agrzybianek

On 11/9/2018 at 5:25 PM, DonaDony said:

For the folks who already took their oaths. Did you get a chance to apply for Passport at the same time of the ceremony? Or you did it on a different day?

 

Thanks!!! 

After my oath they told us that we can register to vote on the spot (took me less than 5 minutes even with all those other people doing it at the same time) they didn't bring up the passport. I had my oath in May and I still have not applied for my passport...I should probably do that soon

On 9/26/2018 at 7:51 AM, kdg said:

I am a citizen!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸

 

Yesterday along with 660 others in a ceremony at Peoria my journey was completed. 

 

I paperfiled to Chicago last November 2017, biometrics November 28 2017, (St Louis) interview June 14th 2018 in Chicago and finally oath ceremony yesterday. 

 

Good luck to ALL! 

Congrats! 660? that's a huge number! for me it was 145ish i believe (downtown Chicago)

2 hours ago, aseela said:

Just found this thread. I'm chicago N400 filer. Had my biometrics September 24 2018. Now waiting.. 

you have a long wait my friend

7 minutes ago, geowrian said:

It is waivable via an I-601, though...once he gets petitioned and the PD is current and he is otherwise eligible for the visa. Then he can apply for the hardship waiver...although the chances of getting it approved with that kind of history is not exactly the greatest.

hmm interesting...you learn something new every day i guess. i would imagine that his chances are pretty low and i would also imagine that it'd be fairly expensive/ time-consuming as well. 

Since he is a felon and fraud is a crime of moral turpitude (spelling?)

wouldn't that be a lifetime ban for him no matter what? 

23 hours ago, Commando said:

I called today and the officer said again its approved and you are in the queue to be scheduled for the ceremony. So how long that could take?

no idea, for me it took 48 hours but I've seen people say on here that it took them weeks/months I guess it all depends on the volume of oaths during that time and (maybe) where you live. 

9 minutes ago, Commando said:

Yes of course i spoke to level 2 "thats what i also do" and the officer said congratulations for approval but there is no oath scheduled yet!!

I would definitely believe what the officer said I know it's very stressful i would be too but I'm sure it will update by monday. in my case it took 48 hours to get scheduled for oath from my interview but it depends on where you live. 

2 minutes ago, Commando said:

Yes i called yestrday and he said that my case has been approved. But there is nothing changed online yet!!

I've seen this happen before where it doesn't update instantly (you'd think that it would) 

either way if they told you that you have been approved congratulations! i would wait maybe until monday and if it doesn't update then call again. did you speak to a LVL 2 when you called? did they tell you that you have been scheduled for oath yet?

21 hours ago, Commando said:

Hi guys, i had my interview 2 days ago and the officer said that he can't give me a decision now for approval and they will contacting me by mail if there is any update or if they need something!!

Is this normal process? And when should i expect an update?

during your interview, was there anything that the interviewing officer didn't like or seem concerned with? it can be nothing and or it can be something. i believe if you call USCIS and speak to a lvl 2 officer (not lvl 1) they can give you more info. 

On 9/10/2018 at 10:13 AM, Commando said:

Where can i find a cheap parking by uscis Building?

I don't think there is cheap parking anywhere out there by USCIS, my wife and I took the train. $9/person/each way but i'd rather pay that and not have to deal with traffic (and I'm sure that parking would probably be about as much too downtown) 

fill out the questionnaire saying you are not a us citizen and in the comments add that you are NOT a USC. send it back. sometimes they may request evidence in which you would have to send in a copy of your green card. you absolutely CANNOT just ignore it and expect it to go away. 

13 minutes ago, podapodapunnaku said:

Got the email saying that oth is scheduled and we have mailed the letter

Congrats! enjoy your oath

33 minutes ago, pkie1985 said:

Hi, local Chicago filler here. Applied in July 2018.  Finished biometrics on August 6th. Is waiting for the interview really much shorter for online fillers in Chicago? 

Yes, seems like online filers get their interviews MUCH faster

yes, if possible, ALWAYS file online. i learned that the hard way

17 minutes ago, Commando said:

Which part of IL do you live?

Northwest suburbs in Kane County about 20-30 miles from Wisconsin. 

