On 11/12/2020 we got a biometrics reuse notice on my husband's USCIS account. He last got his biometrics taken on 10/24/2019 for I-751. We filed his N-400 on 09/17/2020 and the estimated case completion date on USCIS still says June 2021.
We're just relieved we won't have to go to an ASC as COVID cases continue to rise!
Hey guys!
Just got an update that my interview was scheduled and my notice will come in the mail. I filed on 9/29/2020 and they are reusing my biometrics. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly.
Not in the military... Only guess is there isn't much of a backlog in Montana. That'd be pretty exciting, will be happy when it is over and done with :)
Became a US citizen 11/3/2020. Had my interview and was asked if I could come back for Friday oath ceremony. Problem is work is crazy and the USCIS office is 2.5 hours away from home so I asked if there was anyway we could oath same day. 30 minutes later, I was raising my right hand and saying the oath.
I ran to my car with a couple of tears, made it back in time to register and vote before polls closed. Perfect day.
I hope you all have a speedy adjudication of your cases and I'm glad my immigration journey has come to a close after living in the US since 2009.
I filed on Sept. 2nd and only found out by checking my USCIS account that a notice was issued for the reuse of my biometrics. So, I would 100% recommend keeping an eye out in your account. If you go to your N-400 case, you will see the tab "documents" and that's how I actually found out.
A little update on my wife’s N-400 application (applied online on 9/20/20). After checking our USCIS online account, I saw that yesterday (10/28) we received a notice that the biometrics from her still pending I-751 (from Sept. 2019) will be reused for her N-400 application. Our USCIS online account has April 2021 as the estimated completion date for our N-400. Happy to see some movement and to see that we don’t have to drive to one of the offices for the biometrics at least!
I just want to share my experience about my naturalization timelines:
Mid July: E-Application submitted
Mid August: reuse my biometric
Mid September: got scheduled for interview
October 26th: passed interview and oath taken same day.
Thanks so much for the luck! I super super appreciate it.
So it went like this...
i was busy packing all our stuff in plastic totes till like 2:30am, simoultaenously doing laundry (i heard you can't use your washer & dryer 72 hours before they pack it up) and i was preparing my outfit and all my documents until almost 5am. I woke up at 8:15am had breakfast so i won't get hungry while playing those 100 questioms civics review youtube video. Then took a shower, placed make up & got dressed while playing a sample n400 interview youtube video. I leave my house at 9:05am.
I get there to the uscis local field office at 9:14am just 1 minute before my 15mins of 9:30am. There was a lady who they did not entertain until 9:16am. When she got in finally at 9:21, i went out of my car and stood by the door (it was really windy with so much dust/sand like a sandstorm which has been happening the night before). The guard asked me covid test questions, took my temperature and then asked for my id my green card, my military id and passport and then my interview letter. He checked all the info and then let me in.
Once i got in, another officer asked for my green card, military id, passport and appointment letter making sure its me and my appointment time is now. He asked me to take my mask of for a few seconds to match up my face with my id's. Then he asked me to put my jewelry and hairband on the box, my hand bag and my documents folder bag and my shoes on the xray security machine and then he let me go to the people xray for screening. I got all my things and he made me sit in the chair. It was only that lady who entered before me and me. Then another guy who entered a few mins after me.
In the waiting room, i was the first person called. A very friendly uscis officer asked me to follow her. She let me enter an interview room. She explained that i have to sit down on this chair in front of an ipad and then the whole interview will take place on a video call on the ipad. There was a bin behind me close to the door where i will put any documents she asks me to put or if she printed something that i have to sign and then put at the bin for her to pick up. There was a printer and a pen beside on the left side of the ipad and the sanitary wipes and alcogel on the right side and a plexiglass in between me and a small area for the interviewer whenever she enters that room. And then she left to go to the room accross the hall. So i could see and talk to her through the ipad video call.
She asked me what kind of military documents i submitted to that show proof i'm leaving to live abroad because the computer system was kinda wonky and slow because of the wind and sandstorms. I told her the names of the documents I sent in and then she reviewed them and saw them. Then she said i did a great job with my documents, all the files were complete and organized and easy that she wished most of her cases were like mine. She said they were satisfied with all the evidences and that this interview is iust a mere formality for the civics and english test that i have to pass but that everything is ok and approved already.
