_Blossom_

On 10/25/2019 at 10:25 AM, chars said:

Finally, the journey that started since January 2012, came to an end today. I give credit to the Creator of the universe. The One who sees and knows all things. Thanks to my family and friends. How can I forget to thank this group for the joint support thru this N400 process. You are all wonderful people. You all helped and encouraged me during my difficult times. Good luck to all still waiting and with God above; it shall be well with thee.

 

Now I can go to bed stress- free without worrying of being deported. The rest is now history. WHAT a journey to remember!!!

 

God is good all the times and all of the times God is great!!! To HIM alone I give praise.

🙏🙌🙏🙌🙏🙌🙏🙌🙏🙌🙏🙌🙏🙌🙏

#Naturalized USCITIZEN#

10/25/19

That is amazing! Congrats @charsand I’m so happy you didn’t give up on your N-400 process. 😄

On 10/17/2019 at 11:58 AM, Vikingoutwest said:

GUYS! Finally, I have an update! Just got notification from the CaseTracker app that my interview has been scheduled!!!!! I immediately went on egov, typed my case number in and saw this:

On October 17, 2019, we scheduled an interview for your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, Receipt Number IOE              . We will mail you an interview notice. Please follow any instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

The Myaccount.uscis still says "we reviewed your biometrics", estimated case completion "(October 2019)", and estimated wait time "we are taking longer than expected to process your case". There is no sign of an interview being scheduled on that account. I wonder how long it takes to show up there.

Anyway, I am STOKED and will be checking the account a lot over the next few days until I get the date haha 😄

That is AWESOME! I’m literally smiling as I type this. Congrats @Vikingoutwest and BEST OF LUCK to all of you guys!!! 
 

-
 

I’ve got my final update: my US Passport just came in the mail today (!!!). I was given a 6-8 week estimate but I guess they say that just to be safe, because usually it takes much less time than that! I applied the day of my oath (10/10) so it’s only been two weeks 😄 Again, thanks all for all the support throughout the months and I wouldn’t have done this so effortlessly (as possible lol) if it weren’t for y’all 😄

Hey everyone, so just a little update on my case - I became a US citizen this afternoon!

The ceremony took place at a community college's auditorium downtown where I live. It wasn't as long as I had expected, it probably lasted about an hour and a half, but before it began we waited for about an hour, just to get everyone settled and seated. I was surprised to see I was the only one from Brazil, but there were so many other nationalities present! We got sworn in by a really nice female judge, who went over what it'd be like to be a US citizen, what responsibilities vs. rights we'd have after taking the oath, etc etc. It was a very interesting and pretty emotional ceremony. Everyone was very cordial and professional. I got my certificate, registered to vote, and went to the post office to apply for a passport right away! Next step is to wait about 10 days or so until going to the SS building to update my status on their database.

Good luck to all of us, from now on forward! Good luck to those who are still waiting as well. And many thanks to everyone. We've become a community who have held each other up through the ups and downs. I'm just honestly so glad I'm done with USCIS (for now at least). Thanks again & best of luck to all! 😁

20 hours ago, chars said:

N400 Interview Experience at Philadelphia USCIS' Field Office October 9, 2019 @ 10am

 

 

So my situation is not strange to every original filer on this group. I had earlier on intended to withdraw my N400 application at the interview due to bitter marriage confusion that I thought would've led to an immediate divorce. Well, two (2) days before my interview, I made the decision not to withdraw based on advise from people like you, immediate relatives, and two (2) lawyers. 

had my interview in Philadelphia today (filed late March, 3 years rule). 

I arrived 3 hours early before my interview to avoid any unforeseen circumstances. I played it rather safe than sorry because of traffic, mechanical breakdown, traffic stop, etc. I didn't check in until it was time.  Check in was super easy and then the wait started. There are three doors out of which the officers will come and call your number. Mine was number 1. The receptionist will let you know which door or/section is yours when you checked in. Please be informed that even though you arrived early, they will not call you in until it's your time.

I waited for about 20 minutes after I checked in before my number was called. The officer, an African American woman in her 50s came out, called my name and walked me through the door that leads to her office.

 

NOTE: I took every single document related to my immigration history. Always play it safe.

 

She placed me under oath, and then requested my diver's license, green card, and passport. She took my picture and my fingerprints. 
First up was the test.

 

My six questions were:

1. Who is the father of our country?
2. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
3. Name one branch of the government?

4. There are how many justices on the supreme Court?
5. Who veto bills?
6. We vote US senator for how many years?
The 'read' sentence was ' Who was the first president of the United States?'
The 'write' sentence was ' Washington was our first president.

