JimmyHou

For those still waiting, this may be helpful:
https://egov.uscis.gov/e-Request/Intro.do
While I would personally call and then schedule an infopass immediately, you can, if you prefer not to speak with someone directly, create a case inquiry using the link above.
Good luck to you.

Hello ,
I just wanted to update on my case, after waiting almost 9 months finally had my interview on Monday 15 Aug in Houston Office. It was at 7 Am got there 30 mins before I was the 5th one there , at 7 Am the IO called me in and walked to his office , took the Oath and then with civic Test and then on to N400 application just asked do I have only I child , I said I have 2 now since I applied showed him birth certificate's for both my son and daughter and just asked to see my birth certificate and inquired ant my maiden name and then just made me sign and said congratulations and great job and asked me to go wait outside and made sure not to leave until he comes back in a few minutes, well which lasted 1.5 hours after that he came out and handed me a sheet which had Oath ceremony details which is on 24 Aug on Wednesday at 7 Am .
I was worried for 1.5 hours but when he gave me the Oath letter I was relieved and Happy
Now waiting till Wednesday till it's officially over
Thanks a lot to all in this thread who kept me updated.

Hi MK & M,
Everything went smooth. IO was a nice younger guy (and cute), he took me to his office and all my paperwork was already in front of him.
I was asked to sit down and then raise my right hand and then to do this "Do you swear to tell the truth..." I said I do. Then he immediately he went to the civic questions, my questions were:
1. There are 4 amendments to the constitution about who can vote, describe one of them?
2. Who vetoes bills?
3. During the Cold Ward what was the main concern in the U.S.?
4. If the President can not longer serves who becomes President?
5. What was one reason Colonist came to America?
6, What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
Then he asked me to read "Which state has the most people" and then he asked write "California has the most people"
Then he proceeded to ask me all the questions from the N400, after that she had me to sign a paper with all my information on it, he asked me to read carefully since that was the information that will be in my certificate. Overall it was nice, I brought a huge binder with all kind of paperwork he didn't ask for anything. He said I should receive my Oath Ceremony letter in 2 or three weeks after my interview but I am confused why my file is under Supervisor Review.
Let's see what is next I would love to have the right to vote, but who knows when I will hear from them again.
Namaste,

Yes it's replaceable.
File an N-565 form.
There'll be no decision as to whether or not you deserve another certificate. Just file the form and pay the $345 fee. It may take several months (but should take under a year). You'll have to submit all the supporting information asked for as well. There is no "interview" but they may issue an RFE to verify your identity or any missing information. In the meantime, a passport (if you have one) is sufficient proof of citizenship in almost all cases.
Here's the form:
https://www.uscis.gov/n-565

They didn't put the RFE into the system on the day of the interview. When he gave them the documents, on 07/11, they put the RFE into the system. He has 1 month to respond. When the 1 month alert came up, they checked to see if he had responded, and someone found the reply to the RFE in his file and so updated the system to say that it had been received. What it means is that no one looked at the response to the RFE in that 1 month... this is very common. They often only look at the file at the 1 month period or sometimes 120 days after the interview (that's how long they legally have to make a decision). They sometimes go over this legal limit, however.
Since they probably only just looked at his file yesterday, give them a week or so to see if you hear anything. Then call or make an infopass appointment. If you've heard nothing as it gets closer to 120 days, you should start calling more regularly for updates.

So I was scheduled for an 8:30 appointment. I got there about 8 and check in with reception and waited for my name to be called. I would assume I waited about 45 minutes since I didn't bring my apple watch to the waiting room. An older white io called my name and led me to her office. As we entered her office, she administered the oath and then asked me to have a seat. She also asked for my green card and Driver's License. So as I stood there trying to get my id out of my pocket, she again said, "Have a seat". I took a seat and continued looking for my id's. When I handed it to her, she said just put them on the desk. She was a bit rude. She started the interview with asking my full name and address. She ask me how long i've been at my current address. She ask if I had any children and I told her just 3 step sons. She asked how many still live at home and I answered. Then she started with the questions about nazi and so on. I answered all and we moved on to the civics test. She asked 6 of which I got 6 correct. Then she made my sign my picture and a form. She asked me if I had any additional joint docs with my wife and I told her just taxes, she took a copy of it. She told me that I will receive a letter with an oath date and she led me to the waiting room. So now I wait.

Firstly, congrats everyone. Its been awesome watching the progress these last few weeks!
Its been a week since my interview and oath in Charlotte. Since theres so little information on the Charlotte location I figured I'd write it out properly for people searching in the future. Ill post this on the Charlotte office reviews as well.
I had an 8.25am interview, arrived an hour early as I had a 2 hour drive to get there and wasn't sure what Charlotte traffic would be like. The check in lady just laughed at me being there so early, but had no problem with me staying in the first waiting room. at 8.15am she called me up and had me go throguh to the "appointments" waiting room. There were a few families there with little ones, in both waiting rooms, I mention that as I've seen it asked a few times.
At 8.25 I was called by a friendly but professional IO. He took me back to the interview room. Had me sit down, then swear in, and then hand over my GC and drivers license.
He went trough the N400 yes/no questions really quickly. Without even looking at the sheet, he clearly had them memorized, and I joked with him that he must have done this a few times. The joke was well received.
From the N400 questions, he moved straight into the civics test. The questions he asked were the exact same that Ste&Velma got, even in the same order. So I'm copying them here.
1. Amendments about who can vote,
2. U.S. concern during Cold War,
3. Reasons colonists came to America,
4. Right or freedom from the First Amendment,
5. Who is in charge of the executive branch,
6. If President can no longer serve, who becomes President
I got all 6 right, and then he asked me to read a sentence 'Which State has the Most People?". However, curiously, he gave me a answer to a different question to write. I can't actually recall what it was, but it had New York in it.
He congratulated me and said that I had passed, and was approved. No evidence needed out of the stuff that I had bought along.
He asked if I could take the oath that day at 12.15. I had been hoping that this would happen due to living 2 hours drive away, so I jumped at the chance. He asked me to return to the waiting room while they put together the Oath Appointment notice. the interview took less than 10 minutes I think. I waited for close to an hour in the waiting room, and noticed that several other people who did not have family with them also returned to wait from the interview area, also waiting for the same day oath notices.
After an hour a different man came out and called out a few names including mine. He lead us to the oath ceremony room, explained that we would be coming back to this room at 12.15. He handed us our notices, and asked that we check everything before leaving. there was one person in the group that had a name change, and he said that she would be going to the Court Oath Ceremony later in August. We were then told to go get some lunch and come back about 12.
I arrived back at about 12 (After checking out the NASCAR museum downtown). There was a line out the door to get through security, and it became evident that a lot more people would be taking the oath today than just the people who had been interviewed that morning. After getting through security there was a series of lines that they took us through to make sure that we were seated in a particular order so that they could present the certificates sequentially. It took through to 1pm to get everybody seated, and get family in and settled. 75 people from 41 countries. It was interesting to see that the mood within the USCIS facility had become much lighter, the staff are always pretty friendly there, but all of the visitors were either naturalizing or watching family/friends naturalizing, so everyone was smiling and joking around etc. That was a nice aspect.
We started off with a speech from the Womens Voting League to tell everyone about getting registered. Then a video about immigrant history (Images and music). Then the presenter, who was a supervisor at the USCIS location made a speech about her own immigration journey. Then they read out the countries alphabetically, and as you heard your own country, you stood. We also said the oath, and sang the national anthem. Shortly after that they then presented the certificates. One by one your name was called, and you went up in front of everyone had received your certificate. As that happened you were free to pause and let your family/friends take pictures. This was actually quite entertaining, trying to see people take a perfectly timed photo, usually on a phone they were unfamiliar with. Then the video from Obama welcoming us. And that was it! I think I was out of there by 2pm.
Quite a good experience. If you are interviewing early at Charlotte, later in the week, then I guess there is a good chance that you will do the same day Oath. If you did want to delay it, then I'm sure that would be fine and you could then invite family and give them the heads up.
See you in the passport tracker forums everyone!

