I thought I would update here. The interviewer did require my drivers licence and she was very strict about, but in the end she didnt care that it was out of state.
I talked with the lawyer this morning, he agrees with what most of you stated. It seems it was required up until 2014 but not since then. Thanks for all the input!
In light of the recent spike in nationwide incidence of cases of measles, and the accompanying increased scrutiny for the reasons behind this increase. Add to that the US House of Representatives recently passed House Resolution 179, encouraging increased population vaccination, and finally, that there are currently over 100 bills in 30 state legislatures speaking about increasing vaccination rates. The likelihood of obtaining an exemption from vaccination for usual communicable diseases my be slim.
I thought I would update here. The interviewer did require my drivers licence and she was very strict about, but in the end she didnt care that it was out of state.
We did all of this and they still got our address wrong. After we moved we tried to reschedule our appointment three times because they kept setting it up in the state of our old address. We ended up just driving the 800 miles to the wrong office after the third reschedule. We changed it on line and we talked to several tier 2 people with each reschedule.
Book an info pass if your local office allows it and bring evidence of the lack of notification -print screen the status updates online from your USCIS account and emails from informed delivery if you have it-.
My interview notice came in thru email Jan. 8, 2019.
Interview at 8:30am and oath the same day. Jan. 23, at Frankfurt, Germany office. It went by fast. We did the reading and writing first and then the 6 civics questions. Then we went through my application esp. my travels outside Germany. I can only remember 4 civics questions... 😅
1. No. of Senators
2. What borders Canada
3. When was the Constitution written
4. Ocean on the East Coast of US
5.
6.
It only took me 15mins then done. But we have to wait for the other 4 applicants to finish their interview, then we all took oath. Took 3hrs from interview to oath.
This is it. My final visajourney is done.
Best of luck to all of you. God speed 🙏
It would have to be extreme extenuating circumstances for him to maintain his residence status without being a resident. If i remember correctly he would have to spend no more than six months at a time out of the country, and he would have to have the reentry permit for returning, but even then it would be up to the officer at his point of entry if they let him in. I lost my greencard when we went to Namibia, after 11 months out of the country there was nothing they could do for me, I was made to surrender my greencard at the POE. I would recommend finding a lawyer to see if you have any real options.
Best would be if he could get citizenship before leaving, if you get stationed abroad he could apply without having to wait for the residency period to pass (under 319 B). Having gone through the green card process twice I would really recommend you dont do that.
I did googled and too many cases and reports on the matter. In fact in one of the readings, someone was taken to an ice jail. So not as simple as you think But thanks anyway
I wanted to document my N-400 journey in detail. Many members find reassurance in reading the experiences of others, and I hope this helps. I got my green card through my employer and applied based on 5 years of permanent residency. Some of this information is specific to Houston, but most of it will be of use to all applicants. I hope this serves as a useful "sample timeline" for others. So here you go; everything that happened from the moment I sent the application to the moment I picked up my naturalization certificate.
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Timeline
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16-Dec-2015 Early-filing eligibility date
17-Dec-2015 Day 1 N-400 mailed to Lewisville, TX
18-Dec-2015 Day 2 Application delivered (FedEx confirmation)
23-Dec-2015 Day 7 Check cashed
23-Dec-2015 Day 7 Application received (e-notification)
28-Dec-2015 Day 12 Receipt notice (NOA) received
04-Jan-2016 Day 19 Biometrics notice received (for 13-Jan-2016)
13-Jan-2016 Day 28 Biometrics completed
26-Apr-2016 Day 132 In-line for interview (e-notification)
03-May-2016 Day 139 Interview scheduled (e-notification)
06-May-2016 Day 142 Interview letter received (for 07-Jun-2016)
07-Jun-2016 Day 174 Interview completed (recommended for approval)
09-Jun-2016 Day 176 In-line for oath (e-notification)
10-Jun-2016 Day 177 Oath scheduled (e-notification)
13-Jun-2016 Day 180 Oath letter received (for 22-Jun-2016)
22-Jun-2016 Day 189 Oath ceremony
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Application
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16-Dec-2015
I became eligible to file my application; 90 days before the 5th anniversary of the "resident since" date on my green card. Note: the early filing calculator on the USCIS website took into consideration that 2016 is a leap year.
