Dualie

I paid $60 CAD to have a criminal record check from Germany translated to English, back in 2014. The translation was done by a reputable firm in Winnipeg, Canada. I imagine fees have gone up considerably since then.

12 hours ago, Hahahahaha said:

Does anybody know that when you file online, do you have to put the exact dates for previous employment? To be honest, i don't remember at all when i started the job and when i left the job.

Just put down the dates to the best of your memory. I am sure mine weren't exact.  And they will check, and as long as you're close I'm pretty sure you'll be fine.  Good luck!!

I am guessing that the website is down for maintenance, or is having some sort of technical difficulties. I would just wait for a bit and try again.

Good luck!  

I attended my oath ceremony yesterday in Fergus Falls, MN. There were sixteen of us there to be sworn in.  We were there for 12:30PM to check in with our letters and questionnaires.  The USCIS officer had us come up one at a time to turn in our letters and green cards.  The voter registration people were there also, and everyone filled out that form to turn in after the ceremony.  We were all lead into the courtroom at 1:00PM and sat up in a gallery, separate from our guests.  They played a video and the judge made opening remarks.  Then we stood for the Star Spangled Banner. Once we were seated again, the judge read the country list, which included Brazil, Canada, Philippines, Cambodia, and Somalia.  Then the judge had the lead immigration officer put forth the motion of presentation of the candidates, which was accepted.  We all then stood and took the oath of allegiance.  Once we were seated again, the lead immigration officer called us up one at a time to receive our naturalization certificates.  The judge then congratulated us and spoke of our hard work and efforts put forth to achieve citizenship, and of our responsibilities as citizens.  They then played a video called America the Beautiful, after which we stood and said the Pledge of Allegiance.  We sat, and the judge congratulated us again, and then we were dismissed.  Those of us who wanted photos with the judge were allowed to stay and do so.  All told it took a little over an hour.  

7 hours ago, Abdulm06 said:

With the Oath notice there is a questionnaire along the back of the notice. Do you fill that part out a day before and sign and date it the day of the oath at home, or do you fill it out at the location of the ceremony?

 

I read over mine and I am of the understanding that you fill it out before the ceremony (anytime, I suppose) and sign it in front of an official at the ceremony. Basically they just want to make sure you haven't changed your mind about defending the USA and that you haven't committed any crimes. They also ask if you have traveled outside the US after your interview. I have filled mine out already, and I can change it if I happen to get a traffic ticket between now and next Thursday (I don't plan to, but you never know..lol!).  Some people wait until they are at the ceremony to fill it out. I think it's probably important to sign it at the ceremony, but you can fill it out anytime.

On 5/8/2019 at 10:22 AM, fip & jim said:

And for your employer, why can't they see the original and take a copy, thereby "certifying" it themselves? 

My employer took a photocopy of my green card for work authorization, and they photocopied the I-551 stamps in my passport for two years after that. I suspect they will be happy with a photocopy of my naturalization certificate.  I do know that they are audited annually to ensure that all immigrants employed there are legally allowed to work.  It will be nice not to have to make that HR appointment this year, although I really like our HR lady  !

My employer reviews employee immigration status annually, obviously to ensure that we are all legally allowed to work in the US.  I will give HR my naturalization certificate to photocopy for my file once I receive it at my oath ceremony.

2 hours ago, PositiveThinker said:

 

 

OMG! They did not adjudicate your I-751 before your interview?  The IO who did my interview told me that he had to adjudicate my ROC case before he could proceed with the N400 interview.  Man, it would sure be nice if USCIS ever followed a standardized protocol.  I would be depressed and pissed if I were you!  I sure hope you hear something soon!

On 5/12/2019 at 10:27 AM, Sukie said:

Hey all!  I've gone through our most recent listing (Page 150 of our grouping, as of April 5th) and have found the following names without any progress since biometrics.  I'm hoping that some of these are just folk who have not come back to tell us their story.  Here are the names.  If you know any of these folks, can we get the list updated?  (Dualie, the latest list does not have your good news on it...)

 

Jazztin

Cangreja1

Hicks81

Lynners

Filya

missLinda

Kevo

JAN0

Kichuka

D3si.HEart

PositiveThinker

evariste (sorry, cannot find the accent)

MindTheGap

KM2014

Tango777

Derwood

Wonder87LA

didi&bebe

RzHn

JB63

josue818

 

Sukie in (rainy) NY

Could someone update the list with my info? I could do severe damage, if you know what I mean.  My interview was on April 15,2019 - combo I-751 and N-400. Was approved for both on April 16, 2019. received the oath ceremony letter today - May 13, 2019.  Oath ceremony scheduled for July 11, 2019.  Much appreciated!

