Daisy&Vincent

Mission accomplished.  My wife attended her N-400 Naturalization Interview at USCIS Seattle Field Office today.  Due to rules on COVID-19, I was not able to accompany her, so had to drop her off.  However, she shared that it was very safe and smooth experience.  The field office was quite well organized, they are not joking when they say you cannot enter the building >15 minutes prior to your appointment.  So people are required to wait in queue outdoors, social distancing and all.  Upon entry go throught the typical security screening and check-in.  The do a set of biometrics for verification purposes so she did have to take picture and prints ahead of heading to the second floor.  After waiting upstairs, the staff called her into a seperate room where they setup a "virtual" / "video conferencing" iPad setup to take the interview / test with IO.  She was required to place all her personal belongings into the desk drawer ahead of commencing the interview.  Aside from that she was able to keep the notice/letter, supporting original docs and notes with her for the test.  Upon getting her test results she was asked to go back to the waiting area while they continuing processing.  She was asked to wait patiently and not inquire on the status during the 2 hour stay.  Appointment was at 9:30 am, she checking in at 9:15 am and surely ended up right around 11:30 am.  So it really did take the whole two hours -- but the good news is...
 
TL;DR, she passed interview/test, was recommended for Approval and scheduled for same day Oath Ceremony all in one day.   
 
She had the Oath Ceremony in another room with a few other (5) applicants.  Everything was handled in this single visit and she walked away with her approval packet that includes her Certificate of Naturalization, "Welcome Letter" from the President and various other documents like N-652, test results and DS-11, passport application form.  That's all folks!  Wish you well on your journey and encouraging you all that if you have an interview date, be prepared, do you best, best of luck and hopefully can be all wrapped up in that one day.  Have updated the timeline and trackers in my sig.  Happy New Year!
 
Reference: https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-response-to-covid-19

Congratulations and thank you for sharing this helpful info for us. 

Pleased to hear you finally have an interview date! 

Thank you for your update! You filed 2.5 months before me so I’m wondering if I will get my interview before my birthday in February. 
 
Yes, we will be doing the 2008 version of the civics test. 
 
Good luck to your wife!

All, 
I am thinking of creating a Whatsapp Group for N-400 Seattle Forum members. This forum along with the spreadsheet tracker is good, however i imagine that a whatsapp group should be helpful for people to have quicker communications on any N-400 related topic and stay in touch more easily (This forum requires logging in etc). Both this online forum and whatsapp group can co-exist. Thoughts? 
 

Yes yes!  Stay positive indeed as we're all in this together!

@ljmp_10 @Miki28 @scottsvisa @Matt72@Daisy&Vincent I want to think that the estimate may be longer than the actual completion time, so don’t lose hope, guys. Mine even said 6 months, yet I got my interview scheduled today! What date that is, I have yet to find out. 😂
 
@MsGazelle400 Good luck and wishing you the best. ❤️
 
 

Hello all,
 
I just filed my application this morning on my.uscis.gov.
 
For now, the only thing that shows on my home page is the receipt number (started with IOE...) and Submitted Date (July 19). And then below that is this:
 
You successfully submitted your form
We are processing your form. It can take up to 48 hours for all of your case information to show on your home page.
We will notify you when we take an action on your case. You can edit your email and text message notification preferences in your profile.
 
 
 
Also, the only email I received was from pay.gov confirming my payment. Nothing from the USCIS.
 
Is this right?
 
 
 

In the past ASC Biometrics only had Code 1, 2 and 3.  I believe sometime later in the past couple years they added Code 5.  We recently went in for a 2nd round of biometrics for my wife's I-751 pending 22 months case (probably due to delays in processing and the biometrics maybe expire after some time?).  
Code 1 – fingerprinting only (10 prints); Code 2 – biometrics (photo, signature and index finger); Code 3 – fingerprints (10 prints) and biometrics (photo, signature and index finger). Code 5 – one-hand fingerprints (4 prints on one hand), photo and signature. I asked her what they did different at the biometrics and she confirmed they took a different set of digits this time around.
 
