Private One

@Sad.wasi: I'm trying to familiarize myself with your situation so I went to your AOS post. You've had issues from day one. Your AOS interview was a train wreck (link below). I'm not saying your marriage is fake but it may seem that way to USCIS. The evidence you summited in your ROC package obviously did not convince them otherwise. Again, you had a stokes interview. They only conduct these when fraud is suspected. You need to speak with an attorney. You may dig yourself into a deeper hole by going to N400 interview without consultation. Let me remind you that you file for naturalization using the 3-year rule. That's a big issue if there are doubts about the validity of your marriage.

There's a lot a stake. Consulting with an experienced immigration attorney is your safest bet. 

1 hour ago, Ash.1101 said:

One of the biggest mistakes that can made here on VJ is telling someone that they can't be denied without knowing much about their case or showing proof that they only people who have been denied are people who commit crimes. People have been denied before without committing crimes (normally it's divorce waiver issues), if they can't prove bonafide marriage then yes, they can be denied. It's very rare, but it happens. They are the people who end up living in different states, with different finances, and weak reasons to explain it all off.

Amen!

They conducted a stokes interview. That's very alarming and should not be brushed off. Something caused the officer to second guess the validity of your marriage. It may be because the evidence you submitted was very weak or it could be some other reason that goes back to your AOS interview or quite possibly it's a combination of both.

My AOS interview went pretty bad. The cause? Lack of evidence. The IO said he was insulted by our lack of preparedness. We had joint bank accounts, car registration and insurance, photos and that was it. We only had joint documentation of things that happen after the marriage. We did not make getting utility bills in our name a priority because it wasn't important to us. I explain that to the IO. He said it's very important to the process of AOS so we should have done it. We were both very surprised I got approved. I think I know what changed his mind. A follow-up question he asked took us down to a line of new questioning that revealed the major changes my wife had to make for us to be together (including but not limited to transferring job, moving to a different state). He originally thought I'd moved in with my wife.

Thankfully, my I-751 was approved without a second interview. Sent in tons of evidence that time... including pictures of me cutting our firstborn umbilical cord in the delivery room.

I don't think you've given us much insight into your situation for anyone to offer solid advice. I understand if you do not want to share that but you won't get the best advice if you're holding back. You should consider talking with an attorney, especially given the current climate. Don't take this lightly. 

Best wishes.

On 8/15/2018 at 11:22 AM, St.James-One said:

My oath ceremony was yesterday. Done with the journey! Thanks to all of you for your help.

Only now bro? WOW

I haven't been on here for a while. I mean I assumed everyone was done with this journey and hoped everyone had positive outcomes. WOW. That was a long wait. Happy it's finally over for you.

My 1st year anniversary of being a US Citizen is about a month away.

19 hours ago, Dinosaur2013 said:

You're very welcome. Yes, I really think the length you are in procession of your LPR status is one of the key factors defining how quickly your application will be processed.

I doubt that's the case. I filed based on the 3 yr rule about 60 days before the 3rd anniversary of LPR status. I filed on 04/19/2017 and was naturalized on 09/27/2017 (5 months). I used to believe that people who filed under the 3 yr rule got approved faster than those using the 5 yr rule but that's not the case. It seems the fastest way is to file online....there's definitely something at play here.

4 hours ago, iamwhatiam80 said:

Nope it just depends on the priority date of your application and how busy your local field office is. If you did a normal paper filing, expect the interview letter between 4 to 5 month from the date of filing the N400 if everything goes smooth.

That's probably how it is but there's a lot more to factor in on an individual level. People with criminal records, problem with taxes or someone who have taken too many trips outside the US will probably have to wait longer to be processed that someone with none of these issues. I can compile a very long list of reasons that may delay a case. Sometimes it's beyond the control of an applicant (nothing to do with what they did or did not do).

5 hours ago, Zakuansamia said:

Hello Private One,

 

i have received my Oath Letter and has been schedule on 10/23/2017. thank you so much for all you advice. i would like to ask you below questions-

 

1. do i need to fill the 8 questions in form N-445 in front of the IO officer at Oath ceremony?

 

2. after the questions, it says  signed at - should be the address of the oath ceremony, on - Oath date and full address and Zip code - Full address of the Oath ceremony .

    Please correct me , if i am wrong ?

 

3.  all the end of the N-445 , i need to write down my address?

