JimmyHou

Went to Tampa Interview today. Got there early...waited. Called my number away I went. Reviewed my N400 - asked to read English...write a sentence (The Flag is red, white and blue) and my questions...
What year was the constitution written (I froze)
What ocean is on the east coast of the US
Name a state that borders Canada
What started the Civil War
What is freedom of religion
When must all men register for the selective service
What is the Capital of the United States
I Passed! So glad this is behind me and looking forward to what's ahead!!

hello guys,
i just want to share my positive experience at my interview yesterday. I have been reading posts here so i want to help others as well by sharing my experience. so my interview was at 2pm and i was there by 145pm and the IO called me around 0310 pm. as i was waiting for an hour i could tell by the faces of the other applicants if they made it or not. some people have smiles on their faces holding a white paper while some you can see their frustrations, this made me more nervous. my IO was very nice and professional. I wasn't nervous at all, i guess she made me feel comfortable. in my opinion, job interview is scarier and more nerve racking. I was able to answer 6 out of 10 questions. you really need to study those 100 questions because you'll never know which you'll get. the questions are so random. she also made me read a sentence. and also instructed me to write what she said, which is also a sentence. she also asked me questions about some of my answers in the application like were you ever married, do you have kids.. etc. then she checked the box on a white paper that says congratulations. she told me to wait 1-2 months to be scheduled oath taking which i need to bring my GC because they are going to take it back.
I would like to thank everybody here because your knowledge and experiences helped me a lot on my interview.
for those who have scheduled interviews, God speed!

Hello everyone, I am new here, I just wanted to share my experience as I know a lot of you are searching anxiously about how the naturalization process would be like



I filed March 2014. and I had my interview today Sept 23,2014 I am from NY and had my interview today at the federal plaza building in downtown NY. I was scheduled for 7:45. they start letting people in at 7: AM. I went straight up to 7th floor and was made to go to a window to give my appointment letter, after which you are told to wait until your name is called. I was eventually called at 8:00 am. An officer was waiting for me and I followed her inside until we got to her office. She made me swear an oath to tell the truth in front of her and we sat down and she started asking me the questions right awya. her questions were:



1. who is the head of the military?

2. give me three states that borders US and borders Canada?

3. Who is our first president?

4. how many years do we elect a president?



Can not remember the rest.



Then I was asked to write on a sheet of paper. from the sentence i was made to read ( i cant remember , i was too nervous)

I was also asked to read a sentence from a paper. ( again can not remember)



The officer began asking me questions about my the information I gave in the n400. Then I was made to sign two sheets of paper and and my passport photograph. After which I was made to sign two papers. then I was told congratulations, you have passed. I received the paper n--652 saying:



You have passed the tests of English and US history and government.



Congratlations! Your application has been recommended for approval. At this time it appears that you have established your eligibility for naturalization. If final approval is granted, you will be notified when and where to report for the Oath Ceremony.



I am very happy I passed, but also I am quite anxious about the part that says " if final approval is granted", ..? Please advise... Thank you...

Hey all,



Had my interview this morning at the Chicago office and passed! :-) Wanted to share my experience in case it helped anyone.



I arrived at 8am for an 8.30am appt – checked in and was given a buzzer. The officer came to collect me around 8.20am and was completely done by 8.50am which would have been quicker had we not have spent so much time talking about traveling and other random stuff. She was a really nice immigration officer and put me right at ease. She joked with me that she still had to make me take the written and verbal English test even though I'm British and have never spoken a language other than English. Which is completely besides the point but wanted to let you know that you can get nice, friendly IO's.



She only asked to see my green card and State ID but not my passport or social security which I had with me anyway.



I can't remember all of the questions but I was only asked six and the ones I can remember are below:



Who is the chief justice?

How many members in the House of Representatives?

How long is a US Representative elected for?

What month do we vote for the President?



