pdx751

Cleared my interview yesterday in Portland! Also had the oath ceremony on the same day so I am officially a USC now! Soooo happy to put this process behind me now !

Hey November Filers

So happy to share news that my interview happened yesterday here in Portland OR and I cleared it successfully! I was even more stoked when my interviewing officer asked if I was available to return in the afternoon to be sworn in (Duh! of course I was!). Oath ceremony was short and totally without fanfare, which was understandable in covid times. As of 2pm, I walked out of the USCIS office with my nat certificate and an American flag in hand. Also applied for my passport today!

Interview was fairly smooth and lasted about 30 mts total. 

One thing that I found absolutely bizarre...I asked about getting a certified copy of the nat certificate, just for my own records. They could easily print that but they wouldn't do it unless I needed it for a specific purpose (in which case I needed to make an appointment and return). But there is no cost for a certified copy. And I was already there in person! Nor was I holding the line (there was no one else in the waiting room). So I don't understand why they couldn't just make another copy when clearly it was not difficult to do so. Oh well!

I wish everyone the very best for your upcoming interviews and hope every single one of you has reason to celebrate soon. I couldn't have seen this day without the VJ forums......

My ex and I got divorced AFTER I completed the ROC successfully and got my 10-yr green card. Now I am up for my N400 interview next week. I've collected as many docs as possible to prove the validity of our marriage and the timeline resulting in our divorce.

Any other divorcees out there who got divorced after ROC and then had to appear for their N400 interview ? I am curious to find out about the questions you were asked and docs you needed to present. My timeline:

July 2015 - got married to USC spouse

Feb 2016 - 2Yr GC approved

Nov 2017 - Applied for ROC (we were living together when I applied for ROC)

Jan 2019 - ROC approved. 10 yr GC issued. (We split up in late 2017 ....Spouse got a job in a different city so we lived separately , though still married)

July 2019 - Got divorced

Nov 2020 - Applied for N400

Oc 2021 - N4OO Interview

If it is any help, I called USCIS several times before filing ROC to ask about how to describe our marital situation. In Nov 2017 our marriage was on the rocks but we were not ready to file for divorce yet. USCIS agents informed me over phone that I did not need to provide a divorce waiver since I had not filed for one yet. They said I could explain the situation if and when called for an interview for the ROC. I ended up getting my perm GC without an interview , but I am sure that the divorce will come up in my N400 interview next week. 

If you're reading this and can relate, please reach out  

Hey @jpelan...In case you were not aware, there is a separate group for Portland filers that seems to be more active. So please check there! The name is something like Citizenship wait times Portland OR, I think.

November Filers 

I'm applying under the 5-yr PR rule. Originally got my green card through marriage but we divorced in 2019 so I'm not applying under the 3-yr rule. 

My question for other singles / divorced applicants :  Were you asked to show your W2s or 401k/ bank statements in your interview? I am reading in the October 2020 forum that some folks were asked to turn in that docs and consequently they are back in the waiting game. 

On 8/31/2021 at 6:51 AM, Paulinadeb88 said:

My husband had his n-400 interview August 26th. We arrived at Federal Plaza NYC at 10:30 for his 10:55 appointment, they told us to come back 10 minutes later as you can't arrive move than 15 minutes before. We got to room 8-100 and the security guard told me I cannot go inside with him, only the petitioner is allowed in. So I sat in the park across from Federal Plaza for FOUR HOURS. They took him in the room at 2:15 and he was out by 2:45.

 

He passed the civics test with flying colors. We put together a humongous binder with copies of everything we have together, utilities, lease, insurance, 401K, bank statements, 150 photos from 2017-2021, wedding album etc. He didn't ask for ANY documentation, literally not even one document. However, we didn't include my W2's (even though he had tax returns for the last 3 years) and his *first* 2 year greencard (he only took his 10 year gc with him). The officer said he needs to come back on Tuesday (today) 8AM, to deliver the remaining documents. My husband went there this morning, hand delivered the documents to the officer, was in and out in less than 5 minutes. The officer then called his cell when my husband got in the car asking about my W2's, my company is HQ'd in Washington DC however my office is in NYC so he wanted to clarify why the W2 had Washington DC- so my husband explained why and then the officer said ok no problem thank you for the explanation "we will mail you a notice with the decision"....

 

And the wait begins.. I'm so bummed out- i thought this would all be behind us but unfortunately we have to wait and see what they decide. I don't foresee them not approving his application, can anyone think of a reason? I would assume the officer would let him know if there were any issues, right? 

Hello there, 

I have my N400 interview next week at the USCIS office here in Portland OR. I'm curious, did the officer want to see YOUR W2 even though it was your husband who was the applicant? I've already collected federal and state tax returns for the last five years and put them in my binder for my interview. I guess I should grab my W2s as well, just to be safe? 

