zbd142

19 hours ago, Mocaroni said:

@zbd142Hello from 2020!

Your case went so fast!Hope you already get the card! Did you receive any emails besides the cancellation and new date letters? Did you send the letter to a specific department? Thank you in advance!

Hi! Yes, I became a citizen back in December!

I didn't receive any emails I believe - I got all of the updates I mentioned in that post from the online myUSCIS account. I was logging in multiple times a day checking for an update!  I didn't send the letter to a specific department, I just put the field office address as the recipient, and sent it with tracking and signature request too to make sure they received it.  

On 12/11/2019 at 9:35 AM, Natfor2019 said:

Question before oath ceremony - 

 

Do we need to take any photographs with us when we are going to the oath ceremony. I think I read somewhere those photos will be used for passport application but not sure..

 

Or do they take photos at the oath venue that we can use to apply for the US passport.

 

 

You don’t need any photos for the oath ceremony. On the naturalization certificate, they use the picture they took of you at your biometrics appointment. Certificates are all ready when you get to the ceremony, they just ask you to verify the information on it.
 

For your passport, you need a picture. Some passport application places have photo services, but you can always get a passport photo taken at CVS or something and bring it with you to the passport application. 

Hi everyone! Work has been crazy so I didn't have a chance to write about my oath ceremony experience until now! 

My oath ceremony was on December 2 at 9am at the Philadelphia Field Office. I arrived around 8:40 but they didn't let us in the ceremony room until 9am anyway. There were 67 people being naturalized from 38 different countries! I thought it was cool that they announced everyone's country. They first let the candidates in the room, and once everyone was situated, they let the friends and family in to take a seat. There were plenty of seats for friends and family. An IO explained how the ceremony will go, and started with the "processing", during which we all lined up and verified one by one that the information on our naturalization certificate was accurate. This part was kinda boring because it took a very long time since there are 67 people, and we weren't able to go wait with the friends & family, and the 2 people sitting on either side of me weren't really interested in chatting either 😊

Once the processing was done, we moved onto the oath. I was actually more excited and emotional than I thought I would be 😊 After the oath, we watched a message from the President, and an inspirational video called America, the Beautiful. Then they proceeded to give us our naturalization certificates by announcing our names and inviting us to the "stage" area. Even though I can't remember the exact order, we also did the Pledge of Allegiance and the the national anthem as well during the ceremony. After the ceremony was over, they let us stay in the room to take pictures, and there were also people around helping to register to vote. 

Another thing I found funny - the dress code. There was a big range of dress choices, from sweatpants and a tshirt to a nightgown and a fur jacket 😂 I highly recommend dressing up as business casual or business formal, but yes, there are all kinds of people there.

Overall, the oath ceremony was a good experience! It still feels kinda surreal that I am a US Citizen now!!! I am so so happy that it is done 😍 I applied for my passport the next day, and hoping that it will arrive soon!

Wishing everyone best of luck with their journey, and I am thankful that I found this forum that helped me along the way! I definitely learned a lot about the immigration process thanks to all of you! 

I got my oath ceremony letter over the weekend online! To be exact, I had my interview on Thursday, and got the notification Friday afternoon that my oath ceremony was scheduled. The document was available online around 7am Saturday morning. So my oath ceremony will be 12/2 at 9am! This time next week I'll be a USC 😃

Good luck to everyone this week that have their interviews! Keep calm and get approved!! 😄

On 11/15/2019 at 4:58 PM, Vikingoutwest said:

Hi and welcome to the group! I have heard some places will do same-day Oaths but it is pretty rare, generally. My office (Portland, OR) does do them, but in almost all instances people who got a same-day oath had an interview time before 11 am. Mine is going to be at 12.40pm so I don't think I will be one of the lucky ones. Unfortunately, I don't have an easy answer for you, because this is going to be different at all local offices:-/ Congratulations on getting your date and best of luck next Thursday!

Thank you!

I looked up some past timelines in VJ for Philadelphia, and it looks like all of them were on a Monday or a Friday, so those are probably the only days they do oath ceremonies  My interview is late afternoon, so I will assume it is almost impossible for same day oath... although it would've been amazing to be done done on the same day!

Thanks again, and good luck to you too! 

I read that the oath ceremony might be the same day as the interview. Has this actually happened to anyone? I would love to bring some friends to the ceremony if/when I'm approved, just curious if they should be "ready" just in case on the interview date, which is next Thursday!!  

Just realized this topic exists and decided to join in by posting  I filed on April 25, and my interview is on November 21!

The only "issue" I ran into so far was my original interview date. They scheduled it for October 30 but I am going to be out of town for work, so I requested a new interview date. Thankfully it went smoother than I expected, and they rescheduled it fairly quickly! 

I'm excited to get this over with!