So she then suggested we do the english test. She printed a paper out and there was 3 sentences. She chose for me to read 1 sentence out loud and then i got carried away and answered it which made her laugh. Then she printed another sheet again this time this time for me to write an answer to question she asked. Both questions were on taxes. Then she asked me to sign it and then she asked me 6 civics questions that i got right and then she asked me those yes and no questions from the n400 form randomly. Then she printed out another paper which i had to sign again and just put x marks. After that she said i passed my civics and english test and then i can do my oath taking now. But then her computer froze (not the ipad video but the computer system and her computer). She said it might take awhile and asked if it was ok for me to wait or if i wanted to come back in the afternoon or possibly tom morning. I told her i was chill and can wait awhile. Then we started casually talking. She said she saw how neat all my documents are in all those color coded binders that had dividers, and title pages and really organized that i brought and i submitted. She said she was terrible in filing things and that her husband was terrible at it. Then she asked how excited i was to move to japan and asked me where it was and told me she's always wanted to live in japan. Then we talked about japanese food, culture and places to see and go to (we were really just killing time till the system went back up). And then she asked me how i met my husband i told her i was working in dubai and he was deployed for 11 months out at sea in 2014 and by chance his air carrier landed in dubai 2x. And he and his buddies asked for directions from me to an american resto and they asked me to join them for lunch. And we've been friends since then and i visited the states 3x and he visited me in indonesia (jakarta and bali) where i workef for 2 years and i met up with him in singapore while he was deployed and then he went to my country 2x where he met my whole family and we traveled around and he proposed. She said i was one of the most interesting couples she's ever interviewed and then she looked at my travel history (i submitted a list of my travel history cause i had 3 tourist visas sincr i was 1 yrs old and i frequently visited the us so i had many entries and exits throughout my childhood till now i'm 37 so 37 years of travel.) and we talked about the countries i visited and lived. She liked my jobs. And then asked me why i didn't migrate earlier when i had lotsa chances to apart from my brother is a us citizen but never lived here. And i said i never planned to be an american or dreamed about it. I liked being an asian and living in asia even my brother being an american was unplanned and my mom was just forced to stay here in the us with me for health/pregnancy reasons when we attended a wedding and got stuck here back when i was a toddler. But i made this move myself because i wanted to be with my husband and he's in the us navy. So then i had to make the move to be with him so he can continue his career. She asked how my parents felt about me moving. Then she said if she was me, she wouldn't have moved and would just ask my husband to move. I told her my husband didn't graduate a university degree so its gonna be tough for him to get a job in asia and without much job experience apart from the navy. Then we talked about other countries and their economies and how different types education affects chances of getting jobs in asia. Then finally another uscis officer tried to fix her computer she's been troubleshooting but nothing. Then a technician came. We talked about the elections and she asked if i will register. I told her i volounteered to be a poll watcher during the march 3, 2020 california elections and asked me about my experience being a poll watcher. We talked about the process of voting and how she was gonna do a drop in ballot in one of the poll watcher centers. Then she told me how to register to vote. Then the computer got fixed and then i took the oath of allegiance and then she entered the room to give me the citizenship packet and the certificate. Hehehe..again it was like 1 hr and 30 mins and timing everything we finished in 30 mins or less if it wasn't for that glitchy computer system. She was a pleasant interviewer and bright sunny person. She kept apologizing for the slow system since their main server is still in san diego.
So it was a pleasant experience. Surreal and so fast. I didn't think it would be that easy. I was thinking i had to prove myself more since i've been in the us for just 2 years since i arrived last sept 5, 2018 and got married sept 16, 2018 and got my green card on april 1, 2019. But it was all soo smooth until i got home and had to deal with the department of state for my emergency tourist passport. Hehehe.
I did successfully apply for a state id and register to vote in the afternoon. I didn't have a driver's license or state id ever until today (but its coming in the mail in 3 days). And i was able to set up an appointment for the military passport for my no fee military passport and the ssa office to update my case.
You're welcome! It's my pleasure to help others. I wouldn't be in the position that i am now without all the helpful things i was able to read from others in this forum.
I usually get the app notification right away. Then the emails follow (but it might just be because emails take a few seconds or minutes to update - but those emails are from the old website which is where the app is linked to). And then usually a few hours till a day after i get another email notification from the new website and that's the only time they really update my status on the new website. You don't get email notifications for uploaded documents in your documents tab on the new website.
Thanks for the great info. From a timing perspective, which notification (e-mail, android app, 2 USCIS websites) do you get first and what's the lag for the other ones?
“So I finally received the physical letter for my interview. It's going to be the 3rd of December in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Timeline:
August 23 2020: I've submitted my case online.
August 24 2020: They sent my receipt notice saying they got my case and I received it one week later.
September 21 2020: They will send me a receipt notice saying that they will use my previous fingerprints.
October 14 2020: Interview was scheduled.
October 19 2020: Interview letter received.
My case is in the National Benefits Centre with my field office at Albuquerque, NM.“
The android app name is: Case Tracker it's by Stephen Aldous. I used to have another one too when doing my k1 fiance visa in 2017-2018 and aos in 2018- 2019. But for my n400 this 2020 i'm just using 1 app which is this app.
Anyway i also don't like any app or third party companies or any other companies knowing any of my personal information. The thing with this is that you just input your case number there and it gives you general notifications when your status changes. Statuses are usually just the generic standard ones everyone gets. So nothing personal and not much info. But it does alert you when you should log into your uscis accounts on both their websites where you can check on all the other info like i do. So that's helpful.
On the same note, i also changed my settings on both uscis accounts on their 2 websites to send me email notifications when something changes. So the app alerts me, and my emails alert me. I also have informed USPS so I know when hard copy notifications are on their way. It's just a good warning system so i don't have to keep checking both websites everyday especially the other one with a 2 step verification. And i know when i need to go out and check my mailbox too.
Hi everyone, I filed my N-400 on the 26th of June 2020, I received biometrics re-use on august 7th and I was scheduled for interview for October 2nd by 11am a Lawrence Ma, the interview went well and in 1hr I came out with my Citizenship certificate, I went into the building as a green card holder around 10:40am and came out Around 11:55am as a US citizen, thanks to everyone on visa journey my immigration story can’t be complete without you all, I started from Adjustment of status and I never pay any lawyer a dime bcos VJ has been helpful. Wish you all good luck in all your endeavour