Congratulations.
I "citizened" last month. I registered to vote yesterday when I applied for a new drivers license.
I love my brand new passport... looking forward to taking my two birds (the Egyptian passport also has an eagle on the cover) on a trip in a few weeks!

My experience yesterday was VERY similar to yours. The man was strict, cold and insensitive from the moment he called my name until we parted ways. Told me which chair to sit and not move it (!), asked to see my Green Card and then started abruptly with the exam right after the oath. Questions were: 1. Amendments about who can vote, 2. U.S. concern during Cold War, 3. Reasons colonists came to America, 4. Right or freedom from the First Amendment, 5. Who is in charge of the executive branch, 6. If President can no longer serve, who becomes President. I answered all six correctly, so he proceeded with the reading and writing. Made me read "Which state has the most people", and write "California has the most people". Continued doing his business and writing, handing out the interview results that said I was recommended for approval without even congratulating, stating that that paper was mine.
He printed out a paper with my information for me to review and sign, as he explained that will be the info that is going to be on my naturalization certificate; made me sign the N-400 form and the passport photos that were sent with the application. He finally started asking the Yes/No questions so fast I could not believe it, plus some other personal questions like my birthdate, my height, marital status, how many times I was married, last time I traveled outside the U.S., where do I work, and that was it. Took me out of his office and if I didn't say goodbye or shook hands with him, he wouldn't have spoken a single word to me in the 20 minutes I was there.
I left the office without even feeling like I just passed the interview.

I have noticed that most of the people come here to find answers. I want to celebrate and thank to those who answered my questions when I needed help.
As of August 2nd 2016 we (my husband, I, and our two daughters) are American Citizens.
Who else is celebrating or still treasuring their citizenship journey?

Hi,
Minors can not naturalize, so nothing will be mailed to the kids.
Under the Child Citizenship Act, you kids automatically became US citizens when you became a USC. Automatic means nothing needs to be done. No biometrics. No oaths.
You can choose to get proof of their US citizenship in two ways. One, file the N-600 for a Certificate of Citizenship for $600 each. Two, file for a US passport (only for US citizens) for about $140. You can choose to do one or the other or both as proof of their US citizenship.

So... had a nice surprise today. I went in for my interview at 11:15am and came out of the Dept of Homeland Security Building a US citizen by 2:30pm. =)

Got there 30 minutes earlier, appointment was 11:15am. There were about 20 people ahead of me so this was so far the longest wait I've had at this office. Officer called me by name, he was very nice. He even apologized twice saying he did not want to be rude, he just wanted to rush through the interview so that he could add me to the oath ceremony that same day! And I just smiled and said it's totally fine! My husband went with me even though we knew he would just be waiting, but he wanted to be fully supportive. So this way, he had to ditch work for only one day. Worked out perfectly!

We went through all of the n400 but blitzed through it: names, addresses, travels, children, organizations you belong to, and all the additional questions in the form. Then he asked me to read "Who is the first US president" and write "George Washington is the first US president." Questions were:
1. Name one of the wars the US fought in the 1900s.
2. Who is the Chief Justice
3. Who is the father of the country
4. How many House of Representatives are there
5. How often do we elect House of Representatives
6. Hmm... can't recall the 6th question.

Then he ask me to sign and said he's adding me to the oath scheduled at 1:15, stamped my file approved and he added it to a huge stack of applications he had with him which were also going for the same day oath. He even suggested that we can go out and have lunch first since it was still early, but make sure that we're back and through security by 1:15.

Hubby and I did just that. Looked for the nearest burger chain (another couple who were at the oath ceremony were also there eating) and were back by 1pm. By 1:15 they started to issue out instructions. Guests were to go directly to the auditorium and wait. Applicants were to wait so they can show their form, surrender their green cards, be assigned an auditorium seat and receive their welcome packet. There were 90 people from 37 countries who became new citizens with me. It was a short affair with video montage, oath, pledge, speeches and photo ops.

By 2:30 we were done. The immigration officials stayed for questions and photo ops.

Thank you to all of you who answer questions and post their experiences here -- it has been very helpful throughout this journey.

And good luck to all of those still waiting!