On 7/28/2018 at 7:32 AM, podapodapunnaku said:

Hey agrzybianek,

     After your interview, you said you received your oath in two weeks. Do you mean to say (a) you received your notice for a oath ceremony in two weeks or (b) your had  your actual ceremony in two weeks. If (a) how many days was it for the actual ceremony or if (b) when did you receive the letter. My basic question is how long before the ceremony are people informed ? If you can give actual dates it would be helpful. Thanks 

i had my actual oath exactly 2 weeks after my interview. I had my interview on 5/9 and my oath was 5/23. i received an email that I have been scheduled for oath exactly 48 hours after my interview. I received the letter about 4-6 days after i got scheduled so it was a very very quick process for me. 

On 7/24/2018 at 1:59 PM, himanshu.7710 said:

Hello fellow Chicago filers

 

Are we maintaining any timeline for the Chicago filers? Any google doc or anything? 

 

It will be really useful to see and assess whats going on with Chicago office. Let me know if you guys think along the same lines.

 

Thanks 

I waited 11 months for my interview. filed June 2017 and had my interview May 2018. my oath was exactly 2 weeks later. seems like most paper filers wait about that long for their interview. For online filers the wait time is much shorter. 

I don't think we have a google doc of that but i could be wrong. 

16 hours ago, tgkc168 said:

Any info on the naturalization ceremony in Chicago?

After having her interview August 2017 and being approved and placed in line for an oath ceremony a week later  my wife finally received her naturalization ceremony date of July 23rd at 9am at the USCIS building in chicago.

How early should we arrive?

Can we take cameras or pictues with cell phone during the ceremony?

How many people are usually becoming citizens that day?

Will there be room for myself and kids to watch/sit?

Anything else anyone can recommend?

congrats!

when i had my oath we arrived about 45 minutes to an hour early i believe, i wouldn't come any any earlier than that because you'll wait for a long time and I'm not sure if they will even let you come that early.

yes! You can take pictures, when I had my ceremony the person that was swearing us in told us when we can take pictures and at the end you can even take a photo with him/her as you receive your diploma.

when i had my oath there were between 130-150 people I can't remember on the exact number 

yes there will be a whole area reserved for family during the ceremoney.

only thing I can recommend is make sure your wife enjoys her special day! she will never have to deal with USCIS again! 

10 hours ago, podapodapunnaku said:

All d-day is nearing. I have collected the following documents:

1] The interview appointment letter and green card

2] Passports- old and new

3] Drivers License

4] Marriage certificate from my country

5] Tax receipts for last five years from IRS.gov website 

6] Birth certificate of our children [both US citizens]

7] Travel itinerary for the trip we had after our filing n-400

8]  Two-passport style photos

 

Do I need to get an employment letter? Is this all enough?  Nerve racking.....Also, can we "REQUEST" oath dates? This is because we are travelling next month and would prefer an oath date if possible in July itself or September. Note: my wife is changing her last name.  

that looks like more than enough in my opinion ,  when i had my interview all they needed was my green card and my passport. no photos, no tax returns nothing else! Of course, every interviewer is different that's why you are doing a good thing by going prepared. are you bringing just tax receipts or tax returns as well? I'm not sure what the difference is between the two

7 hours ago, Lovie Lovie said:

Haha So true  I can’t wait actually I just want to be done with the whole USCIS scene , I think I have over studied too 😂.  Thank you so much for always being positive. 

I know exactly what you mean. leaving the USCIS office after taking my oath was probably one of the best moments of my life. just knowing that you will not have to deal with them again is a HUGE huge huge relief!

it's hard to explain the feeling, it's something you have to experience for yourself and soon looks like it too. I waited 2 weeks for my oath from the date of my interview so unless something has changed you should have your oath by middle of August. 

On 7/6/2018 at 4:43 PM, Lovie Lovie said:

You are awesome lol, I love reading this even thou the questions don’t belong to me. I’m learning everyday my interview has been scheduled for 31st of July. 

July 31st? getting closer  make sure you study your questions, bring your tax returns and most importantly try to relax. as long as you don't have a criminal record and you paid your taxes and all you have absolutely nothing to worry about! its important to remember that the interviewing officers are people too and they know that this is stressful for us even if it's not for them.