 

Then we went through the application, asked me to state my full name, date of birth, whether I'm working, my wife's name,  and she made some corrections for me (for example I put in that my wife was married '1' time, which obviously she was married before. It should've been 2 times and not 1. (This was honest  misunderstanding of that question) She also asked me for the full name of wife's prior spouse, if we have any kids. She asked me whether my traffic citation was paid. She asked if I'm still married and living with my spouse. She didn't ask me when I became permanent resident, what date I got married, what date I started work or how long I been there. She didn't ask me for any dates on my application with the exception of my date of birth.

 

NOTE: I memorized all the dates on my application.

 

She then went to the 'YES' and 'NO' questions and asked every single question. As others have said, they go through all questions again. 

At the end I had to sign for the changes she made and then sign for the oath. 

 

For some reason, she couldn't find my tax returns' documents, marriage certificate, divorce decree, and our son's birth certificate on her system. I told her I did upload all of them, but she insisted she can't find it. I kindly ask her to check to (Upload additional evidence tab)... and yes behold it was right there. I took deep breath of relieve. She looked at the supporting documents I had uploaded. She didn't ask for any of the originals that I brought (wife's's passport or naturalization cert or anything).

Then she took the piece of paper with the boxes and marked  'passed civic and history and recommending my application for approval'.

 

My officer was super really really nice, friendly, professional, and interactive. She made me feel at ease; even though I was 10% nervous and 90% anxious which is normal for this process. We talked about the weather, how she was feeling hungry and planned on going for lunch right after her next interview. 

 

FUN FACT:

The officer who interviewed me for my N400 is the best friend to the lady who interviewed us during our Adjustment of Status interview but has since retired. 

 

 

What were my tips.

1. I maintained eye contact and smile throughout the interview

2. I was truthful

3. I only answered questions that were asked (I didn't volunteer answers or talk too much)

4. I prepared very well ( studied the civics and history and memorized all the answers.

5. I reviewed my N400 application and knew my responses

 

Each case is unique and different. Don't read too much into people's negative interview experiences and conclude that yours will be the same as theirs. Be yourself, be positive, keep the 'WHY IF' out of your mind. Be respectful, professional, truthful and honest. Sometimes the little things that we intend to hide doesn't matter or wouldn't affect USCIS' decision about your case. 

 

However, this journey is not over yet but my anxiety has dropped to 10%. Good luck to everyone and be blessed.

I'm so glad everything worked out for you, @chars! Congratulations!

just got the info on my oath ceremony!!😁 it'll be on Oct 10th, at 10AM! =D @madisonchick where will yours be? I know it'll be sooner than mine but I'm just curious. Mine will be at the downtown MATC campus

6 hours ago, weiwei1902 said:

My interview will be this coming Monday.

 

I applied under 3 year rule.

 

I wonder have anyone here had a combo interview that they also interview your spouse? If you had, will it be separate interview or you two together?

from what I've heard, it'll be done individually!

Oath ceremony has been scheduled!!!!🤩

18 hours ago, chars said:

N400 is scheduled since September 4, 2019. I didn't check until now. Will withdraw my N400 at the interview. I'm scheduled for October 9, 2019

Best of luck on your journey!

4 hours ago, Mollie09 said:

N-445 is the oath letter!

Thank you! 

Parabéns!😄

1 hour ago, shearar said:

your letter should be uploaded online if you applied online under documents. 

That’s true too! I didn’t think of that. @madisonchick ‘s letter should be available online within 1-2 days I’d think

3 minutes ago, madisonchick said:

So I got an update on both. But what was weird was, I emailed them to ask about my place in the oath ceremony queue. After the update, I got a reply for my email question. I told them in the email that my daughter will age out soon that I needed to see if they can bump me up. The reply just said we sent you a letter for the oath ceremony. Kind of a weird timing but good timing?

True, but I guess whatever works, right?! At this point! lol. I'm sure your letter will get to you in just a few days. Maybe you could give them a call (that's what I'd do) and find out before then. I have a feeling we'll end up running into each other there! Your interview was just a couple of weeks before mine.

Congrats to all of you folks on your updates! 😄

6 hours ago, madisonchick said:

I received an update on my account today! My oath ceremony letter has been mailed! I’m not out of the woods yet coz there are ceremonies that are after my daughter’s birthday, so I am still hoping it’s before that. Yay!

that's awesomeee!!! did you get an update on USCIS.gov as well or just on the DHS site?

On 9/3/2019 at 10:16 PM, Vikingoutwest said:

Oh by the way guys, this is what my case status looks like now - after wait time reached 1 day, the next status is this:

 

what did it say prior to changing?