17-Dec-2015 - Day 1
I mailed my application to the Lewisville, TX lockbox (sent to the street address, not the P. O. Box). I included the N-400 form, the G-1145 form, two passport photos with my name and A-number written on the back, a copy of the front and back of my green card, and a personal check for $680 with my A-number written on it. I used FedEx; for $7.50, they guaranteed next-day delivery, although I'm sure it was only that cheap because it's only a 3 hour drive.
18-Dec-2015 - Day 2
My application was delivered to USCIS in Lewisville, TX according to the tracking tool on the FedEx website.
23-Dec-2015 - Day 7
Morning: my bank account showed that USCIS cashed my check.
Afternoon: I received a text message and e-mail notifying me that my application had been accepted. The text message said that my case had been received and it provided me with my case number (starting with NBC*). The email contained the same information, but also informed me that the application had been routed to the National Benefits Center and said that I should expect my NOA in the mail within 7-10 days. I used my case number to set up an account on the USCIS website and to turn on text message and email alerts for the next stages of my application.
28-Dec-2015 - Day 12
I received my receipt notice (I-797C Notice of Action) with a notice date of 22-Dec-2015. The NOA states that I'll be scheduled to appear for an interview "upon receipt of all required Record Checks".
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Biometrics
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04-Jan-2016 - Day 19
I received my biometrics letter with an appointment date of 13-Jan-2016. The letter was sent from the National Benefits Center in Lee's Summit, MO and is dated 26-Dec-2015.
13-Jan-2016 - Day 28
My biometrics appointment was scheduled for 2:00 pm at the Southwest Houston Application Support Center (11777 S State Highway 6), which is actually in the city of Sugar Land, just southwest of Houston. I arrived at 1:40 - note that parking is no concern at all since this ASC shares a parking lot with a Kroger and several other stores. I left my phone in the car, because I was asked to do so on every other visit. When I walked in, the security guard told me to turn off my cellphone if I had one (even though there was a sign that said no cellphones). They may have relaxed the rules, since on previous visits I was told to leave my phone in the car. He checked my letter, asked to see my green card, and gave me the "Learn About the United States" packet and a form to fill out. The form asked for my biographical information as well as any other names I have used in the past. When I was done, I handed the security guard the form and followed another gentleman to do my biometrics. There were two people ahead of me when I walked in and they were done by this time. He then asked me to sit down for the photo, which he had to retake because I didn't lean all the way up against the wall the first time. I then had to sign my name on an electronic reader and I could see my signature, photo, and fingerprints on the screen. I filled out an evaluation card and was given my biometrics letter (now stamped and dated). I walked out at 1:55.
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Interview
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18-Apr-2016 - Day 124
I have not heard anything from USCIS since my biometrics appointment, which was 3 months ago. The status check page on the USCIS website won't let me submit an online "Case Status Inquiry" because my application is still within normal processing times. However, those are predicted times for the whole process, and not just for the stage I'm in. It's too early to bother calling or making an Infopass appointment. So on the recommendation of a fellow December 2015 filer who was in the same position, I filed an "Notice Not Received" online inquiry. Since I haven't received the Inline for Interview notice, I thought this made sense.
26-Apr-2016 - Day 132
I was placed inline for interview scheduling. I received an e-mail update and my online case status was updated around 11:00am. The text message arrived two days later. My status now says that USCIS "started the interview scheduling process." No idea if this is related to the online inquiry.
03-May-2016 - Day 139
My interview was scheduled. I got a text message and an email and my online status was updated to indicate that USCIS would send me an interview letter in the mail.
06-May-2016 - Day 142
I received the interview letter in the mail. My interview is scheduled for 07-Jun-2016 at the new USCIS office on Gears Road in north Houston.
07-Jun-2016 - Day 174
I had my interview this morning and I was recommended for approval.