Thank you for the replies. My stamp is valid until October of this year.  I guess I was just over thinking it. I thought that because my I-751 was adjudicated, that the stamp may not be valid at the border.  I see now that that makes no sense.  I just don't want any more drama...been through enough in the last while.  I may just wait until I have a valid passport and be done with it. 

Thanks again guys.

Hi all!

I surfed around trying to find an answer for this, but was not successful.  I hope I am posting in the right area.  Anyway, here is the lowdown.  I had my interview (a combo interview in Duluth MN) on April 15.  Passed both and have been scheduled for an oath ceremony on July 11th in Fergus Falls MN.  Here's where it gets a little hinky...my I-751 took FOREVER and I had to get two I-551 stamps in my passport both for my employment, and because I travel back to Canada several times a year to visit my bestie and other friends (I am only about 4 hours from the border).  

My question is...if I wanted to go up north for a few days (that's all I ever stay at a time), what documentation would allow me back into the US?  Is it even advisable to do so until I have a nationalization certificate or passport?  I am thinking that they may accept my letter of my upcoming ceremony, but I am not sure.  Has anyone tried this, or know of someone who has?

There is probably an easy answer to this, but I am not sure and I don't want to rock the boat until the deal is done.  Thanks in advance for your responses!

I received notification on Thursday that I have been scheduled for my oath ceremony on July 11, 2019 in Fergus Falls MN.  Finally a happy ending to the long, arduous journey!!

2 hours ago, Citizendan said:

 

Congrats! This has been a very long journey for you.

Thank you! Yes it has, and it would have been a lot more difficult without VJ and folks like you guys!!

10 hours ago, N-o-l-a said:

CONGRATS!

 

I'm hoping that is the one my husband gets too. His interview is in less than 2 weeks, so fingers crossed for that. If we are there, be sure to say hi. We stick out quite a bit, you'll get it if you see us - crazy hair for me, super tall for him. Perhaps several loud kids in tow.

 

 

 

 

OMG!! I for sure will keep an eye out! Would be so cool to meet you guys!!  I will keep my fingers crossed that your husband get scheduled in Fergus.   As life changing and exhilarating (lol) as this journey has been, I am SO ready for it to be OVER!!  I'm sure you guys feel the same way.

Hi folks, it's me again.  It has been nearly a month since my interview in Duluth, and the IO who interviewed me told me that my oath ceremony would probably take place in Saint Paul, and that it shouldn't take too long to be scheduled in for it.

Well...I got an email on Thursday saying that they had taken action on my case.  So I logged in and lo and behold...I have been scheduled for my oath ceremony.  I had to check a couple of hours later for the document, and it was there.  I have been scheduled for an oath ceremony on July 11, 2019 at 12:30PM in Fergus Falls, MN.  Thank goodness it's not far from home.  We live about 25 miles northwest of Fergus Falls...and about 25 miles southeast of Fargo.  It seems that they are trying to schedule people as close to home as they can. In my case, I straddle the MN - ND line nearly every day, as I work in Fargo.  My being a MN resident, I wouldn't qualify to be sworn in at Fargo (my guess).  I suppose it also depends on the federal courts' schedules.

I filed for N400 while waiting for my I-751.  I was scheduled for the N400 interview and attended not knowing whether or not it would be a combo interview.  The IO said that before he could conduct the N400 interview, he needed to adjudicate my pending I-751.  Now, that being said, I have read posts here on VJ where the N400 was conducted, but no decision could be made until the ROC was adjudicated at a later date.  From what I see, it all depends on the office, the IO, the area...  There doesn't seem to be a concrete protocol for adjudication of these two cases.

I remember reading the actual statement by USCIS on this, but I can't remember where to find it. I am sure one of the more knowlegable folks here will post the link if they read your post.  It is perfectly legal and you are perfectly within your rights to file an N400 while your I-751 is still pending.  Whether it actually "compels" USCIS to act on the I-751, well, that's anyone's guess.  I have seen evidence of both yes, and no.