======================================
USCIS Dallas/Lewisville, Texas Lockbox
======================================
UserName........|GC-Date.|Sent.|Cashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int ltr..|Intrview.|Oath.....|Field Office
paulinespens....|11/17/08|03/28|--/--|04/12|05/04/16|05/06/16.|05/19/16.|06/21/16.|08/12/16.|Louisville, KY
LuvMyDirndl.....|03/--/07|04/01|04/12|04/14|05/09/16|07/05/16.|07/14/16.|08/15/16.|--/--/--.|Washington, DC
txl344655.......|07/01/11|04/02|04/06|04/04|04/26/16|06/01/16.|06/09/16.|07/18/16.|--/--/--.|New York, NY
kiwibean........|08/29/06|04/04|04/13|04/08|05/05/16|05/09/16.|06/20/16.|07/27/16.|--/--/--.|Boston, MA
love&cinta......|--/--/--|04/11|--/--|04/14|05/09/16|05/14/16.|05/23/16.|06/28/16.|07/22/16.|Philadelphia, PA
thatannegirl....|10/22/12|04/13|04/19|04/18|05/11/16|--/--/--.|07/08/16.|08/11/16.|--/--/--.|Orlando, FL
babyjk..........|--/--/--|04/13|--/--|04/18|05/13/16|05/19/16.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Long Island, NY
N400-Dream......|06/21/11|04/14|04/19|04/20|05/16/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Long Island, NY
Alecita King....|01/13/13|04/16|04/21|--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|New York, NY
PMartin37.......|07/13/13|04/18|04/25|04/26|05/20/16|06/13/16.|07/11/16.|08/11/16.|--/--/--.|Atlanta, GA
IslandLady......|06/28/12|04/18|04/25|04/22|05/17/16|--/--/--.|07/27/16.|09/08/16.|--/--/--.|Oakland Pk, FL
Aschenbecher....|12/18/12|04/18|04/26|04/26|05/20/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Philadelphia, PA
ZamoTrance......|07/18/11|04/18|04/22|04/22|05/18/16|06/20/16.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Oakland Pk, FL
IndyQuad........|06/15/11|04/20|04/27|04/27|05/25/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Charlotte, NC
tsekub..........|07/17/13|04/21|05/03|04/28|05/19/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Brooklyn, NY
Codon1..........|02/28/13|04/22|05/03|05/03|05/18/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Long Island, NY
gaby08..........|11/16/12|04/22|--/--|05/03|05/19/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Houston, TX
kiran&salman....|07/24/13|04/25|05/02|04/27|05/18/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Houston, TX
Petareño........|07/27/11|04/26|05/03|05/03|05/18/16|06/27/16.|07/05/16.|08/02/16.|--/--/--.|Atlanta, GA
Maranda.........|11/09/11|04/26|05/03|05/02|05/20/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Charleston, SC
xqw.............|07/25/11|04/26|05/02|04/29|05/18/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Long Island, NY
winn55..........|07/07/06|04/28|05/08|05/09|05/25/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|New York, NY
Cooc............|07/25/13|04/28|05/02|05/06|05/27/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|New York, NY
manhattansinatra|07/25/11|04/28|05/04|05/06|05/25/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Houston, TX
================================
USCIS Phoenix, Arizona Lockbox
================================
UserName........|GC-Date.|Sent.|Cashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int ltr..|Intrview.|Oath.....|Field Office
moe7............|07/21/09|04/05|04/13|04/08|04/28/16|05/03/16.|06/22/16.|07/27/16.|--/--/--.|Chicago, IL
TommyF..........|06/24/13|04/06|04/13|04/12|05/13/16|05/23/16.|06/13/16.|07/09/16.|--/--/--.|Denver, CO
Ben&Janna.......|03/17/11|04/06|04/11|04/11|05/02/16|05/06/16.|07/06/16.|08/09/16.|--/--/--.|Chicago, IL
bellaling.......|07/12/13|04/11|04/16|04/16|05/13/16|06/13/16.|06/24/16.|08/01/16.|08/01/16.|Seattle, WA
Tony and Daisy..|12/01/15|04/12|04/20|04/18|04/12/16|--/--/--.|07/19/16.|08/08/16.|--/--/--.|Honolulu, Hi
Waheed and Kris.|08/02/10|04/12|04/18|04/13|05/12/16|05/16/16.|07/16/16.|08/16/16.|--/--/--.|Chicago, IL
ameraslam99.....|--/--/13|04/14|--/--|--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|??, ??
SLD.............|04/11/13|04/15|04/21|04/20|05/20/16|05/24/16.|07/06/16.|08/10/16.|--/--/--.|Sacramento, CA
mvn.............|??/??/??|04/18|??/??|04/26|05/18/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Las Vegas, NV
gangan_2000.....|08/10/10|04/19|N/A |04/21|05/19/16|05/24/16.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Seattle, WA
casperghost.....|06/--/13|04/22|--/--|--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Fresno, CA
rrac23..........|07/10/13|04/23|04/29|04/28|05/17/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|San Francisco, CA
agrabs..........|07/05/13|04/25|05/08|05/04|05/27/16|06/08/16.|06/09/16.|07/18/16.|08/11/16.|Kansas City, MO
filler..........|06/06/13|04/25|05/02|05/05|05/16/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Los Angeles, CA
raghu2383.......|06/10/12|04/25|04/29|04/28|05/18/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Phoenix, AZ
Hoody...........|03/28/13|04/25| N/A |04/29|05/27/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Lee's Summit, MO
ca2wa_dude......|07/21/11|04/24| N/A |04/29|05/19/16|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|San Diego, CA


===========================================================================
USCIS Lincoln, Nebraska Lockbox (Filing Under 319b, 328, or 329 of the INA)
===========================================================================
UserName........|GC-Date.|Sent.|Cashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int Ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|Field Office
Heidi...........|01/05/12|04/06|04/12|04/14|05/12/16|05/16/16.|05/23/16.|06/21/16.|07/29/16.|Memphis, TN


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Legend:
GC-Date: The 'Resident Since' Date located on your first green card
Sent: Date N-400 was mailed to USCIS
Cashd: Date your check was cashed by USCIS
NOA: Receipt Notice Date Printed on your official I-797 notification
Fprints: Date assigned for fingerprinting (Bio-metrics). Underline indicates early walk-in.
In Line: Date you received e-notification about the start of your interview scheduling
Int Ltr: Date you received the official letter in the mail regarding interview
Interview: Date of your interview
Oath: Date Oath taken
Field Office: Your local USCIS office where you will have the N-400 interview

