BlueDevil

FINALLY, it's all done!  I had my Naturalization ceremony a couple of days back, which went well.  Best wishes to everyone who is still in process.  Cheers!

7 hours ago, Pdvdw said:

 

Great news! I saw your update on the timeline. I am in Chattanooga TN and also waiting longer for an oath date. Did you end up reaching out to them for inquiry since yours took so extremely long?

No, I did not contact them since I didn't want it to trigger a ceremony date.  I know that sounds strange, but I have an upcoming international trip in October I cannot miss and with the passport delays, it would jeopardize it.  Such is my luck that I ended up getting scheduled in any case.  I will have to get an urgent travel appointment for a passport after completing my oath.  Hopefully, they will have an open appointment anywhere in the country.  If I have to fly out to a different office from my local one in Atlanta so be it.   

Here is a link to the Eastern District of Tennessee oath ceremony schedule.  They have recently updated the schedule to add more dates.  Since you live in Chattanooga, you will likely get assigned to one of these dates.  When did you have your interview?  Knoxville has one of the larger ceremonies scheduled for October.  Hopefully, you can get in on that one.  🤞

https://www.tned.uscourts.gov/sites/tned/files/natz_2023_updated.pdf

I finally received my Oath Ceremony Notice!  Scheduled for September 29th.  In a little over a month, this journey will FINALLY be over!  

13 hours ago, SorrowL said:

I had my interview. Everything went well. Officer recommended approval and I'm waiting to be scheduled an oath ceremony. STL field office. They do not do same-day oath there. 

Congrats!  Hope you get an oath ceremony date soon.  I am still waiting for mine, and I had my interview back on Feb 14th!  I can't imagine Tennessee is a hot spot for a lot of new N400 cases (unlike say CA, TX, NY, etc...) so I suspect my file has gotten lost on the shuffle.  I don't want to open up a service request right now in case it results in my being assigned to a ceremony date next month.  I have some upcoming international travel in late October and seeing the long delays to get passports I don't want to jeopardize the trip.  I will likely submit a service request after I return in late November if I have not heard anything by then.    

1 hour ago, rafadreyes said:

Hi, this is the only forum I found about the topic. I had my interview on January 20th (one day before a trip) I was approved and they said I could do the Oath Ceremony that day, but I wouldn't be able to travel the next day because of the passport. I told the officer that I won't be back until the end of March. Today I checked my USCIS online account and it says I was scheduled (today) for March 2nd for the Oath Ceremony. I called the number on the notice to reschedule and the lady said I have to send a letter, but what the officer told me is something different. I am afraid the letter won't get there on time (before my appointment March 2nd) and I might run into issues later on. Is there anything else I can do?

If you absolutely cannot make it to the ceremony, one option is to send the letter via courier.  I'm pretty sure the mailing address is a physical address where you can courier the letter to.  Will an international shipment be pricey?  Likely so, but it beats the alternative.

I might be in the same boat down the road myself.  I have an important business trip I simply cannot miss and I'm hoping my oath ceremony does not get scheduled during the same time.  

Its not the end of the world if you miss one ceremony.  Be prepared for a delay in getting the oath rescheduled if it came down to it.  Now if you miss two in a row, that's bad news.  

Hey everyone.  I had my interview today and here is a recap.  Note: I applied on the basis of the 5-year rule.

TL;DR: I got approved! Yay! 

My appointment was at 7:35 am at the Nashville field office.  I arrived there at 7 am and the parking lot was already quite busy.  I went in at 7:20 and proceeded through airport-like security.  The security officers were very nice; one said I looked quite spiffy.  LOL!  I was called up to a counter to get biometrics done and then sat in the waiting room.  At 7:45, I was called in for my interview.  The IO was pleasant but all business.  There was no small talk whatsoever other than the initial "good morning."  She asked me to remain standing, raise my right hand, and went over the standard oath.  She asked for my permanent resident card and passport, looked them over, and then went over the interview process in brief.  She asked if I was okay with doing the Civics test first, to which I said sure.  Here are the six questions that she asked me, all of which I answered correctly.  I was lucky to get quite straightforward questions.

1. Name one state that borders Canada.

2. What is the highest court in the US?

3. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?  

4. Name one Native American tribe.

5. Why does the flag have 50 stars?

6. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution? 