Anyone else who's had their interview and can't see their case status on uscis.gov ? When I go on the DHS version of the website, it's all good and I can still see my approval and everything, but when I switch to USCIS.gov nothing comes up!

This is what I see when I log in, click "My Cases" then my N-400 case number:

28 minutes ago, shearar said:

@_Blossom_

Good morning, after how how long you have got the message on your USCIS account that your oath ceremony  is scheduled ?

Hey @shearar , good morning!! I still haven’t gotten anything 😕 even @madisonchick hasn’t yet and her interview was before mine. My estimated time of completion did go down by a month, from Dec 2019 to Nov 2019, but hopefully it won’t take that long! I’m sure that varies from state to state as well. Congrats on the smooth interview, by the way:)

16 hours ago, shearar said:

Question for those who did the interview, do we have to memorize dates ?

 

in the n400 questions like the date (day-month-year) of like where we lived, dates of moving jobs,what date to what date the prior marriage of a spouse .. etc  , or the officer will mention the dates and we have to confirm it ?

 

I was worried I might have to, but he didn’t ask me for specifics. Your IO may be more strict, though! 

4 minutes ago, shearar said:

Congratulation, I am so happy for you!
I have few questions :
1- I understand its 3 years rule, but why he asked for your spouse? did you have a permanent green card 10  years ? or u had the the 2 years and u had to do the 754 interview with your spouse ?
2- why he asked for these documents  ? didnt you upload them in the system online or mailed them to them ? I am a little confused !

And congratulation again ! 

Thank you so much!

I applied under the 3-year rule, and I’ve already had my 10-yr gc approved (since last August). He didn’t ask to see my spouse, however he found it a bit strange that my husband was at home while I was there. In my head, I didn’t think him waiting for me would’ve been relevant at all, but I guess to him my husband may have come off a little “uninterested”. Just after we cleared that up, he asked to see the supporting documents- I did submit most of them when I first applied, however in the interview notice I was asked to bring all those docs to the interview with me, so I did. On top of all of those, I had a few more recent energy bills & bank statements, and he took a quick look at all of them and was satisfied. He even said that the previous couple he had interviewed had not been as prepared as me evidence-wise, so I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry. I brought this heavy folder with several compartments and hundreds of papers in it. I may have over prepared, but I’m glad I did it. 😄

4 hours ago, Vikingoutwest said:

First, BIG CONGRATS to Blossom for doing awesome at the interview!!!

 

Second, GUYSSSS I am getting so antsy...my estimated completion is October, but my estimated wait time is now 10 days 0.0 I realllly want to know when my interview is going to be, but my status is still "we reviewed your biometrics" sigh. I am getting too obsessed with checking the sites haha. Did you guys get notification by email or did you just check and find your status changed to interview scheduled?

Thank you so much!!

As to your question, I did get an email when they scheduled my interview, but I also got one every time there was an update prior to that... have you gotten any USCIS emails? If you haven’t, you probably haven’t set that up, in which case you can go on www.USCIS.gov, sign in, then change it under your notification settings. If you’ve already done that, then I’m afraid it’s just a matter of time 😕 When did you do your biometrics? Also, I’m a little skeptical about the estimated case completion they give us because mine still says January 2020, but since yours is coming up, I feel you may get an update soon. I hope so! 

I’d tell you not to obsess over it too much, but who am I kidding- I did the same up to the day I got the email. 😅  best of luck @Vikingoutwest! I really hope you’ll have news soon. Take care

19 minutes ago, Fredy said:

Congratulations 

Thank you!!

1 minute ago, madisonchick said:

I thought we had the same IO coz mine asked about Alaska too! 😂 

 

Before I left on the 8th, the IO told me that I may have the oath ceremony on 8/22 or 9/5. I have not received anything yet. Also, the Wiscourts site with the oath schedules have not updated either. I hope it’s soon!

that's funny! and yes, let's hope it's coming up soon! we could even end up going on the same day =D can't wait for this final step!

10 minutes ago, madisonchick said:

Hey Blossom! Who was your IO? Milwaukee right?

yes, Milwaukee!! I don't know his name... really nice fellow, though. I'd say in his early 30's, African-American. Who did you have? And do you have any news regarding your oath yet?