Best of luck to everyone! Now just waiting for my oath letter – keeping fingers crossed its sooner rather than later!

OK "GreenCardVirgina". now you need to stop now and also your buddy "Chris314".I see you both conveniently created a profile 2 days ago, it's not like you have been following this thread for a while to understand what's going on.
Also, masonOHIOn400 had his application expedited for personal health reasons and if you take time to review the entire thread you will know why and trying to accuse a US citizen of false accusation can land you in trouble.
If you continue to disrupt this thread, June filers will have to report to moderators to disable your posts.

I went into the room where the letter told me to go, check in there i handed the appointment letter and the officer ask for an I.D then he signed the letter then gave it back to me and told me to go where the interview room and there I check in again and give the letter to the lady in a little window and then wait for couple minutes then an officer call my full name..
First thing is she told me to stand up and take the oath that i'm gonna say is only the truth and then she started asking about me, ask about my grandma and my mom. She started making conversation about my work, what's happening on my life, i think she is testing me if i know how to speak and understand English?
Then she handed a paper told me to read the first one..I'm sorry forget about the details but I know that she was testing me on my reading.. then i read and then she mark the paper correct. Next is she handed a paper again and told me write we pay taxes. she mark the paper again correct.
then ask about the civic questions.
1. What is the freedom of religion?
2. When the constitution was written?
3. How many senators?
4. What is the ocean in the east coast?
I got the 6 questions correct, i just forget the other 2, I'm sorry guys
then she lastly asked about my N-400 not like about everything but briefly. Then she let me sign everything even the photos that I sent. I didn't know what's happening until she asked me if I can wait for an hour for oath taking and i was like yeah... and she said congratulations..
Then i wait for an hour or so, in the same room where everyone waits to be called, A lady officer calls my name and like 4 more people and there we take the oath of allegiance and after taking the oath she handed the certificate and there is a folder too that comes with a little book, a message from the president and a like a pamphlet that says what to do next.
If someone got some questions I'm glad to help..Goodluck to everyone.

Am starting this thread as I don't see a passport tracker and this tracker will be used for all 2014 applicants.
I'll modify the details as I get more feedback from everyone on the forum.

============================================================================================
US Passport: 2014 Applicants
============================================================================================

UserName......|Expedited|Sent.....|CheckCash|TrackDate|PP-Recv'd|NC-Recv'd|Location
..............|NO.......|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|USPS in Tampa,FL

Instructions for adding/updating yourself (or assisting others) to this list:
DO NOT DELETE THESE INSTRUCTIONS. Please make sure you are using Rich Text Editor as your message setting. Click "Quote" on the most recent/updated posting version of this list. Remove the "Quote Coding" at the top and bottom of the list. Always use [Courier New] Font and font size.[12] Make changes and Add Reply. TrackDate - Date when your case became trackable on State Department website PP-Recv;d - Date you received passport back from State Department NC-Recv;d - Date you received your Naturalization Certificate back from State Department.

Hello everyone, I am a new US Citizen!!!!!!
I am happy to say I had my interview Yesterday and everything went well. The Minnesota Office offers same day Oath Ceremony for those of us who are out of state applicants. So I had my appointment schedule for 10:30, got there at 10:00, went through metal detectors with my whole family, then waited until 11:10 when someone called my name. Lots of Officers/Officials are immigrant themselves, so it was pleasant to know they could relate to you in that way.
My interviewer was from some Asian country, sorry I didn't ask, he was very polite, he told me please do not sit down right away because he had to swear me in first, which we did really quickly, then petty much went through the whole application with me asking me the same questions, name, birthday, children, husband, etc, etc, and then he asked if I had a job and I said not, I stay home with kids, so he wrote by hand on the form: homemaker.
For the civic questions, they were soooo easy:
First read this sentence: " When is Flag Day?"
Then write this sentence: "Flag Day is in June"
Question were, what is the capital of my state, the us capital, when is independence day, and what is the supreme law of the land: the constitution
Then he asked the last questions on the form 47-52. Then he said congratulations you passed, please wait outside for your letter of invitation to todays oath ceremony. He took a few seconds to look through my passports, I only took with me my current one and the previous expired one, the oldest ones I did not take because those were outside the 5 years presence in the USA rule.
I was out of there by 11:30, came back at 1 pm, had to go through metal detectors again, I had to give up my Permanent residency card (green card), because at the end they give you your Naturalization Certificate, so now I must go and get my new US passport. The ceremony started at 2pm and was done by 2:30.
It was very touching, and exciting, I am glad I did this, I wish you all best of luck! Picara signing out!
p.s. if anybody has any questions for me please let me know and will try to answer them as best as I can.
Time elapsed 12 minutes