Reading test: Who elects the Congress

Writing test: The people elect the Congress

She then asked me some basic questions from the application - full name, address, occupation, my last trip outside the US, and what age I was when I first arrived.  This last question almost gave me a panic attack.  I first got to the US when I was 21, as a student, and did not start my immigration process until I was well past 26.  So I know that selective service did not apply to me.  But she still asked why I did not register for it.  I told her I was on a student visa and had no idea at the time even what selective service was, let alone register for it.  She seemed to buy that explanation and made some notes in the computer.  She then told me that she had made some changes to my application, one of which was simply a job title update and the other was the selective service question, and asked me to verify the changes.  It was then that I realized why she was asking about the selective service.  I answered "No" to the question in the application since answering "Yes" would have taken me down the path of completing a statement etc... which did not apply to me.  She changed that answer to "Yes" at the interview and we moved on.  Just thought I'd mention this in case someone else also has this happen to them.   

From then, it was the standard yes/no questions and finally, she congratulated me saying that I was approved, and handed me the approval letter. Unfortunately, the center I was interviewed at stopped administering same-day oaths so I have to wait for that to be scheduled.  I mentioned an upcoming out-of-country trip that I had planned months earlier and asked if she could make a note asking for the oath to be scheduled after my return.  She was happy to do that and I saw her jot down my return date in the file.  I am fully aware that that doesn't mean a whole lot since there is a good chance that the note gets ignored.  I have already planned for that eventuality. 

10 mins after leaving the building my case status was updated to "Oath Ceremony will be Scheduled." 

Best wishes to everyone who has an upcoming interview or waiting for one to be scheduled.          

3 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

There is no difference between USPS passport acceptance and the Dallas County Passport acceptance here....none at all.  The cost is exactly the same.  The speed of receiving the passport is the same... The requirements are exactly the same.  There are more USPS locations which accept passport applications.....  However, here, all USPS locations around Dallas are booked 4 weeks out.  I found an open slot at a small Dallas County passport office about a week after my wife's oath ceremony..

Thank you!!!  That makes me feel a whole lot better.  Yeah, I'm seeing the same here with USPS.  All appointments are 4 weeks out and there is one solitary appointment that was available next week.  

@Mike E - to your point, when I say County Clerk, I mean the same office that issues motor vehicle registrations, marriage licenses etc.  Perhaps not all County Clerk offices around the country offer passport services?  Fortunately, mine is one of the listed centers for that.  They have an online appointment system and I was able to snag an appointment. 

Hello.  Is there a huge difference in processing times when applying for a new passport at a USPS location vs County Clerk's office?  Any other benefits/drawbacks between the two?  I am going to be looking at a pretty tight timeline for getting my passport before I need to travel and the County Clerk has an appointment a week before USPS has any availability.  I didn't want to rush and go to the County Clerk if, at the end of the day, USPS was more efficient.  I see most folks applying through USPS so that made me a little nervous.  Thanks!    

Hello.  I know I"m jumping the gun a little but I need to plan for the timing of the oath ceremony due to travel plans.  My interview is scheduled for February 14, 2023.  I am already booked for a business trip to my home country (India) from April 21 through May 26.  Assuming my interview goes well and I get approved for naturalization, here are some potential dates for the oath ceremony taken from the State of Tennessee 2023 Naturalization Calender:

February 16, 2023 (this might be too soon being only a couple of days after my interview).

March 2, 2023

April 27, 2023

May 16, 2023

By some stroke of luck, if they schedule me for the Feb interview, I will likely have enough time to get my documents in order before the trip.  However, in the event that they schedule me for either the March or April ceremonies, I'm afraid I will not have sufficient time after the ceremony to apply for my passport, and once I have that, apply for a tourist visa.  

So my question is: in my request to reschedule the oath ceremony, are we allowed to specify that we would like it to be scheduled after a certain date?  Or do they just schedule it for the next available month, which could possibly be the very next month?  If the former is possible, I should be okay since I can ask them for a date after my return, but if it is the latter, I am going to be in a bind. 

Thank you!      

41 minutes ago, Nag & Matt said:

 

Thank you both for updating us and good luck. 

 

Was the "estimated time of approval" on the website accurate? Assuming you filed online. 

