EV11

Congratulations @canuck32!!

I had my Oath Ceremony today at the Eastern District Court in Brooklyn and I can now officially say that I'm a US Citizen!  It was a LONG 4 hours in there, but it was totally worth it given the fact that I've had to deal with USCIS for the past 7 years! 

Good luck to all those still waiting, your time is near and congrats to all the new citizens. 

Would you mind updating me for the final time @vegasbound? Thank you so much for all of your help keeping my portion of the timeline correct  

There is no issue filing your taxes as "married filing separately" as long as you didn't file as "single". As the others have said, you will need to send your tax transcrips with your application as you are filing for Citizenship based on marriage.

Good luck!

Go to your local SSA office that offers "card services"  and update your immigration status. You do not need an appointment. Bring either your Naturalization Certificate and/or US Passport as proof. If your name has changed also bring the necessary documentation relating to that.

Search 'Social Security Office Locater", put your zip code in and then select an office that offers "card services". Wait at least 10 days after your Naturalization to update info.

Although I am days away from completing my Naturalization process, I wanted to chime in for those who may find it useful. The whole process took me just under 10 months from start to finish. I did however ask for a delayed Oath Ceremony at my interview, so please take that into account. So I've also included the date the Queens Field office wanted to schedule my Oath Ceremony so that it better reflects the actual timeframe which would have been more like 9 months.

GC Date: 02/02/2012

Sent: 11/21/16

Cashed: 11/30/2016

NOA: 11/25/2016

Fingerprints: 12/19/2016

In Line for Interview: 01/04/2017

Interview Letter: 09/11/2017*

Oath: 09/14/2017 **

Field Office: Queens, NY

*My original Oath Letter was received on August 18^th 2017

**My original Oath Ceremony was set for August 22^nd 2017

At my interview I had requested that my Oath Ceremony be after September, 4^th 2017 and my interviewer added the note to my file. The Queens office did fantastic job of honoring my request because although I received an Oath Ceremony date for August 22^nd they had already caught their “error” (I don’t want to even call it that as they were doing me a favor) and descheduled it on my behalf. Therefore I did not have to go through the formal process of requesting (or debating whether I should request) a new Oath Ceremony date.  

Hello November Filers!

I had my interview on July 19th in NYC and requested a delayed Oath Ceremony for after September 4th. 

Well I got home today (9/11) and my Oath Ceremony was in the mail  My Oath Ceremony will be this Thursday (9/14). I am SO excited! Would you be so kind as to update @vegasbound?

Good luck to all those still waiting! 

4 minutes ago, Shezi said:

Thank you! You filed a full month after I did so you're progressing well! My son and family are coming out to stay with us for the first 2 weeks of September so I'm happy this is all behind me for their visit - I just need to get a US passport now  You're so close EV, I cannot tell you how it feels to be finished but, yes, my photo probably tells it best!! 

Oh wow I didn't even notice - its almost exactly a month to the day! How fantastic, your son and family coming to visit really is the cherry on the cake!  Imagine, all those years of dealing with USCIS finally gets condensed into one tiny little blue book lol. Your photo is sending out positive vibes to all of us!

I hope you're all having the most special day @vegasbound@atlantaGC@fluff5!!  

Just now, Shezi said:

Went to my Oath Ceremony this morning - what a beautiful ceremony. At was at the Federal Courthouse so it was a judge presiding - he was very gracious in his comments and it was all so moving! We were in there a couple of hours from the appointment time, at the end of which we were awarded our certificates like a graduation! Fantastic experience - we were all given our first American flags and a letter each from the offices of our 2 senators and out congressman.

 

Like everyone else who's got this far, I'm happy to be done with it; I'm happy to be a USC and USCIS and I just got a divorce! 

 

 

CONGRATULATIONS to my fellow British-American!  What a fantastic picture, this picture says a thousand words. I'm a November filer who just received notice today that my Oath letter was mailed, so I hope to have the same smile in a few weeks time. Enjoy your moment  

Hello All,

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer  

On August 2nd, as I was travelling to work, I got a call from an "unknown" number and I let it go to voicemail (as I always do). On getting off the subway, I listened to the voicemail, and it was the immigration officer who had interviewed me on July 19th saying that I needed to come back into the office that week. I knew it wasn't a scam, as I recognized his very distinct voice and it was in that moment, a feeling of dread washed over me. I immediately called back (hands shaking) and he quickly put me at ease saying that he had got so wrapped up in our conversation about England, that he had forgotten to ask me to sign two sections of the N-400 application. He told me "not to worry" but that I needed to come back into the office that week. So you best believe, on my lunch break, I ran over to the office and it literally within two swipes of my pen, I was out of there. Before this had happened, I had seen others who had interviewed at my field office getting put in line for oath within days of their interview. So I started to get worried that something was wrong, even though I knew I had asked for a delayed oath ceremony. Therefore, in a weird way, it was nice going back into the office and seeing my application safely perched on the table. He also confirmed with me that I wanted to delay my oath until after September 4th, again this reassured me that my delayed oath request hadn't put me in a black hole.