My appointment was for 8:30 at the new USCIS office at 810 Gears Road in north Houston. I walked into the building at 8:10, went through a security checkpoint, and turned in my interview letter at the front desk. There was no line at check-in, and I was asked to wait in one of two waiting areas in a large open room. One waiting area was for naturalization interviews and the other was for Infopass appointments. Every now and then, a number would be called, and someone in the Infopass area would be told to go to one of the windows around the room. The naturalization interviewees were called by name and told to go to a door where an officer was waiting. I waited for about an hour (so about 40 minutes after my appointment time) before my name was called. My interviewer met me at the door, introduced herself, and chatted while we walked back to her office. By any measure, she was friendly, but by USCIS standards, she was positively bubbly. When we got to her office, she asked me to sit down and give her my green card, passport, and drivers license. She then asked me to stand so she could place me under oath.
We started with the testing portion of the interview. She asked me the following six questions:
- What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
- How many amendments does the Constitution have?
- What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
- What is the name of the Vice President of the United States now?
- Why did the colonists fight the British?
- What is the highest court in the United States?
She then said, This is going to be very elementary for you and moved to the language test.
She asked me to read: What country is north of the United States?
She asked me to write: Canada is north of the United States
We went through the application page by page. She went over my legal name and had some questions as to what my birth name was (I had a translated copy of my birth certificate with me and she took this). We went over all the biographic information and she double-checked my name change request. I told her at the start that I had another trip to add to my list (taken after the application was sent). I had printed this correction out for her and she took the new sheet and added it to my application. Going through the rest of the application, she specifically asked whether my parents were US citizens, whether I was currently a member of any organizations other than those listed, whether I had any citations within the last 5 years other than those listed (she didnt seem to care about the older ones), and whether I had ever been in the military. When we got to the question about selective service, she asked me how old I was (I'm over 31) and she said, "So this doesn't apply to you," and moved on. Other than those specific questions, she seemed to be picking yes/no questions at random (or maybe just the ones she was interested in asking); she didnt ask all of them. She did not ask me for any additional documentation and she didn't look at my passport beyond a quick glance at the name. She asked me if I understood the oath and then asked me to sign my application in two places.
After that, she printed out three sheets of paper. The first two were for the name change and were identical. She asked me to sign both with my current name and reminded me that my name would not legally change until the ceremony. The third sheet of paper had my biographic information on it and was stapled to a small ziplock bag with my photos in it (thats how I had attached the photos to the application). She asked me to check the information, but I looked at it and said, My name is not Maria and Im not from El Salvador; she had attached the photos to the wrong piece of paper. She laughed, corrected this and gave me the right paper to check. She did not ask me to sign my photographs; this seems to be common for name change applicants.
At this point she told me that everything looked good and she gave me the N-652 form stating that I had passed the English and civics tests and that my application was recommended for approval. She said that I should get an oath letter in the mail and that it was important to show up at the time indicated on the letter because it takes hours to get everyone checked in. She said that they were not having people wait for letters today (which I took to mean that they sometimes do on other days). She said that I would mostly likely be scheduled for the June 22nd ceremony, but that if not, then I would be scheduled for the July 27th ceremony.
The interview took about 30 minutes.
She walked me out to the waiting room and told me she would call me when she was done making copies of my passports (2), green card, and drivers license. I waited for about 5 minutes before she called me back to the door, handed me my documents, and told me to have a nice day.
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Oath Ceremony
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09-Jun-2016 - Day 176
I was placed inline for oath ceremony scheduling. I got a text message and an email and my online status was updated.
10-Jun-2016 - Day 177
My oath ceremony was scheduled and the letter was mailed. I got a text message and an email and my online status was updated.
13-Jun-2016 - Day 180
I received my oath ceremony letter in the mail. It says to take my green card and oath letter to the ceremony and has a number of yes/no questions on the back that need to be filled out on the day of the ceremony. The questions are all related to whether or not anything has changed since the interview. The ceremony is scheduled for 7:00am on 22-Jun-2016.