Yes, I did file online.  The "estimated time of approval" is about the most worthless metric.  When I first filed, it said 17 months, which went down to 7 months the very next day, then up to 9 months, which is where it stands even today after receiving my interview notice.  Even the USCIS processing times website estimate is useless.  For the Nashville office, which is where my interview will be held, the estimated time is listed as 17 months, with the caveat that 80% of the cases are processed within this time.  The moral of the story - don't pay attention to any of the estimates and just keep your fingers crossed that your case progresses quickly. 

Judging from other submissions and updates across the various months in this forum, interviews are typically are being scheduled within 3-4 months in a vast majority of cases. 

I wish you the best for a speedy case resolution, but know that YMMV.       

Just got the good news that my interview has been scheduled for February 14, 2023.  Time to start studying!  The end is in sight now. 

35 minutes ago, highvoltage said:

True, what i was referring to is that i dont have any biometrics notice. Everybody else is getting it.

While most filers have been receiving bio reuse notices there are some that still getting sent to the ASC for appointments. Perhaps you fall in that category and you will receive the notice once the appointment has been scheduled? Keep an eye on the documents tab as that will where the notice should appear, be it a reuse notice or an appointment notice. 

34 minutes ago, Moses E said:

Hi everyone. Submitted N-400 application for my mom 4 weeks ago, does anyone know the average time this process would take? 

You can check your local office processing times at the link below.  But those estimates are widely proved to be unreliable.  If your mom's application was submitted 4 weeks back, you might want to check the October thread since that is likely the month of your submission.

https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/

I'm back on this hamster wheel again.  Submitted my N400 application on 11/2/22 and literally within 10 mins of submission, the biometrics reuse notice appeared in the documents section.  Thankful that I don't have to make a trip to the ASC for that.  Now the wait begins for interview date.  The estimated completion time for my case went down from 19 months (after submission) to 9 months after the bio reuse notice appeared; though I know this estimate means absolutely nothing. 

4 minutes ago, da95826 said:

You should be good, I doubt they will need anything with that timeline.

 

USCIS will be interested in your marriage status because it is on the naturalization certificate. Bring original marriage documents, divorce decrees, IRS tax transcripts,  and any other requested documents needed. 

Sounds good.  Thanks much!  And so my journey begins ... again 😀

2 minutes ago, da95826 said:

Good idea, USCIS will review your green card case. I am not sure how close your i751 case is to your divorce but as long as you either let USCIS know about the divorce in a i751 waiver if during the ROC case or you got divorce well after the ROC was approved you should be good.

 

Have bona fide marriage proof and show the timing of the divorce verses the ROC case. Most likely will not need it but would be nice to have if the interviewing officer requests it.

My marriage took place in 2011, conditional GC received in 2014, ROC approved in 2016 and divorce in 2021.  So there is plenty of time between ROC and divorce for it to not matter when it comes to the N400.  I just want to be prepared for any curveball that they might throw at me.  

4 minutes ago, OldUser said:

All the bonafide marriage evidence is irrelevant under 5 year rule. Not 100% sure you would need to submit marriage certificate. You need the last 5 years of tax returns.

No problem there.  I have all the docs so I think I will submit a copy of the marriage certificate as well just in case.  The worst thing that can happen is they don't need it and they simply ignore it.  Tax returns I have all the transcripts for as well.  

3 minutes ago, OldUser said:

Yes, if N-400 asks for your marital status. If you are divorced, you need divorce decree in the docs.

 

You can skip it, but it will probably result in RFE and delays.

Thanks! Been spending my evening reading up on the subject.  I think I have everything squared away now and will certainly include my divorce decree with the docs submitted.  Many thanks for your help! 

@OldUser - I am a little confused by your last post.  Are you saying that even if I file using the 5-year rule that I will still need to include a copy of my divorce decree?  I am happy to bring it along with me in case questions are asked at the interview but I wasn't sure if it needed to be included in the initial application packet.  Would I not also then need to submit my marriage certificate and joint tax return/asset docs?

Thank you all for your feedback.  I'm glad to see that my new filings doesn't appear to be overly complicated.  To address some of your comments/questions:

@Timona - no one advised me to withdraw my original application.  It was solely my decision for the simple reason that I had too much going on at the time, and not in the right head space. 

@OldUser - I did receive a conditional two-year green card at the time and filed I-751 when it came time to lift the conditions.  That was approved without any issues and I was issued a 10-year card.  My PR card expires in 2027.

