babyduck

1 hour ago, MikloGoesLegit said:

I am happy to communicate that I am now a US citizen. Took the oath last Tuesday, May the 2nd alongside @babyduck at the Seattle FO. 

 

The ceremony was scheduled for 1:30 PM so my wife and I arrived about 45 mins prior. Then went inside at 1 PM. Went through the metal detector and then directly to the waiting area upstairs (there's no need to check in at the counter in Seattle, for the oath ceremony) which is on the left (the right being reserved for interviews)

 

Then at 1:30 the IOs came in with some carts and asked to come forth and form lines to the side, row by row from first to last. They took our completed oath notice and green card, handed us a packet which consisted of a big envelope containing a cardboard folder for the certificate, the oath and pledge of allegiance, and the national anthem, a booklet containing facts about citizenship, a welcoming pamphlet containing rights, responsibilities and a few more steps to complete once you become a citizen, a small flag and a passport application. They assigned us a seat and asked us to go down to the auditorium. 

 

Family and friends were already waiting downstairs as they were asked to leave the waiting area before the IOs handed the packets. They welcomed each and every one of us and took us to our seat. Once everyone was there they played some videos, such as "Faces of America", then the National Anthem.

 

Then they asked us to stand up when our country was called. There was a projection with a world map and every country that was called had its flag appear on the map by its country. The officer informed us this would be the last time we would stand up as citizens of our former country, for when we took a seat next we would do so as Americans. We took the oath and then took a seat as the newest Americans.

 

There were 37 countries represented, I believe, at my ceremony. It was amazing seeing all those faces from all over the world standing next to me, elated as I was to be there and become American by choice.

 

Next we were asked to form a line by the podium, row by row, and our name was called in the correct order as per our assigned seat. The senior IO who presided over the ceremony was the one to shake our hand and give us our certificate. 

 

She then welcomed us as citizens and gave some final words before it came to and end. People stuck around to take photos and register to vote, since there was a lady there handing a registration forms.

 

We went upstairs to take a few photos since there was a flag and it's the same building, to avoid the crowd in the auditorium. @babyduck took photos of my wife and I, and we did the same for her and her spouse. It was great meeting her in person and sharing such a big moment in our lives, my one regret was not taking a photo with her which I would have posted here.

 

For those still waiting for an interview or oath date, be patient, talk to others here and stay informed. Your time will come just as mine did and I know it feels like an eternity but each person posting about their experience becoming citizens is a testament to what lies just before you.

 

Good luck to all, future Americans.

 

 

 

 

@MikloGoesLegit it was wonderful to meet you and your wife! It would have been great to have a pic together! 

Your explanation is very thorough and will be extremely helpful to others! Good luck to everyone else waiting.

On 4/22/2017 at 9:32 AM, MikloGoesLegit said:

Post interview update: 

 

Last night my oath notice was uploaded to my account online. I have a May 2nd oath at 1:30 pm. Can't believe I am almost done with this! It's definitely a surreal feeling.

 

Good luck to everyone still waiting. You are closer each passing day!

 

And thank you to everyone on this thread and all other threads online for posting about your experiences and cases, if I hadn't had this resource I would have had a much more difficult time enduring the months of silence from USCIS. This is an invaluable community, it goes to show how much we can help each other when there's empathy, which comes from being in the same situation as someone else. I will keep posting and trying to help out as much as I can as I have been helped by others thus far.

@MikloGoesLegit my oath is on May 2 at 1:30 pm too! We should try to meet up at the ceremony if possible :). It's funny how our timeline has moved along at a near identical pace!

1 minute ago, javierita said:

I think I had my oath the day you were doing your interview! We waited in the waiting room like you described,  but at 1:30pm,  family and friends were asked to go downstairs to the auditorium. We were handed a little white envelope with paperwork (certificate holder, paper with oath, plus oath of allegiance and the National anthem, a little American flag, a passport application, and something else I can't remember). We then went downstairs and the ceremony was in an auditorium. Our family and friends were waiting downstairs for us! After doing the oaths, singing the national anthem, and watching some videos,  we were all called to the stage by name and we got our picture taken as we received our certificates! It was small but very cute and sweet and the whole thing took a little over an hour

Oh I am really glad to hear that. I was hoping for a bit of excitement and this sounds way better than how I assumed it went down haha. Thanks for the clarification.

