karakmitchell

My husband had his naturalization interview in Harlingen yesterday. He was called in about 5 minutes after the appointment time. The officer didn't ask him for any supporting documentation/additional evidence, asked him a few questions about his marriage, address, phone, a few questions about me, etc., and then proceeded with the written, oral, and civics portion of the interview. 15 minutes later we were on our way - he has a letter saying "congrats, it seems that you have met the requirements for naturalization. A letter will arrive later with information about..." or something to that effect. My husband said the officer was polite, not very expressive, but did congratulate him at the end of the interview.

So, my question is now how long is it usually between the interview and receiving notification of the oath ceremony? I was kind of hoping that it would all happen yesterday, but it looks like we'll wait a bit longer.

In retrospect, all the documentation and evidence wasn't even asked for, but we felt better knowing we had it all with us just in case. Best of luck to all!

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***Fprints and Int Ltr: Please put the date of those appointments, not the day that you receive the letter.

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N-400 May 2010 Applicants

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USCIS Arizona Lockbox

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UserName........Sent.....ChkCashd....NOA....Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview...Oath......Office

ace13.........05/11/10..05/25/10..05/28/10..06/22/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Indianapolis, IN

shimmy........05/18/10..06/02/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Detroit, MI

*cinch*.......05/22/10..06/03/10..06/07/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..San Francisco, CA

csoul.........05/24/10..06/04/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Denver, CO

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USCIS Texas Lockbox

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UserName..........Sent.......ChkCashd....NOA.....Fprints...Int Ltr....Intview...Oath......Office

lucas_34.........05/03/10...05/14/10..05/15/10..06/23/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Houston, TX

scooby06.........05/04/10...05/14/10..05/18/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Memphis, TN

lawrencetoland...05/04/10...--/--/--..05/13/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Orlando, FL

bazboy63.........05/11/10...05/21/10..05/24/10..06/17/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Lawrence, MA?

venusfire503.....05/14/10...05/27/10..05/29/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Philadelphia, PA

Ken&Barbie.......05/14/10...05/24/10..05/26/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Atlanta, GA

karakmitchell....05/17/10...05/20/10..05/25/10..06/16/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Harlingen, TX

DaFlava..........05/17/10...05/28/10..05/21/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Baltimore, MD

jasminelily......05/29/10...--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Houston, TX

SweetApple08.....05/29/10...--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...NYC, NY

AsH83............05/30/10...--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Miami, FL[/size][/font]

RFE for naturalization turns out to be biometrics letter. Usually it is followed up with a yellow letter stating what to bring with you on your interview....

No need to panic....

Great! Thanks so much.

Hi All,

I'm wondering if anyone can weigh in with their thoughts. We sent in my husband's N400 in mid-May. When we check the case status online it says that there is an RFE and the case has been suspended. We have not received anything about the RFE in the mail yet. Today, though, we received the letter for a biometrics appointment, which is scheduled in about two weeks.

Is it possible that the RFE is for the fingerprints/biometrics appointment? (That's what we're hoping!)

Has anyone else been in this situation?

Thanks, and good luck to everyone!

DO NOT DELETE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

2. Please make sure you are using Rich Text Editor as your message setting (Settings->Posting Settings->Enable visual (RTE))

3. Click "Reply" on the most recent/updated posting version of this list.

4. Remove quote(top and bottom) around the list.

5. Always use [Courier New] Font.

6. Red Font="I'm A United States Citizen"!

***Fprints and Int Ltr: Please put the date of those appointments, not the day that you receive the letter.

==================================

N-400 May 2010 Applicants

==================================

================================

USCIS Arizona Lockbox

================================

UserName........Sent.....ChkCashd....NOA....Fprints...Int Ltr...Intview...Oath......Office

csoul.........05/24/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..Denver, CO

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USCIS Texas Lockbox

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UserName..........Sent.......ChkCashd....NOA.....Fprints...Int Ltr....Intview...Oath......Office

scooby06.........05/04/10..05/14/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Memphis, TN

lawrencetoland...05/04/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Orlando, FL

venusfire503.....05/14/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Philadelphia, PA

karakmitchell.....5/17/10...5/20/10..05/25/10..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--..--/--/--...Harlingen, TX

Thank you! I'll sleep tonight knowing there is hope for us!

Hello again,

I have another N400 question. I don't know the exact dates that we stopped living at one residence and started living at another. Is the month and year specific enough?

Hindsight is 20/20 - if I could do it again, I would make copies of those change of address forms....

Hello Everyone,

We've been out of the loop for the past few years, living without worry about paperwork, filing fees, etc. Now that it is time to prepare my husband's citizenship application, I'm curious about the supporting evidence people send in. I've read the guides and seen the recommended pieces, but still have a few questions.