Guess I can move forward with my new application now.  I will take all the 'married life' evidence with me to the interview just in case.

Hello.  I have a unique situation that I would like some help with if anyone has seen this before.

I received my PR card through marriage.  The card was issued on 8/5/14.  I was married for 9 years before we decided to part ways in 2021.  I had filed an N400 application and was scheduled for an interview in April 2021.  However. I had a lot on my plate at the time since we were in the middle of trying to figure out whether or we would remain married.  As such, I withdrew my application and received acknowledgment from USCIS of the same.  I am now ready to file my N400 again.  Given the fact that I am 8 years from the date of the PR card issue date, I imagine I can file my application without any ties to the PR card via marriage is that correct?  During the application, would I need to submit any evidence of my marriage and subsequent divorce?  What type of evidence do I need to submit with my application?  

I'm sure I will be questioned about my divorce during the interview and I'm prepared to answer questions at that time.  I just wasn't sure what evidence I needed to submit with my initial application.  Also, if I need to take any specific documents with me when it comes time for the interview I would like to gather that as well.  For what it's worth, and if need be, I can get an affidavit from my former in-laws who I still have an excellent relationship with.

Thank you! 

5 hours ago, Ray0101 said:

@BlueDevil  Hi, I had a couple questions:

 

1.)  Did you File for Withdrawal AFTER you received the Interview Notice with the Interview Date or BEFORE the Notice?

 

2.)  My interview is in 11 days and I am considering Withdrawing my N400. Is there a Rule regarding how soon before the interview you can withdraw the application?

 

Thanks

Yes, I mailed my withdrawal letter after I received the interview notice (see the third post in this thread).  I don't believe there is any hard and fast rule about the timing of the withdrawal.  Again, see post 2 above - even if you don't submit the letter and don't show up to the interview they will close the case.  But if you are planning on not appearing, it would be advisable to submit a withdrawal notice, especially if you plan on applying again down the road.

7 hours ago, chako- said:

Hi! Can I ask how did you withdraw your N-400 application? I applied last month but I found out that I am not eligible yet to apply overseas (But I filed my N-400 under 319(b) right. To make the story short, I am not possible to go back to the US and I just wanna process it overseas which is I am eligible to do that on 2023. So now I do not know how we will withdraw my application or where to even send it! Or can I just leave it that way? My problem is I have to file ROC next year then 2023 for overseas naturalization so I do not know or not sure if It is ok for me not to file a withdrawal first. 

 

Can I ask if do you know which address I could send that to? 

Hello.  I just sent a letter to the NBC office and the local office that was processing my case requesting withdrawl.  I received a confirmation from them about 3 weeks later stating that my case had been withdrawn.  If your case is already at the local office, you can send the letter just to that location.

22 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Being a no show at the interview doesn’t hold a negative repercussion for future applications. All that happens is your case gets administratively closed, so same effect. Keep copies of your withdrawal request if you think it is important down the line to show someone you tried to withdraw first, but it’s not really necessary. 

 

by the way - did you send a separate letter of withdrawal, or did you respond to the interview notice itself stating withdrawal?

Thanks for your reply.  I sent them a separate letter requesting withdrawal of my application and enclosed a copy of my receipt notice and interview notice.  I sent the package to the NBC as well as the field office address that was on my interview notice.  I have saved copies of the tracking information from USPS showing delivery confirmation to both locations.

That's good to know that a no-show will not have any negative repercussions on future applications.  I will have all the documentation on hand if I need to explain the situation down the road.

Hello.  Back on March 5 I submitted a letter requesting a withdrawal of my N400 application.  My interview is currently scheduled for April 8.  I sent a letter to both the NBC as well as the local office where my interview is scheduled.  The letters were sent via certified mail and I see from the tracking info that both were delivered on March 8.  To date I have received no confirmation from the USCIS acknowledging receipt of my withdrawal letter.  I tried calling their 800 but can't get nowhere with it other than finding that the status of my case still says interview scheduled.  It is practically impossible to get a hold of a live agent.

With that being said, since my interview is less than two weeks out, what options might I have?  I don't want them to hold this against me in case they don't act on my withdrawal and I am a no show at the interview as there is a possibility that I might apply once again down the road.  

Thanks!