I decided to start this topic because of my own journey experiences as a 5 year Permanent Resident holder applying for US Citizenship.
What I found so far is that:
1) It's better to apply under the 5 year rule, because there is less paperwork to send in with your application (see below).
2) Your application is based on you alone, not your husband/wife, so you don't have to ask anybody else for their information and time.
3) If your name was ever different than what it is today or what it is on your green card, include an original document showing what it used to be, for example, I sent my marriage certificate with my application to show I had changed my name even though my application was not based on my marriage.
4) Since I did not have any problems with the law, late taxes, etc, I DID NOT include any mortgage paper, bank account statements, etc ,etc.
5) I am a stay-home-mom so I don't have a salary per say, but to become a Citizen under the 5 year rule, you don't have to have a job or be employed.
6) What I did send to USCIS by Certified Mail was:
a) Application N400, signed and dated
b) Personal Check (then I can check when it is cashed)
c) Copy of green card
d) One original Marriage Certificate
I did made copies of everything even the check for my own records, because you never know.
I sent everything on July 1, 2014 to the Phoenix Lockbox , had my fingerprints appointment on July 23 at Milwaukee, WI office, and now I have my interview appointment on Sept 18 at the Bloomington,MN office, wish me good luck and good luck to you all.
Picara
;-)

I doubt if they will have your case-file pulled to interview you that day. Changes in interview dates need a valid reason to be rescheduled - even for a later date - and I don't think showing up a day earlier because your parents are having theirs is a reason they would accept. If they allowed early interview, everyone would find reasons to rush theirs such as "I was in the area and thought you could just interview me today." Although it sounds great to kill three birds with one stone, it disrupts the IOs schedule. They are more inclined to reschedule you for a later date than to add you to their work load for an earlier date. Just as they wouldn't have our case-file sitting around if we missed our interview and just showed up the next day, I don't think that they would have them at hand just in case we show up a day earlier. Who knows how they prepare for interviews though.Tthey may very well have two days of cases arranged neatly in a filing cabinet and by chance, you may just get the surprise of your life with a ricochet effect of kindness from the person who needs to collect your interview letter all the way to the IO who has your case for the next day - and is willing to pull your case-file as a good deed for the day and interview you a day early. I am not being sarcastic just thinking. Let us know how it works out. There's no harm in asking. All the best.

This is hardly a discrepancy. Now if your name was misspelled or something like that and it was USCIS's error, then it would be free and necessary to submit the I-90. However, if you feel that strongly about your signature being the way you like and are willing to spend the money, then by all means go ahead. But I assure you that it's not an issue whatsoever to leave it this way.

With your two bank accounts you might want to highlight any expenses that you have each spent on your lives together - such as the mortgage payment comes out of his account but the heating bill or water bill comes out of your account, or the car insurances come out of your account and the internet subscription is from his account. Finding expenses that are joint but are paid by each of you for mutual benefit might provide additional evidence that you are living together and financially supportive of each other. Maximize your opportunity with the bank account statements by drawing their attention to things like this. The statements will also show that they have been mailed to the same address or have the same address listed on each account further verifying that you live at the same address.
Good luck. I suspect once you provide the requested documents you will get your approval fairly quickly.

