N-400 February 2024 Filers

[minivatreni 169]

20 minutes ago, Laure&Colin said:

Back home and all done. I'm a US citizen now! 🥳

 

Full account of my experience below.

Tldr: I waited an hour for my interview, then an hour and a half for my same-day oath ceremony. Interview went well but the officer asked me multiple questions about my marriage, even though I applied under the 5-year rule, and looked at evidence of bona fide relationship when I offered. Oath ceremony took 5 min and was anti-climactic.

 

My appointment this morning was at 7:35am. Between being nervous about the interview and my pollen allergies being horrible this year, I barely slept. When I woke up at 6 I was glad I had prepared my folder with all documents the night before because my brain wasn't functioning! The field office is a 20 min walk from my building, and I arrived around 7:05 to a long line of people. Intake was chaotic to say the least. Some people had interviews as early as 7:15 but were stuck in the line. Eventually the security guard had all the people with interview times before 8am go to another entrance around the corner... and then we waited in line again.

 

Once inside it wasn't clear where to go, but I eventually found the check-in area. They took my picture and fingerprints and sent me to a waiting room on another floor. There I waited a whole hour, until being called at 8:35. I believe I was the last one remaining of the group of people with early appointments.

 

The officer who interviewed me was a pleasant and personable young man. I apologized for my raspy voice and we started chatting about allergies. It was all very casual and friendly. We started with the civics test, here are the questions I was asked: name one American Indian tribe; what is the name of the Vice President of the US; we elect US representatives for how long; if both the Vice President and President are unable to serve, who becomes president; what stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful; what is the capital of the US. Then we went through the reading and writing test and joked about the stylus on the tablet being so awkward. He informed me that I had passed the tests and he was now moving on to the application itself.

 

Here besides questions about my recent travel history and employment status, he asked a good number of questions about my husband and our marriage. I didn't expect that because I applied under the 5-year rule, and I went through the ROC process 10 years ago. I'm still happily married to my USC husband so I had no issue answering, but that was a bit of a surprise for me. For example he asked if we owned property together, if we had ever lived apart, if both our names were on our car title, if we were on the same health insurance, etc... I had brought a copy of my lease agreement so I offered to show him that it's in both our names, and he did look. I also offered to look up my health insurance information on my phone but he said it wasn't necessary. I didn't think about it at the time but I could also have mentioned that all our tax transcripts, which I had with me, show that we filed jointly.

 

Eventually he moved to the yes/no questions from the N-400 form. To the question "have you ever been a member of an organization or club?" I said no except if you count gym membership, and he said that since I said it he had to write it down. He then made me verify my information on the tablet, asked me if I agreed with the statements in the oath of allegiance, and congratulated me for being approved. He asked if I wanted to take the oath the same day and I said yes.

 

I was sent to another floor where I had to check-in and give my green card - fun fact, my 10-year green card had just expired yesterday. I was given an envelope containing a letter from President Biden, a guide about what to do after the ceremony (passport, SS, etc), and a voter registration form, together with a little flag. I was directed to a waiting area and told my oath ceremony would be at 10:30am. It was just after 9, and the coffee shop within the building was closed so I just sat there and waited. Everyone was silent until a giant juicy cockroach fell from the ceiling and started trotting around the seating area.

 

Eventually we were called by name and given our naturalization certificates. Interestingly it has my picture from my ROC biometrics 10 years ago, and not the picture they took of me when I checked in today. We were shown a video with President Biden congratulating us, then we had to repeat the Oath of Allegiance after the supervisor who was officiating the ceremony. Everyone in the entire room did it at the same time and because she spoke fast, we definitely missed some words. It was all over in 5 minutes. I did feel a little emotional when the video with the President welcoming us as new citizens started, but otherwise it felt like a formality and lacked the decorum I expected. Visitors and guests were not allowed. In the end we were able to take pictures in front of the flag, and people were all taking pictures for each other.