Well folks, I had my interview(s) on Monday in Duluth MN.  Duluth is a small Application Support Center, and it looks fairly new...by that I mean it looks as though the office equipment and such has not been there very long.  The officer there is an older gentleman, stern looking but with a sense of humor in a no nonsense way.  My appointment was for 10:30 and we arrived shortly after 10AM.  Security was easy and pleasant.  We were directed to the second floor to room 208, where we checked in at the desk.  The lady asked for my appointment letter, took it and said that she would tell the officer we were there and he would call me when he was ready.  

It was nearly 11AM when he called me.  I went in alone, figuring that if the IO wanted my husband to come in, he would say so.  He did not.  The officer had my file(s) on the desk.  He spent a lot of time reading over my files, and entering stuff into the computer.  He asked to see my green card, my Canadian passport, and my state drivers license. I explained that the IO in Saint Paul had taken my green card when I got my first I551 stamp, and I gave him the photocopy of my green card that was given to me there.  He made copies of these and gave them back to me.  Then he said, "I see you have a pending I-751. I will have to adjudicate that before we continue.  I expected him to ask my husband to join us, but he did not.   He asked me how many times I had been married, how many times my husband had been married, and then how long we have been married to each other.  I answered all of these, and he said, "So you haven't kicked him to the curb?" He didn't smile but his voice did.  Then he unlocked a file drawer and brought out a stamp, and stamped my I-751 file "Approved".  

At this point he began having issues with the computer program, and it took quite a while before he could proceed.  He finally was able to move forward, he had me stand and take the oath to tell the truth....  He asked me how many Supreme Court judges there are; what is the capital of my state; who was one of the writers of the Federation Papers; what one of the reasons the colonists came to America; what is the political party of the present President.....and I can't for the life of me remember the last one, but I was counting in my head and I got six correct.  Then he had me read the sentence "Who can vote".  Then he had me write "Citizens can vote".  He asked me about my military service in Canada, and about the unions I had belonged to, and we chatted a little bit about each.  Then he asked me all of the questions at the end of the N400 application.  He updated my employer, as that had changed last year and I was unable to change it online.  He had me read the changes and what we talked about on the iPad.  I signed the iPad again.  He printed out a form for me which said that I had passed the tests and my application was being recommended for approval.  He told me my oath ceremony would be held in Saint Paul, and that it shouldn't be too long of a wait...but don't hold him to it, lol.  He thanked me for my patience and I thanked him, and I left.  I was in the office for about an hour and a half, as I got out at 12:30.

I was surprised that the I-751 was so easy.  I had a whole file folder full of evidence, and I never once opened it.  Anyway, that was my experience. I sure hope my oath ceremony is closer to home.  I did go online to check case status and got an error message.  I have read that that is common.  I tried again about an hour later ad they had posted in my account that they had approved my application and placed me in line for an oath ceremony.  I won't attempt updating the chart, I don't want to mess it up.  

23 hours ago, Dualie said:

Well folks, I had my interview(s) on Monday in Duluth MN.  Duluth is a small Application Support Center, and it looks fairly new...by that I mean it looks as though the office equipment and such has not been there very long.  The officer there is an older gentleman, stern looking but with a sense of humor in a no nonsense way.  My appointment was for 10:30 and we arrived shortly after 10AM.  Security was easy and pleasant.  We were directed to the second floor to room 208, where we checked in at the desk.  The lady asked for my appointment letter, took it and said that she would tell the officer we were there and he would call me when he was ready.  

 

It was nearly 11AM when he called me.  I went in alone, figuring that if the IO wanted my husband to come in, he would say so.  He did not.  The officer had my file(s) on the desk.  He spent a lot of time reading over my files, and entering stuff into the computer.  He asked to see my green card, my Canadian passport, and my state drivers license. I explained that the IO in Saint Paul had taken my green card when I got my first I551 stamp, and I gave him the photocopy of my green card that was given to me there.  He made copies of these and gave them back to me.  Then he said, "I see you have a pending I-751. I will have to adjudicate that before we continue.  I expected him to ask my husband to join us, but he did not.   He asked me how many times I had been married, how many times my husband had been married, and then how long we have been married to each other.  I answered all of these, and he said, "So you haven't kicked him to the curb?" He didn't smile but his voice did.  Then he unlocked a file drawer and brought out a stamp, and stamped my I-751 file "Approved".  