Is the purpose to show that we have a genuine marriage, that we live here in the US, or both?

How much is too much?

I don't want to annoy whoever opens the packet...

Thanks for all your help and best of luck to all.

My husband is in the same situation - we didn't realize we needed to keep a record of all his trips abroad until now (we live on the border)... If we make an InfoPass appointment would they be able to give us the dates of his trips? Has anyone tried this?

Thanks for all your advice!

Hi,

I have a question for those of you who have been waiting longer than we have. We just received our first I-797C from Vermont yesterday for the 1-751 we sent at the end of January. I tried to check the case status online and add it to my account on the USCIS website, but it keep saying that that case can't be found at this time. Is that normal? I'm thinking maybe it just takes a while for cases to be added online. Or, should I be worried?

Thanks for your help and speedy processing to all...

Hi All,

We're getting ready to submit all the paperwork to remove the conditions on my husband's residency. It feels like a long time since we've had to do any immigration related stuff and I can't remember if we updated our address when we moved. Is there anyway to check?

We live close to the border and when we re-enter the and ICE ask where he lives, he gives our current address and they doesn't say anything, so I'm thinking/hoping we're ok...

Worst case- what would happen if we forgot to update?

Thanks for your help.

Thanks for the links. Although I wanted to forget about immigration for awhile, I'll check them out. I don't want to be surprised two years from now!

Thanks for your responses. That makes me feel better knowing that a 1 year stamp is pretty standard. It's nice to have a little break from USCIS for a while. Good luck to everyone!

My husband and I went for our AOS interview today (my husband came on a k1 visa in december). Our interview was quick and surprisingly simple:

The very serious officer swore us in, asked for my husband's passport, asked for a copy of my birth certificate, asked to see my driver's license. He leafed through our case folder for a while and then asked where my husband was born and if he ever smuggled anyone into the country, was a prositute, or entered the country with false documents. (Answer to all was no). He sat there for a while and stamped approved on the page in the folder, took out the I-94 from my husband's passport, and stamped an I-551 in his passport and said, "Congratulations. Your card should arrive in about two weeks." We thanked him and he told us it was his job to serve the public. (Interesting answer, given all the loops the "public" jumps through with CIS). We shook hand and were on our way.

We never took out any of the massive amounts of papers we had prepared nor were we asked ANYTHING about our marriage/relationship.

Now, for my question:

My husband's I-551 stamp says good for 1 year. Is it common for the stamp to be a year and the card two? I guess I thought that conditional permanent residency was granted for two years. Any one know?

Thanks, and I hope all of your interviews are as painless as ours!

My husband and I go for his AOS interview on Friday (he came on a K1). On the appointment letter there is a checklist of things to bring and one of them is "All documentation establishing your eligibility for Lawful Permanent Residence Status." I'm assuming this means his approved K1 paperwork, passport with visa, and I-94. Does anyone have any other ideas/experience about what exactly this means for a K1 visa holder?

Thanks!

Kara

Congrats and thanks for sharing your experience! I hope our interview goes just as well...

Thanks for your help!

I hope all your immigration situations are moving along smoothly...

My husband (came on K1) got his AOS interview date in the mail today. I already did some reading on VJ but hope that someone who has recently had an AOS interview could share what the whole experience was like- what did you take, what did they ask for, and most importantly, what did they ask you!

I appreciate your help and wish you all the best of luck!

Hi Kitkat,

Thanks for the reply. Let me clarify a bit too- my husband got here on the 16 of December and we were married on the 30th of December. He's not yet a permanent resident- he's still on his K1 and we are now applying to adjust to permanent resident status. I still don't really know if what we did was ok/right/the best thing to do...

Hi,

My husband and I are checking over his adjustment of status paperwork and his application for advanced parole is part of it. I was rereading the instructions and noticed this part:

If you are an alien who has established residence in the UnitedStates after having been admitted as an immigrant or adjusted status to that of an immigrant, and are considering the filing of a nonresident alien tax return or the non-filing of a tax return on the ground that you are a nonresident alien, you should carefully review the consequences of such actions under theImmigration and Nationality Act.

You may also be inadmissible to the United States if you seekadmission as a returning resident, and you may becomeineligible for adjustment of status as a permanent resident ornaturalization on the basis of your original entry.

I have very limited experience with taxes, so I don't really know what this means. We just filed our 2006 taxes jointly and the lady put him into the computer as a nonresident alien. What does this all mean? Am I totally off base with being concerned? Any ideas are much appreciated because I'm lost!

Thanks.

Thank you!

Hi all,

This might seem like a stupid question, but we're trying to fill out the AOS paperwork (I-485) and it asks for the nonimmigrant visa number. I honestly don't see a visa number on my husband's visa. I see a control number at the top and then some unlabeled red number towards the bottom. Any other K1 visa people who have applied for AOS have any advice?