10 minutes ago, ChristianZane said:

Oh ok you're one of the "administrative oaths scheduled regularly", so I guess you will have to wait, in Los Angles they schedule them once a month at Convention Center with 5000 people.

Wow 5000 people!! The oath ceremony in Seattle is not grand at all. It's held in the same area as the Natz interview waiting room. I witnessed it while I was waiting. They made everyone (less than 50 people)  recite the oath and distributed the Natz certificates. Took 10 minutes total lol.

Just now, ChristianZane said:

Letter won't be uploaded in my account, but you can find out based on your city when the oath ceremonies are scheduled by doing a Google search online of your city and "naturalization ceremonies", mine is scheduled for May 23.

My city does 2 oath ceremonies daily. I have no way of finding out which day.

11 minutes ago, ChristianZane said:

Hi all happy to report I'm an August 10 filer and was approved today at the Los Angeles Office.  The whole interview lasted 17 minutes, the IO was delightful, I was asked (paraphrasing):

 

How long is a US Senator elected, Name One Branch of the Government, Who Serves if Prez/Vice Prez can't, How Many Amendments to Constitution, How Many Chief Justices, What is Rule of Law.

 

Received text message in parking lot about 10 minutes after interview I would be receiving an oath letter, I'll write more detail later but if you're an LA Office Interview it went smoothly, on time and trouble free.  My visa journey is a month away from setting in the sunset.

Congrats! Do you know if the oath letter is uploaded in our account? I got the text notification on Wed, but not letter yet.

10 minutes ago, MikloGoesLegit said:

Just came back from my interview as well. Here's my experience:

 

I came in 30 mins early as the notice says to do. Once I went through the metal detector I went to get in line for interviews. I noticed a sign saying not to go up to the counter earlier than 15 minutes before the scheduled time, (1 PM in my case) but after standing to the side for a few minutes the lady at the counter asked anyone who had a 1 PM interview to come up. I got a number and went upstairs.

 

Once upstairs you have to go to the right side, the left side is for people taking the oath.

 

I waited for almost exactly 30 mins before my number was called. I used that time to go through the study guide for the civics test. I did notice that some people who got there after me got their number called before me, so try to be there 30 mins prior, like the notice says and babyduck also duly pointed out.

 

She greeted me nicely with a smile, then made some small talk on the way to the interview room. There was someone waiting inside the room, as my IO would let me know, this was a senior officer supervising the interview, so it's good to know that they are hiring new IOs for Seattle cause of what had been reported about a lot of them quitting earlier this year. The supervising officer limited her interaction to greeting me, observing, and saying goodbye when the interview was over.

 

My IO was very cordial and personable which made the interview much smoother and eased my apprehension a bit. She asked me for my passport and green card, flipped through it, then asked me to stand up, raise my hand and swear to answer all the questions with the truth. My notice said to bring my wife's birth certificate, our marriage certificate as well as any additional supporting evidence I would like to add, but she only asked for my passport and green card.

 

She asked me to read out loud a question on a piece of paper, and then to write down the answer for it, which she provided. After that I answered 6 questions from the civics test correctly, and she informed me I had passed.

 

She then asked me my birth date and my wife's. We talked about places my wife and I had lived and why we moved to Seattle. She asked me about my job and my wife's, we spoke for a bit about how we had met and our relationship. Then she asked me that barrage of questions to which you're supposed to say no to, such as "are you a terrorist?" and many more of that sort. Then came the questions you're supposed to say yes to such as "are you ready to serve for your country if need be?" those weren't nearly as many.