I wanted to document my N-400 journey in detail. Many members find reassurance in reading the experiences of others, and I hope this helps. I got my green card through my employer and applied based on 5 years of permanent residency. Some of this information is specific to Houston, but most of it will be of use to all applicants. I hope this serves as a useful "sample timeline" for others. So here you go; everything that happened from the moment I sent the application to the moment I picked up my naturalization certificate.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Timeline
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
16-Dec-2015 Early-filing eligibility date
17-Dec-2015 Day 1 N-400 mailed to Lewisville, TX
18-Dec-2015 Day 2 Application delivered (FedEx confirmation)
23-Dec-2015 Day 7 Check cashed
23-Dec-2015 Day 7 Application received (e-notification)
28-Dec-2015 Day 12 Receipt notice (NOA) received
04-Jan-2016 Day 19 Biometrics notice received (for 13-Jan-2016)
13-Jan-2016 Day 28 Biometrics completed
26-Apr-2016 Day 132 In-line for interview (e-notification)
03-May-2016 Day 139 Interview scheduled (e-notification)
06-May-2016 Day 142 Interview letter received (for 07-Jun-2016)
07-Jun-2016 Day 174 Interview completed (recommended for approval)
09-Jun-2016 Day 176 In-line for oath (e-notification)
10-Jun-2016 Day 177 Oath scheduled (e-notification)
13-Jun-2016 Day 180 Oath letter received (for 22-Jun-2016)
22-Jun-2016 Day 189 Oath ceremony
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Application
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
16-Dec-2015
I became eligible to file my application; 90 days before the 5th anniversary of the "resident since" date on my green card. Note: the early filing calculator on the USCIS website took into consideration that 2016 is a leap year.
17-Dec-2015 - Day 1
I mailed my application to the Lewisville, TX lockbox (sent to the street address, not the P. O. Box). I included the N-400 form, the G-1145 form, two passport photos with my name and A-number written on the back, a copy of the front and back of my green card, and a personal check for $680 with my A-number written on it. I used FedEx; for $7.50, they guaranteed next-day delivery, although I'm sure it was only that cheap because it's only a 3 hour drive.
18-Dec-2015 - Day 2
My application was delivered to USCIS in Lewisville, TX according to the tracking tool on the FedEx website.
23-Dec-2015 - Day 7
Morning: my bank account showed that USCIS cashed my check.
Afternoon: I received a text message and e-mail notifying me that my application had been accepted. The text message said that my case had been received and it provided me with my case number (starting with NBC*). The email contained the same information, but also informed me that the application had been routed to the National Benefits Center and said that I should expect my NOA in the mail within 7-10 days. I used my case number to set up an account on the USCIS website and to turn on text message and email alerts for the next stages of my application.
28-Dec-2015 - Day 12
I received my receipt notice (I-797C Notice of Action) with a notice date of 22-Dec-2015. The NOA states that I'll be scheduled to appear for an interview "upon receipt of all required Record Checks".
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Biometrics
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
04-Jan-2016 - Day 19
I received my biometrics letter with an appointment date of 13-Jan-2016. The letter was sent from the National Benefits Center in Lee's Summit, MO and is dated 26-Dec-2015.
13-Jan-2016 - Day 28
My biometrics appointment was scheduled for 2:00 pm at the Southwest Houston Application Support Center (11777 S State Highway 6), which is actually in the city of Sugar Land, just southwest of Houston. I arrived at 1:40 - note that parking is no concern at all since this ASC shares a parking lot with a Kroger and several other stores. I left my phone in the car, because I was asked to do so on every other visit. When I walked in, the security guard told me to turn off my cellphone if I had one (even though there was a sign that said no cellphones). They may have relaxed the rules, since on previous visits I was told to leave my phone in the car. He checked my letter, asked to see my green card, and gave me the "Learn About the United States" packet and a form to fill out. The form asked for my biographical information as well as any other names I have used in the past. When I was done, I handed the security guard the form and followed another gentleman to do my biometrics. There were two people ahead of me when I walked in and they were done by this time. He then asked me to sit down for the photo, which he had to retake because I didn't lean all the way up against the wall the first time. I then had to sign my name on an electronic reader and I could see my signature, photo, and fingerprints on the screen. I filled out an evaluation card and was given my biometrics letter (now stamped and dated). I walked out at 1:55.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Interview
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
18-Apr-2016 - Day 124
I have not heard anything from USCIS since my biometrics appointment, which was 3 months ago. The status check page on the USCIS website won't let me submit an online "Case Status Inquiry" because my application is still within normal processing times. However, those are predicted times for the whole process, and not just for the stage I'm in. It's too early to bother calling or making an Infopass appointment. So on the recommendation of a fellow December 2015 filer who was in the same position, I filed an "Notice Not Received" online inquiry. Since I haven't received the Inline for Interview notice, I thought this made sense.
26-Apr-2016 - Day 132
I was placed inline for interview scheduling. I received an e-mail update and my online case status was updated around 11:00am. The text message arrived two days later. My status now says that USCIS "started the interview scheduling process." No idea if this is related to the online inquiry.
03-May-2016 - Day 139
My interview was scheduled. I got a text message and an email and my online status was updated to indicate that USCIS would send me an interview letter in the mail.
06-May-2016 - Day 142
I received the interview letter in the mail. My interview is scheduled for 07-Jun-2016 at the new USCIS office on Gears Road in north Houston.
07-Jun-2016 - Day 174
I had my interview this morning and I was recommended for approval.
My appointment was for 8:30 at the new USCIS office at 810 Gears Road in north Houston. I walked into the building at 8:10, went through a security checkpoint, and turned in my interview letter at the front desk. There was no line at check-in, and I was asked to wait in one of two waiting areas in a large open room. One waiting area was for naturalization interviews and the other was for Infopass appointments. Every now and then, a number would be called, and someone in the Infopass area would be told to go to one of the windows around the room. The naturalization interviewees were called by name and told to go to a door where an officer was waiting. I waited for about an hour (so about 40 minutes after my appointment time) before my name was called. My interviewer met me at the door, introduced herself, and chatted while we walked back to her office. By any measure, she was friendly, but by USCIS standards, she was positively bubbly. When we got to her office, she asked me to sit down and give her my green card, passport, and drivers license. She then asked me to stand so she could place me under oath.
We started with the testing portion of the interview. She asked me the following six questions:
- What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
- How many amendments does the Constitution have?
- What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
- What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
- Why did the colonists fight the British?
- What is the highest court in the United States?
She then said, This is going to be very elementary for you and moved to the language test.
She asked me to read: What country is north of the United States?
She asked me to write: Canada is north of the United States