 

 

Congratulations! 

[happydoctor 36]

5 hours ago, Laure&Colin said:

Back home and all done. I'm a US citizen now! 🥳

 

Full account of my experience below.

Tldr: I waited an hour for my interview, then an hour and a half for my same-day oath ceremony. Interview went well but the officer asked me multiple questions about my marriage, even though I applied under the 5-year rule, and looked at evidence of bona fide relationship when I offered. Oath ceremony took 5 min and was anti-climactic.

 

My appointment this morning was at 7:35am. Between being nervous about the interview and my pollen allergies being horrible this year, I barely slept. When I woke up at 6 I was glad I had prepared my folder with all documents the night before because my brain wasn't functioning! The field office is a 20 min walk from my building, and I arrived around 7:05 to a long line of people. Intake was chaotic to say the least. Some people had interviews as early as 7:15 but were stuck in the line. Eventually the security guard had all the people with interview times before 8am go to another entrance around the corner... and then we waited in line again.

 

Once inside it wasn't clear where to go, but I eventually found the check-in area. They took my picture and fingerprints and sent me to a waiting room on another floor. There I waited a whole hour, until being called at 8:35. I believe I was the last one remaining of the group of people with early appointments.

 

The officer who interviewed me was a pleasant and personable young man. I apologized for my raspy voice and we started chatting about allergies. It was all very casual and friendly. We started with the civics test, here are the questions I was asked: name one American Indian tribe; what is the name of the Vice President of the US; we elect US representatives for how long; if both the Vice President and President are unable to serve, who becomes president; what stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful; what is the capital of the US. Then we went through the reading and writing test and joked about the stylus on the tablet being so awkward. He informed me that I had passed the tests and he was now moving on to the application itself.

 

Here besides questions about my recent travel history and employment status, he asked a good number of questions about my husband and our marriage. I didn't expect that because I applied under the 5-year rule, and I went through the ROC process 10 years ago. I'm still happily married to my USC husband so I had no issue answering, but that was a bit of a surprise for me. For example he asked if we owned property together, if we had ever lived apart, if both our names were on our car title, if we were on the same health insurance, etc... I had brought a copy of my lease agreement so I offered to show him that it's in both our names, and he did look. I also offered to look up my health insurance information on my phone but he said it wasn't necessary. I didn't think about it at the time but I could also have mentioned that all our tax transcripts, which I had with me, show that we filed jointly.

 

Eventually he moved to the yes/no questions from the N-400 form. To the question "have you ever been a member of an organization or club?" I said no except if you count gym membership, and he said that since I said it he had to write it down. He then made me verify my information on the tablet, asked me if I agreed with the statements in the oath of allegiance, and congratulated me for being approved. He asked if I wanted to take the oath the same day and I said yes.

 

I was sent to another floor where I had to check-in and give my green card - fun fact, my 10-year green card had just expired yesterday. I was given an envelope containing a letter from President Biden, a guide about what to do after the ceremony (passport, SS, etc), and a voter registration form, together with a little flag. I was directed to a waiting area and told my oath ceremony would be at 10:30am. It was just after 9, and the coffee shop within the building was closed so I just sat there and waited. Everyone was silent until a giant juicy cockroach fell from the ceiling and started trotting around the seating area.

 

Eventually we were called by name and given our naturalization certificates. Interestingly it has my picture from my ROC biometrics 10 years ago, and not the picture they took of me when I checked in today. We were shown a video with President Biden congratulating us, then we had to repeat the Oath of Allegiance after the supervisor who was officiating the ceremony. Everyone in the entire room did it at the same time and because she spoke fast, we definitely missed some words. It was all over in 5 minutes. I did feel a little emotional when the video with the President welcoming us as new citizens started, but otherwise it felt like a formality and lacked the decorum I expected. Visitors and guests were not allowed. In the end we were able to take pictures in front of the flag, and people were all taking pictures for each other.