I say all that to say...I  just went online now and it says my "Oath Ceremony Notice was Mailed". I was never put "in line" for Oath. I skipped from "Interview was Scheduled" straight to "Oath Ceremony Notice was Mailed". As soon as I get my letter I'll update.

Good luck to all those with upcoming interviews and Oaths...and to those still waiting, don't feel discouraged, we're almost there. Just one final push for all of us!

29 minutes ago, vegasbound said:

@VegasMX Thank you so much!

 

I had my interview today and passed! My application is recommened for approval and was told to expect further correspondence about the oath ceremony. Finally a sigh of relief!

 

Good luck to those who are going to their interviews this week! All the best!

@Bdrave8 7/25/17

@KCCS 7/26/17

@VegasMX 7/28/17

CONGRATULATIONS!! What a great feeling huh? Very happy to hear that everything went smoothly for you  

9 minutes ago, new16 said:

Finally got my interview letter and i am scheduled for August 24 in Memphis! 

Finally! Congratulations! Looks like Memphis is coming around  

3 hours ago, iamwhatiam80 said:

Congratulations!!!! It must be an amazing feeling to get interviewed after nearly 8 months from date of filing.

Thank you so much. It definitely is a wonderful feeling! It can feel like such a long road, but we get there in the end  

3 minutes ago, Charro said:

 

Interview done Thursday July 20th with lovely female officer. Got there 2 hours early. Had lunch at McDonald's, then went into uscis office ( 26 federal plaza). Went in around 1:30. Appt was at 2:35. I actually went in early for a few reasons , to get to a bathroom , to find somewhere to charge my phone and to get somewhere that's cool. 😁 It was so hot yesterday and I didn't dress with that in mind. 🙄 Went through security easily and once I got to the actual room there was hardly anyone there. Maybe 15-20 people. I got checked in and was told to go to door 2 to wait to hear my number. Hunted for an outlet to charge my phone and finished up going over the civic test questions while watching / listening to the OJ Simpson parole hearing. Couldn't understand why that was even televised. Anyway it helped keep my mind off things a bit. I got called in around 2:10 and was a tad flustered as I wasn't expecting to be called in so early plus I was caught up with OJ. 😁

Officer brought me in had me swear in and asked for my GC, state ID and all passports. Once all was verified, she went straight to the application. She went over the application line by line, page by page. Every question is read to you to comfirm that all was true. And it was done pretty quickly too. If English isn't your first language and you still have a hard time with understanding English this format / quick pace may be a problem.  I was nervous initially but she was such a sweet easy going person that that feeling dissipated very quickly. 

As she read through the questions she would mark off in red if what you said was in agreement with what was on the application. Once we got to " detained , cited ..." I paused and told her I marked no but could have been wrong as I had a ticket for "not stopping " at one of those " after stop , you can make right on red signs" near our apartment. Btw I did stop but Police officer claims it was a rolling stop.

She changed  my "No" answer to red " Yes" and asked when it occurred. I only had a vague idea as to when as it was maybe 13 years ago. She wanted to know the date. If I went to court . She needed some kind of date to put on the application. So she asked if I remembered if it was hot or cold day etc.  , how much was ticket. I asked if the ticket was a problem she said "no not with them. " 🤔Not sure what that meant. Had to read something then write. I think the statement was. "Canada is north of United States. "  Again if you do not comprehend or read English this part can also be a problem. She said "on line #2 please write ...."  And the paper has three spaces numbered 1-3. So it is very important that the applicant comprehends English. And also knows how to read well and follow instructions. Once that was finished , we went through the civic questions . Passed the first 6. She did ask for passport pics. Luckily I had them. They were not good pics. 🙈The ones they took at biometrics were even worse. She showed me  🙈🙈 She said they would use those and would only use the ones I brought in if the biometric pics didn't print. She said I passed and handed me a paper and was asked to follow her out so that she could make copies of my passport. I have a new one since getting my green card. She also got a copy of my birth certificate. I wasn't going to bring that but decided to do so as I remembered that the one they originally had was an old one. My country just recently generated new birth certificates for their citizens. I then noticed on the paper that it said you passed but decision can't be made. I asked if that was an issue she said no. She said "you passed. You are approved. " She said they can't make outright approvals unless certain criteria are met , e.g. Pregnant applicant. Students. I truly didn't understand what she was saying and she must have sensed my slight deflation and confusion as she quickly said " don't worry you are approved. " 

She said the oath letter will be mailed and the ceremony should be next month in Brooklyn at Cadman plaza. 

