alexpop13

Hi Everyone,

Want to share on of my friends' experience.

- He sent his package on November 5th.

- Received by USCIS November 10th

- Check was cashed December 15th.

- His GC expired 12/14 

- He finally received his NOA in the mail yesterday, December 29th.

It looks like it took 45 days from the received date to process the application. Received date on NOA it's November 10th, Notice Date is December 15th.

@Suze1 dang  not worth it. With the craziness that is going around right now I would hate to be stuck with paperwork with either USCIS or the State Department!

@Suze1 That is correct. Not even bent. I could still see the staples marks tho

Cleveland office started scheduling naturalization ceremonies TODAY!

One of my friends got called by Cleveland Office today and asked if she can attend the oath downtown in the Federal Building, at the USCIS Office.

On the Court Website it says that The oaths are suspended till July 31st, but this is AMAZING news. 

18 hours ago, hc70 said:

Hi,

I am wondering with all these restrictions due to COVID-19, have you receive your passport in the mail already? or are they delayed?, base on what is posted on their website, they are talking about severals months to receive passport.

Thanks.

Yes, I got it back in March. See below my signature for timeline.

2 hours ago, Rilo1234 said:

Unfortunately not but I don’t think it would have made a difference.

It did for me. See my signature. 

I was in no hurry to go anywhere, just didn't feel at peace with not having my Naturalization Certificate. 

@N400NYC

I had my oath on 3/11 and from the Oath I went straight to a USPS without an appointment. At first they said they can't do anything and I told them...Ma'am there is no one here, would you be kind to help me out?

So they did help me out, took a picture that was in my opinion really bad, the background was yellowish and I was 1000% sure they will reject it. IT WAS NOT REJECTED.

I don't have any travel plans but I paid for expedite just because I was not at peace with not having my Naturalization Certificate in hand.

The longer I don't have it, the higher the chances of being misplaced. This was my logic.

Literally dodge the bullet with both my Oath and with my Passport. 

See below my timeline.

I hope all of you get it fast and without issues.

Stay safe!

God Bless you all.

US Passport & Card: 2020 Applicants
===================================
User Name                 |Expedited|Sent        |Cashed      |Trackable   |PP Received |PPC Received|NC Received |Location
ramboy                    | Y       |01/09/2020  |NA Bank's Ch|01/21/2020  |01/28/2020  |01/30/2020  |01/30/2020  |Boston, MA (USPS)
Mounat02                  | N       |01/11/2020  |1/21/2020   |01/18/2020  |03/02/2020  |03/06/2020  |03/04/2020  |Houston, TX (Public library)
Estrella                  | N       |01/14/2020  |NA          |01/21/2020  |            |NA          |02/14/2020  |Shreveport, LA (USPS)
ramboy(2)                 | Y       |01/18/2020  |NA Bank's Ch|01/23/2020  |01/30/2020  |02/03/2020  |02/04/2020  |Boston, MA (USPS)
Stevo79                   | N       |02/02/2020  |N           |N           |            |            |            |El Paso, TX (Public library)
OBX                       | Y       |02/19/2020  |NA          |02/25/2020  |02/28/2020  |03/02/2020  |03/05/2020  |Newark, NJ (USPS)
Myrna87                   | Y       |02/21/2020  |N           |02/25/2020  |03/10/2020  |03/13/2020  |03/19/2020  |Dallas, TX  (USPS)
sidster81                 | Y       |02/19/2020  |2/24/2020   |02/24/2020  |03/07/2020  |03/09/2020  |            |Dallas, TC (Denton County Passport Office)
alexpop13                 | Y       |03/11/2020  |03/17/2020  |03/16/2020  |03/26/2020  |N/A         |03/27/2020  |Cleveland, OH (USPS)

Instructions for adding/updating yourself (or assisting others) to this list:

7 minutes ago, arman597 said:

Why did you go to DMV? I don't think you need to renew the Driver's license if you already have one unexpired

Name change. 

12 minutes ago, WillyLin said:

Congrats!!!!

i have question, do you apply for passport right after the ceremony ? or you go to USPS to do that so? need 2 passport photo and the application DS-11?