Did the officer want to see the two year green card as well? This is such an ordeal. I'm so sorry to hear that the process is not over for you yet! 

On 10/14/2021 at 3:08 PM, SN & PZ said:

I had my interview on Oct 12 (5 year rule, Chicago FO). I entered the building 30 minutes before the appointed time and the security screening and checking in with the representative for interview took about 10 minutes. I was instructed to wait for the door number 2. An officer came out and called me in 15 minutes so the interview happened right on schedule. The process started with taking photo and finger prints, providing the appointment letter, GC, ID and passport following by the civics test. Here are the 6 questions.

 

1. What are two Cabinet-level positions?

2. Who vetoes bills?

3. What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

4. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

5. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

6. What are the two major political parties in the United States?

 

It was followed by reading test where the sentence to read was "Who can vote?" and the writing test was the answer to the question, "Citizens can vote". All in all, pretty straight forward. I was then informed that I have passed the tests and will not be asked questions regarding N-400 application and asked to stand up and asked to swear to provide only the true answers.

 

Then the officer went though all the questions and I updated a few points in the application like change of address. Once we have gone through all the updates and have answered all the "Have you ever" questions  under part 12, I was asked to read and sign to acknowledge all the changes. Then I was asked to read and sign to ackwowledge that I do understand the oath of allegiance and willing to take the oath. I was then provided information that I have passed the 3 tests and would be recommended for approval and was given a form with such information for evidence. The whole process took about 15 minutes from start to end. The status in myUSCIS account change from "Interview was scheduled" to "Oath ceremony will be scheduled" before I left the building (around 15 minutes after the interview concluded). There was no request for documents during the interview (I printed a ton of them!!! Well, better safe than sorry..

 

In summary, it was a very pleasant experience.

 

Congratulations @SN & PZ ! Great to hear you had a positive experience as you finish your USCIS journey!

If anyone is interviewing at the Portland office in the next few days or weeks, please share your experience here  

Super happy to hear this @Sunya and Tim ! I hope it is a smooth ride for both of you. I am prepping for my appt in 2 weeks. Will share an update here soon.

What sort of word definitions? I am not familiar with this either. Been following applicant stories here and some mock interviews on Youtube...

Was anyone asked for docs or evidence they did not have on hand? Anything that they were NOT expecting to be asked?

17 hours ago, grumpybrit said:

The only other questions they asked were the ones on the application. I assume to just to make sure nothing has changed since you applied. They did ask for a state ID in addition to my Green Card which was the only thing I was not expecting.

Did your driver's license suffice for that purpose? I heard from another applicant recently that he was asked to provide copies of older driver's licenses as well....which of course he did not have (Most states take them back when you move and apply for a new license). But that was a strange request since the officer must have known that it is not possible to hold on to DLs from states once you move out from there.

Folks who are appearing for interviews in the next few weeks (or who did appear recently)...please do share your experiences here so we can all prepare as best as possible! Particularly curious about the questions asked outside the Civics test....any questions you did not anticipate, or request for docs that you did not have on hand.

On 9/24/2021 at 12:02 AM, Emilly2021 said:

Thanks for your response.  Based on my zip code,  my office is Sacramento which means the procesing time for my case is between 14 and 19 months. This is about 8-14 mnths for Boston office. 

As I understand, the field office location seems to have little to do with the actual processing timeframe. When your file gets sent to a field office, you get an interview date assigned (assuming there are no red flags at that point). So the delay in getting an interview date is actually not a result of your field office....it seems to be a delay at the center where your application was filed....NBC, Kansas City in your case. I think that was the same office for my application as well. As I noticed for my own case, the estimated processing timeframe varied almost every few weeks from 6 mos to 12 or even 14 mos. My field office is Portland OR. But the delay wasn't really because the Portland office was backlogged. It just took a very long time for my application to get transferred from NBC, Kansas City to my field office.

54 minutes ago, Sunya and Tim said:

@pdx751, this is awesome news. I was starting to wonder when I would see a new interview happening. Maybe they might get to my husband before the end of the year. He applied at the end of November 2020.  Best of luck. 

Thank you. I have to admit I was surprised that the USCIS alert did not happen in time. The update happened yesterday and I happened to see it when I checked my app status online. But I did not get a text notification about the same until today. 

Also, a friend who applied a month after me (he filed in Dec 2020) got his interview date set for Sep 26 (Chicago office). I think his application was getting processed at NBC Missouri as well.....so who knows how or why these things take so long? 

I hope your husband gets his date in the next few days. Regardless, let us compare notes....

Finally the inevitable has happened!

Got my interview date set for October 26 here in Portland.

Anyone else scheduled to interview around that time? 

If someone has been to the Portland USCIS office recently for their N400 interview, could you please share your experience? I am curious to find out if oath taking happens on the same day, and if passport applications can be filed right away. Of course, any and all information about the experience is relevant !