 

4. in naturalization certificate, can i sign my signature which i used in N-400 form ( same one i use for my bank and other purposes) or it has to be full name?

 

thank you .... 

Happy to hear you got that Oath Letter. 

1. do i need to fill the 8 questions in form N-445 in front of the IO officer at Oath ceremony?

The questions should be answered on the day of the oath but this needs to be done before you enter the waiting room. It does not have to be done in front an officer. Most people do it the night before assuming nothing is going to change between the night before and the oath. I waited till the last minute to full out my form and had to complete it before I was allow into the waiting room.

2. after the questions, it says  signed at - should be the address of the oath ceremony, on - Oath date and full address and Zip code - Full address of the Oath ceremony .

I used the city and sate of my oath ceremony for "signed at" because that's where I signed my form but it doesn't have to be the city and state of oath. Use the city and state where you singed the form if different from that of oath. Full address of oath is not required.

3.  all the end of the N-445 , i need to write down my address?

Correct!

4. in naturalization certificate, can i sign my signature which i used in N-400 form ( same one i use for my bank and other purposes) or it has to be full name?

You need to sign the certificate exactly as your signature appears on or next to your photo on your naturalization certificate. If they asked you to sign a passport photo at your interview, they use this photo with your signature on your naturalization certificate. Otherwise, they'll use the signature you provided on your N-400. Either way you'll need to sign exactly as the signature appears on or next to the photo on your certificate. I signed mine like I do for checks - First initial over second initial over my last name. 

Testing positive for HIV/AIDS used to be an automatic bar to getting a Green Card but that's no longer the case. I can't imagine gonorrhea being a problem. Confirming you're good to go...

https://www.uscis.gov/archive/archive-news/human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-infection-removed-cdc-list-communicable-diseases-public-health-significance

2 hours ago, extremerecluse said:

After my wife is naturalized she brings up divorce and states that I should be the plaintiff. She is a widow, according to every document I have seen. How would it be possible to fake all that? No infedelity, no abuse... nothing. She even openly admits that she is being too harsh towards me.

As others have stated, a lot more and clearer information is needed before we can begin to make intelligent guesses as to what is really taking place. I feel bad for you. It seems like you really love your wife. This could have been a con all along or it could simply be a marriage running its unique natural course. Some last a lifetime and others don't. 

What can you do? If deep down you feel the marriage was genuine but you guys just grew apart or something, you should try your best to save your marriage just like any other spouse would. If you feel like this was a con all along and you have the proof to back it up, you can move on and try your best to regain some sense of happiness or you can try to get justice. Willful misrepresentation (lying about marital status and possibly committing marriage fraud) is grounds for revocation of citizenship. The burden of proof will be on you to convince the federal government and then the burden of proof will be on them in their attempt to get a conviction. They may not want to pursue a small fish so you would need boatloads of evidence and not just a few hunches.

Best wishes moving forward.

58 minutes ago, Thisislife said:

I am not sure but i am waiting for my attorney's office to open to get a confirmation. However in the mean time this is what happened:

I went for my Interview on Oct 11th. Update my travel with the officer during the Interview. Yesterday i was going thru my N400. I think i made an Error and did not correct it at the Interview. On the Employment section i did mention the Employers with the date and month but i think the year was wrong. Instead on 2015 i think its 2016 on the application. I am still waiting for the attorney office to open to confirm as i did make some corrections before he sent the application out. I am freaking out as the office may deny the N400 based on material misrepresentation. I did submit my 2015 tax returns and it showed i got w2s from 2 companies and for the rest of the year I had my K1s. Should i be worried?

I would not be too worried about that. People make mistakes in recalling dates. I don't think the government would consider this material misrepresentation unless they have clear evidence that you willfully provided the wrong year in an attempt to cover up something that would have disqualify you from being naturalized. 

For example: In 2015 your employer was engaged in terrorist activities and all employees working at a particular branch (your branch) knew that their jobs involved helping terrorist but did nothing about it and continued working. You were an employee at the branch in question in 2015 ...you knew and should have been prosecuted.

By January 1,  2016 your employer was no longer deemed a threat because everyone known to have been involved in the terrorist activities were prosecuted at the end of December 2015.

Using the  year 2016 instead of 2015 in a situation like that is a big deal.

Extreme example but I wanted to drive home the point.