The OP explained why they got an RFE:"Red flag: My husband is much (MUCH!) older than me. Red flag: we have separate bank accounts. Red flag: we have no children together (no children period, not even from previous marriage), and have no plan of having any. So I was sent home with an RFE. The IO asked for last 6 months of bank statements for our 2 bank accounts."
The RFE had nothing to do with supplying additional information. Applicants who send in too little information also get RFEs sometimes. Applicants who send in exactly what is asked for also get RFEs sometimes. Each case is different.

Your wife can have all the docs ready and prepared beforehand, but cannot submit them until she is a USC. There is no waiting period so as soon as she has the nat. cert. in her hand she can make a copy and submit the petition that same day. A visa for a parent takes the same time as it would for a spouse or minor child of a USC.

I agree with you. It's not like you're sending in things they don't want at all; you're just sending in more of the documents that they expect to see than you absolutely have to. There's no harm in that.

I don't see any reason at all why anyone would knowingly ignore this requirement. Do they really think that the government is going to reinstate the draft? I think that almost everyone who fails to register really didn't know they had to. They're not lying, they just didn't read their paperwork.

Let me try to clarify what's happening here; it's not that California doesn't give you proof of name change, it's that certain USCIS offices in Northern California, including San Jose and San Francisco, have stopped holding judicial ceremonies.
An "official legal name change" requires you to fill out forms that are then signed by a judge. This isn't necessary if you are just taking your spouse's last name.
So here's what's going on:
-To do an official legal name change through the n400 process, you have to be naturalized at a judicial ceremony.
-Your office does not do judicial oath ceremonies, so you can't do an official legal name change with the n400.
-When you do an official legal name change, you get a name change certificate. That's true anywhere in the country, including California, but you can't do a legal name change at your USCIS office.
-If your n400 was being processed in San Diego or Los Angeles, you would be allowed to do a legal name change and you'd get your proof of name change.
-If the only change you are making is to take your spouse's last name, then you don't need a legal name change - they will just print your naturalization certificate in your new name.
-Since there's no legal name change you don't need a judicial ceremony and an administrative ceremony will suffice. You will also not get proof of the name change.
-The marriage certificate is considered proof of the name change, even if the marriage certificate shows the wife's maiden name as her last name.
-Even though taking your spouse's last name doesn't require a legal name change, you can request one anyway if your USCIS office holds judicial ceremonies.
So what's happening is that San Jose USCIS isn't giving you an official legal name change (because they can't), they're just printing the certificate in the married name. If you ask them to change your first name, they will refuse.
If you were living in Los Angeles and your wife wanted to change her last name to take your name, you would also not necessarily get a name change certificate (unless you asked for a judicial ceremony and insisted on an official legal name change). However, if she wanted to change her first name, she would get a name change certificate.
After naturalization, your wife will be able to change her name on her credit cards, bank accounts, drivers license, etc. using her marriage certificate. This may not be, as you say, good enough for the Indian consulate or the Indian agency where she will surrender her indian passport.
What I advise you to do then, is to not go through a name change as part of the n400. Either before she applies for naturalization or after she is approved and gets her certificate, go to the court house and file for a legal name change there. You will then get a court document showing the old and new names. This will have nothing to do with USCIS and so will not be affected by the USCIS office regulations in San Jose. You will get a county court issued name change certificate.
The only disadvantage of doing this is that it costs money and takes time. In Houston it costs $400. In New York it costs $65, so you need to check with your local court.

There are some instances where you will need to show a birth certificate (not necessarily immigration related).
There are almost none where you will have to show a naturalization certificate after you have a passport.
I would be more worried about my passport not matching my birth certificate than not matching my naturalization certificate.