 

 

Congratulations! You’re so lucky to have the same day ceremony.

[Laure&Colin 484]

Congrats to @Valmabe!

Updated tracker below, I added @BlackPearl9 and @Music_en. Don't forget to let us know about your next steps!

 

The status on my USCIS account changed to "Naturalization certificate issued". Officially done with the USCIS!! 💃

 

User Name                 Date applied       Interview date         Oath date

🇺🇸 Lanzoni                   01/29/24       -     04/04/24 ✅          05/08/24 ✅

Sahar1122                    01/30/24       -     05/15/24              

🇺🇸 Laure&Colin          02/01/24       -     05/14/24 ✅           same-day oath✅       

Youssuf                        02/01/24

Chelleyandaaron     02/01/24       -      06/04/24

Winbig                          02/01/24       -      05/08/24 ✅          Pending

USAUAinCZ                02/02/24

thedtayl                        02/02/24

Wisconsinbly             05/02/24      -     03/27/24✅          05/09/24

CollegeDropOut       02/07/24

Duggu                           02/07/24

MrsOli                           02/14/24      -      06/13/24

🇺🇸 Tommy2000       02/14/24      -      04/10/24 ✅           05/02/24✅ 

BlackPearl9                02/14/24

PhoenixNiro               02/15/24      -      05/29/24

YellowDuneBuggy   02/15/24      -      06/13/24

Elethiomel                  02/15/24       -      04/09/24 ✅          06/20/24 

Tunes                            02/16/24

alt blank                      02/16/24        -     06/20/24

Woodpecker07        02/17/24        -     05/22/24

ctrlplm                         02/17/24        -     05/22/24

ctrlplm (spouse)     02/17/24

Aur0ra                         02/18/24

Brazibride                  02/19/24       -       06/13/24

Minivatreni                02/20/24      -       06/10/24

mmv_1                          02/20/24      -       05/28/24

AndrewSeattle        02/21/24        -      05/21/24

Vamphog                   02/22/24       -       05/29/24

koski                            02/22/24       -       05/21/24

johndott                     02/22/24

🇺🇸 Valmabe              02/24/24      -       04/18/24✅            05/13/24✅

Haydnator                 02/24/24

Jish&Abt                    02/24/24      -       05/23/24

Jm06                           02/25/24       -      04/10/24 ✅           05/17/24

RmSean                      02/25/24

Theredcomet           02/27/24

Seiya-pegasus        02/27/24

Mr W & I                      02/28/24        -     04/18/24✅              05/06/24

Endless desire         02/29/24

Music_en                   02/29/24

[Wisconsinbly 45]

On 5/9/2024 at 8:40 PM, Laure&Colin said:

Glad to see some updates in our group! 

 

@Mr W & I, @Lanzoni and @Wisconsinbly how did your Oath ceremonies go? Let us know!

 

User Name                 Date applied       Interview date         Oath date

🇺🇸 Lanzoni                   01/29/24       -      04/04/24 ✅          05/08/24 ✅

Sahar1122                    01/30/24       -     05/15/24              

Laure&Colin                02/01/24       -      05/14/24

Youssuf                        02/01/24

Chelleyandaaron     02/01/24       -      06/04/24

Winbig                          02/01/24       -      05/08/24 ✅          Pending

