Hawksquill

2 hours ago, smileysjs said:

So my husband never signed up for selective service because he was over the age of 26 when we filed for his green card. But uscis wants proof we registered for the interview. What should I do?

You can't bring proof of something that didn't happen.  They'll see his age and know he wasn't eligible - it's just included on the general list of evidence because many people need to bring it.

9 hours ago, Ruryn said:

KayDeeCee-  The forms do seem straight forward with guidance but the lingering fear of making a mistake and prolonging the process rings in my head.
 

If there's nothing exceptional or worrying about your case for other reasons, and one or both of you are both fluent in English, literate, and capable of paying close attention to detail, there's no reason to hire someone.  Hundreds of us here on VJ have gone through this process without a lawyer or other paid service.  If you're confident that you can read and follow instructions, follow the guides on VJ, fill out the forms carefully, and then proofread them and check the application against the instructions, I'd say save yourself the money.  If you're really worried, get a TRUSTED family member or friend to double check them for you.  You can always remove your SSN before giving it to someone to proofread and then put the SSN back in again once they've checked everything.

If you are genuinely worried that you don't have the literacy, reading comprehension, or attention to detail, and you don't have anyone you trust to help you for free, then by all means pay someone.  I second the cautions above about vetting the person you're going to hire very very carefully.  Even if you do hire someone, I would insist on looking over everything before you submit it. Even legitimate immigration attorneys have been known to make mistakes, sometimes big and sometimes small.

On 5/26/2021 at 5:42 AM, Godobo said:

I am in MA as well and I will be applying for my N400 soon, did your hubby did his interview and Oath  the same day ? 

Yes, it was a same day oath ceremony. 

8 hours ago, glmg21 said:

Could I ask - were you both permitted to attend the interview? I received my interview notice, for Lawrence yesterday, but I don't see anything permitting a spouse to attend, even for three-year pathways. Any other advice is also welcome!

Nope!  The interview notice said you could only bring someone else if you need them to translate or help you if you have a disability.  I just dropped my husband off at the office and waited until he was done.  The IO asked if I had come up to MA with him (we live in CT) and my husband said yes but that was it.  

I posted my full experience further up in the thread if you want all the deets.  Good luck!

1 hour ago, LinJoe said:

For those that already have went through the interview...did you take any additional paperwork. I mean more than what’s listed on the interview letter? If so, what did you take and did the USCIS officer ask for it?

My husband filed under the 3 year rule so we did bring extra evidence - basically updated bank statements, mortgage statements, utility bills, and our most recent tax return between when we applied in September and now, to show that our situation hasn't changed.  The IO didn't ask for any of it but I still don't regret bringing it, since they could have asked for it - you never know if you're going to get a hardass, or if USCIS has lost some of the documents from your file along the way or what have you.  They can also ask to see the originals of any documents you submitted copies of with your application, so we brought all those along too. 

And who knows, maybe he saw my husband carrying two massive folders of documents and decided that was proof enough.  😛

Update for anyone wondering about this: No, I was not invited inside for my husband's oath ceremony.  He said there were several people who had family members there (including small children), but we suspect those people were allowed in as translators or carers for disabled people.

1 minute ago, mycase17 said:

IO officer didn't say anything about approval, she said she will have to review the file before approving it and I asked her the time frame and she said she has no idea. I'm bit worried because she gave me a paper that says 'A Decision cannot be made'

It's normal for them to give you that "decision cannot be made" paper.  When we had our AOS interview they gave us that paper and then the status on the website changed to say we were approved within a couple days.  She likely reviewed your file (like she said she would) and recommended you for approval, which is why the website says you've been recommended for approval and the ceremony is pending.

Congrats!

I'm confused - it says that you've been recommended for approval and that your oath ceremony is going to be scheduled.  That's a good thing.  Are you concerned about the phrase "quality review"? This is a normal part of the process. 

If they had serious concerns, I don't think they would have recommended you for approval.

8 hours ago, Nisrine chabani c said:

Thank you for helping. But the truth is, I am more concerned about my green card. The interview was 3 months ago and no one is responding or providing updates. Is there something that can be done?

Your number one priority should be filing the EAD renewal correctly so you can get the NOA for that to ensure you can stay employed.

Re: the green card, I think the above advice is best - call USCIS and ask to speak to a tier 2.  It could be that there's a delay finding the missing documents.  If USCIS needs anything else from you, they will let you know, otherwise there's not much you can do.  Have you moved recently, and if so have you updated your address?

2 hours ago, NorthSouth said:

For those that have received interview notices, do you get the e-mail  notice the same time as it shows in my.uscis site?  I think I'm going nuts checking several times a day so if it's just as easy to wait for the e-mail that will save me some anguish.  

We got an email saying action had been taken on our case about a week and a half before we got the interview notice. 

Congrats to everyone seeing movement on their cases!  We're currently prepping for my husband's interview next week in Lawrence, MA.  Below is the list of documents we're going to bring with us to the interview:

Original documents:

-Green cards (10 year and temporary) 

-State ID

-Passports (current and expired)

-EAD/AP card

-Marriage certificate

-Appointment letter

-USC spouse's birth certificate

-Blue or black pen (The appointment letter explicitly said to bring this because of COVID, so we're making sure to add it to the document folder so he doesn't forget!)

Copies:

-Selective service verification

-IRS tax transcripts, 2017-2020

-Scan of USC spouse's driver's license with shared address

-Bank statements for two shared bank accounts, 2017-2021

-Mortgage statements, 2017-2021

-Mortgage refinance documents, 2020

-Utility bills, 2017-2021

-Health id cards showing shared health insurance

-Home insurance statements, 2018-2021

-Car insurance statements, 2017-2021

-Retirement account statements showing beneficiaries, 2017-2020

-Life insurance beneficiary statements, 2017-2020

Hope this helps anyone who might be preparing!