Interview was very simple. I had 2:30 scheduled time, reached there at 2:20.
I was called at 2:40 and was out of interview room at 2:55.
The lady interviewer was very nice. She started with questions on N400 form.
Asked around 20 question, tick marked on the form after every answer.
Then she started English reading-writing test.
Read: When is the Columbus Day
Write: Columbus Day is in October.
For Civics test, asked following questions( questions were already printed)
1. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
2. Name one branch or part of government
3. We elect a U.S. senator for how many years?
4. If both President and the Vice President no longer server, who becomes President?
5. What does the President's cabinet do?
6 How many justices are on Supreme Court?
Then she asked whether I have any questions for her. I asked about oath ceremony.
Thats it !! I could not have asked for a simpler interview.

Thanks everyone, and congratulations to the new US Citizens!
jonoger1984 - have you considered making an infopass appointment to ask about your application?
My advice to anyone doing their ceremony at Brooklyn:
-It will take 3-4 hours, so definitely bring a book! i also recommend bringing a pen.
-Visitors were directed to the third floor and they were never allowed to enter the room, so it's better to just celebrate with your family and friends afterwards (don't waste 4 hrs of their day!)
-at the court house: take off your belt and put it with your other stuff through the x-ray machine before you go through the metal detectors
-Cell phones are NOT allowed, you must check them in with security after passing through the metal detectors (I left mine at home so I wouldn't have to deal with the line/wait)
-Oath ceremony takes place on the second floor, there are signs and people to direct you to the correct room
-before entering the room, someone checks the back of your appointment letter to see if you filled out the questions. make sure to put BROOKLYN for the location, because that is where the courthouse is, and the date is the date of your oath ceremony.
-You get seated in the order you arrive. the lady telling you where to sit will had you an envelope with a passport application, the oath of allegiance, a letter from the President (i thought this was a sweet/nice touch), and folder to hold your certificate inside.
-Most of the time was spent waiting for people to get seated, then they called us up row by row to get in line to turn in your appointment letter, confirm the yes/no questions on the back, and turn in your permanent resident card
-After you turn your card in, you get in another line to review your Certificate of Naturalization for spelling errors, and the correct birthdate, etc. If it's all correct, you sign your name on the certificate and the copy of the certificate that they keep. My photo wasn't signed, so the lady asked me to sign my photo on both copies as well (for some reason my USCIS officer didn't ask me to do this at my interview, which is when I think most people sign their photo).
-After that, you go back to your seat and wait some more... they explained that they have us there for 4 hours because they never know exactly when the judge will be ready.
-While we waited for the judge, a woman from ____ (I can't remember exactly what dept she was from) wished us congratulations on behalf of Mayor de Blasio and told us about discrimination law and where to go file a complaint if we ever felt like we were discriminated against for race, age, etc.
-Then another woman passed out voter registration forms and also congratulated us and reminded us about how important it is to vote in our local elections. She collected completed forms from anyone that wanted to register.
-Another announcement from one of the women running the ceremony about which forms to file to petition for family members, etc., and what to do when the judge comes into the room.
-Then, Judge Pamela Chen was announced. We all stood as we were instructed when she entered the room. She led us through the Oath of Allegiance, then the Pledge of Allegiance, then everyone sat down. She told us the wonderful story about the mural hanging in that very courtroom (you can read about it here: http://www.longislandwins.com/culture/detail/the_path_to_citizenship/), and then she left. Her story was very moving and made me even more proud than ever to become a citizen.
-Next, they passed out the court order for change of name for anyone that requested it (48 people that day, including me) by calling out one by one to pick them up at the front of the room
-Finally, they had us come up row by row again to pick up our naturalization certificate and THEN we were allowed to go home.
Next up for me: I need to change my name and update my status with SSA (which they advised everyone to wait 10 days for -- has anyone gone in earlier than that successfully?) I also need to get a new license with me new name at the DMV and then apply for my US passport! I also have to change my name at my banks, etc.
================================
N-400: FEBRUARY 2014 APPLICANTS
================================