Thanks,

Kara and Enrique

Hi Ladies,

I've had a couple of personal messages the past few days asking me to post information about my/our experience in Juarez. I'll copy below a post I made immediately returning from Juarez (in early August). If have you specific questions, ask away. I would love to see you all posting success stories in the near future!

In retrospect, things went very smoothly. Just prepare yourselves for the LONG wait while your fiance is interviewed. I chose to wait in a restaurant instead of back at the hotel. That's just how I am, but it seriously was a long (7.5 hours) wait. Ah, and I would also recommend planning at least 3 business days in Juarez in case something does require extra time because while we were there people were told to return for a third day of questioning. Once again, I hope this helps and buena suerte.

~Kara

Here's my post from August, 2006:

I just got back from Ciudad Juarez and wanted to share our experience with others who might be headed there in the future. We got our visa!!!! I'm VERY happy, to say the least! Here's a bit about our experience:

I'm the US citizen and my fiance is Mexican. I wanted to go with him to the Consulate for moral support at the very least, and I'm glad I did. If you are an American citizen and are contemplating going to Ciudad Juarez for a K1 or a K3 interview with your fiance/spouse, I would highly recommend going if at all possible. There were other Americans hanging out waiting for their fiances/spouses. Some of their Mexican significant others were sent out of the Consulate to get the US citizen and to head in together for more questioning. I don't know what they would have done if the US citizen wasn't there (my guess is a denial). Luckily it didn't happen to us, but I talked to another K1 applicant that was sent out for his fiance and a US citizen waiting for his wife's K3 results and the two had to go back to the Consulate the following day for more questioning.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Lincoln (very close to Consulate) and walked where we needed to go. Monday we went for Enrique's (my fiance's) medical exam. We got to the clinic next to the Consulate at about 6:45. There were tons of people there and although Enrique was checked in relatively quickly, the whole process ended up taking 3.5 hours. I just hung out and waited for him. He said most of the time he was just there waiting. They did take chest X rays, drew blood, asked him about his medical history, and asked him to undress. Apparently they just looked at him and said that was enough. We went back to the clinic at 2:00 pm the same day to pick up the results. (There was a huge line again- we could have gone at 2:!5 and avoided the line). The results were sealed, which made me, the hypochondriac, nervous, but it turns out everything was fine. We also went to Banamex to pay the fee for the interview (take your Mexican passport with you!)

Tuesday we went to the Consulate. We got there at 7:45 and again, there was a huge line, but he got in pretty quickly. (He told me it didn't seem that once inside they processed people in the order they came, so you don't really need to get up and get in line at like 5:00am like some people do). The whole day at the Consulate took 7.5 hours, so US citizens, take reading material! I sat in a restaurant across from the Consulate with a lot of other anxious people. Enrique said once he was inside he went through security and then handed his papers to a person behind a little window. At 11:00 they sent him back outside because his pictures weren't acceptable, so he got new ones taken and headed back in. He said he sat in a huge room with all kinds of visa applicants and they just called (at what seemed at random) people to windows for their interviews. He said some of the consulate officers seemed to be more strict than others; he said his was a young guy who was pretty relaxed. This is what the CO asked Enrique:

Why he wanted to go to the US- his answer to marry me

Did he plan to work in the US- yes, upon approval from USCIS

Did he know that he had to get married within 90 days of entering- yes

How did we meet?

How many times have we seen each other?

Then Enrique starting showing him some of the things we prepared (the CO didn't ask for them, but Enrique just started chatting and showing them to him)

-pictures

-I-134 and documents (mine and cosponsor)

-letters

-boarding passes and travel itineraries

Then the CO said congratulations, you're approved. He then had to sit through the office's lunch break for them to print the visa in his passport.

All in all, I think I was more nervous waiting than Enrique was during the whole process. He said the CO he spoke with was relaxed and joked with him. I, on the other hand, sat anxiously watching people either come out of the Consulate either smiling or crying!

I hope this information helps you if you're headed to Juarez in the future. Make sure you are well prepared with a variety of information/proof of your relationship and you should be fine! Buena suerte! If you have more detailed questions, feel free to ask away!

Hi -

I hope someone has the answer to this question, because I've been looking all over and can't find it. I know for adjustment of status my fiance will need the vaccine supplement (form I 693A). Where do I get this form? Does the civil surgeon have it at his/her office? I can't find it online anywhere...

Thanks in advance.

Ok, of course now that I post the answer pops up in the related topics box. Disregard my last post.

Hello to all who will head through Juarez...

I've been away from VJ for awhile, but am getting back into things since my fiance is coming soon. I wish you all luck with Juarez. It can be a frustrating experience. If you have any questions or need anything, let me know!

Buena suerte!