Just wanted to give an update here in case it’s useful to others. I ended up sending a letter to the field office, and requested them to reschedule. They received the letter on September 30, and cancelled my interview on October 2. They sent a new date and time today (October 10) and my new interview date is November 21. So overall, the interview got pushed about 3 weeks (October 30 to November 21), so not bad! :)

Hi,

My interview for the citizenship application just got scheduled, and of course they picked a day that I will be out of town for work training. The training is already paid for by my employer, with hotels booked and everything, so it will be a big hassle to get everything cancelled, and it will probably cost the company some money. I see that I can write a letter to the local USCIS office and request a new interview date. Has anyone had to do this? How long did it delay your interview and the overall process? 

Thanks!

@dilip Thank you! That is what I thought too but wanted get another opinion. I'll make sure to request the certified documents from IRS for the interview for federal tax return.

Thank you @Going through! That was very helpful!

Hello everyone,

It is finally time for me to apply for naturalization! I'm excited but a little nervous about the process. I was trying to fill out the online application, but I have several questions. I searched different sources and the forums here too, but couldn't find satisfying answers so far. I appreciate any insight or advice on any of these questions!

• I live in a city where filing local tax return are only required if taxes are not withheld as a part of the paycheck. As a result of this, I am unsure about how to answer this question: "Have you EVER not filed a federal, state, or local tax return since you became a lawful permanent resident?" I feel like since it is not required, I could answer this as No, or I could answer as Yes and explain that my city doesn't require tax return filing. Does anyone have any experience with this?
• I have 2 traffic tickets - one speeding ticket, which was removed from my record, and one blocked license plate ($50) (I had my bike on the bike rack over the trunk, and the officer ticketed me because it was blocking the license plate ) . Should I answer yes to this? "Have you EVER been arrested, cited, or detained by any law enforcement officer?" I read conflicting comments online, just curious what you guys think. 

The following questions are more related to the online application:

• What do I need to add as additional documentation? I cannot find too much information online about this. My tax return forms, W-2s, latest paychecks, birth certificate, passport pages etc?  I am single/never married, and non-military, 
• With the online application, how does the fee submission work?
• I assume I don't have to submit passport photos?  

Thank you in advance!! I will keep looking online for some answers, but if you had a similar experience, I would love to hear it.  

Hello everyone,

My boyfriend has lost his certificate of citizenship that was issued to him back in 2009, along with his SSN card. He has been a citizen since 2000. I understand that we have to file N-565 to replace it, but we have couple questions about the form. If any of you can give some insight, it would be great.

1. We have a copy of his lost certificate of citizenship, and his SSN card. I was thinking that we should attach those 2 copies with the application. Any other documents we should attach? Drivers license? Any documents proving his residence like the lease agreements etc?

2. In Part 1 of N-565, it is asking for the middle name. His middle name is pretty long. Should we put the full middle name, or just the middle initial.

3. In Part 3, it is asking for the USCIS or Name of Court. On the copy of the lost certificate, I don't see a place of issuance, it just says USCIS. Should we put the place of issuance, like "USCIS Philadelphia, PA"?

4. If you have any other advice, we would love to hear it! It has been very stressful since we found out he lost those.

I am very sorry if these questions have very obvious answers. Thank you in advance for your help!

Thank you everyone! Your answers were really helpful!

Hello everyone,

I am a permanent resident here in the United States, and also a senior in college. My parents and brother (17 years old) would like to come to my graduation, so they want to apply for B1/B2 visa. I was helping them fill out the DS-160 form, but also did some research myself to figure out if it would be better to give my address as their US address or provide a hotel name etc. I encountered some forms I might need to be filling out, like I-134.

My parents will be financing their trip by themselves, so I won't be providing them with any financial support. Since they'll be financing their trip themselves, I don't need to fill out the I-134, or send my documents to them, correct? My parents are both currently working, and my brother is a junior in High School. They have no intention to immigrate to the US, they just want to visit me. If it helps, they live in Turkey.

I am sorry if this type of question was answered before, I tried to find similar questions, but they just made me more confused. Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

What if I keep my old SS card (with restriction)? The number would remain the same anyway even after removing the restriction.

Do employers really ask for the SS card or just a list A document (green card, EAD, US passport, etc...)? I can rattle off my SS number from memory. That's what I did at the DMV when they asked for my SS number. No need to show SS card at DMV.

I'm not a lawyer nor I know the law that well but I am pretty sure it's REQUIRED that you update your social security card to remove the restrictions. Since you become a permanent resident, your taxes change, and Social Security Office needs to keep correct track of your earnings. Like I said, I don't know in detail but you can get in trouble for not updating it.