As for the "Biometrics Done" column, once ASC appointment scheduled and notice received, some on this board have been successful with walk-in's prior to their appointment date.

@erikavsw I think that’s the expected waiting tim3 before the nex5 action is taken 9n your file, which looks like scheduling your biometrics appointment. 

I'm going to add my details to the spreadsheet for July, if you're all OK with that. Our filing and NOA date is June 30th, but I seem to spend more time on this thread since we were so late in the month of June that all my stuff is more in line with the July filers.  Would that be OK with everyone here?

On a separate note, has anyone ever requested a transfer to a field office nearer to place of work than home? Not sure if they even consider transfer requests unless you update your address. 

@SilverLake, here's some further insight, we ran into something similar for my wife with her unmarried name (which has a 2 "part" given name).  Even at PoE on K-1 visa, the initial I-94 issued completely omitted the second part of her given name -- it was frustrating but we ended up doing a court ordered name change after marriage and re-did the whole name with western Given/First name, her unmarried name all within the Middle name and my Last name.  Anyways, on to my point...
 
The Form N-400 has three fields that asks for names (excluding field 4 for optional name change as part of naturalization process):
Legal Name = as y'all have discussed on birth certificate unless already officially changes Name on PR Card Other Names Commonly western culture typically has [First Middle Last] , hence it looks like USCIS misinterpreted the "Thuy" portion of your name.  And although they treat Legal Name as [First Middle Last], the formatting on the PR Card seems to be [First MI Last].  If my assumption is correct that "Thuy" is the second part of your given name, then I think you should proceed in the latter approach for second case.  Unless someone can answer... Its anyones guess whether they use field (1) or (2) for your naturalization certificate.  Here's my reasoning for the latter approach:
Since field (2) says exactly you don't wanna mess that up.  Hopefully the IO is smart enough to see the mistake but you never know. If you put "Ha T" as the Given/First Name field, (a) that could be flagged as wrong for name checks and (b) you willingly deleted "huy" from "Thuy" further more exacerbating the mistake. The source of truth really is the Legal Name which is what I would guess they'd use for naturalization, so ensure that one is exactly what you want in the end. My recommendation is to ensure fields (1) and (2) are handled properly and any additional potential names but put in the (3) other section as well to ensure no permutation is left unchecked.  See below where colons (;) seperate the fields [First Middle Last]:
Legal Name = once again -- my assumption = "Ha Thuy; ;Nguyen" [Last] = Nguyen [First] = Ha Thuy [Middle] =  Name on PR Card = EXACTLY on PR Card = "Ha; T; Nguyen" [Last] = Nguyen [First] = Ha [MI] = T Other Names = Any other variations like "Ha T; ;Nguyen", "Ha; ;Nguyen", etc. <<< these other names likely wouldn't be used for official documentation but in case they've ever come up that way -- including the USCIS PR Card mistake. Hope that helps and has not made it more confusing haha.  Feel free to DM me and I'd be happy to share the specifics of the fiasco with my wifes full name, name change, other names if you'd like the examples.  Just don't wanna publish her whole name here.
 
 

Yes. It must be down again. Strangely I had no issues the other day when they were doing scheduled maintenance. Didn’t even know it was down. Got an email saying there’s an update in my case today and can’t log in. I did biometrics yesterday so it’s prob ably just that. Still annoying but I guess they’ve got to do what they’ve got to do. I actually like the new improved site so I won’t whine about it yet 😁

Well that is quite an exhaustive list already and m surprised they asking more on top of dat. Like I don't even have half of that. I got no kids cuz we keep trying and he won't just get pregnant. We don't have a house together and the rent is on his name. He is more than twice my age and I'm the breadwinner in the house. So if there's anything they've seen before I'm not part of that and they sure would ask me for an rfe and maybe they will...
What m tryna say is u don't need to change your house title or deed to put her name...just show evidence of a travel trip or something u did on valentine or dinner date receipts. Something that is genuine and unique to you two other than the formal and forced evidence they are used to. They want something refreshing. Surprise them..I know far more ppl who provided far less evidence and got approved far sooner than us

This is the continuation thread for
https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/649414-i-751-october-2017-filers/
which has been closed because of its large size.
-------
Personal note:  I'm finished with this infernal immigration process, but I remember the trauma of it clearly.  I sincerely hope for rapid progress in your case.  Even if I don't respond openly, I'm cheering loudly at your announcement of success.

