enro9999

Just an update:

I got my oath ceremony notice. July 20th.

Can't wait!

Thanks.

Today I logged onto the USCIS site and got this update:

"We placed you in line for your oath ceremony and will send you a notice for Receipt Number NBC*006613414, with the date, time, and location of your oath ceremony."

Almost there!

I wonder when the next oath ceremony will be held in Los Angeles and if I'll make the next round.

Great feeling to see this update.

Hey everyone,

On May 24th I had my naturalization interview. No decision was made at the time, but a couple of days later the USCIS case status said they mailed out a request for evidence. Never got one.

Then today, the site had an update saying they received my evidence. I never sent any! Wondering what this means.

Here's the update:

"Response To USCIS' Request For Evidence Was Received

On June 17, 2016, we received your response to our Request for Evidence for your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization , Receipt Number NBC*006613414. Our Los Angeles Field Office office will begin working on your case again. We will mail you a decision or notify you if we need something from you. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address."

Any one know what this could mean?

Thanks.

Another question about my interview the other day as I wait for a decision to be made.

The immigration officer had me sign a bunch of documents, including a name change request -- but not the 2 passport type photos, even though she commented on them.

I've been reading case reports here that mention having to sign the photos at the interview.

Is this something the officer forgot to get me to do? Another possible reason to hold up the case?

Hope you guys are right! Thanks everyone.

Hi everyone.

Apologies for the long post -- I'm a little stressed after this interview because it brings back memories of being denied years ago for my green card and having a long appeal process, or that even worse, they'll now retroactively decide the green card shouldn't have been approved. Apologies for the long post, I want to give as much relevant detail as possible. Thanks.

I had my naturalization interview at the local office here in L.A. on May 24th. I've been a permanent resident for 3 years and applied for citizenship now based on my marriage to a US citizen. The interview went well. My attorney was present and the immigration officer was very bubbly and joked around a lot. I passed the exam at 6 questions.

Then the officer asked if I had ever been arrested. I said yes, for possession of a tiny bit of marijuana in 1996 back in Canada. I paid a small fine and a few years later applied for a Canadian pardon which was granted (see more details below).

At this point, the officer said that my case file (a massive folder) was disorganized and that she needed to take a closer look later. My attorney said it was all there, including the appeal board's decision, etc, etc. The officer looked at me and said, "You seem worried. Don't be, I just have to organize this and get a closer look." Then she said you'll hear back soon, even though she has to officially say it can take 90 days. We thanked her and left.

Today I checked the case status and it said "On May 24, 2016, we mailed a request for initial evidence for your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. The request for evidence explains what we need from you. We will not take action on your case until we receive the evidence or the deadline to submit it expires. Please follow the instructions in the request for evidence."

My lawyer said she doesn't think they're requesting evidence, that she's seen it before where it was under review but then a few weeks later the oath notice came. She says "request for evidence" is the only way the officer can code it.

Does anyone have any similar experiences or any thoughts on my case?

Thanks!

(Some more backstory: My initial green card application based on my marriage was denied by the USCIS because they couldn't determine if the amount of marijuana fell within the USCIS's accepted guidelines to waive. My court records were so old they couldn't find my case, only a summary of the charge. I had to appeal the USCIS denial with a letter from a prosecutor in Canada who vouched that because of the fine I paid, it was likely that the amount of marijuana fell within the USCIS's accepted guidelines. After a 2 & 1/2 year wait, my appeal was approved, and a few months later, I got my green card.)

I would suggest to go online first and research the congressman and reps of the state, find out who has most of their time in immigration issues and go with that person.

Generally you would call or email them, most times they have the release forms available on their website. You will need to sign and send the release forms before they can do anything to help you out with your case.

Thanks. Would you know if four months after the interview is enough time to reach out and try to get a representative to get involved?

Does anyone have any tips or recommendations on how to contact a representative or congressman in one's area to help with a immigration case? I'm in the NYC area and don't know where to start or how to address the situation. Does waiting 4 months after an interview warrant that action? Any advice would be appreciated.

Here's some background:

I had my interview in December 2012. It was our second interview; the first was 3 years ago, but was denied because of a criminal charge so we had to apply for a waiver. The waiver was finally approved last August. But for whatever reason they also denied my second EAD renewal before that. So I am currently without work authorization. (My lawyer said to not inquire about that now as it would throw the case back into the system and not at the local office).

