Catseal

Strange, any more progress today?
 
My passport book arrived today (still waiting for the card and citizenship certificate to arrive but I'm sure they'll turn up in a week or so) 
 
1/31 Applied at USPS
2/3 Application received according to the status website
2/6 Check cashed
2/7 Shows as in process on the status website
2/14 Shows as Approved on the website
2/15 Shipped
2/16 Arrived via USPS 
 

1/31 Applied at USPS
2/3 Application received according to the status website
2/6 Check cashed
2/7 Shows as in process on the status website
2/14 Shows as Approved on the website

1/24 Applied at USPS (Standard Service) 
1/30 Passport application received by US State Dept.
1/31 Check payment cashed
 
Locator 53
 
Will post updates 
 
 

I'm sorry, but there is something missing here.  Was this NOID issued after an Adjustment of Status interview?  Traditional marriage is irrelevant.  You need to address each and every statement in that NOID.  Remove personal information, and post a copy of it for us to review.  We can help.  You must provide evidence which would normally be produced in a life together.  Evidence of time spent together, and co-mingled finances will help a lot.  
As a Nurse, you know that mental health is just as important as physical health.  Take care of yourself in every way.  Good luck.

you should submit more evidences thats related to cohabition / live together. traditional wedding, pictures is not as strong as joint bills, joint checking account, joint credit card statement, joint lease, etc that shows both or ur name. 

I also applied for a passport last week (Expedited, 1-2 day delivery)
 
1/31 Applied at USPS
2/3 Application received according to the status website
2/6 Check cashed
2/7 Shows as in process on the status website
 
Locator 53 like @Catseal so will be very interesting to see how similar our timelines are.

No restrictions. Your biggest hurdle is actually getting the tourist visa and convincing the CO that you will return back to your home country after the visit. Good luck.

Hello July 2022 Filers,
 
Just updating the thread that it is now official for us. N400 case is closed, Certificate of Naturalization issued last January 24th.
 

Godspeed for everyone else waiting for their turn to be sworn in as new American citizens.
 
Cheers,

Hello July 2021 Filers,
 
Updating the thread that we have now been issued a USCIS Form N-4405 Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony for January 2023.
 
This would be a few days over 18 months to the day from the filing of I-751 Removal of Conditions via Lockbox and assigned to LIN Nebraska for processing.
 
This would be a few days over 6 months to the day from the filing of N-400 Application for Naturalization via Online and processed in Seattle, WA. 
 
You can see more details in my timeline.
 
The journey is almost over and we are very grateful and appreciate all of you in this forum for keeping us company along the way. 
 
Happiest new year to everyone,
 
G&A😊
 
 

Hello VJ Community,
 
I attended my N400 interview today at NYC Federal Plaza so thought I would share my experience with you all!
 
Before I begin, I want to summarize a couple of main points since it is quite a lengthy read:
 
I noticed some people were being given orange pieces of laminated paper that had “SAME DAY OATH” printed on it in large font – contrary to my prior belief, it appears that same day oath ceremonies are being held on the third floor at Federal Plaza  
My experience was not that pleasant – the officer conducting my interview was snappy – additionally, he had my I-751 paperwork with him but opted not to review it there and then. He only ran through the N400 with me and stated he would be reviewing the I-751 paperwork when he had time – his exact words were that he would do it “maybe today, maybe later this week” (you can read on below for the full debrief)  
Background: I filed N400 based on the 3-year rule (married to a US citizen). I filed in Oct 2022 and received my interview notice in Dec 2022. Prior to this I had filed my I-751 in Oct 2021, although that had remained pending. The only update I received was that it had been transferred to another office to speed up processing - this was after the filing of my N400, so I had anticipated a combo interview.
 
The interview:
My interview time was at 8:35AM, so my spouse and I arrived 30 minutes early. Despite it being chaotic outside the main entrance, we made it through the security checkpoint in 15 mins. We proceeded to the 7th floor, and upon arriving at the reception area, an officer asked to see my paperwork – he looked over it briefly and at this point he directed my spouse to wait downstairs while waving me though to check-in. This caught us by surprise as we had anticipated a combo interview – we tried to explain we were married but he cut us off mid-sentence and repeated that my spouse needed to leave as the appointment was for me only. We said a quick goodbye and I continued on ahead. Total check-in and wait time was around 25 minutes before I was summoned by the interviewing officer.
 
I was taken to an interview room and asked to raise my right hand, promise to tell the truth, etc. After that I was seated and the officer asked for my identity docs (passport, state ID, interview letter). To my surprise, the officer stated I was not eligible for naturalization since I did not meet the 5-year rule! I figured this was a test of some sort so I informed him I was filing under the 3-year rule as an LPR married to a US citizen since 2020. He nodded along and then asked if I had filed for ROC? I confirmed I had and that it was still pending. He nodded again and stated, “well then you are aware that the N400 cannot be approved until the I-751 is processed and approved?”. I confirmed I was aware of this.
 
