Overseas DOD Contractor Spouse Naturalization (319(b))

[Zaldoma 2]

Hello all,

 

Just want to post about our current experience so far in regard to my wife's ongoing N-400 on the basis of INA 319(b). Long story short, I'm the USC spouse who is a DOD contractor overseas in Germany, so we are able to file under 319(b). Going through the Fairfax/DC Field Office inevitably. I waited for our contract year to renew to be compliant with the 1-year assignment validity requirement under 319(b). Filled the application with all my employment documentation and letters showing my wife joining on assignment, as well as a letter signed by HR of the company verifying the company's mission and my assignment. 

 

April 8th 2026: N-400 filed. (my company was slow to send out our contract renewal letters, so I received my literal 365-day extension paperwork at about 10pm, was a rush to get our application submitted LOL).

 

May 1st 2026: We scheduled you for a biometrics appointment. (Assuming this would've been a reuse before the new change, considering we were just in the US in October for a USCIS biometrics appointment for my wife's travel permit. Thing to note here was the request said to perform the biometrics on base and mail them to the NBC, with ATTN: MILITARY NATURALIZATIONS which felt good that our case was submitted and processing correctly. We did biometrics with the on base security office and they were printed to the FBI cards they wanted. Funny here, they receive the fingerprints digitally, but the on-base offices don't have the codes to communicate and send directly to USCIS, so they just print the electronic fingerprints onto cards...)

 

May 4th 2026: Another update, this time an RFE. Took about 24-48 hours to populate he document, and voila, another request for biometrics. This time it was on the RFE letterhead, from the USCIS director, with different return addresses for the biometrics. The NBC address had ATTN: N-400 ADJUDICATIONS on this document. We mailed them there because it was the newest document.

 

May 18th 2026: Response to USCIS' Request for Evidence was Received. This notification only populated because I replied to the RFE on the USCIS account with a drafted letter stating the biometrics we mailed said delivered by USPS with the tracking number, etc. We did USPS Priority Express envelope through the post office on base (there was an address on the RFE for express delivery). We shipped it on the 6th of May; it arrived in Chicago the next day and then was lost in the USPS customs hellhole for another week. It finally arrived on May 15th to the USCIS PO Box (ironically, to the PO box with zip code for regular deliveries, not sure what happened to our express delivery method...)

 

Now it is May 19th and I'm still waiting to see any silent updates or anything, who knows how long it will take. We're hoping for the best and hoping that we can complete the interview and oath in the same trip, but it seems not as expectable lately. 

 

Will continue to update this as things happen. 

 

 

[TBoneTX 49,782]

7 hours ago, Zaldoma said:

Will continue to update this

Thanks for your comprehensive writeup, which should serve to help others.