22-Jun-2016 - Day 189
Today was the big day; my naturalization ceremony. A guest and I arrived at the M. O. Campbell Educational Center in north Houston at 7:15, a little later than indicated on the oath letter. It was raining heavily when we got there and some people were soaked by the time they made it across the large parking lot to the entrance; luckily I had two umbrellas. At the entrance guests were ushered inside so they could wait in the auditorium while applicants waited outside in a covered area. Our oath letters had numbers on them (from 0 to 9) and these corresponded to the check-in table that you were supposed to go to. After about 20 minutes I was inside the building and 10 minutes after that I was at the front of the line for my table. I turned in my oath letter and green card and was given my certificate to check. I was then given a purple piece of paper and told that we would be dismissed by color (colors corresponded to order of arrival, so those who get there earlier get to leave earlier). I met my guest and we sat together on the second tier of the auditorium (the lower tier was already mostly full). This was at around 8:00 am. As I walked in, I was given a packet containing an American flag, a welcome letter from President Obama, and a copy of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. There were a few announcements made about the colored pieces of paper, but mostly people just took photos and talked and waited. Around 9:00 am the doors were closed and ceremony began with a brief speech by the USCIS director. At this point she asked any applicants who had requested a modified oath to see her and shortly after that, she introduced the judge. The U.S. And Texas flags were brought in and a young lady sang the national anthem. The judge opened the formal court session and made some very kind remarks urging people to relax, take as many photos as they wanted, and not worry about their kids making noise; he said that it was a formal court session, it was a day to celebrate. He also said that he'd stick around afterwards and pose for photos with anyone who was interested. The USCIS director indicated that of the 2089 people scheduled for the oath, 2020 were present and asked the judge to "continue the applications" of those not present, whatever that means. The judge then introduced several members of the armed forces who were being naturalized and asked them to stand and be recognized. He then asked all applicants to stand and he read the entire oath of citizenship at once, after which he said, "If that is your oath, please say, 'I will'" and everyone said "I will." The judge then congratulated us as "his fellow Americans". Before we sat down, we recited the pledge of allegiance. The judge said a few more words about the importance of voting, but kept it brief. That was it; simple, but very enjoyable. There were no additional songs and no video from the president as I've read about at other ceremonies. The judge closed the session and dismissed us shortly before 10:00 am. USCIS officials called out the first color to be dismissed and I heard them call green, orange, pink, yellow, and red before they called purple about 30 minutes after the ceremony ended. When I left, the judge was still posing for photos with over 100 people still in line, so he was going to be there for a while. I went back to table 9 and gave them my purple paper (which they'd written my A-number on). They gave me my certificate and congratulated me. Attached to my certificate was a name change order signed by the judge. Also, unlike almost all the other applicants, the photo on my certificate was the one I had submitted with my application and not the one taken at biometrics. Based on what I've read this is common for those who change their names. The photo was glued on and embossed, not scanned and printed. We left the building at roughly 10:45 and walked out into a hot, humid, sunny Houston morning.
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U.S. Citizen
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And with that, 16 years after I moved to the U.S., I'm happy to call myself an Egyptian, an immigrant, and an American. People differ on what it means to be an immigrant; should one assimilate completely, or should one hold on to their heritage as tightly as possible? As with most things, the best answer is probably somewhere in the middle. Over 200 years ago, Thomas Paine, an immigrant, revolutionary, abolitionist, and founding father, said it better than I ever could, "Independence is my happiness, and I view things as they are, without regard to place or person; my country is the world, and my religion is to do good."
I would explain this one more time, the form of identification they are asking you is just to enter the building a green card or passport is fine, you already have the letter so do as the letter says, now if you need to provide residency in your jurisdiction a drivers license could be helpful but is not the only thing that you can show to prove this, you can show leases, mortgages, etc.
probably you will be asked for a form of identification but not for the interview, just to enter the building, a passport can be used for that purpose.
Folks, I want to ask if you guys think a Google Sheet would work better than cutting and pasting? If so, I would create the Google Sheet and import everyone's data and post the link here. Then you can all update the doc as your timeline changes.
Ha! It the handle of my first email address. It comes from the minds of two teenagers staying up way to late about 20 years ago. And it has no meaning, we just thought we were being super rad.