 

At this point he began having issues with the computer program, and it took quite a while before he could proceed.  He finally was able to move forward, he had me stand and take the oath to tell the truth....  He asked me how many Supreme Court judges there are; what is the capital of my state; who was one of the writers of the Federation Papers; what one of the reasons the colonists came to America; what is the political party of the present President.....and I can't for the life of me remember the last one, but I was counting in my head and I got six correct.  Then he had me read the sentence "Who can vote".  Then he had me write "Citizens can vote".  He asked me about my military service in Canada, and about the unions I had belonged to, and we chatted a little bit about each.  Then he asked me all of the questions at the end of the N400 application.  He updated my employer, as that had changed last year and I was unable to change it online.  He had me read the changes and what we talked about on the iPad.  I signed the iPad again.  He printed out a form for me which said that I had passed the tests and my application was being recommended for approval.  He told me my oath ceremony would be held in Saint Paul, and that it shouldn't be too long of a wait...but don't hold him to it, lol.  He thanked me for my patience and I thanked him, and I left.  I was in the office for about an hour and a half, as I got out at 12:30.

 

I was surprised that the I-751 was so easy.  I had a whole file folder full of evidence, and I never once opened it.  Anyway, that was my experience. I sure hope my oath ceremony is closer to home.  I did go online to check case status and got an error message.  I have read that that is common.  I tried again about an hour later ad they had posted in my account that they had approved my application and placed me in line for an oath ceremony.  I won't attempt updating the chart, I don't want to mess it up.  

I had my interview(s) today in Duluth MN.  Duluth is a small Application Support Center, and it looks fairly new...by that I mean it looks as though the office equipment and such has not been there very long.  The officer there is an older gentleman, stern looking but with a sense of humor in a no nonsense way.  My appointment was for 10:30 and we arrived shortly after 10AM.  Security was easy and pleasant.  We were directed to the second floor to room 208, where we checked in at the desk.  The lady asked for my appointment letter, took it and said that she would tell the officer we were there and he would call me when he was ready.  

It was nearly 11AM when he called me.  I went in alone, figuring that if the IO wanted my husband to come in, he would say so.  He did not.  The officer had my file(s) on the desk.  He spent a lot of time reading over my files, and entering stuff into the computer.  He asked to see my green card, my Canadian passport, and my state drivers license. I explained that the IO in Saint Paul had taken my green card when I got my first I551 stamp, and I gave him the photocopy of my green card that was given to me there.  He made copies of these and gave them back to me.  Then he said, "I see you have a pending I-751. I will have to adjudicate that before we continue.  I expected him to ask my husband to join us, but he did not.   He asked me how many times I had been married, how many times my husband had been married, and then how long we have been married to each other.  I answered all of these, and he said, "So you haven't kicked him to the curb?" He didn't smile but his voice did.  Then he unlocked a file drawer and brought out a stamp, and stamped my I-751 file "Approved".  

At this point he began having issues with the computer program, and it took quite a while before he could proceed.  He finally was able to move forward, he had me stand and take the oath to tell the truth....  He asked me how many Supreme Court judges there are; what is the capital of my state; who was one of the writers of the Federation Papers; what one of the reasons the colonists came to America; what is the political party of the present President.....and I can't for the life of me remember the last one, but I was counting in my head and I got six correct.  Then he had me read the sentence "Who can vote".  Then he had me write "Citizens can vote".  He asked me about my military service in Canada, and about the unions I had belonged to, and we chatted a little bit about each.  Then he asked me all of the questions at the end of the N400 application.  He updated my employer, as that had changed last year and I was unable to change it online.  He had me read the changes and what we talked about on the iPad.  I signed the iPad again.  He printed out a form for me which said that I had passed the tests and my application was being recommended for approval.  He told me my oath ceremony would be held in Saint Paul, and that it shouldn't be too long of a wait...but don't hold him to it, lol.  He thanked me for my patience and I thanked him, and I left.  I was in the office for about an hour and a half, as I got out at 12:30.

I was surprised that the I-751 was so easy.  I had a whole file folder full of evidence, and I never once opened it.  Anyway, that was my experience. I sure hope my oath ceremony is closer to home.  I did go online to check case status and got an error message.  I have read that that is common.  I will try again later.  

After reading this thread from the beginning, I feel I should clarify my situation.  I applied to remove the conditions on my green card on 01/18/2017. I applied for naturalization on 02/20/2018.  They have tossed my cases around...no RFEs or anything, but the last I heard was when they transferred my "case" to NBC on May 5, 2018.  Then nothing....until I got notification of my scheduled interview.  I was surprised to find it scheduled for Duluth instead of MSP.  I had to get a second I551 stamp in Fargo, so I was kind of hoping for an interview in Fargo.  Yeah, right. 

