el_greco

I had my interview yesterday , it went well and I passed. I was then able to join the Oath Ceremony the same day and I am now an American Citizen!
 
Good luck to everyone still waiting!

I had my Oath Ceremony in San Antonio last Friday (01/29). It seems that Fridays are reserved for Oath Ceremonies because the building was eerily empty save for Oath takers. I was scheduled for 12 pm, and I put myself in line outside the building precisely at 11:30. USCIS staff checked the Oath notice and verified answers to questions on page 4. Although I had filled in the form in Austin the morning of the ceremony, the officer changed the "city" to "San Antonio, TX" (city where the form was filled/signed). I surrendered my permanent and conditional green cards (was not asked about EAD) and entered the building.
 
After going through the metal detector and a temperature check, I was instructed into the Oath Ceremony room where other applicants were also waiting, seated very sparsely (only one half of the room, about 10 people in it, seated ~3 in each row, so ~5 seats apart. On each seat there was a small American flag and a USCIS envelope with a pamphlet and a passport application. No letter from the President, or the Citizen's Almanac or anything like that  At around 11:35 am two USCIS officers entered the room to start the ceremony. We were told that no photography/video whatsoever would be allowed, and were given a very short pep talk about how although things are scaled down due to COVID, the ceremony is still of great importance as we are being welcome into the United States as new citizens. We were reminded to register to vote on vote.org ("although an important election just took place, there will be other elections in the future") and change our status with the Social Security Administration. We were asked to practice saying "I do" in unison for after the Oath was recited.
 
Then we were asked to stand up and raise our right hand, and an officer recited the Oath. We said "I do" after the "So help me God" part, and then were asked to depart the room/building immediately one by one, starting from the front row and moving back. The naturalization certificates were on a table by the entrance, and we were asked to make sure there are no issues with the certificates, and notify someone immediately if any discrepancies were found. My certificate was ok, so I picked it up and exited the building. Since I was traveling alone to San Antonio, I asked someone to take a photo of me holding the mini flag and the naturalization certificate in front of the building, as most newly minted citizens did the same thing. The whole ceremony etc lasted less than 10', as I was outside the building taking my "new citizen photo" at 11:44...
 
Although it was very disappointing having such a long, drawn out process to be culminating to an administrative check no more graceful than going through a TSA checkpoint at an airport, missing all required pomp and circumstance of pre-COVID days, I am relieved that this whole process is over, and that everything was relatively straightforward. I acknowledge that I am very lucky that the San Antonio field office processed my case in a relatively rapid pace, and I can now move on with my life as a US citizen.

I dropped off a paper voter registration application, on my way back to Austin...

I had my Oath Ceremony in San Antonio last Friday (01/29). It seems that Fridays are reserved for Oath Ceremonies because the building was eerily empty save for Oath takers. I was scheduled for 12 pm, and I put myself in line outside the building precisely at 11:30. USCIS staff checked the Oath notice and verified answers to questions on page 4. Although I had filled in the form in Austin the morning of the ceremony, the officer changed the "city" to "San Antonio, TX" (city where the form was filled/signed). I surrendered my permanent and conditional green cards (was not asked about EAD) and entered the building.
 
After going through the metal detector and a temperature check, I was instructed into the Oath Ceremony room where other applicants were also waiting, seated very sparsely (only one half of the room, about 10 people in it, seated ~3 in each row, so ~5 seats apart. On each seat there was a small American flag and a USCIS envelope with a pamphlet and a passport application. No letter from the President, or the Citizen's Almanac or anything like that  At around 11:35 am two USCIS officers entered the room to start the ceremony. We were told that no photography/video whatsoever would be allowed, and were given a very short pep talk about how although things are scaled down due to COVID, the ceremony is still of great importance as we are being welcome into the United States as new citizens. We were reminded to register to vote on vote.org ("although an important election just took place, there will be other elections in the future") and change our status with the Social Security Administration. We were asked to practice saying "I do" in unison for after the Oath was recited.
 
