bonjour2017

Congratulations.  I had the same happen to me.  He had to check with Supervisor about a traffic ticket  I didn't have documentation for then he came back with an OK. Phew!

It seems like a matter of time if and when they decide to catch up with you.   They have all your information including social security number via the N-400 process.  Maybe they will do nothing.  They could have arrested you by now. They will know where you work from your W2 and when you file taxes.   They know when your green card expires.  I would do as the lawyers have said  and lay low and not apply for anything.  It could be they have decided to let you stay via green card only. 

Just want to confirm that it doe not take that long to get a passport after becoming a citizen.  I did not use expedited processing.  I had my oath ceremony on Aug 31, 17,  applied Sept 1 for the passport at my post office (just walked in). Passport arrived on Sept 23 in regular mail.

 I used the set of passport photos that  I had taken in preparation for the interview, in case they asked for them.  People on here were recommending to bring them as a precaution.  So I didn't need them but it was handy to have them for the passport.

Good luck to the rest of the January 2017 filers still in processing!

Congratulations Cocann!  Well Done!  

Its a shame so many other people are still waiting that applied in January.

When you look at the progress of people who filed in January 2017, you would think everybody should have had their interview scheduled by now. You can see in the other months forums that many people filing after January, in Feb-May have taken the oath! I wonder if the January outliers have simply failed to report here, or if they know why it is taking so long to get the interview.     Some Field offices seem quicker than others, like Boston and Louisville.   I will stick around to see the stragglers get through. There's several oaths coming up in September!

My opinion is----Go to the ceremony anyway!  They will have your naturalization certificate ready----- they will know you were supposed to come.  At my ceremony there were 2 immigration officers and supervisor there to help.  Two people that had some sort of problem that day that they fixed and they took the oath.  They collect your form and green card as you enter the room.  They even called out the names of 5 people who did not show up.    They should be able to print up your letter from the computer or even ask you the questions in person and get you to sign something.  Just go!

I was worried on my oath day because my son inadvertently tore the letter about 2 inches as he opened the envelope. The officer said it didn't matter!

Good Luck.

Congratulations.  I had my ceremony yesterday in Baltimore Field Office.  Guests and citizens were all in the same room and never separated, except citizens were seated on one side of the room, where our packets were waiting . The ceremony was short, about 1/2 hour.  We were called to receive the certificate as they read our name in front of everyone.  There were only 65 people getting certificate in our session, with another scheduled for the afternoon.  They did call out our individual country and asked us to stand.

Your ceremony sounded very nice, and good luck being a new citizen!

2 hours ago, Joe&LuMa said:

Please paint me RED ! I am a citizen of the United States!

Congratulations! Thanks for your support yesterday!

27 minutes ago, Luis & Carol said:

Did my Oath Ceremony today, it was a simple but meaningful ceremony.  Finally a US citizen!!!!  Can someone update me to RED!!!! Thank you very much to all of you here at visa journey.  All your comments, experience, and advise were extremely helpful.    

Congratulations to you too!  

It was worth the wait. My ceremony was beautiful and so was yours.

I applied for my passport today. I hated to give the passport office my Certificate of Naturalization.  I also mailed in the Voter Registration Form.

Thank you Cocann for updating the status of me and many others!  Good Luck with your personal journey.

I am now a US Citizen!  Cocann, please change me to RED.

Everybody seemed to arrive by 10 am for the 10:30 ceremony in the Baltimore field office. We were shown to the waiting room.  Then called by row to the ceremony room.  They took our green card and notice form as we entered the ceremony room.  The ceremony started at 11, presided by a USCIS Supervisor (no judge).  There were 65 of us from 57 countries.  We sand the Star Spangled Banner.  All of our countries were called and I stood up for Canada, I was the only one.  We said the Oath.  The showed a short film of other new citizens takinf the oath.  Then a little later we were called to the podium in front of the room by row to pick up our certificate from the USCIS Supervisor. They played a nice version of America The Beautiful and then it was over.  We were given a short time to take pictures before they said another group needed to have their ceremony, presumably at 12 noon.

I wish all of you good luck.  Be patient, your turn will come!

My oath ceremony  is tomorrow and my time is 1030 am. Its in the Baltimore Field Office, which has a large auditorium built in for oath ceremony.  It used to be a same day oath ceremony site. It will take me an hour to get there from my home so I am leaving at 0830.  That will give me time to check in.  I do agree it would be more clear and helpful for the audience if they said on the letter what time to check in; and what time the ceremony begins.  I signed and dated my form in Black ink, and indicated my home address, and Baltimore as the signing place.

Yes, "in line for interview" is the next update.  Then you will get the notice for the date and time of the interview , but it could take several months to get this letter.  I received my interview notice in the mail July 8, and the interview was Aug 9.  