The officer then asked me to provide proof that I was eligible to file under the 3-year rule. I went through my stack of evidence and presented him with my marriage certificate. Upon seeing it he got snappy with me and said, “I don’t care about that, I want to see evidence of an ongoing relationship” – before I could react he proceeded to reel off a list of evidence (again, in a snappy tone) that he wanted to see: “taxes, leases, joint finances” ... fortunately, I had all of this, so was able to satisfy him regarding those requests and he seemed content. He took it all and piled it up but didn’t actually look through any of it - I realized after the fact that he asked for no proof of my spouse’s citizenship or identification.
 
After this, he signaled that we’d begin the civics test – he whizzed through the procedure and then asked the following questions:
 
When do we celebrate Independence Day? Name one of the writers of the Federalist Papers? Who lived in the USA before Europeans arrived? What major event happened on 9/11 in the USA? Where is the Statue of Liberty located? Who was the President during the Great Depression and WWII?  
Interestingly, as I answered each question he would not tell me if I was correct – he just continued onto the next question before stopping after #6. At this point he said we would begin the reading/writing test. I read and wrote the statements as directed and again, he did not confirm whether it was correct – just proceeded to the next part which was to question me on my N400 form.
 
For this section he asked every one of the Yes/No questions to which I answered accordingly. I had to provide paperwork of a police caution dating back to 2006 – he was interested in seeing this and even stated enthusiastically that he’d “never seen one of these before!” – I thought it was a funny thing to share but said nothing. Secondly, he quizzed me on a ticket I’d received in April 2022 for running a red light on my bicycle. I provided details and gave him the ticket for the fine I’d received and subsequently paid via the DMV website. I thought it was interesting that he opted to keep those – I understood that typically officers only want to check a fine has been paid but assumed due to my police caution he was being diligent.
 
After this, he said that the N400 interview was now complete but there was the "problem looking over your police documents and of the I-751 that is still pending". I nodded along as I understood his rationale for needing to look at the police docs - in every prior interview (for K1, AOS, etc.) it has been a talking point but has ultimately been approved without issue. I did however take the opportunity to ask if the I-751 was at another office as I assumed it must still be. He shook his head and replied “no, I have it here – and I’ll be reviewing it when I have time… maybe today, maybe later this week” – he even pointed it out from a stack of folders on his desk. I was surprised to only be learning this now. In hindsight, it may have been worth questioning him further but given his earlier snappiness and lax reply regarding it sitting on his desk awaiting review, I sensed I wouldn’t get a helpful response so did not ask anything else.
 
At last, he stated that the interview was now complete, and that he would escort me back to the waiting area. I gathered up my things and he walked me out – as we walked along the hallway towards the waiting area, he turned to me and said that I’d "passed the civics test and I’d be hearing about next steps within a few weeks". I thanked him and wished him a good day. 
 
Overall, this whole process seemed a little unconventional compared to what I’d read about other people’s experiences - particularly the need to review the I-751 separately. I'm curious if anyone has had a similar experience or general thoughts to share on the situation.
 
Feel free to reach out if you have questions about any of the above!

Good luck Catseal!

I've heard that some USCIS locations have a state department representative that takes passport applications at the oath ceremony. Does anyone know if this is true for Denver?

Yes sir. I comment my congratulations on your timeline I hope all goes well and you're offered a same day oath 

Ok guys this is it! I am officially a US citizen 🎉🎉🎉 oath ceremony took place at the Federal Plaza room 310 at 1 on 1/11, my husband accompanied me but was not allowed into the room, I first made a line where I provided my appointment letter signed and dated, along with my old green card and work permit, they gave me the certificate, checked that everything was correct and then was asked to go into room 300 cause 310 was full, they gave us two envelopes, one with a letter from President Biden congratulating us and the other a USCIS package with instructions on life as a citizen, passport application, national anthem, pledge of allegiance and oath of allegiance and a tiny US flag, after that an officer gave a speech from the other room which we watched on a big screen, we all said the oath in unison, they congratulated us, we cheered and clapped and off we went, they asked us if we wanted to take pictures next to a US flag to go to the second floor and we all did, I waved both of my flags 🇺🇸🇩🇴 and I’m so damn happy and proud to finally being an American, it’s been my dream for as long as I can remember and it finally happened, if anyone would know about my immigration story, they would understand how important this achievement was for me and for all of us immigrants that came to this country full of hopes and dreams that are unfolding for us all. The entire process took about maybe 1/2 hr so it was quick, I took longer dolling up lol I looked like a congresswoman 😁to all of you still waiting I wish nothing but speed and good luck with your new American lives 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 
ps: I am learning the lyrics to the national anthem from that uscis pamphlet and will upload it to tiktok, will sing it better than fergie 😬 if you find it you find it 🤭
 
Good luck amigos 👍🏽 🍀 
attached my very last USCIS update 🎉🎉

Hey guys, I noticed I didn’t update this thread however, my i751 was automatically approved after my N400 interview on 12/12, no additional interview needed, my oath ceremony is in a few days which means: I HAVE FINALLY GRADUATED FROM USCIS 🎉🇺🇸 👩🏽‍🎓🇺🇸, to anyone on this thread still waiting, best of luck 🍀🍀🍀 

Hello LIN Nebraska Filers,
 
Updating the thread that we have now been issued a USCIS Form N-4405 Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony for January 2023.
 