We went through the application page by page. She went over my legal name and had some questions as to what my birth name was (I had a translated copy of my birth certificate with me and she took this). We went over all the biographic information and she double-checked my name change request. I told her at the start that I had another trip to add to my list (taken after the application was sent). I had printed this correction out for her and she took the new sheet and added it to my application. Going through the rest of the application, she specifically asked whether my parents were US citizens, whether I was currently a member of any organizations other than those listed, whether I had any citations within the last 5 years other than those listed (she didnt seem to care about the older ones), and whether I had ever been in the military. When we got to the question about selective service, she asked me how old I was (I'm over 31) and she said, "So this doesn't apply to you," and moved on. Other than those specific questions, she seemed to be picking yes/no questions at random (or maybe just the ones she was interested in asking); she didnt ask all of them. She did not ask me for any additional documentation and she didn't look at my passport beyond a quick glance at the name. She asked me if I understood the oath and then asked me to sign my application in two places.
After that, she printed out three sheets of paper. The first two were for the name change and were identical. She asked me to sign both with my current name and reminded me that my name would not legally change until the ceremony. The third sheet of paper had my biographic information on it and was stapled to a small ziplock bag with my photos in it (thats how I had attached the photos to the application). She asked me to check the information, but I looked at it and said, My name is not Maria and Im not from El Salvador; she had attached the photos to the wrong piece of paper. She laughed, corrected this and gave me the right paper to check. She did not ask me to sign my photographs; this seems to be common for name change applicants.
At this point she told me that everything looked good and she gave me the N-652 form stating that I had passed the English and civics tests and that my application was recommended for approval. She said that I should get an oath letter in the mail and that it was important to show up at the time indicated on the letter because it takes hours to get everyone checked in. She said that they were not having people wait for letters today (which I took to mean that they sometimes do on other days). She said that I would mostly likely be scheduled for the June 22nd ceremony, but that if not, then I would be scheduled for the July 27th ceremony.
The interview took about 30 minutes.
She walked me out to the waiting room and told me she would call me when she was done making copies of my passports (2), green card, and drivers license. I waited for about 5 minutes before she called me back to the door, handed me my documents, and told me to have a nice day.
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Oath Ceremony
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
09-Jun-2016 - Day 176
I was placed inline for oath ceremony scheduling. I got a text message and an email and my online status was updated.
10-Jun-2016 - Day 177
My oath ceremony was scheduled and the letter was mailed. I got a text message and an email and my online status was updated.
13-Jun-2016 - Day 180
I received my oath ceremony letter in the mail. It says to take my green card and oath letter to the ceremony and has a number of yes/no questions on the back that need to be filled out on the day of the ceremony. The questions are all related to whether or not anything has changed since the interview. The ceremony is scheduled for 7:00am on 22-Jun-2016.
22-Jun-2016 - Day 189
Today was the big day; my naturalization ceremony. A guest and I arrived at the M. O. Campbell Educational Center in north Houston at 7:15, a little later than indicated on the oath letter. It was raining heavily when we got there and some people were soaked by the time they made it across the large parking lot to the entrance; luckily I had two umbrellas. At the entrance guests were ushered inside so they could wait in the auditorium while applicants waited outside in a covered area. Our oath letters had numbers on them (from 0 to 9) and these corresponded to the check-in table that you were supposed to go to. After about 20 minutes I was inside the building and 10 minutes after that I was at the front of the line for my table. I turned in my oath letter and green card and was given my certificate to check. I was then given a purple piece of paper and told that we would be dismissed by color (colors corresponded to order of arrival, so those who get there earlier get to leave earlier). I met my guest and we sat together on the second tier of the auditorium (the lower tier was already mostly full). This was at around 8:00 am. As I walked in, I was given a packet containing an American flag, a welcome letter from President Obama, and a copy of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. There were a few announcements made about the colored pieces of paper, but mostly people just took photos and talked and waited. Around 9:00 am the doors were closed and ceremony began with a brief speech by the USCIS director. At this point she asked any applicants who had requested a modified oath to see her and shortly after that, she introduced the judge. The U.S. And Texas flags were brought in and a young lady sang the national anthem. The judge opened the formal court session and made some very kind remarks urging people to relax, take as many photos as they wanted, and not worry about their kids making noise; he said that it was a formal court session, it was a day to celebrate. He also said that he'd stick around afterwards and pose for photos with anyone who was interested. The USCIS director indicated that of the 2089 people scheduled for the oath, 2020 were present and asked the judge to "continue the applications" of those not present, whatever that means. The judge then introduced several members of the armed forces who were being naturalized and asked them to stand and be recognized. He then asked all applicants to stand and he read the entire oath of citizenship at once, after which he said, "If that is your oath, please say, 'I will'" and everyone said "I will." The judge then congratulated us as "his fellow Americans". Before we sat down, we recited the pledge of allegiance. The judge said a few more words about the importance of voting, but kept it brief. That was it; simple, but very enjoyable. There were no additional songs and no video from the president as I've read about at other ceremonies. The judge closed the session and dismissed us shortly before 10:00 am. USCIS officials called out the first color to be dismissed and I heard them call green, orange, pink, yellow, and red before they called purple about 30 minutes after the ceremony ended. When I left, the judge was still posing for photos with over 100 people still in line, so he was going to be there for a while. I went back to table 9 and gave them my purple paper (which they'd written my A-number on). They gave me my certificate and congratulated me. Attached to my certificate was a name change order signed by the judge. Also, unlike almost all the other applicants, the photo on my certificate was the one I had submitted with my application and not the one taken at biometrics. Based on what I've read this is common for those who change their names. The photo was glued on and embossed, not scanned and printed. We left the building at roughly 10:45 and walked out into a hot, humid, sunny Houston morning.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
U.S. Citizen
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
And with that, 16 years after I moved to the U.S., I'm happy to call myself an Egyptian, an immigrant, and an American. People differ on what it means to be an immigrant; should one assimilate completely, or should one hold on to their heritage as tightly as possible? As with most things, the best answer is probably somewhere in the middle. Over 200 years ago, Thomas Paine, an immigrant, revolutionary, abolitionist, and founding father, said it better than I ever could, "Independence is my happiness, and I view things as they are, without regard to place or person; my country is the world, and my religion is to do good."