Then we were asked to stand up and raise our right hand, and an officer recited the Oath. We said "I do" after the "So help me God" part, and then were asked to depart the room/building immediately one by one, starting from the front row and moving back. The naturalization certificates were on a table by the entrance, and we were asked to make sure there are no issues with the certificates, and notify someone immediately if any discrepancies were found. My certificate was ok, so I picked it up and exited the building. Since I was traveling alone to San Antonio, I asked someone to take a photo of me holding the mini flag and the naturalization certificate in front of the building, as most newly minted citizens did the same thing. The whole ceremony etc lasted less than 10', as I was outside the building taking my "new citizen photo" at 11:44...
 
Although it was very disappointing having such a long, drawn out process to be culminating to an administrative check no more graceful than going through a TSA checkpoint at an airport, missing all required pomp and circumstance of pre-COVID days, I am relieved that this whole process is over, and that everything was relatively straightforward. I acknowledge that I am very lucky that the San Antonio field office processed my case in a relatively rapid pace, and I can now move on with my life as a US citizen.

I dropped off a paper voter registration application, on my way back to Austin...

Or you could take the view that the sooner she gets her citizenship, the sooner she can vote to help implement what she sees as right. Is it worth potentially missing the midterm elections waiting for them to change the questions, for example?  

I had my interview on New Year's Eve and they told me that they don't conduct same day ceremonies due to the Holidays, not sure if anyone who had their interview after the holiday season got a same day ceremony. For what it's worth, my IO told me that I should be expecting my ceremony to be scheduled on a Friday, and from what I see in the comments above, my ceremony is on 1/29, and another such ceremony on 2/5, so maybe they reserve Fridays for these post-dated ceremonies? Purely speculative.

I only surrendered my current 10 year green card. I brought the rest but they never need them. 

The green card only.

I had my interview on New Year's Eve and they told me that they don't conduct same day ceremonies due to the Holidays, not sure if anyone who had their interview after the holiday season got a same day ceremony. For what it's worth, my IO told me that I should be expecting my ceremony to be scheduled on a Friday, and from what I see in the comments above, my ceremony is on 1/29, and another such ceremony on 2/5, so maybe they reserve Fridays for these post-dated ceremonies? Purely speculative.

My oath ceremony got scheduled for next Friday, January 29th in San Antonio

My oath ceremony got scheduled for next Friday, January 29th in San Antonio

My oath ceremony got scheduled for next Friday, January 29th in San Antonio

My Oath Ceremony got scheduled for next Friday, January 29th, in San Antonio  -- within the 30 day time frame mentioned to me by the IO during my 12/31 interview

My Oath Ceremony Notice was mailed! No idea about the actual date yet, waiting for the PDF copy to show up on my.uscis.gov

Agreed, although the IO mentioned that my Oath would be taking place on a Friday during the next 30 days (so until January 30th) I haven't heard anything new from USCIS since my status changed...

I had the exact same experience same office same we don't do same day oath because of holidays the day before you. It sucks we can't do same day oath. I am worried about glitches, delays, or a lockdown of federal level that will push back and reschedule everything another 6 months

Hi Everyone!
My interview was on the 31st at 1:30pm, the interview lasted less than 15 minutes, I waited for almost an hour in the waiting room before I was called, my experience was completely different to my AOS interview, the interviewing officer was a very nice person and that really helped me to feel less nervous. The questions were: 
1.- Who vetoes bills?
2.- When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?
3.- What did Susan B. Anthony do?
4.- We elect a president for how many years?
5.- Name 3 original states.
6.- What is one reason colonists came to America?
Reading: What state has the most people?
Writing: California has the most people.
He approved my application and told me to wait for the oath ceremony letter because it could be this month, my online status still says Oath ceremony will be scheduled but I don't have a date yet, hopefully it'll be soon. 
 
 

In order of most to least competent when it comes to not losing critical documents  there  are 4 agencies involved:
 
Passport office. 
USCIS
USPS
SSA
 
The passport office is used to handling old passports, green cards, naturalization certs, citizenship certs, CRBAs, etc and thus has processes for reducing the chance that these documents will be lost.  
 