Thanks for reviving the tracking list!

I hope we'll get some news soon.

you guys!Don't leave me alone here! anyone whose not filing N400 and waiting for GC?

Thanks @GoodbyeGirl for keeping us engaged.  TBH, we've kind of stuck with just cruisin' auto-pilot on I-751 -- not really checking in as much.  As for N-400, haven't pulled the trigger yet... likely the wait is a while anyways, but my wife likes to feel confident about studying for the tests before we kick-off the process.  Still not sure what the turnaround time for notices, biometrics and not trying to jump the gun in case it goes quickly and she's not ready to test.  Oh the anxiety... 
 
The only other reason that's holding us back is the whole name change deal from her passport to her GC.  Her name in Hong Kong is romanized while the US name change (from initial I-94 which didn't even match... ugh) is completely western-style.  We frequent the BC, Canada border (extended family) and have gotten crossing down to an art with my NEXUS and her GC.  If we get to the point of her passport with the I-551 stamp mismatching her expired GC -- just more trouble to deal with for CBP & CBSA on our regular visits.  ***shrug*** still on the fence.

Hey all, been a while since I've been on.  Just an update from our end on my wife's ROC progress.
 
We received the courtesy copy of the 18 month extension letter back around August 2018 timeframe.  As with most whom received the courtesy copy, we felt uneasy about being able to travel (we frequently hover between the WA-USA and BC-Canada border for short roadtrips).  Since we are approaching the window to apply for N-400 and also reaching the 12 month mark (since we only have the official receipt notice), we decided to try to make an INFOPASS appointment.  To our dismay, it's very challenging to get an appointment without lead time even logging on at midnight or early morning.  We managed to get an appoint for 2 weeks out... but since it was my wife's birthday (I took the day off) -- we headed to our friendly ASC to inquire about my wife's case.
 
First thing, we were met by the security at the entrance saying they were closed for walk-ins and we had to come back tomorrow.  Only appointments would be processed today, so they did not let us in to even ask any simple questions.  Gather my composure and approached again trying to get inside saying "I need to use those INFOPASS appointment machines because the website never works"   He was nice enough to let me through after going through the security scan.  Sure enough, once we got inside all the Case Inquiry counters were closed due to a computer system issue and the back room was only taking ASC appointments for Biometrics (which we didn't need since we completed this for ROC during our last INFOPASS).  We lined up anyways in attempt to talk to an an officer.  Eventually, we were able to speak with the same ASC supervisor that expedited our biometrics last visit.  We inquired about our courtesy copy 18 month letter and voiced our concern that we don't feel safe to travel.  We requested to get the I-551 stamp in my wife's passport.  His answer was that... in order to get a stamp you need to make an INFOPASS and come back with the systems are online.  Following he was like... oh and it's fine... just have your expired GC, official 12 month and courtesy copy 18 month is okay.  The Service Center had mass errors on sending out the courtesy copy... since this is what we (USCIS) gave you -- you're fine.  Somewhat along the lines of that with expired cards/letters... don't actually lose PR status... just don't have proof of status.  **shrug** ... left somewhat disappointed as we still didn't feel sure of that answer...
 
To our surprise upon the following week we received the official watermarked 18 month extension letter with specific verbiage saying:
"You received an I-797C, Notice of Action, for your I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, extending your status from 12 months to 18 months between August 20, 2018 through August 30, 2018.  The noticed may have been sent to you with incorrect information; therefore we are sending you a revised notice.  Please review the old notice you received, and if any of the information is incorrect, please return the old notice to the following address and identify what information was incorrect.  If your information is correct on the old notice, you can discard it."
 