 

She then asked me about my travel history, I had listed the last 6-7 countries I had been to but I guess I didn't provide a full list of them, just the ones that fit in the space given on the form. I did declare the full number though. They say to affix an appendix if the space provided is not enough, with a full list of the countries and dates and I thought I had but it's been so long I honestly can't remember if I did or not. She said at that point I would normally be recommended for approval or not, but since they didn't provide my full travel history they would have to mail me a letter requesting it. I said I could pull it up from my phone if they gave me a few minutes, and she allowed for me to write them all down (luckily I keep pictures in my phone of all my international travels) while she conducted her next interview. I went back to the waiting area and wrote it all down. 

 

Seriously, that was all on me. I could have brought my old passport but I didn't, and my travel history would have been a non-issue. Also, if I did forget to include the full list on the application, that too is on me. Folks, if you are not doing this with a lawyer, you need to be fastidious about every section of your application, otherwise you risk unnecessary delays.

 

She gave me a printout that said I had passed the tests but a decision could not be made. She explained they would review my travel history and see if it checked out, then make a decision, and I should be hearing from them in the mail. I felt quite drained and disheartened. By the time I got home I had some emails saying to check my account online. I logged in and my status had changed to in line for oath scheduling! 

 

I can't wait to be done with this, good luck everyone. We just have to be patient, the rest is not up to us but we have to remember we are almost done.

 

 

 

You did a much better job than me with your explanation @MikloGoesLegit.

It totally slipped my mind, but I could have spared you the travel-related headache. My husband's boss went for his Natz interview last week and faced the same issue where they told him that they would mail a letter asking for updated travel details. I travel a lot for work (I have been to 8 countries since my N 400 receipt date), so I prepared a "Travel Addendum" with a list of my trips, exact dates I was out of the country, specific countries that I visited as well as my upcoming trip in May. I mailed a copy of the travel addendum to the Seattle field office (with my interview notice, so they know where to file it). I also took a copy to the interview. My IO was super happy that I sent it the documents ahead of time. He said he typed in all of that info in my file and reviewed it even before I came in to the interview saving both of us a lot of time. I should have given you a heads up! But all's well that ends well!

I am starting a new job next week, so I also sent it an "Employment Addendum" as well.

Anyway, to others reading this, send any updates ahead of time (not too early, send it about 1-2 weeks prior to the interview when the local field office gets your file) and also take copies to the interview. 

@MikloGoesLegit I got a notification that my oath was scheduled. I expect we will be back there on the same day again!

Just had my interview and approved!

I'll summarize my experience and hopefully it will help others.

1. Seattle location parking is cash only and I did not have cash. Oops, that was a bit of a delay to find an ATM.

2. My interviewer called my number 10 minutes before my scheduled time, so definitely arrive 30 minutes before your time to allow for parking, security screening and waiting in line to get your number.

3. My interview was super friendly and chatty. 

4. I was only asked to show my original passport and green card. No marriage related documents or tax returns were requested.

5. I was asked 5-6 US history and civics questions - all very easy and in the prep manual that USCIS gives you at your biometrics. English reading and writing was very easy too.

6. He then asked me 15-20 questions that are in the N 400.

7. I then signed off that everything was correct on an I pad.

8 I received a letter at the end confirming that I passed the tests and that I was approved.

9 The officer told me expect my oath letter in a week or so with the oath scheduled 2-3 weeks from that date. Seattle does same day oaths, but the are at 10:30 am and 1:30 pm. My interview was at 2, so I missed the cut off for same day oath.

Good luck to everyone else! 

My interview is on April19th.

22 minutes ago, javierita said:

Wahoo! I saw that you and Miklo both got your interviews scheduled. Finally!

 

For anyone else in Seattle who is curious: my pd is 8/7 and my interview was scheduled about two weeks ago.  It's on 4/5.

Thank you! Looks like 5 weeks is roughly the time frame for interviews from the date of the notice. Good luck with the interview and keep us posted about the experience!

8 minutes ago, ChristianZane said:

Since you have no timeline, what was your priority date in August exactly?

I do have a timeline. Please refer to Phoenix lockbox filers list, I am 2nd from the last, right above Miklo's timeline.