USCIS normally doesn’t deal with original documents by mail but in my experience they tend to not lose these documents when they receive them. For example I know a couple that sent an original foreign birth certificate with an AOS and when they told me, I face palmed.  Fortunately they messed up their I-864 and so the original birth certificate was returned.  
 
However USCIS is inept at processing changes of addresses.  Hence green cards, combo cards, and other USCIS mailings like interview notices get sent to the wrong address all the time.  
 
Possibly because of their role (contract which equals critical revenue) USPS tends to not lose mail sent to or sent from the passport office.  But documents involving USCIS are routinely lost or mis delivered.  Documents from SSA do get reliably delivered.  There is evidence that there are USPS workers that deliberately lose or mis deliver USCIS documents and there is evidence that post masters are unable to fire incompetent or malicious carriers except for those caught red handed by federal law enforcers.     
 
Now we get to SSA.  
 
SSA is optimized for two things: in person interactions to apply for new SS cards for children and making sure retirees get their checks.  Everything else it is inept at.  
 
With COVID, unlike other agencies, SSA has been unwilling to re-open.  This is understandable.  Most of the people who would walk into a local SS office are older and thus at higher risk to COVID.  SSA and the chain of command above SSA do not want SSA offices to become worse than retirement and nursing  homes as vectors for killing older residents of the USA.  
 
So now SSA is faced with verifying immigration statuses and it needs or thinks it needs original, hard to replace documents to do that.  And unlike the passport office, it isn’t set up to do that.  So we can imagine haphazard stacks of SS-5 applications and the critical documents all other the place with no room.  
 
SSA’s stupid info tech systems compound this problem.  For example; Enter the US on a k-1, wait two days, print your I-94, and before COVID go to SSA office to apply for an SS card.  And about half the time SS will say that their records don’t show lawful presence.  Despite the fact that CBP’s website says there is lawful presence.  So when an SS-5 is mailed in, if the SS worker cannot verify lawful presence, the case gets set aside, which provides an opportunity for critical documents to be lost.  And the SSA and its workers don’t care. Because COVID.  
 
And these people at SSA actually demand an LPR send a green card to get a SS card. Think about that for a minute: it is against federal criminal  law for LPR’s to not carry a green card on their person.  So SSA is demanding LPRs break the law.  
 
SSA is also no good at issuing SS cards automatically to new immigrants and EAD holders.  
 

Because interviewers "read" people.
They skim your application, if nothing stands out there's no drilling for information.
If you can't speak the language, they will take you apart.
 
Hers another one discussed on another thread, I DID NOT mention/report traffic tickets.
They were under $500, I read between the lines, if no documentation needed, then not worth mentioning.
I wasn't asked either.
 
Another thread here, I never sent tax returns, wasn't asked either.
 
Too much paranoia, too much information, causes questions on the interview.
 
 
 
 

Yes, San Antonio does same day Oath Ceremony if you live in SA and Austin area. I had my interview yesterday Dec 10 at 8a.m and was surprised when I was asked if I could wait till 2pm to have my Oath Ceremony. 
Goodluck to everyone. 

Anything in between DIY and a lawyer is a waste of money. Most of the time a lawyer is a waste of money. If you can fill out a job application you can file out standard US immigration forms.

Dang I thought I posted here lol
 
N400 Interview Approved - November 23, 2020
 
I was interviewed in one of the windows in the waiting room, lol.  Appointment was 1:30pm but I was not called until 2:25pm. He asked for my 10 yr greencard and passport and proceeded to get the civics questions out of the way.
 
Civic Test Questions: 
What is freedom of religion?
Why are there 50 stars in the flag?
Why are there 13 stripes in the flag?
What did Martin Luther King Jr. do?
Who is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court right now?
What is the supreme law of the land?
 
Reading and Writing:
Who elects Congress?
The people elects Congress. 
 