1 minute ago, discoverusa said:

Hi, I am following this thread because I helped someone submit N400 back in September. I noticed you have an interview in Boston, but live in Ansonia. Don't you think this is strange? 

My friend is in Norwalk, CT. Hopefullly he won't get called to Boston, MA for the interview. 

This has happened with multiple CT N-400 cases recently.  I live in southern CT and have had previous interviews in Hartford, but my husband got his interview scheduled in Lawrence, MA which is actually further away than Boston.  It's annoying but I'm just glad he's getting an interview.

I suspect Hartford might be overwhelmed and they've transferred some cases to MA offices for interviews.

You're still within the normal processing time for N-400 for the Indianapolis office (according to the USCIS website that's between 9.5 to 18.5 months) so there's not much you can do except make sure you update your address if you move and keep waiting.

I know it's really tempting to compare your timeline to others' but there's not much discernible rhyme or reason in the way USCIS processes their cases (at least not from the perspective of the people waiting).  They could be reviewing your case and it's taking longer than usual, or you've been assigned to a slower IO, or you're still waiting in line. Sometimes it's a short wait and sometimes it's a long wait.

Good luck! 

Edit: I hope this doesn't sound harsh.  It's totally frustrating and exhausting, I agree.  From personal experience when we were going through AOS and waiting for EAD/AP it was just awful.  I was checking pretty much every day and scrutinizing the timelines of everyone on VJ, getting upset because there were people who applied after us who were getting their EAD/AP sooner.  Honestly all the stress didn't really help me at all, it just made me unhappy.  The EAD took as long as it took and the time I spent worrying about it didn't really change that.  I hope this perspective helps! 

My husband applied for N-400 based on the 3 year rule and just had his interview scheduled for the beginning of May in Lawrence, MA.  I know the spouses aren't allowed in for the interview due to COVID, but would I read online that the Lawrence office is doing same-day oath ceremonies - are spouses/family invited in for the ceremony itself?  Trying to plan ahead!

Thanks!

29 minutes ago, NorthSouth said:

Did you get any electronic notification or did you only find out by logging in to see?

On 3/19 he got a notification that USCIS had taken action on the case. We've been checking myUscis every day or so since then - no specific text or email notification that the interview had actually been scheduled.  

An update on our case!  My husband's MyUSCIS account has an interview letter dated 3/31.  The interview is for 5/5 in Lawrence, MA even though our local office in Hartford, CT.  That's about 2.5 hours away from us and our appointment is for 10 AM, so I'm thinking we'll have to go up the night before to make sure we get there on time.

Very exciting to see this progress even if it's a further drive than we were expecting!

5 hours ago, SadFace said:

hey!

 

I just found u on timelines, so I got the same message same day, check timeline, after I got that message my case time moved 1 month less. They send such mails when time is changing

Hey thanks for commenting!  Cool to see a fellow Hartford filer.

This is promising, although I'm still a bit unnerved that our case completion date completely went away rather than moving in either direction.  Just curious, what's your new case completion estimate?  Glad to see it moved to be sooner rather than later, too!

On 3/19/2021 at 12:25 PM, Hawksquill said:

This morning 3/19 my husband got an email saying USCIS is taking action on his case, but when we go onto the citizenship portal and myUSCIS, it still says "Your case has been received and a receipt notice has been sent."  No docs or interview notice in the documents tab either.

 

Do you think this will update to show an interview notice soon, or possibly just a glitch?

Still trying to figure out what this means.  Nothing in the mail or on myUSCIS, the status still says "Your case has been received and we have mailed a receipt notice."  No new documents added to the documents tab.  The email came from a .gov email address and said "We have taken an action on your case."  Is this the usual wording, or any chance this is spam?

The only thing I can see that's changed is that we no longer have an estimated case completion date listed on myUSCIS (used to be July 2021).  That field is just gone.  I'm worried that taking off the estimated completion date counts as an "action" but not sure it would warrant them sending an email?

Any insight?

This morning 3/19 my husband got an email saying USCIS is taking action on his case, but when we go onto the citizenship portal and myUSCIS, it still says "Your case has been received and a receipt notice has been sent."  No docs or interview notice in the documents tab either.

Do you think this will update to show an interview notice soon, or possibly just a glitch?

3 hours ago, Rymb2008 said:

Hey guys quick question! After receiving the biometrics reuse letter, how long does it usually take to get the interview notice?

It really depends on which office and even then, some people have already gotten their citizenship and someone people are still waiting for biometrics, there's not really any rhyme or reason.  I applied September 18, 2020 and got biometrics reuse in November, otherwise no movement.  Hartford, CT.

Any other Hartford, CT filers here?  Filed September 17 and other than biometrics reuse notice haven't heard anything since.  It's amazing to see so many others seeing movement and even getting interviews and approvals!

23 minutes ago, LirikBlaidd87 said:

Well my concern is that my address with apt number is 33 characters, quite long

I just wanted to make sure USCIS wouldn't cut my address off if they put everything on one line

 

Does anybody have 33+ character address?

Our old address was about 27 characters and we didn't have any issues receiving mail from USCIS - 33 doesn't seem all that long to me, there are lots of long street names and house numbers with 4-5 digits.  

Same boat as everyone else, our estimated completion date was pushed back a month - from June 2021 to July. Applied 9/17 and got our biometric reuse notice in November.