Let's see what your lawyer say.

12 hours ago, Nushabeh said:

Hi everyone!

congrats to all that are done!

so after reading through all this I'm kinda freaking out, first I don't check my mail very often maybe once every two weeks or so.....I rely on the online updates so after tonight definitely going to make a trip to the mail box every day. Second I went to Canada for my best friends wedding and I have another wedding coming up too again in Canada now wondering if I should go or not since they were giving a hard time about Netherlands.... third I'm in a big dilemma as I have this opportunity to move to another state and NJ/NY is moving so quickly not sure if I want to give that up for the other state which is 4 months behind the online estimate.... and changing your address delays the process on top of that..... I'm hopping that by some miracle I get my interview in the mail this week or something and I can make the move next month....(feeling anxious 😩)

You're right about checking your mailbox every day. You should be doing that as online statuses sometimes does not change despite case progression. 

Moving to a different state will not only delay the process. You may be denied on the grounds of failing to meet the residency requirement for your new state. You'll be changing jurisdictions. A lot of people have reported getting their applications denied after moving to a another state. I'd hold off on moving till after oath. Don't even think about moving and not mentioning it...that could come back to haunt you. That's considered willful misrepresentation and those are grounds for revocation of citizenship. 

3 hours ago, Angel19 said:

Wow!! Im also hoping to get interview by december. All my travel plans for the holidays are now placed on hold

NYC has been flowing pretty good but it seems like a few filers are lagging behind. Not sure why. What rule did you file under, 3yr or 5yr?

Hopefully you'll here something soon.

1 hour ago, Thisislife said:

Hi did you also receive N652 with decision can not be made? How long did it take after that for your status to show inline for oath? Do let me now. thanks

Yes. I also received my N652 with "decision cannot be made" box checked off. My online status stayed the same after I did the interview (09/12). It never went to "in line for oath". I received the oath letter about a week later. I took the oath on 09/27. My online status changed two days ago to "oath letter was mailed". 

13 minutes ago, Zakuansamia said:

Hello private one,

i checked my online status and it says that I have been placed in queue for oath ceremony. Can I assume that my n400 has been approved by the IO? My n652 says decision will be mailed, and I haven't received any mail from Uscis yet. What do you think? Thanks 

Being in line for oath means a decision has been made and you have been recommended for naturalization. The decision is probably on its way but don't sweat if it doesn't come. You may simply just get the oath letter. I never got a decision in the mail.

Seat back, relax and wait for the oath. Hopefully that will happen soon.

5 minutes ago, Thisislife said:

I have taken 7 trips in the last 3 years. 3 back home and 4 to Netherlands. I just received an email Post decision activity assigned to Supervisor. Is that the next stage?

Lucky you to get updates so quickly. First I'm hearing of such update but others here might have seen this before. The do say in the manual guide that quality checks are done and there are post decision activities that goes on.

Seat back and relax.

1 hour ago, Thisislife said:

I did my Interview today. Passed the civic, written and writing test. The IO said everything looks perfect and handed me the N652 decision can't be made. She stated she needs to run thru her supervisor. I had taken a trip after filing the papers but i mentioned it to her. She made it on the file and check my passport. Jokingly says you like going to Netherlands a lot...lol. Any particular reason. I said my younger brother lives there. lol.  She said i should wait for the update in the mail. Again another delay..ggrr

Congratulations!

I'll be surprise if it takes more than a couple weeks to get the oath letter. 

Hi @Sukie, longtime no see.

@mnb2015: I think you'll be OK with what you have.

2 joint Joint bank accounts with months of statements to back it up 
A joint investment in stock
joint life insurance
power of attorney
living will
affidavits from family

These are more than enough given your situation. I should point out that monthly statements with very little or no account activity will not be much help. Like @afrocraftsaid, co-mingling of finances is very critical.  Taxes can help a great deal but it's not critical. I made it through AOS, ROC and Naturalization without showing a single tax return. My wife and I have always filed separately because that gets her lower monthly payments on student loans. I took 3 years of tax transcripts for both of us to my naturalization interview just incase but was never asked so I did not present it.

Good Luck!

I'll tell you one thing. You'll most likely get denied if you applied for citizenship with that honesty (you should be honest) and you continued working abroad. You obviously had a change of heart about making the US your permanent home. I would try to maintain the GC if I were you, not for the reason of filing for citizenship as soon as you hit the three year mark (assuming you'd be using 3 yr rule) but in case you have another change of heart down the line and you decide to live in the US permanently once again. 