NO WORD DEFINITIONS
 
Officer asked me a few questions to confirm a few details / info about myself and my husband:
Where do you work?
What do you do there?
Did you travel outside of the US in the last 3 years?
Where was your husband born?
 
He asked about the address change since the one we had when I filed was different from the current one in the system. He asked me when we moved to the new place and if I have the lease with me. I told him we actually bought the place, and I didn't have the title with me because the title company has not sent it yet and I have proof of that. I had a feeling that could be brought up and I am so glad I brought some paperwork with me that shows we did buy a condo: letters from the mortgage company + the printed email exchange I had with the title company proving that COVID delayed their process of sending out the deed of our home.
 
He also asked us why we filed our taxes separately during the last tax season (we have always filed jointly except for 2019) and I have a ready and printed out explanation for that as well. YES I CAME PREPARED! 😆 He asked for the 2019 Tax forms with the attached W2s.
He asked how our marriage is and if we plan to divorce each other, lol. 
 
Yes and No Questions followed.

He then told me he is approving my application, printed my oath ceremony appointment letter and told me to come back on December 4 to get sworn in! I am so happy I don't have to wait to get scheduled as he already did that for me.
 
Officer was so nice, greeted me "Happy Birthday" and told me that this is their birthday gift for me as it is my birthday 10 days after the oath taking ceremony.
 
A TIP: In the letter for the interview appointment, it tells us to bring the originals of everything we submitted online. Make sure you bring originals of everything you filed PLUS all evidences of your marriage that you incurred AFTER you already filed because the officer could ask you for those things just like what happened to me. Officer was very happy I came in prepared, makes his job easier he said.
 
Goodluck to all of you who are still in the process! Your time will come. Keep praying, be patient, worry less and back it up with great organizing skills. I really do believe it pays off being organized. As someone who's always been hands on to all of the benefits we filed, none of them took so long to process. From K1 visa down to N400, it's been smooth and fast as hell which I am very grateful for.
 
AND IF YOU CAN, DO NOT HESITATE TO HELP THOSE WHO HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS. PAY IT FORWARD. GOOD KARMA AWAITS YOU. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!

No one can really say for sure as each person's case is different. Also, it depends on how fast your field office is working on their cases and the officer handling your case.
 
To give you an example, my friend and I are from the same city and she filed March 2020. She still hasn't heard from our field office. Her biometrics was scheduled but canceled due to COVID. The field office closed in April and reopened in July. I filed in August 2020 and in September got a notice that they are reusing my bio just like you. A month and a week later (October 21), I got an email from USCIS saying that an action has been taken on my case and when I logged in my USCIS acct, it says that my interview has been scheduled for November 23. Nobody knows why mine is moving faster than hers. We can't be comparing cases because no two cases are the same. It is a puzzle we will never know the answer to.
 
But you know what I noticed? I personally never bothered checking my status all the time, not in any of the petitions we filed from K1 to AOS to ROC to N400 and all cases moved fast and smooth. I got approved before I even know it in each one of them. Maybe let your case move in its own pace and hopefully you get more updates soon. Good luck.

Good luck @TheSkywalkers and thank you for your uplifting response! I admit that I haven’t thought about the potential significance of the interview date itself for the USCIS officer too! Let’s hope that we will be all celebrating these holidays as newly minted Americans soon 🙂

My friend said she had to wait for 3 months for her oath taking in San Antonio but this was 2 yrs ago. I hope things have changed. I think dur to COVID they'd like to minimize having people over so they would most likely do it the same day so you wouldn't have to come back. Also, you have the perfect interview date. It would most likely be that the officer is in a good mood because it is the last day of the year and he/she would like to end the year and start the year right. You know what the holidays do to people lol. My interview is this coming Monday and it's Thanksgiving week so hopefully the officer is just as nice haha!

So my interview got scheduled for December 31st at 8:45 am, San Antonio office. Good to know that the government is hard at work even on New Year's Eve! Does anyone know whether the San Antonio office performs oath ceremonies on the spot after a successful interview, or are "traditional" ceremonies back? I am based in Austin, but I haven't been able to find any scheduled ceremony here