Hamilton

Sorry to hear this - though I would imagine any movement is good and signals more changes to come.

Yes, it's required.

No cause to worry. Nobody is going to have an identical timeline. Maybe they're a bit busier right now, more applications in advance of holiday travel.

This is impossible to predict. I would say she has a very good chance of getting the oath on the same day because most people seem to get that, especially when they have appointments before 2pm. But there's always something that can go wrong with bureaucracy, so nothing is guaranteed.

I doubt you'll need anything else. Good luck!

You can only get a US passport after your oath ceremony, once you're a citizen with a naturalization certificate. But if your travel is very soon after the oath (i.e., not enough time to go through the expedited process), you can apply for an emergency/urgent passport. Details here - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast/passport-agencies/seattle.htmlv Some people in this thread have gone the urgent passport route, so if you scroll back some pages you'll be able to find info on it. It's definitely still cutting it close to your travel in Nov because it's hard to predict how soon your oath ceremony will be scheduled.

This seems like it's actually moving along quite quickly. They transferred the I-751 case only a couple of days after your N400 interview, and they approved it yesterday. So I think you're on track to hear about the oath ceremony soon. You could reach out to your senator/representative and ask them to inquire for you - that usually gets a case going. But your case seems to already be making its way through the system - it's just hard to predict if it'll be complete within the next two weeks. You may want to look into getting an emergency passport for your Nov 23 travel - I believe those can be done in a day or two. The expedited process is longer than 2 weeks right now.

I scheduled the appointment on the USPS site, and all the document requirements are listed there too https://www.usps.com/international/passports.htm

Congrats!! Also if it helps - I expedited my passport application last month and got the passport within 3 weeks of the USPS appointment.

You're welcome! Yes, I brought the basic evidence we'd filed for the 751, just updated (there's a list of suggested documents to show marital union, like tax transcripts, leases etc.).

Applied expedited + 1-2 day delivery. Locator 69. Sept 9 - Applied at USPS Sept 13 - In processing Sept 28 - Approved Sept 30 - Received! I'm amazed how easy and fast it was to get a passport. Exactly 3 weeks from application to delivery.

Fun!! We celebrated by going out to dinner. I've been doing some introspecting off and on as well. It'll feel more real when I get my passport, I think. Did you apply yet?

Ahhh congrats!! Yeah I wish I had known just how chill the interview process would be. I was so nervous about it for a solid two weeks before my interview! I'm happy for you What's everyone doing to celebrate?

Congrats bud!! I'm surprised they made you wait so long but I'm glad it was so smooth, especially with the baby. Now you get to sit back and relax!

Not really. Some people wait in their cars in the parking lot. There's also some benches outside the USCIS building where you can sit. It's not a particularly walkable area/nothing much around, but if the spouse goes away somewhere they probably won't make it back in time to enter for the ceremony (if the ceremony officer allows people to come in). I would just plan to sit outside and enjoy an hour or two of introspection, hah.

Thanks!! It seems like everyone was unsure what the policy actually is. Someone inside told me that spouses can come in and wait in the waiting room with you (before the interview). I'm not sure the security guard outside would've allowed that, and the interview letter certainly says only the applicant is allowed. 🤷‍♂️ I think only one other person in the ceremony brought a family member in. Did your wife ask them specifically at the ceremony? Seems the answer varies.

I think her passport will be fine, I wouldn't worry about it. I also think it's likely they won't ask for it at all, like with me. It seems like they typically just want to see the applicant's green card, ID, and passport (aside from any additional evidence stuff if it comes up).

Congrats!! I wonder how they decide who gets a virtual or in person interview, or if it’s entirely random. Mine was virtual.

Thanks man! She actually only wanted my current and last address, and I gave the full address for both (including zip code etc). I made sure I remembered my older addresses too though, best to be prepared.

Thank you!! Yeah, I'll send you a message. But remember you only need to get 6 right from 10. You would have to fail half of the questions to not pass.

Hi folks, the journey is finally over - I'm officially a US citizen!! I loved when people shared detailed experiences on VJ, so here's mine: My interview was early in the morning. Parking was straightforward in the USCIS lot. I entered the building 15 minutes before my appointment time. There was no one ahead of me in security so it all went really smoothly - it functions like an airport security checkpoint, you have to take off your belt, shoes, jacket, etc. and put your bag through a scanner. Then at the next window, I got my photograph and fingerprints taken again, and then I was directed to go upstairs to the waiting room for my interview. My interview was virtual. A really friendly assistant came and took me to a large room with about 8ish office-style cubicles. I had to take out my passport, ID, and green card and put the rest of my stuff in a drawer. The interviewing officer turned on their video on the iPad the moment I sat down, and the interview began. She was very professional and very serious. We started with the reading and writing test, followed by the civics questions (and stopped after I got the first six correct). Then we went through a lot of the N400 questions (current employment, current and old addresses, many of the yes/no questions). I let her know about a correction I needed to make to the form, and it was no big deal -- she made it for me. She also asked me how I met my wife and if we rented/owned our house - but this didn't feel like an interrogation, just like a chat. She asked about our marriage evidence, and I told her about a few of the documents I had brought in. She wanted our latest tax transcript, so she sent a message to the assistant to come fetch it from me. The assistant took the papers and scanned them and then brought them back. While we waited (about 5-10 mins), the officer turned her video off and I just hung out 😄 Then she asked me to confirm all my details were correct on the iPad for my naturalization certificate, said I was approved, and sent an approval notice to the printer that was on the desk next to me. The only issue with the interview was that people in the room were really loud, and occasionally I had to ask the officer to repeat herself -- but it really wasn't a big deal. While the interview started out really serious, I chatted with the officer a little while she was entering things into her computer and we ended up having a nice conversation and joking a little too. Then the assistant came back to fetch me and congratulated me a few times 😊, and I went back downstairs to the auditorium. The officer there took my green card and threw it in a bag 😂 it felt weird seeing it dumped into a bag like that after I've guarded it with my life for so long. I asked if my wife could come in for the ceremony and she said yes! So I texted my wife and met her outside, and then we both came back inside together (had to go through security again). There were about 15 other people at the ceremony and it was only about 10 minutes long, but it was still nice -- the officer smiled a lot and said how momentous the occasion was and how long our journey has been, and congratulated us. Then we said the oath and received our naturalization certificates and little US flags. Some folks posed for photographs in the auditorium afterwards. The whole thing took about 1.5 hours (30 min interview, 10 min ceremony, plus waiting around). Overall, it was a great experience. Everyone was SO nice and friendly and chatted with me and put me at ease -- the security guards, biometrics person, the assistant, the interviewing officer, and the ceremony officer. I'm so glad to be done! Good luck to the rest of you with interviews coming up, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Congratulations, and thanks for coming back and telling us about it!

I went through the timelines section of VJ and I don't think I had realized how many people get a same day oath in Seattle. It looks like the majority by far, based on dates entered for 2020-present.

Hah this cabinet sounds weird. Cool, thanks! I'll let my wife know I probably won't be able to contact her until I'm out.

Ty! And were you able to take your cell phone in?