On 10/4/2017 at 4:25 PM, Berehilina said:

i got RFE for late registered birth certificate and RFE also mention for DNA parentage testing. do anybody know anything about situation. did DNA testing is need at stage? should i have to do it? i am confused

On 10/5/2017 at 12:46 PM, Berehilina said:

I gott RFE notice on oct 3 and hard copy on the next day. But do you have any idea whether it is must to do DNA test or it might not be need if i have supporting evidence that proof our relationship? Thank you

Why would you not want to comply with a request for evidence? You're looking to get this application denied. The birth certificate would have been your best evidence (aside from DNA) but you presented a "late registered birth certificate". They don't trust theses. They need the DNA test to prove biological relationship between parent and child. There's no other supporting evidence can you provide that will satisfy this request. 

Good Luck!

Been following this thread for a while. Getting ready to file for my mother. 

4 minutes ago, JoeSchmoe2017 said:

  @Private One Congratulations!  A bunch of March filers got updates about 30 minutes ago as well. 

Thanks! Hope you were one of them who got good news.

They seem to have a special time of day to send out notifications. Looks like they always happen in bunches. This notification is about 3 weeks late (about how long ago I got oath letter.) Naturalized (took the oath) about 2 weeks ago.

Meanwhile...I got a notice from USCIS informing me of a case status update. 

Quote

"Oath Ceremony Notice Was Mailed"

 

lol...so was my passport. 

12 hours ago, IrinaPM said:

Hi everyone! I'm new to the forum.

Did anyone from New York get any updates? I've been in line for the interview since May 8 - no updates since then.

Here's a tip - Go through the forums and check out the filer's lists for the various months around the  time you filed. eg. If you filed in April 2017 you should check out the most up to date lists for March, April , May of 2017 to get an idea of how NYC is flowing. Some people like myself who filed in April have already been naturalized while others who filed in March 2017 have not completed the process. You'll find the info you're looking for faster that way.

On 10/8/2017 at 6:18 PM, Zakuansamia said:

Hello Everyone,

 

I need assistance. I would appreciate, if you guys please provide me some advise.

 

Situation- I went for my naturalization interview on 08/31. the IO gave me letter saying decision will be mailed to you. she said " there is one checking left from our end, you should be receiving your decision by a week or so." its been more than a month and I went for infopass two days ago. the person told me during the infopass " the case is still with the IO, that's all I can see in the system. I don't what checking is left. wait another month or so". I am very frustrated, since I have to visit abroad for an urgent family issues. what should I do?

 

1. just wait 120 days?

2. write a letter to the IO and make an enquiry. the form, I was given after the interview says I can write to the IO and I the person confirms me too during the infopass that I am ok to write to the IO. I am just wondering whether its going to effect negatively my case.

 

Please advise. thank you   

I would reach out directly to the IO with a friendly but professional inquiry. In the letter you should acknowledge the 120 day waiting period but point out your urgent family issues with supporting evidence if possible.

47 minutes ago, iamwhatiam80 said:

No name change. Any idea when we should contact USCIS? Its been 3 weeks already.

35 minutes ago, Going through said:

Mine moved to Oath Ceremony Scheduled and then Oath Ceremony letter mailed the same day of my interview.  Just under a week to get the physical letter in the mail.

 

If I were you, I'd phone USCIS today and request to speak with an L2 officer to inquire about whether you are inline for your oath....make sure to request the transfer to the L2 officer though, who can look at your actual case file.  The customer service person who answers the phone won't be able to tell you any real information.

Agree with Going through. You should at least try to find out whether or not you're in line especially when a lot of others from NYC secured oath dates in less than two weeks.

1 minute ago, iamwhatiam80 said:

Congratulations!!!! Great news. Did your status move to Scheduled for oath ceremony/Oath letter mailed out or did you straight away get the oath letter? Wife gave her interview on Sep 13th and was approved. Still nothing about Oath.

Nope...no status change. It's stuck in the "Interview Stage". Is your wife doing a name change? If yes, that may cause a delay.

I don't believe we've heard anything from @philos74 after the passage of Hurricane Maria. Field office is San Juan. Hope you and the family survived the storm and will survive the aftermath.