N-400 October 2025 filers

[Nick334 1]

35 minutes ago, Sk87 said:

Hey all, I'm filing under the 5 year rule. Interview scheduled for December. I'm so shoched/convfused. Just wish I knew about the whole changes sooner

 

Status	Date
Interview Was Scheduled	October 31, 2025
We received your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, and sent you a receipt notice.	October 25, 2025

Wow ! Congrats! What location?

[Sk87 89]

5 hours ago, Nick334 said:

Wow ! Congrats! What location?

Kendall, Miami 

[EKT 122]

Hi everyone, my husband applied under the 3 year rule on 10/10 and has his biometrics appointment next week. I’m seeing that some people are getting quick interview appointments after biometrics (which is great!) and I’m a little concerned about an international trip we have booked in late January. If he gets an interview in December or January and has a same day oath ceremony, would he be required to apply for a U.S. passport to travel/re-enter after that trip? We didn’t think there was much chance of it happening that quickly. 

[OldUser 10,971]

34 minutes ago, EKT said:

 If he gets an interview in December or January and has a same day oath ceremony, would he be required to apply for a U.S. passport to travel/re-enter after that trip? We didn’t think there was much chance of it happening that quickly. 

Yes, US citizens must exit and reenter the US on US passport.

The good news is, if you have urgent travel and proof of it (less than 14 days until departure) you can get passport same day at passport agency.

If it's a vacation / not so important trip, another option is to move the trip.

 

Rescheduling interview is risky, here is recent example:

 

 

[EKT 122]

1 hour ago, OldUser said:

Yes, US citizens must exit and reenter the US on US passport.

The good news is, if you have urgent travel and proof of it (less than 14 days until departure) you can get passport same day at passport agency.

If it's a vacation / not so important trip, another option is to move the trip.

 

Rescheduling interview is risky, here is recent example:

 

 

Ahhh, ok! That is so good to know. 
 

It’s a vacation and fortunately everything we booked is refundable or at least changeable. Fingers crossed the interview ends up being in February or later. 

[bernilli 5]

Hi everyone!
Just wanted to share my N-400 timeline and see if anyone with a similar case can tell me what to expect at the interview.

• Filed N-400 online: October 1, 2025

• Basis: 3-year rule through marriage to a U.S. citizen (we’ve been married 10 years)

• Permanent resident since: 2019

• Biometrics: Reused (no new biometrics appointment)

• Interview scheduled for: Wednesday, November 19, 2025

I’m a bit nervous but excited that it moved this fast.
For those with a similar timeline (marriage-based, online filing, reused biometrics):

• How was your interview?

• What kind of questions did they focus on the most?

• Anything you wish you had prepared better?

Thanks in advance for any tips! 🙏

[TBoneTX 48,452]

11 minutes ago, bernilli said:

Thanks in advance for any tips!

1.  Relax.

2.  This is the easiest part of the entire process.

3.  You'll feel like an eagle soaring through the sky when you're finished.

4.  A big part of the great feeling is updating your VJ timeline with this penultimate step.

5.  See (1.).

[OldUser 10,971]

@bernilli Out of curiosity, why didn't you file under general provision (5 year rule)? If you're LPR since 2019, you might have been eligible for a while now.

 

You will be asked civics questions, some general questions about yourself and your travel plus few questions about marriage.

[bernilli 5]

I actually qualified under both the 3-year marriage rule and the 5-year rule, but I didn’t apply earlier because I never really felt any urgency to start the process. In my mind, I thought it was going to be as long and stressful as my green card process, and just thinking about going through all of that again gave me a lot of anxiety.

When I started hearing that they might change the civics test and make it longer/stricter, that’s when I finally decided it was time to just do it and file my N-400.

[OldUser 10,971]

1 hour ago, bernilli said:

I actually qualified under both the 3-year marriage rule and the 5-year rule, but I didn’t apply earlier because I never really felt any urgency to start the process.

I qualified under both too, but picked general provision (5 year rule) because less evidence is needed, it's a lot simpler case, fewer questions about marriage asked and my spouse wasn't required to be there for interview (for 3 year rule it's recommended they also come). Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Edited 19 hours ago by OldUser

[netghost 1]

On 11/4/2025 at 9:33 AM, OldUser said:

Yes, US citizens must exit and reenter the US on US passport.

The good news is, if you have urgent travel and proof of it (less than 14 days until departure) you can get passport same day at passport agency.

Although the rules indeed say that US citizens must enter the country using a US passport, technically a US citizen cannot be denied entry at a port of entry even without an actual US passport. When I naturalized back in 2022, we were in a middle of a road trip (had to fly back to my home town for the interview/oath appointment). Our itinerary included a leg through Canada, and I couldn't find appointments at any of the cities with passport agencies along our route, so we ended up going to Canada without me having a US passport (I only had a Canadian one and my US naturalization certificate). After a few days I was crossing the border back into the US and told the officer I did not have my passport, and only had my certificate. He ended up not looking at any of my documents whatsoever, asked me if the car was mine and waved me through. Apparently they can link my identity to the license plate of the vehicle I'm in if I've crossed the border in that vehicle before, and can see my immigration status in their system.

 

This, of course, applies to land border crossings. If you need to fly, it's not CBP, that wouldn't let you through - they are actually required by law to admit US citizens at the port of entry. It's the airlines, that won't let you board a US-bound flight without having a US passport or another immigration document (which you will not longer have as they take away the physical green card at the oath ceremony). The only other acceptable document to board a US bound flight would be a Canadian passport (unlike other visa-waiver country passports, which require an approved ESTA, that will liekly be denied for dual US citizens).