3 hours ago, california_luv said:

APPROVED!!!! DONE WITH USCIS!!!

 

Oh my oh my what a relief this is. I took the interview yesterday and was approved. I have had quite an interesting immigration history so it's the end of about 20 years of underlying uncertainty and stress. 

 

I arrived at the West Palm Beach USCIS building about 15mn and went in 5mn before my interview time. After passing security (empty pockets, remove belts) I was directed to take a sit in the waiting room. After about 15mn of waiting my name was called. I was expecting to be in a closed office but the interview took place at a counter with glass separating the officer and me.

She was very professional, not really friendly but just serious lol and we started right away with the civics test: Where is the statue of liberty? Why did colonists fight the british? she didn't want to hear the other 2 reasons and cut me off, that was funny, who live in america before colonists arrived? .... can't remember what the other questions were but they were easy. Then we went thru the yes/no questions, of course my past immigration issues were brought up but quickly reviewed.

Then after long minutes of typing on her computer fixing some minor issues she announced me that because of covid they do not hold naturalization ceremonies anymore so she'll administer the oath right away. At that I had to ask if she meant I was approved to which she said "yes, congratulations you're approved!". I was i shock (again considering all I've been thru with uscis) and needed a few seconds to get myself together. She was already standing up ready to go with the oath and for the fist time I saw a big smile on her face.

Oath was then taken, I thanked her again and after about 30mn wait I had my naturalization certificate in my hands. I headed out and hugged my family who was waiting in the car.

 

I still can't believe this is over and that I am now a proud US citizen ready to embrace American life to its fullest.

 

By the way, I applied under the 5yr rule but went to the interview with 5 yr of tax transcripts, bank statements, originals of the documents i submitted with the n-400, none of those were asked for.

 

Hope this was helpful, good luck to all still waiting for their interview.

 

 

 

Congratulations ! Such a relief to hear that the final step was almost anti-climactic and a quick cakewalk! I have my interview scheduled for next month and can't wait to share good news myself  All the very best to you! Did you apply for your US passport right away?

5 hours ago, G.G. said:

Hi everyone. I just got a notice that my interview was scheduled. Here’s my timeline:

November 21, 2020 - N400 filled online (5yr rule);

December 30, 2020 - Biometric reuse;

September 30, 2021- Interview date (Chicago, IL)

All the best to you ! Do keep us posted on your experience!

Very frustrated with the wait....

It's been 10 months since I submitted my N400 application online. No sign of an interview appt yet. My local office is Portland but honestly, the delay may not even be there. Not even sure if my file has reached the Portland office yet. 

I checked with a couple of others who live in the same area and filed in Nov'2020. They are waiting patiently as well.

Wish we had some sort of insight into the timeline. I don't have a lot of faith in the computer-generated time estimate that displays in my case status. That's been all over the place really

On 7/8/2021 at 6:15 PM, Sunya and Tim said:

We have been waiting patiently as well. My husband’s application was filed November 2020 as well.  At least we have the distraction of my stepson being here for the summer to keep us busy.  Just wanted you to know you are not waiting alone. 😊

Thank you @Sunya and Tim....Sorry to hear that we are all in the same boat. 

59 minutes ago, marthasofi said:

Hi,

I'm from Vancouver WA and your waiting time seems to be about right. I didn't even try to compare Portland to other cities because every location is different and this side is very slow!

I filed on Aug2020 and didn't get anything going until end of April 2021 so if you filed in November, you should see things going soon, it's only the 8th, I'm sure you will get a notification soon. Good luck.

Thank you @marthasofi...Yeah the estimate says 7 months but I know this is not really accurate since it has already been 8 months since I filed. 

I wish we could find out if the applications even made it to regional offices....

Hi Portlanders

Checking again to see if anyone has received an interview date recently....I'm seeing no traction with my application (filed Nov;2020) and a lot of people in other cities who filed around the same time (or later) have already finished their interviews and swearing in ceremonies  

Congrats to everyone who had successful interviews in the last few days and weeks !

General question...especially to ppl applying under the 5-year PR rule

What additional docs did you take to your interview , aside from the docs already submitted with your application?

Super frustrating to see USCIS site basically not responsive at all. However, it seems like some people are getting interview dates (in smaller cities). But I don't know if this is a field office issue or processing center issue, or completely unrelated.

17 minutes ago, HNZ91 said:

If your timeline is correct then common thing is non of us got biometrics appointment or reuse yet.

No, I got my biometrics reuse in Dec 2020, roughly 6 weeks after I filed my application. I recall several others (who'd filed around the same time, even later) got their biometrics reuse letter sooner than I did.

Estimated Completion Time seems to be down on USCIS site when I check my case status  It's been this way for over three weeks now....

Application filed online...currently getting processed at National Benefits Center.

Regional office is Portland OR.

Anyone else seeing the same thing? Or has anyone received interview dates in the recent past?