There's always a chance of a last minute delay, but if all goes week you'll almost certainly take your oath on August 24th.
If you miss that date, the next ceremony is on September 21st. If that happens, you can still make your trip by booking an appointment (up to two weeks in advance) with the passport office in Houston for the afternoon of the 21st, apply for a passport, get it the next morning, and catch your flight. That's for immediate travel cases. That's obviously leaving everything to the last minute, but that'll be your only option other than booking a new flight.
If you take the oath in August, you can apply regularly (up to 6 weeks, but currently taking around 3) or you can apply expedited (up to 3 weeks, but currently taking a little less).
Click on my signature below this reply to see my timeline (make sure you're on the full version of the website).

I just became a US citizen today! Visajourney and everyone sharing their experience and support here have been a great help in my journey to achieve US citizenship.
I wish for a speedy and smooth processing on everyone's application. Good luck to y'all!
Oath Ceremony experience:
Checked in at the USCIS office 30mins prior to my schedule. Handed my letter and GC to the officer and he gave me a packet and a number for my seat. There were about 39 people schedule to take oath and I think only 1 didn't show up. Ceremony didn't start until over 30mins later than scheduled because we waited for some people who were late! You'll think it's big day, people should be on time.. But oh well.. The whole ceremony lasted for less than 30mins and we were handed our most awaited naturalization certificate!
Just to add, our families were allowed to take pictures while taking pledge of allegiance and receiving certificate.

I had my interview last week in Boston.
I arrived essentially exactly on time (maybe a few minutes early?). Some of the people there didn't have interviews for a couple of hours though, so that seemed pretty keen. Also, it says not to come more than 30 mins early. The waiting room was pretty much empty though - there were about 15-20 people waiting. One poor guy had not realized his green card had expired until AFTER he'd made an offer on a house. It sounded like it was going to be a bit painful!
I had to wait about 15 mins to be called, and I was the 8th person called back. They asked a couple of people to leave their spouse/support person in the waiting room.
The interview took about 40 minutes, a lot of which was going through the questions about whether I was a communist or a member of any military or had killed anyone or trafficked any people. They were inordinately interested in my speeding ticket (no point, no court appearance, just a fine) from over 10 years ago. That's been the only thing close to a brush with the law I've had!
She asked me:
Which group of people were bought to American as slaves?
Which is the highest court in the land?
Who is the Vice President?
How many amendments to the constitution are there?
Why did the colonist fight the British?
She also refused to look at all my tax returns I'd printed out, and didn't need to see my marriage certificate original (that I'd hunted high and low for!!). She did look at it when I asked her too, but didn't want the tax returns at all. She did ask for birth certificates for both of my (American) children. She also looked through all my old passports and noted all my visas and dates of entry/exit. So glad I kept them all!
At the end she gave me the paper that said I had passed, and to wait a couple of weeks for the letter with the oath ceremony. So close now!!

There are more details (although not enough, unfortunately) on his campaign website. Check out the immigration section; it's almost all about illegal immigration except for the last 4 or 5 bullet points.
It mentions a reduction of accepted refugee numbers, a temporary freeze on employment based green cards, an increase in prevailing wage requirements for green card sponsorship, and a possible reduction in future employment based green cards.
You can see these as good or bad, but they will certainly affect legal immigrants.
To answer the OP... I live here, I work here, this is my home; since the US allows me the opportunity to become a citizen, I chose that path. Why now? The simple answer is eligibility, although I could have got a green card much sooner... educational opportunities ended up delaying that, but I applied when my 5 green card years were up.

Complete, done, fin, finish, achievement, THE END..,,,AMEN
Oath ceremony was held at our local immigration office at 10am with 26 people from 15 different countries crossing over to being American citizens.
Everyone was polite, the ceremony was quick and interesting. We had a few representatives from Congress sitting in.
We got our certificates, which were presented in nice certificate holders (wasn't expecting that). They told us to check for errors as it will cost $350 if you discover any error after the day of presentation. So guys make sure to spend a few minutes and go over every word on your certificate before leaving. She also told us we could sign it when we get home and not to laminate (important).
Thanks VJ supporters for all the hard work in giving advice and keeping each other sane.
For those of us who are done, please continue to be on this website to help those that are coming through the pipe line.
God bless and all the best in our journeys!!!!
Ooooh...I also applied for my passport book and card.

Hi everyone. Had my interview yesterday and I have been "recommended for approval" which means I passed, right?!
It was scheduled for 12pm. Got there around 11:25am and was called in at 12:05. The interview process was easier than I imagined. My interviewer was really nice and the interview went pretty quickly. Don't remember the questions. At the end he said that I should get the oath notice in 4 to 6 weeks because NYC is really busy. I was out of the building by 12:20.
Good luck to everyone still in line and congrats to those who are done!!

Will someone make my timeline red!
I'm officially a U.S citizen! had my oath ceremony this morning.....39 other people and I at the ceremony. It lasted about 45 minutes and the judge stayed around at the end for people to take pictures with him.....all in all it was a really nice morning!
Finished dealing with USCIS after 13 years.
Good luck to all the people on this journey!!