So we went for the interview back in Dec., everything checked out, but the officer said she would have to run it by her supervisor and make background checks that I hadn't left the country all the while I was waiting. Other than that she said "It looks good" but didn't say I was officially approved.

It's been nearly 4 months and no word from USCIS. I don't know why it would take this long to run it by a supervisor. My lawyer is going in for a number of Infopass cases this Friday and said she would ask about mine, but I've read that these Infopass appointments don't really do anything. I'm pretty concerned because my wife and I may move to another state in a few months and I was hoping to have this all resolved so I can start working.

Again, any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

I spoke to my lawyer about my Adjustment of Status delay. I've been married to a US citizen for 3 years. I need a waiver to qualify and it was approved last August; our interview was in December.

The lawyer said the main reason may be that the USCIS are waiting to hear back from Canadian border officials to confirm that I did not leave the country while

I was waiting for my waiver and application to be approved. Because it's a land border, they can't simply check with US Border patrol who would have flight records.

Does anyone know if this is a possible reason for an approval/processing to take longer than it should?

Thanks smashrun.

Hi enro,

You basically have the call the USCIS national customer service line and go through many different voice prompts to get a live person. This live person will NOT be a Tier 2 officer. You'll have to explain your issue and insist upon speaking to a Tier 2 officer. The customer service rep will not know the answer to your question (they read from scipts and don't have access to meaningful information about your case) and will try to avoid transferring you. You'll have to be persistent and insist upon speaking to a Tier 2 officer. The officer will have access to more information and may be able to at least give you an idea of what's happening with your case.

You can try searching the boards here for ways to do this...there are many threads about it. Best of luck

smashrun

I will try that after I get in touch with my lawyer hopefully today.

I've never considered the senator/representative route before, but I will try it.

As for the call to a Tier 2 officer -- how do you actually get to speak to one?

Thanks.

If your waiver was already approved, it shouldn't hold up the AOS process.

I say this a lot on here, but if you can't get any satisfactory information from USCIS (via an InfoPass appt or service request or call to Tier 2 officer), get in touch with your senator/representative to find out what is going on. They have staff dedicated to helping you with these types of issues.

Good luck!

Thanks. Will do.

I was just wondering if it wasn't so unusual to wait this long...

Maybe you're right, it's just a glitch or it's sitting at the bottom of the officer's to do list.

How would a service request delay things? Also ask for a tier 2 rep when you call. I really don't know what to tell you. You original question was why does it (the green card) take so long? It shouldn't. Or maybe it can, that is if you interview went awry or the officer found some red flags in your application/ evidence. Also if he or she did, then an RFE would have been issued.

I don't know how a service request would delay things -- I was wondering that myself.

The interview went fine -- the officer told me (in so many words) "OK, looks fine." Just that she had to run it by her supervisor, because I had a waiver as part of my application.

The backstory of my visa journey is that I my first I-485 application three years ago was denied.I had to apply for a waiver; which was granted last August, allowing us to resume with the adjustment of status.

My lawyer told me that I should NOT call USCIS Customer Service. She said asking for a service request would delay things even more.

The two times I did call (last week was the latest), the customer service rep did not have any updates, or really, did not know anything about my case, only that it was pending.

My USCIS case status page hasn't been updated in a long time.

I'm confused, what are you waiting on? Aos ? Like your greencard? Have you checked online for your latest status ?

Yes, green card. Had my interview for my I-485. I've been married to a US citizen for over 3 years.

Hi,

Just wanted to get a sense of why Adjustment of Status would take this long -- in my case, over 60 days since our interview.

I know there are biometrics, background checks, all that stuff. My interview went well; the officer seemed to find nothing wrong with our case and said it was just a matter of running it by her supervisor.

Is it just backlog, or is there a reason to be concerned about some other kind of problem?

Thanks for any responses.

Hi everyone.

I had my interview back in December. Married for over 3 years to US citizen wife. I had my 601 waiver approved in August.

The interview went well but the officer said she had to run it by her supervisor, but that it all looked good.

This week marked the 60 days processing time mark and we haven't heard anything.

My lawyer said she would contact the Officer next week, to see what's up. Waiting is tough -- don't have a work permit, and had to turn down a job.

My lawyer also said not to contact USCIS Customer Service to put in a service request; that it may slow down the process.

Is this kind of delay typical? Has anyone ever received their card (either green card or EAD) yet their online USCIS case status shows no update?

I guess I'm hoping it would arrive any day even though my online case status shows no updates in a long time.