1 hour ago, podapodapunnaku said:

Thanks again to kdg!

thanks very much agrzybianek.

 

This is very helpful. Looks like I should show up to the entrance of the building about 45 minutes before the interview time. After your comments, I will not bring my children for sure.

 

Also, is this a very crowded place?  I was of the opinion that there will be be no more than 10 people at a given time! When you say long queue, I am imagining an airport immigration queue. Anyway, thanks to you and kdg for your detailed description. I will plan on spending 1 hr and 30 minutes. 

 

I am bit bit confused about third floor? You mean the check in is done at a different place and the interview at a different place. The reason that I ask this is because during fingerprinting all of them happened in a single office. Thanks 

 

 

for me it was very crowded it was kind of hard for me and my wife to get seats next to each other but I'm sure it depends on the day. Just so you know there are 3 sections. Left, Middle, Right. Middle section is reserved for Oath ceremonies only. if you sit in the oath section they will ask you to move once oath people start coming in. After you check in they will tell you what door number they will call you from and depending on that you sit either on left or right side it sounds confusing I know but it's actually very easy once you get there. 

no sorry, when you get into the building you have to first go through security as in metal detectors, put your cell phone, shoes, belt, purse etc inside a bin and walk through. they will ask you what brings you in and you just say that you are there for your naturalization interview. they will instruct you to go to the third floor.

Once you get to the third floor on the escalator you will right away see a sign "check in" with an arrow pointing to it. that's the line you want to get into. once you are checked in (you will need to give your N400 interview notice and i believe they take another fingerprint if I"m not mistaken maybe someone can correct me if I'm wrong) after you are checked in they will give you a piece of paper with a number. mine was J34. on that piece of paper they will write what door you will be called into so just watch for your door and sit by it

like I said the check in line was very long but it moved fast.

just so you know third floor is also where you will go for your oath! for you interview you go right after you get off the escalator and once you are there for your oath - the ceremony is to the left. 

I would get there 45 min early not more I'm not sure if they will let you check in 

let me know if you have any more questions! I love answering these  

(Edit - sorry i know this is long but I'm trying to provide as many details as i can remember)

3 hours ago, podapodapunnaku said:

Thank you Steelers and kdg for your prompt answers. I forgot to ask two related question ( from my wife actually)

 

1. Do we need to take passport size photos (2)?

2. How long does the interview last and how long should I plan for the entire event from parking to parking? My wife has an appointment in the city  after our interview. 

3. We don’t plan to bring children in since Both of them are US citizens. Do I need to bring their birth certificates? Also, are children even allowed?

 

thanks guys

 

 

4

1. no photos are necessary ( I didn't bring any - I think that the interviewing officer took a photo of me with his webcam if I'm not mistaken)

2. my interview lasted maybe 15 minutes if that. it was at 9am, i got to the building at 8:30 and there was a fairly long line to register but it went pretty quickly maybe 5 minutes of waiting. I entered the room around 9:15 so the whole process took maybe an hour. when you get to the third floor you have to wait in line to check in and get a number for you interview. 

3. I don't know about the third question but the seating seems pretty limited so i would advise against bringing them unless necessary I would bring their birth certificates Just to be on the safe side. better to be prepared in my opinion! Good luck and feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

On 6/27/2018 at 4:39 PM, kdg said:

It depends on the county you live in.. Chicago residents are getting their ceremonies in less than 2 weeks. I am central Illinois and the wait is months. I also have plane tickets booked for September and I am doubtful I am going to get a ceremony before then. They are just once a month at most and I know an April interviewee is still waiting. 

I live in northern Illinois (about 20 miles from the Wisconsin border) I had my interview on May 9th, 2018 and my oath was may 23rd, it's strange that central IL residents have to wait that long. I wonder why that is

Hello, when I had my oath on May 23rd I registered to vote right there after the ceremony, I checked the Illinois voter registration website and it shows that I have not yet been registered to vote. does anyone know how long that might take? it's been over a month and I am not sure if it just takes that long or my application was lost or something like that. i have not gotten anything in the mail either. 

thanks!