So I guess this old notice / courtesy copy with the verbiage about Attorney or Accredited Rep was the "incorrect information".  We don't have any representing us... DIY.
 
All of this coincides with the story on USCIS site about reissuing notices.  Hope this helps for anyone that received the courtesy copy in error and is concerned with travel.  Nonetheless, you can always go get the stamp.
https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-reissues-receipt-notices-extensions-conditional-permanent-resident-status
 
 

Hey all, been a while since I've been on.  Just an update from our end on my wife's ROC progress.
 
We received the courtesy copy of the 18 month extension letter back around August 2018 timeframe.  As with most whom received the courtesy copy, we felt uneasy about being able to travel (we frequently hover between the WA-USA and BC-Canada border for short roadtrips).  Since we are approaching the window to apply for N-400 and also reaching the 12 month mark (since we only have the official receipt notice), we decided to try to make an INFOPASS appointment.  To our dismay, it's very challenging to get an appointment without lead time even logging on at midnight or early morning.  We managed to get an appoint for 2 weeks out... but since it was my wife's birthday (I took the day off) -- we headed to our friendly ASC to inquire about my wife's case.
 
First thing, we were met by the security at the entrance saying they were closed for walk-ins and we had to come back tomorrow.  Only appointments would be processed today, so they did not let us in to even ask any simple questions.  Gather my composure and approached again trying to get inside saying "I need to use those INFOPASS appointment machines because the website never works"   He was nice enough to let me through after going through the security scan.  Sure enough, once we got inside all the Case Inquiry counters were closed due to a computer system issue and the back room was only taking ASC appointments for Biometrics (which we didn't need since we completed this for ROC during our last INFOPASS).  We lined up anyways in attempt to talk to an an officer.  Eventually, we were able to speak with the same ASC supervisor that expedited our biometrics last visit.  We inquired about our courtesy copy 18 month letter and voiced our concern that we don't feel safe to travel.  We requested to get the I-551 stamp in my wife's passport.  His answer was that... in order to get a stamp you need to make an INFOPASS and come back with the systems are online.  Following he was like... oh and it's fine... just have your expired GC, official 12 month and courtesy copy 18 month is okay.  The Service Center had mass errors on sending out the courtesy copy... since this is what we (USCIS) gave you -- you're fine.  Somewhat along the lines of that with expired cards/letters... don't actually lose PR status... just don't have proof of status.  **shrug** ... left somewhat disappointed as we still didn't feel sure of that answer...
 
To our surprise upon the following week we received the official watermarked 18 month extension letter with specific verbiage saying:
"You received an I-797C, Notice of Action, for your I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, extending your status from 12 months to 18 months between August 20, 2018 through August 30, 2018.  The noticed may have been sent to you with incorrect information; therefore we are sending you a revised notice.  Please review the old notice you received, and if any of the information is incorrect, please return the old notice to the following address and identify what information was incorrect.  If your information is correct on the old notice, you can discard it."
 
So I guess this old notice / courtesy copy with the verbiage about Attorney or Accredited Rep was the "incorrect information".  We don't have any representing us... DIY.
 
All of this coincides with the story on USCIS site about reissuing notices.  Hope this helps for anyone that received the courtesy copy in error and is concerned with travel.  Nonetheless, you can always go get the stamp.
https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-reissues-receipt-notices-extensions-conditional-permanent-resident-status
 
 

I am creating this thread for October filers as i am going to be one of them. Will be filing online on 10/10/18.

I'll take an approval 

@nompish I'm excited for you! Looking forward to finding out what it is, thanks for sharing. Gives me hope.  

UPDATE: so USPS informed delivery just e-mailed me. I have mail from USCIS California Service Center being delivered today. Wonder what it is. Am hoping its biometrics letter finally or perhaps i wouldnt even mind an RFE at least that would show somebody is looking at my file. Will update you guys on what it is when i get home from work later.