This would be a few days over 18 months to the day from the filing of I-751 Removal of Conditions via Lockbox and assigned to LIN Nebraska for processing.
 
This would be a few days over 6 months to the day from the filing of N-400 Application for Naturalization via Online and processed in Seattle, WA. 
 
You can see more details in my timeline.
 
The journey is almost over and we are very grateful and appreciate all of you in this forum for keeping us company along the way. 
 
Happiest new year to everyone,
 
G&A😊

How arduous. I just saw your report in the other thread 😕 But good idea with the uploading, I might still try that, had not thought of it, thank you!
 

Hello fellow Denverite, looks like Nebraska also updated a whole slew of November 2022 ROCs to "Fingerprints were taken" status as well this evening. Looks like they do these things in batches, apparently ...
 

So, it's almost 30 days since I passed the N-400 interview and received a Form N-652 which checked "You passed the English test and the U.S. history and government test", and "Congratulations! Your application has been recommended for approval. At this time, it appears you have established your eligibility for naturalization. If final approval is granted, you will be notified when and where to report for your naturalization ceremony".
 
Question 1: Since my I-751 application for removal of conditions (ROC) remains pending, what is your experience about the waiting period for approval of I-751 after N-400 has been passed?
 
Question 2: Any exceptions you know of that may affect final approval of the N-400?
 
My local office is Seattle for the N-400, and my I-751 is with apparently slowpoke Nebraska LIN processing center.
 
I had the impression the N-400 will expedite the processing of I-751 but is it possible that my approval papers are time-locked at Nebraska LIN?
 
Much appreciate any thoughts.
 
Cheers,
G&A
 

OK.  Thanks.  I'm sorry that you will have to wait. I just don't understand why they can't look ahead and get the I-751 records they need.  Doesn't make sense to me.

I would avoid this option from happening, travel to the US from outside is not geared to use a certificate of naturalization for travel. As @Olly_  indicates airlines are unlikely to allow you to board because that document type is not on the list of acceptable documents to fly to the USA.
 
Take the option of doing your oath ceremony after your return to the USA, I expect USCIS will accommodate you.
Good luck on your interview.

Any recent interviews in Denver?

If you are returning tomorrow with expired green card + 24months extension (which is unexpired), then I don't expect you'll have any issues. 

Another update to my case today, now it says something about the fingerprints being applied, therefore, I’ll let you guys know when it says “card being produced” which is about to happen any time now because processing times for EAC (Vermont) are becoming due now and if it was transferred to a new jurisdiction with a better workload, we’re getting approved soon✨ I’ll keep y’all posted✨

@ADAngel why not try to get I-551 stamp in his passport? That should work well for proving his LPR status. The 24 month extension letter probably doesn't have much left on it anyways. Waiting for I-751 approval does not impact his ability to naturalize in the future at all.

FYI just got this via email

" 
USCIS Implements Risk-Based Approach for Conditional Permanent Resident Interviews 04/07/2022 WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced a policy update to adopt a risk-based approach when waiving interviews for conditional permanent residents (CPR) who have filed a petition to remove the conditions on their permanent resident status.
Effective immediately, new criteria will guide USCIS officers on when to waive interviews for CPRs who filed a Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence. This update replaces previous agency guidance that required all CPRs to undergo an interview if they obtained CPR status via consular processing.
“Implementing a risk-based strategic approach to the CPR-interview process will increase efficiencies that improve processing times, allow for a better use of agency staffing resources, and help reduce the pending caseload while still maintaining procedures to identify fraud and protect national security,” said USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou. “This update is consistent with agency priorities to break down barriers in the immigration system, eliminate undue burdens on those seeking benefits, and effectively respond to stakeholder feedback and public concerns.”
Prior policy requiring mandatory CPR interviews did not prove to be an efficient use of USCIS staffing resources. Under this policy update, USCIS may waive the interview requirement if the agency officer determines there is sufficient evidence about the bona fides of the marriage, the joint-filing requirement is eligible for a waiver (if applicable), there is no indication of fraud or misrepresentation in supporting documents, there are no complex facts or issues to resolve, and there is no criminal history that would render the CPR removable.
A noncitizen who obtains permanent resident status based on a marriage that began less than two years before obtaining that status receives permanent resident status on a conditional basis for two years. To remove the conditions on permanent resident status, family-based CPRs generally must file a Form I-751 within the 90-day period before the two-year anniversary of when they obtained CPR status."
(Bold highlighting by me)
 

I am unclear if this is only for those who got their status via consular processing (?) or for everyone currently in line too, but I am just hoping over here they will decide against interviewing us after all considering we already had one for AOS and our case def falls into the "sufficient evidence about the bona fides of the marriage/no indication of fraud or misrepresentation in supporting documents / no complex facts or issues to resolve and no criminal history" category🤦‍♀️