The take away from my interview :

list your traffic violations on your application as they are citations and if you didn't  when you sent in the original application ,remember to bring it up during the interview and bring your driving record. That's just my two cents.

 Bring 2 passport pics. 

And the interview isn't as bad as you might think. 

Good luck to all! 

Congratulations!!! I had my interview the day before yours (19th) at Federal Plaza as a November filer and I also had a very positive experience Now I'm just waiting for the online status to change to in line for oath/oath scheduled. Congrats again! We're almost there.

2 minutes ago, vegasbound said:

Congratulations @EV11! Thanks for sharing your experience!

 

Thank you so much @vegasbound!   

I had my interview today at 26 Federal Plaza in NYC and was recommended for APPROVAL  

My IO was an older Italian American guy who's name began with P - he was amazing! He instantly put me at ease. 

The 6 civics questions asked were: 

- Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? 

- Name one state that borders Mexico? 

- What is the political party of the President now? 

- What are the two major political parties in the United States? 

- Who is the Commander in Chief of the military? 

- There were 13 original colonies. Name three. 

After the interview, which took about 35 minutes (as we spent a long time talking about England) he asked me if I would like to wait for a couple of hours for an Oath letter, as the next available oath date was August 1st. It was at that time I brought up my upcoming travel plans and that I had actually wanted to delay the oath until after September 4th. As we were discussing this, he noticed that the system was incorrectly using my old last name and therefore I wouldn't have been able to be issued a same day Oath letter for the August 1st, even if I had agreed, as it was not within his scope to be able to edit that on the system. So it actually ended up working out and he just added a note to my file about my request for a delayed oath. After that I was on my way!

Now I just sit and pray that my oath is scheduled for after September 4th. If not, I'll cross that road when I get to it  

Congratulations to all those who have had interviews and Oath ceremonies. What a fantastic feeling it is! Good luck to those still waiting, you're so close now! 

58 minutes ago, luv2teach77 said:

Charmander,

 

RE: scenario #2, I wasn't aware that you could request a delay to the oath ceremony.  Do I take it then that the naturalization process is not deemed complete until that is completed ?  I was unsure if I was considered naturalized as soon as my interview was successfully completed ?

 

Thanks,

 

Mark

Hey there @luv2teach77!

You are not a US Citizen until your have been sworn in at your Oath ceremony.

I actually have my citizenship interview tomorrow and I will be asking for a delay in the oath ceremony. I have plans to travel back to England at the end of August. So I'm requesting that an oath ceremony be scheduled for when I get back (a week later). It's my hope that I'll do the interview tomorrow, go back to England using my British passport + GC and then I'll come back and do my oath ceremony. Then moving forward, I will be legally required to leave and enter the US using a US Passport.

I'll let you know how scenario #2 goes tomorrow!

Hi there Arika, I'm an NYC filer and I filed my application on November 21st and have my interview this coming Wednesday, July 19th - so it has taken me just under 8months from filling the application to getting an interview! Good luck with your journey  

On ‎7‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 5:28 PM, SC333 said:

I just got my oath letter, Form N-445 , unfortunately I will be traveling out of the country and need to reschedule my oath ceremony.

It does say on the bottom 'If you cannot come to this ceremony, return this notice immediately and state why you cannot appear. In such case, you will be sent another notice of ceremony at a later date. You must appear at an oath ceremony to complete the naturalization process'

Problem is it's not clear to me where to return the notice with the explanation. Do I return it to the address on the envelope (which is a Missouri processing center), or the location of my oath ceremony (which is a high school) or my field office where I had my interview?

 

I'm confused. Thank you for your help in advance!

You will return the letter to office in which you will actually have your interview, so in your case, the high school. It may be helpful to include some evidence of your travel plans, for example flight tickets if they are available. Good luck and please let me know how it goes.

52 minutes ago, sd2017 said:

I would simply bring both passports.

Thanks so much! Either that or perhaps reschedule oath? Would much prefer to do the former. 

39 minutes ago, sd2017 said:

I would bring both passports in case anyone questions the difference in names.

11 minutes ago, 3rd said:

My passport is still under my maiden name and my Greencard is in my married name. I always book the tickets in my passport name (as legally required) and take my marriage certificate with me to contest the passport/Greencard name different at POE.

 

Obviously for you this would be a bigger issue as you'd have a passport in two different names. I would always travel with both passports, as you'd want to use your US one to leave and enter the United States and your UK one to enter and exit the United Kingdom (it would speed up your transit with both countries). The problem is that your tickets have to be in the name with the passport you're travelling under... If they are under your old married name then you'll be forced to use your UK passport for the entire journey. It's a shame you've booked your tickets already or I'd have suggested you go to the British embassy and update your UK passport to your new married name. I know some airlines do name changes but you'd have to pay for the privilege.