Ha! It the handle of my first email address. It comes from the minds of two teenagers staying up way to late about 20 years ago. And it has no meaning, we just thought we were being super rad.
wow. you guys must be on top of the world. happy for u!
thanks bro.
yea local medical center us kinda reluctant for conducting medical anything more than 3 weeks before the big day. they do provide the results within 3,4 days so that's a plus.
your nick cracks me up every time I see it. what does it even mean. 😂
best of luck with your journey!
How did you react when she refused? Did you get angry and she fled or what happened? I feel that there's way more to this story and maybe she felt that you were forcing her to have sex. Maybe she didn't want to be on the pill (lots of women don't want to put hormones in their bodies) and many women today want to actually have a job and a career before they have kids.
Not saying that maybe her intent was a green card. I am just saying it feels like there might be waaaay more to this story.
I reached the diplomatic shuttle station in Islamabad around 5.30am. They don't let anybody in until 6 so you've to wait outside the station gate.
It started raining so we were let in a bit early. The station staff was late but finally started issuing Bus/Car travel vouchers by 6.05am.
I paid 1000 PKR for the car but you can also go in bus for 500 PKR (5 USD)
Then 15 more mins wait on the mobile collection counter as the employee was yet to report for duty. I was given another receipt while they took my phone.
The car voucher also lets you in the slightly better waiting area. That's where I waited. around 6.40am you can pass through the security check and can get into the Cars. 4 passengers per car. Unlike the station's overall condition, the cars were comfortable and very clean. They travel in a Caravan of 5-10 cars.
2,3 mins drive to the outer gate of the Red Zone (fenced diplomatic area where all embassies are), there's another 5-10 mins of wait while the cars are checked for security and your travel voucher will be checked.
Then another 5 minutes drive in the Red Zone and you're at the US embassy.
There were over 50 people waiting outside the first security scanner just outside the embassy building. Too many people for such an early appointment. After a while, we were asked to form two lines and I was able to get through the checkpost as one of the first 5 people. They will check your appointment letter here.
Then a walk next to embassy wall to the embassy gate. An airport like scanner. Once past, were were given our Tokens. Luckily I was the second person for interview token-wise. Inside, we were guided where to sit and how to proceed to each counter. Within 10 minutes the Counters were ready (around 7.30am) and I was called for Finger prints. They also gave us the domestic violence brochure. (I have rights! and I know it!)
5 minutes after that, called for documents collection. The pakistani lady who collected the documents was kind and friendly. She smiled over one of the mistakes we made in ds260.
Back to waiting, 5 minutes later, I was called as the first person for interview. The american CO was friendly. They asked:
CO: Who is calling you?
Me: ans
CO: What does your wife do?
Me: ans
CO: What do you do?
Me: ans
CO: Name of the company?
Me: ans
CO: Was the marriage arranged or love marriage?
Me: ans
CO: Who arranged it.
Me: ans
CO: How many people were at your wedding?
Me: ans
CO: Do you have any photos of the wedding?
*I gave them the whole album, which had all our photos in chronological order. They see the marriage, then our honey and finally our family pics with our child*
CO: Do you have a child?
Me: yes, she's x years old.
CO: Do you have any proof documents?
Me: Yes, I have the US birth certificate. * I hand it over *
CO: *examines it thoroughly, matches my name from child's birth cert with my own birth cert*
CO: *smiles* Mubarak Ho (Congratulations) *in urdu*
*I'm not sure if its for saying congrats on having the child or for approval*
Me: Thank you.
CO: You will receive your passport in 2 weeks
Me: I also have a correction statement for a DS260 mistake.
*I hand it over*
I then left the embassy. I then walked to one of the waiting Cars, showed them my voucher and they took me back to the shuttle station. It was about 5-8 mins drive.
I was back at the shuttle station by 8.30am as I can see in chat logs thats when I called my wife and everyone also started calling me phone around that time. Gave my wife a mini heart attack when I told her they didn't keep my passport and asked me to wait 2 months. xD
ONE THING I missed: We got a checklist for 2016 W2. The CO never asked for it and I forgot to mention it. Is this going to be an issue? Should I contact the embassy for that?
Thank you visa journey and all the couples who contribute. You've all been a tremendous help. Kudos to JBMG for the spreadsheet initiative. It was a ray of home back when waiting NVC 11 weeks felt like a lifetime of pain.
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