======================================
USCIS Dallas/Lewisville, Texas Lockbox
======================================
UserName............|Sent.....|ChkCashd.|NOA......|Fprints..|In Line..|Int Ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|FieldOffice
na123...............|02/03/14.|02/11/14.|02/06/14.|02/28/14.|04/03/14.|07/10/14.|08/13/14.|--/--/--.|New York, NY
ShieS2010...........|02/05/14.|02/12/14.|--/--/--.|03/06/14.|03/10/14.|03/15/14.|04/14/14.|--/--/--.|Dallas, TX
ejbrooks............|02/05/14.|02/13/14.|02/12/14.|03/07/14.|03/11/14.|03/11/14.|04/15/14.|05/16/14.|
Juvia...............|02/05/14.|02/13/14.|02/12/14.|03/13/14.|04/14/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Orlando, Fl[/background]
Angel012110.........|02/06/14.|02/08/14.|02/18/14.|03/24/14.|03/26/14.|04/10/14.|05/13/14.|05/30/14.|Oakland Park, Fl
youngwanderer.......|02/07/14.|02/14/14.|02/13/14.|03/07/14.|03/10/14.|05/02/14.|06/02/14.|09/10/14.|New York, NY
pot121..............|02/07/14.|FEEWAIVED|02/18/14.|03/17/14.|03/19/13.|04/07/14.|05/15/14.|--/--/--.|
hoppla..............|02/08/14.|02/20/14.|02/20/14.|03/25/14.|03/27/13.|03/27/13.|05/01/14.|--/--/--.|
Ivelina_Andrew......|02/10/14.|02/18/14.|02/14/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|
Jonoger1984.........|02/11/14.|02/18/14.|02/14/14.|03/06/14.|03/10/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|
Medtav......... ....|02/11/14.|02/19/14.|02/14/14.|03/18/14.|03/26/14.|04/29/14.|06/05/14.|06/05/14.|Newark, NJ
skg.................|02/12/14.|02/14/14.|02/14/14.|03/12/14.|03/14/14.|04/18/14.|05/22/14.|05/22/14.|Dallas, TX
edric...............|02/18/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|
JSully..............|02/21/14.|02/27/14.|02/26/14.|04/01/14.|04/04/14.|04/12/14.|05/15/14.|05/30/14.|Oakland Park, FL
maggie2.............|02/20/14.|--/--/--.|02/24/14.|03/21/14.|03/25/14.|07/11/14.|08/12/14.|08/27/14.|Houston,TX
Topaz75.............|02/27/14.|--/--/--.|03/12/14.|04/03/14.|04/11/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Hartford, CT

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USCIS Phoenix, Arizona Lockbox
================================
UserName............|Sent.....|ChkCashd.|NOA......|Fprints..|In Line..|Int Ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|FieldOffice
selinaxx89..........|02/03/14.|02/10/14.|02/13/14.|03/26/14.|03/28/14.|04/04/14.|05/07/14.|--/--/--.|San Francisco, CA
bdawn...............|02/07/14.|--/--/--.|02/18/14.|03/11/14.|03/13/14.|04/10/14.|05/20/14.|06/19/14.|Buffalo, NY
kennypham...........|02/10/14.|02/19/14.|02/14/14.|03/06/14.|03/10/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|
BD..................|02/10/14.|--/--/--.|02/18/14.|03/06/14.|03/10/14.|03/12/14.|04/21/14.|--/--/--.|Kansas City, MO
YY..................|02/10/14.|--/--/--.|02/18/14.|03/06/14.|03/10/14.|03/12/14.|04/21/14.|--/--/--.|Kansas City, MO
Peterjoy............|02/11/14.|02/19/14.|02/18/14.|03/10/14.|03/12/14.|04/01/14.|05/09/14.|06/25/14.|San Francisco, CA
omendo..............|02/12/14.|02/20/14.|02/14/14.|03/12/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|
hoatimbattu.........|02/12/14.|FEEWAIVED|02/18/14.|03/13/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|
sweetnsalty.........|02/12/14.|02/21/14.|02/18/14.|03/18/14.|03/20/14.|04/21/14.|05/20/14.|05/29/14.|Detroit, MI
Shikagodesi.........|02/13/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|
lilacvioletiris.....|02/14/14.|03/12/14.|03/11/14.|04/04/14.|04/08/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Detroit, MI
Dcm011..............|02/18/14.|--/--/--.|03/01/14.|03/14/14.|03/19/14.|03/31/14.|05/06/14.|05/30/14.|
mrs.mcg.............|02/18/14.|--/--/--.|03/03/14.|03/28/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|05/09/14.|--/--/--.|
Spartak.............|02/26/14.|03/03/14.|02/28/14.|03/17/14.|04/21/14.|05/08/14.|06/09/14.|--/--/--.|
Danskim.............|02/05/14.|--/--/--.|02/12/14.|03/10/14.|03/12/14.|07/14/14.|08/19/14.|--/--/--.|Baltimore, MD