USAUAinCZ                02/02/24

thedtayl                        02/02/24

Wisconsinbly             05/02/24      -     03/27/24✅          05/09/24

CollegeDropOut       02/07/24

Duggu                           02/07/24

MrsOli                           02/14/24      -      06/13/24

🇺🇸 Tommy2000       02/14/24      -      04/10/24 ✅           05/02/24✅ 

PhoenixNiro               02/15/24      -      05/29/24

YellowDuneBuggy   02/15/24      -      06/13/24

Elethiomel                  02/15/24       -      04/09/24 ✅          06/20/24 

Tunes                            02/16/24

alt blank                      02/16/24        -     06/20/24

Woodpecker07        02/17/24        -     05/22/24

ctrlplm                         02/17/24        -     05/22/24

ctrlplm (spouse)     02/17/24

Aur0ra                         02/18/24

Brazibride                  02/19/24       -       06/13/24

Minivatreni                02/20/24      -       06/10/24

mmv_1                          02/20/24      -       05/28/24

AndrewSeattle        02/21/24        -      05/21/24

Vamphog                   02/22/24       -       05/29/24

koski                            02/22/24       -       05/21/24

johndott                     02/22/24

Valmabe                     02/24/24      -       04/18/24✅            05/13/24

Haydnator                 02/24/24

Jish&Abt                    02/24/24      -       05/23/24

Jm06                           02/25/24       -      04/10/24 ✅           05/17/24

RmSean                      02/25/24

Theredcomet           02/27/24

Seiya-pegasus        02/27/24

Mr W & I                      02/28/24        -     04/18/24✅              05/06/24

Endless desire         02/29/24

My Oath ceremony was at 10AM in the Milwaukee Federal courthouse. We had 52 applicants from 27 countries! They lined the applicants up and we all had to check in with a couple people and turn in our green cards, then everyone had to enter the courtroom. So, the ceremony itself did not start until about 10:50. They had limited seating for the friends and families, and no one was allowed to stand, so they also had an "overflow room" where the rest of the guests could watch the ceremony live. My coworkers also watched the ceremony at work through the provided youtube link.

 

Everybody was given their certificates by an USCIS representative after the ceremony, but the 15 people who have changed their names (me included) did not get the name change certificate; we were told that those will be mailed out within 2-3 weeks.

 

We were pretty much done by 11:30. We stayed behind for a bit to take pictures in the courtroom and with the big American flag.

 

When I went to work the next day, my coworkers had my desk decorated with silly jokes about being an American and we had an office party with some donuts, an apple pie, a charcuterie board made out to look like an American flag, and some taco dip, obvs 😁 It was so touching! 😍

Edited May 15 by Wisconsinbly

[Wisconsinbly 45]

6 hours ago, Laure&Colin said:

Back home and all done. I'm a US citizen now! 🥳

 

Full account of my experience below.

Tldr: I waited an hour for my interview, then an hour and a half for my same-day oath ceremony. Interview went well but the officer asked me multiple questions about my marriage, even though I applied under the 5-year rule, and looked at evidence of bona fide relationship when I offered. Oath ceremony took 5 min and was anti-climactic.

 

My appointment this morning was at 7:35am. Between being nervous about the interview and my pollen allergies being horrible this year, I barely slept. When I woke up at 6 I was glad I had prepared my folder with all documents the night before because my brain wasn't functioning! The field office is a 20 min walk from my building, and I arrived around 7:05 to a long line of people. Intake was chaotic to say the least. Some people had interviews as early as 7:15 but were stuck in the line. Eventually the security guard had all the people with interview times before 8am go to another entrance around the corner... and then we waited in line again.

 

Once inside it wasn't clear where to go, but I eventually found the check-in area. They took my picture and fingerprints and sent me to a waiting room on another floor. There I waited a whole hour, until being called at 8:35. I believe I was the last one remaining of the group of people with early appointments.

 

The officer who interviewed me was a pleasant and personable young man. I apologized for my raspy voice and we started chatting about allergies. It was all very casual and friendly. We started with the civics test, here are the questions I was asked: name one American Indian tribe; what is the name of the Vice President of the US; we elect US representatives for how long; if both the Vice President and President are unable to serve, who becomes president; what stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful; what is the capital of the US. Then we went through the reading and writing test and joked about the stylus on the tablet being so awkward. He informed me that I had passed the tests and he was now moving on to the application itself.