I wanted to document my N-400 journey in detail. Many members find reassurance in reading the experiences of others, and I hope this helps. I got my green card through my employer and applied based on 5 years of permanent residency. Some of this information is specific to Houston, but most of it will be of use to all applicants. I hope this serves as a useful "sample timeline" for others. So here you go; everything that happened from the moment I sent the application to the moment I picked up my naturalization certificate.
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Timeline
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16-Dec-2015 Early-filing eligibility date
17-Dec-2015 Day 1 N-400 mailed to Lewisville, TX
18-Dec-2015 Day 2 Application delivered (FedEx confirmation)
23-Dec-2015 Day 7 Check cashed
23-Dec-2015 Day 7 Application received (e-notification)
28-Dec-2015 Day 12 Receipt notice (NOA) received
04-Jan-2016 Day 19 Biometrics notice received (for 13-Jan-2016)
13-Jan-2016 Day 28 Biometrics completed
26-Apr-2016 Day 132 In-line for interview (e-notification)
03-May-2016 Day 139 Interview scheduled (e-notification)
06-May-2016 Day 142 Interview letter received (for 07-Jun-2016)
07-Jun-2016 Day 174 Interview completed (recommended for approval)
09-Jun-2016 Day 176 In-line for oath (e-notification)
10-Jun-2016 Day 177 Oath scheduled (e-notification)
13-Jun-2016 Day 180 Oath letter received (for 22-Jun-2016)
22-Jun-2016 Day 189 Oath ceremony
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Application
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
16-Dec-2015
I became eligible to file my application; 90 days before the 5th anniversary of the "resident since" date on my green card. Note: the early filing calculator on the USCIS website took into consideration that 2016 is a leap year.
17-Dec-2015 - Day 1
I mailed my application to the Lewisville, TX lockbox (sent to the street address, not the P. O. Box). I included the N-400 form, the G-1145 form, two passport photos with my name and A-number written on the back, a copy of the front and back of my green card, and a personal check for $680 with my A-number written on it. I used FedEx; for $7.50, they guaranteed next-day delivery, although I'm sure it was only that cheap because it's only a 3 hour drive.
18-Dec-2015 - Day 2
My application was delivered to USCIS in Lewisville, TX according to the tracking tool on the FedEx website.
23-Dec-2015 - Day 7
Morning: my bank account showed that USCIS cashed my check.
Afternoon: I received a text message and e-mail notifying me that my application had been accepted. The text message said that my case had been received and it provided me with my case number (starting with NBC*). The email contained the same information, but also informed me that the application had been routed to the National Benefits Center and said that I should expect my NOA in the mail within 7-10 days. I used my case number to set up an account on the USCIS website and to turn on text message and email alerts for the next stages of my application.
28-Dec-2015 - Day 12
I received my receipt notice (I-797C Notice of Action) with a notice date of 22-Dec-2015. The NOA states that I'll be scheduled to appear for an interview "upon receipt of all required Record Checks".
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Biometrics
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
04-Jan-2016 - Day 19
I received my biometrics letter with an appointment date of 13-Jan-2016. The letter was sent from the National Benefits Center in Lee's Summit, MO and is dated 26-Dec-2015.
13-Jan-2016 - Day 28
My biometrics appointment was scheduled for 2:00 pm at the Southwest Houston Application Support Center (11777 S State Highway 6), which is actually in the city of Sugar Land, just southwest of Houston. I arrived at 1:40 - note that parking is no concern at all since this ASC shares a parking lot with a Kroger and several other stores. I left my phone in the car, because I was asked to do so on every other visit. When I walked in, the security guard told me to turn off my cellphone if I had one (even though there was a sign that said no cellphones). They may have relaxed the rules, since on previous visits I was told to leave my phone in the car. He checked my letter, asked to see my green card, and gave me the "Learn About the United States" packet and a form to fill out. The form asked for my biographical information as well as any other names I have used in the past. When I was done, I handed the security guard the form and followed another gentleman to do my biometrics. There were two people ahead of me when I walked in and they were done by this time. He then asked me to sit down for the photo, which he had to retake because I didn't lean all the way up against the wall the first time. I then had to sign my name on an electronic reader and I could see my signature, photo, and fingerprints on the screen. I filled out an evaluation card and was given my biometrics letter (now stamped and dated). I walked out at 1:55.
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Interview
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
18-Apr-2016 - Day 124
I have not heard anything from USCIS since my biometrics appointment, which was 3 months ago. The status check page on the USCIS website won't let me submit an online "Case Status Inquiry" because my application is still within normal processing times. However, those are predicted times for the whole process, and not just for the stage I'm in. It's too early to bother calling or making an Infopass appointment. So on the recommendation of a fellow December 2015 filer who was in the same position, I filed an "Notice Not Received" online inquiry. Since I haven't received the Inline for Interview notice, I thought this made sense.
26-Apr-2016 - Day 132
I was placed inline for interview scheduling. I received an e-mail update and my online case status was updated around 11:00am. The text message arrived two days later. My status now says that USCIS "started the interview scheduling process." No idea if this is related to the online inquiry.
03-May-2016 - Day 139
My interview was scheduled. I got a text message and an email and my online status was updated to indicate that USCIS would send me an interview letter in the mail.
06-May-2016 - Day 142
I received the interview letter in the mail. My interview is scheduled for 07-Jun-2016 at the new USCIS office on Gears Road in north Houston.
07-Jun-2016 - Day 174
I had my interview this morning and I was recommended for approval.
My appointment was for 8:30 at the new USCIS office at 810 Gears Road in north Houston. I walked into the building at 8:10, went through a security checkpoint, and turned in my interview letter at the front desk. There was no line at check-in, and I was asked to wait in one of two waiting areas in a large open room. One waiting area was for naturalization interviews and the other was for Infopass appointments. Every now and then, a number would be called, and someone in the Infopass area would be told to go to one of the windows around the room. The naturalization interviewees were called by name and told to go to a door where an officer was waiting. I waited for about an hour (so about 40 minutes after my appointment time) before my name was called. My interviewer met me at the door, introduced herself, and chatted while we walked back to her office. By any measure, she was friendly, but by USCIS standards, she was positively bubbly. When we got to her office, she asked me to sit down and give her my green card, passport, and drivers license. She then asked me to stand so she could place me under oath.
We started with the testing portion of the interview. She asked me the following six questions:
- What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
- How many amendments does the Constitution have?
- What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
- What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
- Why did the colonists fight the British?
- What is the highest court in the United States?
She then said, This is going to be very elementary for you and moved to the language test.
She asked me to read: What country is north of the United States?
She asked me to write: Canada is north of the United States
We went through the application page by page. She went over my legal name and had some questions as to what my birth name was (I had a translated copy of my birth certificate with me and she took this). We went over all the biographic information and she double-checked my name change request. I told her at the start that I had another trip to add to my list (taken after the application was sent). I had printed this correction out for her and she took the new sheet and added it to my application. Going through the rest of the application, she specifically asked whether my parents were US citizens, whether I was currently a member of any organizations other than those listed, whether I had any citations within the last 5 years other than those listed (she didnt seem to care about the older ones), and whether I had ever been in the military. When we got to the question about selective service, she asked me how old I was (I'm over 31) and she said, "So this doesn't apply to you," and moved on. Other than those specific questions, she seemed to be picking yes/no questions at random (or maybe just the ones she was interested in asking); she didnt ask all of them. She did not ask me for any additional documentation and she didn't look at my passport beyond a quick glance at the name. She asked me if I understood the oath and then asked me to sign my application in two places.