1 hour ago, N-o-l-a said:

 

Oh yeah, it is way closer and would have only been a day trip.

 

I see another Minnesota filer who lives very close to Fargo got sent to Duluth too.  @Dualie

 

LOL, I even have an appointment with my tattoo artist in Fargo a week from the interview date.  🤓

Hi there! Just got your message. I hadn't run across this group before. Will follow up with you after my interview on Monday!

6 hours ago, santiagosilva said:

 

 

Only because it seems other threads have dried up, or ppl have stopped updating their status / visiting VJ,  I'm curious; - Are the ppl who haven't been accepted yet on this list, really still waiting? (just for my own peace of mind.)

I'm still waiting. Just received my N400 interview letter in the mail this morning.  Going to Duluth MN for April 15th.  I wanted to ask those of you who had a combo interview(s)...did you know you were having a combo before you got there? I am still waiting on the adjudication of my I751, and there is no mention of that in the letter. It merely states that I am to be at the USCIS office in Duluth on that date for my N400 interview.

So, finally I received an email from USCIS saying that they have taken action on my case.  Checked out my USCIS online account and...will wonders never cease....they have scheduled my interview!  Don't know whether it's a combo interview, would be nice because it has been over three years since I filed my I-751.  Well at least there is movement.  My interview is scheduled for April 15, 2019 at 10:30AM in Duluth, MN.  Now to get studying!

23 hours ago, JWITT said:

I wanted to share my wife's I-751/N-400 story to give some hope for you that are still waiting or may be approaching an N-400 interview with I-751 pending. 

 

We filed for my wife's I-751 on 1/27/17 to CSC. With no word yet on the I-751, we filed the N-400 for citizenship with the Dallas office on 1-18-18.

 

Like most of you who filed N-400 with I-751 pending, the I-751 was transferred to NBC in May 2018.

 

However, since there is no posted processing time for I-751 at the NBC, we still filed a case inquiry to USCIS in October 2018 once our case was outside CSC normal process times. When we received no reply within 30 days, we filed another case inquiry in early December 2018.

 

Finally, on December 21 2018, we received a response from USCIS saying they would adjudicate our I-751 an N-400 petitions together.

 

On January 3 2019, we received an N-400 interview notice for February 7. The interview notice made no mention of the I-751.

 

On 2/7, at the Dallas field office, when the officer called my wife, we asked whether I should come to the interview as well and the officer said yes.

 

The officer informed us that the primary purpose of the interview was to adjudicate the N-400 but, to do so, she had to close out the I-751 first.

 

She had us confirm our basic demographic information. She asked us about our daughter and asked to see our daughter's birth certificate. At that point, my wife also volunteered a picture of the three of us together. The officer was satisfied that this was enough evidence and she finished the I-751 interview.

 

The officer did allow me to stay in the room for my wife's N-400 test and interview. My wife passed the test and then the officer went through the Yes/No questions from the application. She did not ask to see any other documents (never even asked for my wife's passport) and said she was recommending approval on both cases.

 

Since the officer also happened to be a supervisor (we got lucky there), she said she could go into the system and try to approve the cases to trigger/print the oath letter. She was able to do this and my wife's oath was scheduled for 2/12. My wife took her oath on 2/12 and is now a US citizen!

 

A few takeaways from our experience:

 

1. If citizenship is your ultimate goal, do not delay filing the N-400. If we had, we would have likely waited another 6 months for citizenship.

2. Continue to file case inquiries with USCIS about your I-751 being out of normal processing times even if your case was transferred to NBC. We are convinced that our case inquires helped our case get noticed to have the N-400 interview scheduled.

3. At least in Dallas, officers seem fully aware of the I-751/N-400 combo interview situation and know how to handle it. The I-751 portion of our interview was short and very straightforward.

 

Good luck to all of you still waiting, your time will come soon, keep the faith!

So....I am going to submit another inquiry. I did that last summer and heard absolutely nothing.  Thank you for your post. Maybe if I keep hounding them something might come of it. I'm just really tired of being in limbo. I mean, 3 years plus to adjudicate a I-751. Really?  Hear's to hoping they will light a fire under someone's backside and get this done already. I'm so done....

Thank you again for your post. It does give me some hope!

22 minutes ago, Charly2 said:

I'll try again tomorrow....thanks! hopefully it was adjudicated, I gotta be positive  

I have my fingers crossed for you!