 

Here besides questions about my recent travel history and employment status, he asked a good number of questions about my husband and our marriage. I didn't expect that because I applied under the 5-year rule, and I went through the ROC process 10 years ago. I'm still happily married to my USC husband so I had no issue answering, but that was a bit of a surprise for me. For example he asked if we owned property together, if we had ever lived apart, if both our names were on our car title, if we were on the same health insurance, etc... I had brought a copy of my lease agreement so I offered to show him that it's in both our names, and he did look. I also offered to look up my health insurance information on my phone but he said it wasn't necessary. I didn't think about it at the time but I could also have mentioned that all our tax transcripts, which I had with me, show that we filed jointly.

 

Eventually he moved to the yes/no questions from the N-400 form. To the question "have you ever been a member of an organization or club?" I said no except if you count gym membership, and he said that since I said it he had to write it down. He then made me verify my information on the tablet, asked me if I agreed with the statements in the oath of allegiance, and congratulated me for being approved. He asked if I wanted to take the oath the same day and I said yes.

 

I was sent to another floor where I had to check-in and give my green card - fun fact, my 10-year green card had just expired yesterday. I was given an envelope containing a letter from President Biden, a guide about what to do after the ceremony (passport, SS, etc), and a voter registration form, together with a little flag. I was directed to a waiting area and told my oath ceremony would be at 10:30am. It was just after 9, and the coffee shop within the building was closed so I just sat there and waited. Everyone was silent until a giant juicy cockroach fell from the ceiling and started trotting around the seating area.

 

Eventually we were called by name and given our naturalization certificates. Interestingly it has my picture from my ROC biometrics 10 years ago, and not the picture they took of me when I checked in today. We were shown a video with President Biden congratulating us, then we had to repeat the Oath of Allegiance after the supervisor who was officiating the ceremony. Everyone in the entire room did it at the same time and because she spoke fast, we definitely missed some words. It was all over in 5 minutes. I did feel a little emotional when the video with the President welcoming us as new citizens started, but otherwise it felt like a formality and lacked the decorum I expected. Visitors and guests were not allowed. In the end we were able to take pictures in front of the flag, and people were all taking pictures for each other.

 

 

Congrats!!! 👍

 

I loved your account of the events! It's like I was right there with you. Question. What happened when the giant juicy cockroach fell from the ceiling? Did people scream? 😅

[Woodpecker07 52]

9 hours ago, Wisconsinbly said:

My Oath ceremony was at 10AM in the Milwaukee Federal courthouse. We had 52 applicants from 27 countries! They lined the applicants up and we all had to check in with a couple people and turn in our green cards, then everyone had to enter the courtroom. So, the ceremony itself did not start until about 10:50. They had limited seating for the friends and families, and no one was allowed to stand, so they also had an "overflow room" where the rest of the guests could watch the ceremony live. My coworkers also watched the ceremony at work through the provided youtube link.

 

Everybody was given their certificates by an USCIS representative after the ceremony, but the 15 people who have changed their names (me included) did not get the name change certificate; we were told that those will be mailed out within 2-3 weeks.

 

We were pretty much done by 11:30. We stayed behind for a bit to take pictures in the courtroom and with the big American flag.

 

When I went to work the next day, my coworkers had my desk decorated with silly jokes about being an American and we had an office party with some donuts, an apple pie, a charcuterie board made out to look like an American flag, and some taco dip, obvs 😁 It was so touching! 😍

 

So exciting! CONGRATULATIONS! My interview is in Milwaukee next week, on the 22nd! Nervous... 

[minivatreni 169]

11 hours ago, Wisconsinbly said:

My Oath ceremony was at 10AM in the Milwaukee Federal courthouse. We had 52 applicants from 27 countries! They lined the applicants up and we all had to check in with a couple people and turn in our green cards, then everyone had to enter the courtroom. So, the ceremony itself did not start until about 10:50. They had limited seating for the friends and families, and no one was allowed to stand, so they also had an "overflow room" where the rest of the guests could watch the ceremony live. My coworkers also watched the ceremony at work through the provided youtube link.