After that, she printed out three sheets of paper. The first two were for the name change and were identical. She asked me to sign both with my current name and reminded me that my name would not legally change until the ceremony. The third sheet of paper had my biographic information on it and was stapled to a small ziplock bag with my photos in it (thats how I had attached the photos to the application). She asked me to check the information, but I looked at it and said, My name is not Maria and Im not from El Salvador; she had attached the photos to the wrong piece of paper. She laughed, corrected this and gave me the right paper to check. She did not ask me to sign my photographs; this seems to be common for name change applicants.
At this point she told me that everything looked good and she gave me the N-652 form stating that I had passed the English and civics tests and that my application was recommended for approval. She said that I should get an oath letter in the mail and that it was important to show up at the time indicated on the letter because it takes hours to get everyone checked in. She said that they were not having people wait for letters today (which I took to mean that they sometimes do on other days). She said that I would mostly likely be scheduled for the June 22nd ceremony, but that if not, then I would be scheduled for the July 27th ceremony.
The interview took about 30 minutes.
She walked me out to the waiting room and told me she would call me when she was done making copies of my passports (2), green card, and drivers license. I waited for about 5 minutes before she called me back to the door, handed me my documents, and told me to have a nice day.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Oath Ceremony
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
09-Jun-2016 - Day 176
I was placed inline for oath ceremony scheduling. I got a text message and an email and my online status was updated.
10-Jun-2016 - Day 177
My oath ceremony was scheduled and the letter was mailed. I got a text message and an email and my online status was updated.
13-Jun-2016 - Day 180
I received my oath ceremony letter in the mail. It says to take my green card and oath letter to the ceremony and has a number of yes/no questions on the back that need to be filled out on the day of the ceremony. The questions are all related to whether or not anything has changed since the interview. The ceremony is scheduled for 7:00am on 22-Jun-2016.
22-Jun-2016 - Day 189
Today was the big day; my naturalization ceremony. A guest and I arrived at the M. O. Campbell Educational Center in north Houston at 7:15, a little later than indicated on the oath letter. It was raining heavily when we got there and some people were soaked by the time they made it across the large parking lot to the entrance; luckily I had two umbrellas. At the entrance guests were ushered inside so they could wait in the auditorium while applicants waited outside in a covered area. Our oath letters had numbers on them (from 0 to 9) and these corresponded to the check-in table that you were supposed to go to. After about 20 minutes I was inside the building and 10 minutes after that I was at the front of the line for my table. I turned in my oath letter and green card and was given my certificate to check. I was then given a purple piece of paper and told that we would be dismissed by color (colors corresponded to order of arrival, so those who get there earlier get to leave earlier). I met my guest and we sat together on the second tier of the auditorium (the lower tier was already mostly full). This was at around 8:00 am. As I walked in, I was given a packet containing an American flag, a welcome letter from President Obama, and a copy of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. There were a few announcements made about the colored pieces of paper, but mostly people just took photos and talked and waited. Around 9:00 am the doors were closed and ceremony began with a brief speech by the USCIS director. At this point she asked any applicants who had requested a modified oath to see her and shortly after that, she introduced the judge. The U.S. And Texas flags were brought in and a young lady sang the national anthem. The judge opened the formal court session and made some very kind remarks urging people to relax, take as many photos as they wanted, and not worry about their kids making noise; he said that it was a formal court session, it was a day to celebrate. He also said that he'd stick around afterwards and pose for photos with anyone who was interested. The USCIS director indicated that of the 2089 people scheduled for the oath, 2020 were present and asked the judge to "continue the applications" of those not present, whatever that means. The judge then introduced several members of the armed forces who were being naturalized and asked them to stand and be recognized. He then asked all applicants to stand and he read the entire oath of citizenship at once, after which he said, "If that is your oath, please say, 'I will'" and everyone said "I will." The judge then congratulated us as "his fellow Americans". Before we sat down, we recited the pledge of allegiance. The judge said a few more words about the importance of voting, but kept it brief. That was it; simple, but very enjoyable. There were no additional songs and no video from the president as I've read about at other ceremonies. The judge closed the session and dismissed us shortly before 10:00 am. USCIS officials called out the first color to be dismissed and I heard them call green, orange, pink, yellow, and red before they called purple about 30 minutes after the ceremony ended. When I left, the judge was still posing for photos with over 100 people still in line, so he was going to be there for a while. I went back to table 9 and gave them my purple paper (which they'd written my A-number on). They gave me my certificate and congratulated me. Attached to my certificate was a name change order signed by the judge. Also, unlike almost all the other applicants, the photo on my certificate was the one I had submitted with my application and not the one taken at biometrics. Based on what I've read this is common for those who change their names. The photo was glued on and embossed, not scanned and printed. We left the building at roughly 10:45 and walked out into a hot, humid, sunny Houston morning.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
U.S. Citizen
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
And with that, 16 years after I moved to the U.S., I'm happy to call myself an Egyptian, an immigrant, and an American. People differ on what it means to be an immigrant; should one assimilate completely, or should one hold on to their heritage as tightly as possible? As with most things, the best answer is probably somewhere in the middle. Over 200 years ago, Thomas Paine, an immigrant, revolutionary, abolitionist, and founding father, said it better than I ever could, "Independence is my happiness, and I view things as they are, without regard to place or person; my country is the world, and my religion is to do good."

hi VJ members
finally after a year i got my citizenship on july 22.
Thank you
zak

The SSA office recommends you wait 10 days before your visit them because your citizenship status may not have been updated in their system. Apparently there's some communication of citizenship status from USCIS to the SSA.
Ceremony experience here:
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/600163-example-naturalization-timeline-my-n-400-process-from-application-to-oath/?p=8196454
Passport experience here:
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/577302-n-400-december-2015-filers/?p=8206584
and here:
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/577302-n-400-december-2015-filers/?p=8236024

320 people from 60 countries took oath on 21st July in San Antonio. Formalities like occupying seats, collecting the signed letter / green cards, filling voter registration cards etc., started from 12 PM.
Judge came at 2 PM. Two candidates gave a short speech. Oath taken at 2.30. They handed over our certificates at our seat from 2.30 PM. I came out at 2.50PM.
You can meet almost all of the officers you met at the interview in USCIS local office.

I received my naturalization certificate today.
The mailman put it in my neighbor's mailbox. Luckily, it ended up with one of my more considerate neighbors and he left me a note saying that he had a letter from the passport office for me.
That saved me having to get a replacement certificate.
This marks the end of my passport process. I had applied on 6/30, got my 52-page passport and my passport card on 7/18, and my certificate on 7/23.