Got emails/texts that my interview was scheduled. The notice has not yet been uploaded. I'll keep everyone posted when I get to view the letter. Like I mentioned before, I will be out of the country all of April, so I had a bad feeling that my interview has been scheduled exactly when I am gone!

20 minutes ago, DrewR said:

We applied back in August.  Still waiting.
A friend of my wife's applied 5 months ago.   We both live in Nebraska and her friend just got an interview appointment.

 

They could at least word the website so it sounds like they are working on the next step of our case.  They word it like it's just not doing anything.  So annoying.

This is exactly my problem. I disagree with the 8/9 month timelines being thrown around by USCIS. I personally know of several people who applied in Oct/Nov and have received their interviews. Even my lawyer thinks that 7 months is not normal. 

I would at least like to get some explanation for the delay. If the IOE cases have issues, then why not explain what they are? Why not switch to NBC processing if the IOE procedures are not working (apparently IOE cases are fully digital). This is incredibly frustrating. 

I would maybe accept "general delay" as an excuse if everyone was also getting delayed. But clearly the 3-4 month timeline is working fine for many filers who filed well after us.

Just now, Lane O said:

Are you counting holidays and weekends? Cause if I included them, I'm on my 190 days now. 

 

I'm hoping to have an update before the end of the month. 

Yes I am. My PD is Aug 8th 2016. It will be exactly 7 months on March 8th. 

11 minutes ago, phunkyvida said:

 

What the hell is USCIS doing? Did you hear they effed up a bunch of H-1B approvals recently? Bunch of monkeys! I am just so glad I've got ample amounts of time on my green card at the moment so I don't have that hanging over my head, as well. 

Oops I meant to say 210 days (7 months), but the point stands. It's pushing closer to a year mark and nothing in sight. I lost out a very prestigious work opportunity in Singapore due to this mess and I am really mad.

I didn't hear about the H-1b fiasco. Do you have a link to that? It's awful!

12 minutes ago, phunkyvida said:

Congratulations to all who have received interviews/oath dates!

 

I've had no updates on my end, I will hit 180 days on March 19th, I've decided to make an infoPass if I still haven't heard anything after that. This waiting has completely sucked out all the excitement I had, now I just feel sad it is taking so long, the waiting continues 

I am going to hit 210 days (months) on March 8! It's insane.

On 2/28/2017 at 6:23 PM, javierita said:

Any updates?? I checked the myaccount site and my letter was on there (I haven't received it in the mail yet). My interview is on 4/5 at 2:30pm. Do you think the oath will be the same day? I've heard the oath is only on the same day if the interview is early in the morning but I don't know if seattle is like that. Keeping my fingers crossed for you! 

No updates yet. I am actually hoping for a bit of a delay now! I know it sounds crazy but I am out of the country all of April and I really want to avoid postponing the interview.

Good luck with the interview! I don't think you'll have your oath the same day. My lawyer said the cut off for same day oath was 12:00 pm aka your interview should be before that.

28 minutes ago, javierita said:

Hi there! I'll absolutely come back and share once I know more! My PD is 8/7/16. When is yours? 

Mine is 8/8! I really hope to get my notice soon too!

4 hours ago, javierita said:

SEATTLE UPDATE! I just got an email saying I will be receiving my interview date in the mail! No updates online yet so I can't see when it was scheduled. For all my seattle people on here... There's light at the end of the tunnel and I hope progress is happening with all of your cases. 

Wonderful news! Based on the current trend, it looks like the interview notice will be uploaded 2 days after the email. Do share the interview date and if the oath is on the day (as in common in Seattle). What was your PD btw? 

Seattle Filers,

I spoke to my attorney and she said that her Oct and Nov filers are starting to get interviews. She thinks the IOE filers are stuck in some weird limbo. This is so frustrating.

3 hours ago, Bill CT said:

Wife’s application was received Aug 12; biomed Sept 1. Now, we’re waiting like everyone else, and expecting to receive an interview date (Hartford CT) within the next month or so.

We have two questions, please, if anyone can provide info:

1.    1.     When we receive the interview date, is it easy to have it changed? If so, how long will the wait be? We have a mid-April commitment out-of-state, and, well, it now looks like that’s right about when we might expect the interview to be scheduled.