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USCIS Lincoln, Nebraska Lockbox (Filing Under 319b, 328, or 329 of the INA)
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UserName............|Sent.....|ChkCashd.|NOA......|Fprints..|In Line..|Int Ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|FieldOffice
CookiesnCream.......|02/10/14.|FEEWAIVED|02/19/14.|02/21/14.|03/26/14.|--/--/--.|04/23/14.|--/--/--.|Saint Paul, MN
msd.................|02/18/14.|02/28/14.|03/03/14.|03/21/14.|03/25/14.|--/--/--.|04/17/14.|04/17/14.|Ft.Carson, CO
Mr&Mrs D............|02/20/14.|03/04/14.|03/04/14.|03/24/14.|03/20/14.|04/14/14.|05/13/14.|06/13/14.|Tucson, AZ


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3. Click "Quote" on the most recent/updated posting version of this list.
4. Remove the "Quote Coding" at the top of the list.
5. Always use [Courier New] Font and font size [12].
6. Red Font="I'm A United States Citizen"!

Haha! So much for all that stuff about state department regulations!
Congratulations on your new passport.

The only reason to apply now vs in 10 weeks is if your green card is coming up on six months prior to expiration. If it is more than 8.5 months before it expires, wait the 10 weeks and apply when you return. If it will expire in 8.5 to 6 months from now, then apply now to avoid having to also renew your green card while awaiting the N400 application.

I accidentally stumbled upon this when I was searching for something else: http://www.visajourney.com/content/adjudicator-q-and-a
This link is located under the Visa FAQ's tab, but I'm not sure how many people actually find and read this. I've seen so many posts where people want more information and express their frustration wishing they knew what's going on at the service centers. So I thought everyone else who was not aware of this post (like me) would find it an interesting read. Now I know this is very old, but I'm sure the processes have not changed too much. And even though he starts out talking about the K-1 visa, he mentions later on in his post that the information he provides can be applied to other categories (he clears that up under the question "How long does a "typical" non-RFE case require to adjudicate?" )
Anyways, like I said this is from a long time ago, so keep that in mind while reading. Enjoy!

When you get to your country of residence back in Europe, stop by the local embassy and surrender your green card. Green card holders and American citizens living abroad are required to file taxes on income made abroad. Giving up your green card gets you out of that requirement which could haunt you should you end up returning one day.
And no one is going to automatically notice, wow he's been out of the country for one year, and revoke your green card. Its going to happen when you attempt to return one day, and they say sorry you're not allowed in. Then if you try to re-enter, later or apply for any type a visa, you'll have that sticky problem of explaining if you were ever denied entry. Don't let it just wither on the vine so to speak. It might be easier, but it can come back to haunt you.

Happening right now.... #oath