On 8/9/2019 at 7:08 AM, chars said:

😥😢😰😥😥

As an experienced visajourney's member and knowledgeable of immigration laws; I never thought that I will be writing this. I will not be ending the N400 journey with you all. I have tried, I have tried, and have tried. Well, marriage has crashed and will file under the 5yrs rule when eligible. N400 application will be withdrawn when interview is scheduled to be safe. Not yet divorced, still under the same roof, never moved out, and (4) months  to USCIS' completion time. Congratulations to all those approved, and best of luck to those waiting to be scheduled. Thanks @Vikingoutwest for keeping the forum alive/ motivated.

oh no, I just saw this. sorry to hear that, chars, I was wondering where you'd been! I do wish you best of luck moving forward, though I was wondering... couldn't you still have an interview even if getting a divorce? I thought the 3-year rule applied to those who became residents due to marriage, whether or not they're still married at the time of the interview. anyway, good luck & I hope all works out for you!

58 minutes ago, jamrep said:

Ccongratulations

Thank you!!!

1 hour ago, _Blossom_ said:

Just left the immigration building and everything went well!!!

The IO was actually surprisingly very friendly, I’ve always heard quite the opposite. 

I applied under the 3-year rule and he asked where my husband was, when I said “home”, he asked why he didn’t come and I explained I didn’t know how long it’d be and didn’t want him to wait for me the whole time. He said it would’ve looked better had I brought my husband (just a tip for who’s wondering whether to go with their spouse). Before I went into the room, however, I waited in the waiting room for about 35 mins, for which he apologized. 

Back to the interview:

He asked if I had documents/papers to support my marriage, I showed him bank statements, housing leases and energy bills. He said I made his life a whole lot easier and asked how I knew what to bring, to which I replied “I did a lot of research”. 

Next, he asked if I was ready for the test. The six questions were:

- what major event happened on September 11th, 2011

- what are two rights from the declaration of independence

- what is the capital of your state

(can’t remember the last 3). 

Then I saw a sentence on the tablet screen and was asked to read it out loud “What is the largest state?”

After that, I was told to write down “Alaska is the largest state” on the tablet.

Next, he reviewed the info I put in the form, such as full name, DOB, SSN, where do I currently work, what is my home address, what’s my husband’s full name, DOB. He actually said a lot of that info to me, for me to confirm (you also worked at so & so company, you’re currently a student, etc etc).

Next, he asked me all those moral questions, followed by questions regarding loyalty to the US (all those yes or no questions).

Lastly, he told me to read some information from the tablet regarding the oath I will take and then sign my name stating I read it.

 Then, he told me he’s sending my application for approval, and I’ll be getting a letter in the mail with info on the oath ceremony within 4-6 weeks.

So, that’s it, folks! I’m so glad to be done with this step, now I’m excitedly waiting to take my oath!

Good luck to all of you, you got this! 

Thank you for all the support & help you’ve given me over the months. If there’s anything you want me to help with, just tag me and I’ll be glad to. 

Have an awesome day!

I meant Sept 11th, 2001* hehe

Just left the immigration building and everything went well!!!

The IO was actually surprisingly very friendly, I’ve always heard quite the opposite. 

I applied under the 3-year rule and he asked where my husband was, when I said “home”, he asked why he didn’t come and I explained I didn’t know how long it’d be and didn’t want him to wait for me the whole time. He said it would’ve looked better had I brought my husband (just a tip for who’s wondering whether to go with their spouse). Before I went into the room, however, I waited in the waiting room for about 35 mins, for which he apologized. 

Back to the interview:

He asked if I had documents/papers to support my marriage, I showed him bank statements, housing leases and energy bills. He said I made his life a whole lot easier and asked how I knew what to bring, to which I replied “I did a lot of research”. 

Next, he asked if I was ready for the test. The six questions were:

- what major event happened on September 11th, 2011

- what are two rights from the declaration of independence

- what is the capital of your state

(can’t remember the last 3). 

Then I saw a sentence on the tablet screen and was asked to read it out loud “What is the largest state?”

After that, I was told to write down “Alaska is the largest state” on the tablet.

Next, he reviewed the info I put in the form, such as full name, DOB, SSN, where do I currently work, what is my home address, what’s my husband’s full name, DOB. He actually said a lot of that info to me, for me to confirm (you also worked at so & so company, you’re currently a student, etc etc).

Next, he asked me all those moral questions, followed by questions regarding loyalty to the US (all those yes or no questions).

Lastly, he told me to read some information from the tablet regarding the oath I will take and then sign my name stating I read it.

 Then, he told me he’s sending my application for approval, and I’ll be getting a letter in the mail with info on the oath ceremony within 4-6 weeks.

So, that’s it, folks! I’m so glad to be done with this step, now I’m excitedly waiting to take my oath!

Good luck to all of you, you got this! 

Thank you for all the support & help you’ve given me over the months. If there’s anything you want me to help with, just tag me and I’ll be glad to. 

Have an awesome day!