 

It's a tough predicament for sure.

Thank you both for your responses! It's definitely a bit of a predicament for sure. Perhaps I look into rescheduling my oath ceremony if I get it before the trip?  I know that's not the best of options, and I didn't think i'd be the one to say it. I just know it's a legal requirement to use a US passport to leave and enter the US I just don't want to do something stupid when my citizenship will potentially only days old at that point. 

Hi @bob zerg

I know this thread is a little old but I would love to know how you got on?

I'm in exactly the same position. I have my naturalization interview on July 19th and I'm going to England on August 25th. By which time I may be a US citizen. My British passport and green card is in my old name and my new US passport (if I get citizenship in time) will be in my new name. The tickets are booked in the old name. So not sure what to do!

Thanks so much!

Hello all,

I have a question I hope you could help me with  Sorry if it all sounds a bit complicated.

I currently have my British passport and my 10-year Permanent Resident card in my old married name and I will be travelling to England on August, 25th (have to go, no choice unfortunately). However, my naturalization interview is July 19th and hopefully my oath ceremony a couple of weeks later. If I am successful and pass everything I will get a US passport in my current legal name before the trip. I also know that US Citizens are required to travel on their US passports. So I'm booking my tickets in my old name to reflect my current situation as there's no guarantees I will be a US citizen by the time of the trip and so need to make sure that my tickets reflect my current situation i.e. the name on my British passport and Permanent Resident card. I've just called the airline and they do not do name changes.

So my question is, how I get around all of this...? If I do become an American citizen and I do have a US passport, can I check into my flight leaving from New York to England on my British passport and obviously enter Britain on my British passport and then when it's time to come home, check in again on my British passport as the ticket has to reflect the name on the passport but just show my US Passport at border control when I get back to America? Or will there be some error in their system that shows that the passenger on that flight is not the person coming through customs?

Thanks so much for all of your help

2 hours ago, dons888 said:

Haven't been on in awhile but here is my update:

 

Received mail on May 15 for interview date of June 14.  

 

Day of interview, arrived 40 minutes early at NYC Federal Plaza building.  My schedule was 10:20AM, but was called around 10:40AM.  

 

First was the English test which lasted for 2 minutes.  The ISO office just asked me to repeat a sentence, and to write down the sentence.

 

Second was the Civics test, got it right the first 6 questions.  But I could remember only 5 of them.

 

1. There were 4 amendments on who can vote, what was one of them.  

 

2. Who is in charge of the Executive Branch of the government.

 

3. Who is next in line if the President can no longer serve.

 

4. Why do some states have more representatives.

 

5.  What is one right from the first amendment.

 

Third was, the ISO went line by line on my application form and asked the same questions again. Asked for more photos (luckily I brought more in addition to the ones in the application form). And asked If I brought passport photos which I did (thanks to this forum).

 

Then the ISO said I passed the interview and civics test but he can't made a decision yet because he needs additional documentation. He gave me a list of additional docs to provide, like billing statements that shows both our names, my employment certificate showing who is listed as my "contact person in case of emergency", and any sort of documentation I can provide that shows spouse and I lived in the same home/address the entire duration since I received my residence permit (green card).  This means any billing statements from 2013 the year I received my green card, until this year.  

 

He said I can return on the same day and submit the docs by the window or see him if I wanted to.

 

So I went home and made a copy of our homeowners insurance which have our names on the document.  Pulled out copies of past bills dated 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.  Then stopped by at work to get an employment certificate indicating who is listed as my "contact person in case of emergency".   Made it back to Federal Plaza in the afternoon and asked that I see my ISO again.

 

ISO then asked me to come back into his office and checked my documents..... and congratulated me and asked me to step into the next office to get my swearing in schedule.  

 

I will be sworn in as an American citizen this Friday June 23!

 

Please update my timeline as follows:

 

May 15, received interview letter

June 14, interview date

June 23, oathtaking

 

Good luck to everyone on the forum, and I appreciate all the help that I got and I will be happy to return the favor.

Thank you for this @dons888 it's always great to read reviews about the local office interview experience! Congratulations - you're almost there!

@Friend16 I hope you had a fantastic oath ceremony today!  

12 hours ago, Friend16 said:

And I think you will have the same "problem", since NYC seems to have picked up the speed  I am tracking my immigration process on another website and I noticed at least 3 people from NYC had their oath ceremonies scheduled in about 3-3.5 weeks after the interview. 

Also, one can get an expedited passport at NYC passport agency, i read that they can even process same-day passports!

Woo hoo! Those are the type of "problems" I like to have  Oh wow really? I genuinely didn't think becoming a citizen before my trip was even a possibility at this point, but it's exciting to think that it might actually be the case! Great news about the passports too, as I know you're legally required to travel on a US passport if you're a citizen! I hope you're staying cool in weather