DMV might not care about the restrictions on it, but your employer will. Even though you have a List A document, you still need to present your Social Security card to your employer for W-2 forms. My boyfriend, who is a US citizen, hadn't updated his SSC once he became a US citizen, and he didn't have any problems until he started his last job. They said they can't accept his social security card because it had restrictions, although he had other proof of citizenship.

Regardless I think you should just update it to avoid any trouble or problems in the future. It's free, and it takes 5 min at the social security office. I don't understand why you're so against it.

Hi, can you give us an update please? I am now in your exact situation. I have an SSN card 'valid with DHS work authorization only' and expecting my green card next week.

If I go to the SSA office to update my SSN card, will they take away the old one and leave me with nothing while I wait for the unrestricted SSN card to arrive?

Hi, when I went to the Social Security office, they took away my old card because it's no longer valid anyway. (You can't use your restricted SSN card once you receive your green card) The new card arrived in a couple days in the mail.

Are you worried that you won't have an SSN card for a couple days because you're starting a job? If you need to start a job or something while you're waiting for your SSN card, you can give your employer the receipt the social security office gives you when you apply for replacement card, and you can start working. The new card arrives in a couple days in the mail, but I guess that might depend on the social security office you're applying to. When the card arrives, you can show it to your employer so that they can fill up your W-2 forms etc.

When I went through my AOS process, my lawyer had told me that if I translate it myself, it wouldn't work. So upon her recommendation, I asked a friend who is not related to me and fluent in my native language review the documents I translated and sign the affidavit of translation. I didn't get them notarized or professionally translated. This worked with no problems for me.

I feel like they might have found it insufficient because you translated it yourself. If you have a friend fluent in both English and Italian, ask him/her to sign the affidavit of translation and attach that with your documents.

Hello everyone,

First of all, I apologize if this information is already out there; I looked around web but I couldn't find a solid answer to my question.

I filed AOS as an F1 student, and I got approved last week (yay!!), and now my green card is on its way to my address. I already have an SSN card because I worked as an F1 student (CPT), but of course it has limitations to it (on the card it says "valid with DHS work authorization only").

Do I directly go to Social Security office to replace my SSN card once I receive my green card? Do I have to fill out the SS5 form again or is there an another form for this? What should I bring to the social security office?

Thank you in advance!

Update!

I have just got the welcome letter in the mail!!! The letter says that I should get my green card in 3 weeks! So excited!!!

Wow ... That was pretty quick! Hoping with you that you'd get that precious "approved" decision update as well. But since the website is sometimes not so updated, your mail might come in sooner. Keep us posted when you have a chance.

Yeah even the IO at the interview said I have received an interview date pretty quickly. My EAD isn't even approved yet... I will definitely post if I get any updates. Thanks again for being really welcoming, it means a lot as a new member!

Hi there! Welcome to VJ!! You can also check the actual status on uscis.gov using your receipt number. I believe they normally say whether your're "approved" (or not) there, especially since you got the e-notification already. I have a good feeling it is approved already (Yeah, they do use strange wordings. ), since it says card production.

ADIT is another term for Biometric (Alien Documentation, Identification and Telecommunication), so no need to worry about that if you had it done already.

Just curious, when did you submit your AOS application? When you have a chance, , it helps everyone here who use the forum.

Just posted my timeline! I checked in the website too and it's still at "Decision" step, and it says the same thing as the email. Hopefully it will switch to "Card Production" soon!!

Thank you for your response!!

Yes, it means you are approved and you should receive your green card within 60 days. Congrats!

Thank you!! I guess it is safe to add "Approved" on my timeline now!

Hello everyone! I am a new member, so I didn't have time to post my timeline yet, but I have learnt a lot from this website before becoming a member!

I am an F1 student here in the United States. I have won the 2014 diversity lottery, and I chose the Adjustment of Status path. Just had my interview yesterday, which went really good! This morning, I have received a case status notification that says the following:

-------------

Application Type: I485 , APPLICATION TO REGISTER PERMANENT RESIDENCE OR TO ADJUST STATUS


Your Case Status: Decision


On June 11, 2014, we mailed you a notice that we had registered this customer's new permanent resident status. Please follow any instructions on the notice. Your new permanent resident card should be mailed within 60 days following this registration or after you complete any ADIT processing referred to in the welcome notice, whichever is later. If you move before receiving your card, please call our customer service center at 1-800-375-5283.


During this step the formal decision (approved/denied) is written and the decision notice is mailed and/or emailed to the applicant/petitioner. You can use our current processing time to gauge when you can expect to receive a final decision.

--------------

Does this mean I am approved?! I already had my biometrics taken back in May, I think that's what ADIT is for?!

I am really excited, but I don't want to start celebrating before I make sure I am actually approved Also, when should I receive the green card after this if I am approved? The IO had said that the status should switch to Card Production after the approval, but it didn't yet so I am not sure if this still means I am approved.

Thanks everyone! And good luck to you on your journey too!