2 hours ago, BubbleMe said:

 

Cocann or someone tech savvy could you change my status to Oath Date 8/31/17!  Yes I got the letter today, the date is a lot sooner than I expected!  The ceremony is at the Baltimore Field office, and not a courthouse. This Thursday!

Thanks!

I received an email and text from USCIS that my Oath Ceremony has been scheduled and they have mailed a letter that indicates the date and time. It came at 6:03 PM last night  Checked USCIS on line and it notes this same status.    This was exactly 2 weeks from my interview in the Baltimore office.  Happy for the progress!

Baltimore has a huge auditorium for same day oath ceremonies, but they don't do same day anymore.   Curious as to where the ceremony will be held---Field office, Baltimore courthouse, or Greenbelt, MD courthouse.  

Was Girl A a US Citizen and your nephew needed her to get the Citizenship?   Did he get his Green Card on his own?   I don't understand why Girl A  was helping him by pretending to still be together for the Citizenship interview, even though he had left her for Girl B.  Your nephew and Girl A (Wife) lied on the interview about their marriage. He could get citizenship revoked if USCIS finds out that the interview was based on lies. As others have said, he had better get  a lawyer.

If I were an immigration officer, I would view frequent extended absences from the US as a huge red flag; and examine the evidence closely. No doubt they are used to people trying to game the system.  

Once you get US Citizenship, you can move away if you want without time restriction. You just have to pay your taxes.

Good reasons.  

Seems like some don't really want to be a citizen, they want the protection a US passport provides in traveling. Lawyers are probably advising people to apply for citizenship to make money for them.  You can go on for years with a green card and have no travel difficulties as long as you don't stay out longer than 6 months.   If you need to travel and live outside the US for longer than 6 months, how can you establish a credible residence in the US?  

I see the posts all the time on different sites about the applicant wondering if they meet residency requirements for naturalization.

I don't get it. You first get a Green Card that is difficult to obtain. Then you proceed to spend more time out of the country than in by going back and forth and staying outside the country for long periods.  You want to apply for US Citizenship but you barely meet the residency requirements or the length of time actually in the US is questionable .  If I were you, I would be prepared to answer questions on why you needed to spend so much time outside of the US.

I'm still reeling from how you go from submission of N-400 to interview letter in about a month!  Fastest FBI check ever!  You have been on the forum a lot giving everyone advice. You sound like you have your documentation together.  Just review your N-400 responses because your application responses will be reviewed. You'll be OK.

I disagree with the address advice.  You need to prove you have a permanent address in your state. They may ask for documentation showing you truly do live in the address you indicated. I have been in my home for 10 years.  The officer asked me about it and the date that I bought my home. He asked where I lived before that.   I was prepared to show a gas bill showing recurring payments, if asked.  Living with relatives is not a permanent thing and may raise stability issues and your ability to maintain a home.  The process could take a year, why not get your own address first?

Not a dude

Ever since I had the Bio metrics appt on 22 Feb 17, I have not made any travel plans for fear of scheduling on the possible interview date. Then I would have had to pay travel penalties as no way would I have rescheduled the interview.  I had my interview on Aug 9, and now will patiently wait for the Oath Letter.  After the Oath Ceremony ,  I will change my Social Security Information, then I will apply for the US passport.  Next year I will resume my normal vacation habits!  

I responded with the year that I attended that University, 2012, and the officer moved on.    I have two other degrees but they were attained in 1989 and 1999 at different universities.  The University the officer was interested in--- I had attended only 5 years ago.

It probably came up on a 2012 FBI background check that I had to have done as a prerequisite of the University program. My fingerprints were taken in this check and this must have come up on USCIS FBI check.

Going There--My last name is unusual so I doubt if it was a mix-up.

Last week, my interview was almost derailed because I mentioned I got a traffic citation in April 2017; and that I had paid the ticket, about $100.    The IO wanted to see documentation! I explained it was in another state and I did not have any documentation of paying the ticket.    He marked my interview paper, "could not make a decision today".  He then sent me to the waiting room while he checked with his supervisor.  He returned 5 minutes later and told me he would approve me and I didn't need to show any documentation.  He told me I was free to go but did not change the paper to "approved."  Bring documentation that you paid your tickets!

I also wondered why the background check did not reveal any citations for traffic tickets....

I wondered the same thing-- how extensive was the background check and whether I would be questioned on things that their investigation revealed.  The only way to get a sense of this is if people respond to inform you of questions they were asked that were not applicable to the N-400 responses. In my case, I filed for Naturalization after 36 years of green card issuance; I could have been asked a lot of things after being in the States for so long.  The officer asked me only one question that gave hint of any investigation results--Have I ever attended a certain University? The rest of the questions were related to the 3 N-400 "Yes" responses and I reiterated my responses.  Review your N-400 responses before you go into the interview.

Yes the interview was August 9. I was approved.