It's really up to you. I went to my local USPS after the ceremony and applied. And yes, you need a picture. Most USPS have the ability to take pictures on site for a fee. 

US Passport & Card: 2020 Applicants
===================================
User Name                 |Expedited|Sent        |Cashed      |Trackable   |PP Received |PPC Received|NC Received |Location
ramboy                    | Y       |01/09/2020  |NA Bank's Ch|01/21/2020  |01/28/2020  |01/30/2020  |01/30/2020  |Boston, MA (USPS)
Mounat02                  | N       |01/11/2020  |1/21/2020   |01/18/2020  |03/02/2020  |03/06/2020  |03/04/2020  |Houston, TX (Public library)
Estrella                  | N       |01/14/2020  |NA          |01/21/2020  |            |NA          |02/14/2020  |Shreveport, LA (USPS)
ramboy(2)                 | Y       |01/18/2020  |NA Bank's Ch|01/23/2020  |01/30/2020  |02/03/2020  |02/04/2020  |Boston, MA (USPS)
Stevo79                   | N       |02/02/2020  |N           |N           |            |            |            |El Paso, TX (Public library)
OBX                       | Y       |02/19/2020  |NA          |02/25/2020  |02/28/2020  |03/02/2020  |03/05/2020  |Newark, NJ (USPS)
Myrna87                   | Y       |02/21/2020  |N           |02/25/2020  |03/10/2020  |03/13/2020  |            |Dallas, TX  (USPS)
sidster81                 | Y       |02/19/2020  |2/24/2020   |2/24/2020   |3/7/2020    |3/9/2020    |            |Dallas, TC (Denton County Passport Office)
alexpop13                 | Y       |03/11/2020  |            |            |            |            |            |Cleveland, OH (USPS)

Instructions for adding/updating yourself (or assisting others) to this list:

I have added myself to the list. How long does it take to be able to track your passport? I applied last Wednesday with expedite service.

5 minutes ago, Suze1 said:

Yeah, we felt scammed on the photo.

There had a photo-taking room right in front of the counter.

I think the clerk was "pushing" their photo services.

We were not having it.

We went back home and re-took our own.

Even their photographer said ours was fine, and the clerk kept pushing paying them to take it.

She went back to chat with her supervisor, and we kept seeing the supervisor nod in approval, yet, the clerk  kept acting like it was not good enough. It was the nicest passport photo we had ever had...so we ignored her and told her to use ours for the application, and we will take our chances.

 

We are VISAJOURNEY! We are DIY! hee hee

LOL. @Suze1 I sent you a DM. Please check

7 minutes ago, Suze1 said:

Yeah, right!

We went to a local courthouse, since they took walk-ins with no appointment.

We asked her if she HAD to do that...and she chuckled and said, "Yeah,  just like with the photo, it gets stapled."

We were bummed.

And she had issues with the photo, so had to take another one with a whiter background. Went back the next day to submit it.

We shall see how long it takes. We did not bother to expedite it. 6-8 weeks is the official estimate. We shall see.

Not going anywhere before then. Then maybe to Europe for vacation or to Canada for work.

But that can wait until it is safe to travel. No rush.

 

Congrats again.

Great to be done, right!

 

 

Same issue with the picture. So the postal officer asked for a different picture. Since they had the possibility of taking picture there I paid for their service. Comparing the pics mine seems whiter than theirs. Hopefully will be fine. I am overthinking everything now, big time. lol

2 hours ago, Suze1 said:

Congrats!!!!

Glad to be done, right!

 

Filed for passport too. Stapling the certificate to the application form - Nooooooooooo! 

Oh well. hee hee

 

Congrats again.

Thanks and you too!

I saw the postal worker doing that and my heart stopped. Why would they do that? Lol

2 minutes ago, CTimeline said:

Alex - It looks like you are on top of things even in corona era 😃. Just curious, did you apply for expedited option for passport ?

@CTimeline, yes I did!