 

Everybody was given their certificates by an USCIS representative after the ceremony, but the 15 people who have changed their names (me included) did not get the name change certificate; we were told that those will be mailed out within 2-3 weeks.

 

We were pretty much done by 11:30. We stayed behind for a bit to take pictures in the courtroom and with the big American flag.

 

When I went to work the next day, my coworkers had my desk decorated with silly jokes about being an American and we had an office party with some donuts, an apple pie, a charcuterie board made out to look like an American flag, and some taco dip, obvs 😁 It was so touching! 😍

Hope you get the name change certificate soon! It’s kind of hard to do anything without it lol. I hope I get mine in the ceremony itself 

[Sahar1122 17]

Just had my interview, and it was only 20 min. The officer approved my citizenship and now I'm waiting for my ceremony date. 🎉🎉

[minivatreni 169]

33 minutes ago, Sahar1122 said:

Just had my interview, and it was only 20 min. The officer approved my citizenship and now I'm waiting for my ceremony date. 🎉🎉

Do you remember the questions they asked for the Civics test? 

[Laure&Colin 484]

14 hours ago, Wisconsinbly said:

Congrats!!! 👍

 

I loved your account of the events! It's like I was right there with you. Question. What happened when the giant juicy cockroach fell from the ceiling? Did people scream? 😅

 

People were doing their best not to scream because the room was quiet, but were jumping up and running away as the cockroach approached their seat. Nothing like a big ugly bug to help a group of strangers bond, lol!

 

Your oath ceremony sounded amazing! Obviously I'm very grateful that I got a same-day oath and I'm done with the whole process, but my ceremony felt about as exciting as checking a box on a form. I wish it had been a bit more meaningful to mark the importance of this event.

[Laure&Colin 484]

Congrats @Sahar1122 ! That was a quick interview. I think mine was about 30 min.

 

User Name                 Date applied       Interview date         Oath date

🇺🇸 Lanzoni                   01/29/24       -     04/04/24 ✅          05/08/24 ✅

Sahar1122                    01/30/24       -     05/15/24 ✅           Pending             

🇺🇸 Laure&Colin          02/01/24       -     05/14/24 ✅           Same-day oath✅       

Youssuf                        02/01/24

Chelleyandaaron     02/01/24       -      06/04/24

Winbig                          02/01/24       -      05/08/24 ✅          Pending

USAUAinCZ                02/02/24

thedtayl                        02/02/24

🇺🇸 Wisconsinbly      05/02/24      -     03/27/24✅            05/09/24✅

CollegeDropOut       02/07/24

Duggu                           02/07/24

MrsOli                           02/14/24      -      06/13/24

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[Tommy2000 24]

12 hours ago, minivatreni said:

Hope you get the name change certificate soon! It’s kind of hard to do anything without it lol. I hope I get mine in the ceremony itself 

Stupid question: why do you guys change your names? I get it if someone gets married, but why else?

[AndrewSeattle 19]

1 hour ago, Tommy2000 said:

Stupid question: why do you guys change your names? I get it if someone gets married, but why else?

I've been using an english name forever which is not a legal name, N-400 interview is probably the best opportunity to make it official.

I thought about to do it when applying N-400 but didn't move forward.

[YellowDuneBuggy 48]

2 hours ago, Tommy2000 said:

Stupid question: why do you guys change your names? I get it if someone gets married, but why else?

Why? This is why: https://toronto.citynews.ca/2008/11/03/teen-changes-name-to-capt-fantastic-faster-than-superman-spiderman-batman-wolverine-hulk-and-the-flash-combined/

[OldUser 5,210]

2 hours ago, Tommy2000 said:

Stupid question: why do you guys change your names? I get it if someone gets married, but why else?

I guess for some it's an opportunity to change it to something more pronouncable / recognizable. People try to fit in. Some Chinese or Polish names may be hard to read for example. Also, there may be some degree of bias when applying for jobs etc.

Edited May 16 by OldUser