2.     2.    My wife’s son, my step-son, age 11, has a 2-year Green Card that expires early June (he came to U.S. two years after my wife). His time to initiate the application for removal of conditions begins early in March. My wife should easily have taken her oath by the time his 2-year card expires. When she becomes a citizen, he also becomes a citizen automatically. Question: do we need to begin the application to remove conditions since he will be a citizen before his 2-year card expires?

Thanks to anyone who can answer these questions, and good luck to all.

 

 

@Bill CT I am not sure about 2, but I can help with 1. I am going to Asia all of April for a work trip and I spoke to a lawyer who told me that postponing the interview is fine. She said the delay is usually 2-3 months more. I expect that I will need to postpone my interview too and not looking forward to that at all.

3 hours ago, phunkyvida said:

I am so nervous about this! I am a Citizen of India but was born in one of the banned seven countries so I don't know how badly this new ban would effect me and what ramifications it might have on my N-400 case. When I switched on the news over the weekend I was shaking! I did speak to a USCIS officer and they told me I should not be affected. Thanks @babyduck for sharing the information that you have gathered.

 

My heart goes out to those people doing their I-130, !-485. AOS etc, I would be so, so upset and outraged. 

@phunkyvida so my attorney sent me an email 5 minutes ago that USCIS will not be processing N 400's for LPR's from the 7 countries either. If your place of birth is one of the 7, I highly recommend talking to an attorney about your situation.

7 minutes ago, MikloGoesLegit said:

Thanks for the update!

I was thinking about scheduling an Infopass, luckily you saved me a trip to the FO to get the same answers since we both are in Seattle. It sucks to think we should be almost done only find out there might be several additional months tacked onto this unnerving waiting. 

 

I had a question for anyone who has had their oath since J20. What was the experience like with the (I assume) new video featuring the new president? In light of recent events, I am curious as to how they affect the naturalization process, and if we should expect some sort of injunction.

 

 

 

 

I have not had my oath yet, but I consulted with an attorney today. She said that N-400's have not been affected at all, even for the unlucky LPR's of the 7 banned countries. However, she said that she got word from USCIS that they have stopped processing all other immigration benefits (I-130, I-485, AOS etc) for those citizens. How tragic! Even spouses of US citizens are affected.

46 minutes ago, SeattleNeko said:

just a data point for you guys from another Seattle guy.  I filed my app late July & FP done early Aug of 2016.  I got my email notification & PDF for the interview in mid Jan 2017 with interview date of 2/22.  Yes, I am on IOE.  A friend of mine who is also Seattle IOE and have about a week later PD & FP date than mine has his interview scheduled one week later than my date.

 

it's moving guys.

Thank you! Good to hear that things are moving along!

47 minutes ago, Kamex009 said:

@EastCoast_Guy

 

Thanks for the update!!

 

Is it just me but it seems that there's more movement for the people  that submitted to the Texas Lock box.

 

Since the ones from the Phoenix Lock box that have the interviews scheduled, don't have the type of application ( IOE vs NBC ) .

 

anyways, no more conspiracy theory.

An update from Seattle FO. I went in for an Infopass yesterday and the officer was quite chatty and friendly.

He mentioned 3 important details as to why Seattle has been so slow.

1. About 1/3rd of Seattle FO's staff have quit due to the high cost of living. They are severely understaffed.

2. IOE files have been fully digitized and officers who have undergone training in dealing with these digital files are the only ones allowed to work on them. There was a training session in early jan for about half of the staff and there is one more in Feb for the remaining officers. So if you are unlucky enough to get stuck with an officer who has not yet received training, then don't expect any movement until Feb. Also, many trained officers quit after the Jan session thereby reducing the pool of available officers even more.

3. Due to the digitization, IOE interviews are conducted on Ipads and as expected with the govt, the Ipads and the software on them are crashing frequently thus delaying the processing even further.

The officer told me that it's impossible to provide a timeline, but 8 month waits are not uncommon! Ugh, it sucks.