So far the March 20th ceremony is still going on. I would suggest calling the Clerk's office in Cleveland if you don't hear anything.

There was another ceremony today in CLE that took place. 

1 hour ago, arman597 said:

Congrats, I am sure you will get them back in 2-3 weeks. Did you also go to Social Security office to get a new SS card? Because now you are a citizen, I think you need to get a new SS Card as your benefits might change, I read that somewhere here. Getting a new SS Card will need you to show the Naturalization certificate, which means to wait until it comes back with a US Passport 

I did go to the SSA, that was my first stop

SSA

BMV

Post Office for Passport.

7 minutes ago, CTimeline said:

Congratulations Alex. Happy for you ! My Oath is on March 20. I hope it doesn't get postponed with all the pandemic around. 

CTimeline,

The officers and the staff was very careful not to touch anyone and they used a ton of hand sanitizer. 

I have a friend that has the ceremony on the 20th in Cleveland.

If the State bans large gatherings most likely the ceremony will be cancelled and then rescheduled. 

Fingers crossed for everyone. It's an added stress.

Also, stay safe and away from the virus. (as much as possible)

1 hour ago, Cécy said:

Congratulations!! 🇺🇸

22 minutes ago, Deagle said:

Congrats my friend.

Thank you both!

Applied for the passport at the USPS - felt a bit uncomfortable giving them my Original Naturalization Certificate and my Original Name Change paper. 

Can't wait to have them back alongside with the passport.

20 minutes ago, sree_yash said:

Cleveland is a dangerous place, high in gun crime etc. my colleague at work us from Cleveland. He says its not wise to drive around in downtown & some neighborhoods after dark

Like every big city in the US, Cleveland has its not so great parts. 
I live in the suburbs of Cleveland, pretty nice and quiet area. 

6 hours ago, Malauriea said:

Wow that's really fast.

We are in Seattle and it's the slowest one (14 to 16 months minimum wait time. I was wondering if getting an address in Cleveland just for the citizenship would help our case. I know we need to have at least 3 months of residency but how to prove the residency beside the lease agreement? We won't have anything else if we just rent a place to collect the mail and wait for the interview then come back home in Seattle 😄

LOL  & WOW. That is a ton amount of time. 

Looks like no one is interested in immigrating to the US via Cleveland. haha. 

Stick with Seattle - USCIS knows  your plan even before you think of it

2 hours ago, Malauriea said:

Hi Alexpop.

 

How fast is the office in Cleveland? How long did it take you to complete your application?

From what I have heard is the fastest in the country.

I applied October 30, 2019 and will be done March 11, 2020.

Cleveland office usually schedules the interview the same day with your biometrics if you are past the 3/5 year anniversary. 

I applied 89 days early so I had to wait 30 days before my actual anniversary. 

I have 3 friends that applied on November 1st, 2019 and Had their Oath on January 17.  - All in all, under 3 months. 

16 hours ago, lntdenver said:

Hi everyone!

I was eligible for N-400 since October 2019 but just got too busy with holidays, family visiting, work, gym, new year resolutions, etc. Now I am finally getting ready to file for N-400 and started reading this thread to see what I have to look forward to. LOL. 

There is a lot of good information on this thread (besides all the “update the spreadsheet” yelling). I learned about online filing, IRS transcripts download, and I was happy to see that my Field Office (Cleveland OH) was mentioned as one of the fastest one around. 

I applied to my AOS and ROC by myself without lawyers and never had any problems, so I already know the drill... bank statements, joint leases, mortgage, joint bills, beneficiaries insurance and retirement, etc.  

 

The only thing I am (VERY) concerned about - and I feel like I am the only one (!) - is the civics test! How are you guys preparing for it or have any recommendations??? Flash cards? App recommendations? Books? 

 

I actually called an organization that offers “prep classes for citizenship” listed on uscis website and got turned away. He asked if I was asking for classes for someone else?! Because my English was “too good to benefit from the class”. I was kind of disappointed but decided to take it as a compliment. LOL. 

Hi intdenver

i just went through the interview at Cleveland office. Let me know if you have any questions.