were citizens, which got a few wry laughs from the crowd.
• She then called us up one by one to the window to collect our certificates and we were free to go.

If anyone has any questions about the day feel free to ask. Before the event, I was mainly curious about what people would wear, and if they would allow family in to see the ceremony, and the answers to those questions were 1) wear pretty much whatever you like and 2) yes, my wife was allowed in no questions asked at all. I was also interested in the actual process of the ceremony, but now I realize there was very little to wonder about. It was all very straightforward and easy to navigate, but it had all the excitement and romance of the easiest trip to the DMV you've ever had. I'm over the moon to be at the end of this process, and can now fully embrace life in the US, but it would have been nice to have experienced a little bit of pageantry and occasion while taking the final step. That might just be the British person in me talking though. We love a drawn out ceremony.

 

The rest of the day was lovely though, my wife and I had lunch, and then wandered around Manhattan in the sleet and snow. Our wedding day was beset by awful weather so it felt like completing the circle for the naturalization day to bring more of the same. I think it'll take a few days to sink in that we are done with all the admin and fees and intrusion, but already it feels great to know that life here will now be much more straightforward, and that I can now become fully involved in all the rights and responsibilities that come with being a citizen.

 

Thanks to anyone who has offered help and guidance over the years, it's genuinely appreciated. Good luck all.

Congratulations!!! I love your thought about "completing the circle"! 

[Spardasa 78]

On 3/13/2023 at 12:48 PM, KaelRos said:

Yes I filed under 3 years rule but didn’t apply right after I became eligible. And I have no I-751 pending, it’s been approved the same day after I started the N-400 application. 

Thank you for your response! 

You are welcome!  Seems to be everyone's interviews are different.  I suppose it's the typical mood of the IO.