TGregorio

Thanks! Both cases were approved 12 days after the I-751 was transferred from Potomac station to the NBC on November 15, 2023. Oath ceremony was scheduled 29 days after case approvals. Your case may take less time, though. Congratulations on your impending oath ceremony! 😊

Wow! Thanks for clarifying. Congratulation!

I agree. The N-400 interview accomplishes this, but USCIS will also verify nothing has changed a final time, prior to taking the oath at the ceremony.

...Again, as you know, it depends upon the IO and field office. We would have also declined if given the option. 😁

That's a good question, but I don't know the answer. You can research past N-400 applicants experiences with the Washington, D.C. Fairfax, VA office. Perhaps these denials to attend N-400 interview, absent of ROC interview with their spouse/applicant occurred during Covid-19 and security officers where instructed not to admit people not included on the N-400 appointment letter. One thing's for certain, Immigration Officers and Field Offices are inconsistent as to how they conduct N-400 interviews or who may or may not attend the interview. Isn't the purpose of the N-400 interview (3-Year Rule) to determine if the N-400 applicant is ready to be a U.S. Citizen by passing the exams and interview? Most likely, you were asked to leave your wife's N-400 interview for 10 minutes, so that the IO can test your wife's readiness to become a U.S. Citizen on her own merit. It's great that you at least had a chance to meet the IO at your wife's interview.

My wife's ROC was also pending, but the instructions on her N-400 interview did not say to bring me (husband). The Washington, D.C. Field Office in Fairfax, Virginia has a history of turning away spouses that accompany their spouse to the N-400 interview, when not instructed to do so. I waited in the car, just in case the IO wanted to speak with me. Although ROC was pending, we did not have a combo interview and the ROC interview was waived. After notifying my wife that she passed the exams, the IO initiated a transfer of the ROC from the Potomac Office in Virginia, so that she could approve both the ROC and N-400. It really depends on your Field Office, IO, pending ROC, and strength of your evidence for marriage based - 3 year rule, whether or not your case will be a combo interview. However, as stated by others, the spouse of the N-400 applicant should be available to attend the interview. Congratulations!!!

Congratulations!!! You'll soon attend your Oath Ceremony! 🎉

Thank you! Congratulations in advance!!! 🎉 🎉 🎉

My wife's immigration journey ended at the Washington, D.C. field office (Fairfax, VA) on January 6, 2024, oath ceremony! 😅 👏 Although, my wife and family arrived 30 minutes early for an 11:15 AM oath ceremony, the ceremony didn't take place until 12:20 PM. USCIS scheduled oath ceremonies back to back, every 15 minutes for hundreds of N-400 applicants. There was a very long line for 10:30, 10:45, 11:00 AM groups still waiting outside and before our 11:15 AM group. It was a cold, wet and windy day for an 1-1/2 hours wait outdoors. 🥶 Thank you, Visa Journey for this platform and all the great information and ways that you've helped my family navigate the immigration process. Thanks also to all the Visa Journey members that use this platform to exchange information, which I know to be an excellent source of help! We could not have done it with out the Visa Journey community. 👏👏👏 For those of you that are still waiting for your N-400 interviews and/or oath ceremonies, Congratulations! You are so close to becoming U.S. Citizens! 🎉👏 NOTES: Filed N-400 on 08/02/2023. NOA dated 08/03/2023. N-400 interview was scheduled on 09/28/2023. Attended/passed N-400 interview on 11/03/2023. I-751 still indicated "finger prints reused." The Immigration Officer (IO) said that the N-400 application thoroughly proved a bonafide marriage. The IO mentioned that because we had a child, that also reflected highly on my wife's case. The officer said that she was satisfied with the quality of evidence provided, but she could not approve the N-400 until after the I-751 was approved. The IO did not review any of the long questions in the back of the N-400. Received letter from the Potomac Service Center on 11/06/2023, stating that the I-751 was being transferred to the National Benefits Center, "in order to speed up processing." We didn't have a joint I-751/N-400 interview, although my wife requested a combination interview on her N-400 application. I-751 and N-400 Approved on 11/15/2023. Oath Ceremony Scheduled on 12/19/2023. IO told my wife that she should expect to receive have her oath ceremony by the end of November or early in December. However, once that window for attending the oath ceremony letter passed, we inquired as to when my wife can expect to attend the oath ceremony. We were told "ceremony will be scheduled." It's possible that the ball was dropped between the NBC and Washington, D.C. field office for scheduling the oath ceremony. Based on what I've seen at the Fairfax, VA field office with other cases, attending the oath ceremony seven weeks after passing the N-400 interview is abnormally longer than usual. However, we're happy to be finished with USCIS and this extensive immigration process. We're so grateful for filing the N-400 online because one of the benefits was being able to download the oath ceremony letter two weeks early. The original oath ceremony letter was received a few days of the oath ceremony. Received new U.S.A. passport on 01/22/2024. Once oath ceremony date confirmed, passport appointment scheduled at local USPS on 01/08/2024. We would have received the new passport in 12 days, but the winter storm caused a delay. Registered to vote on 01/07/2024.

We used https://immitranslate.com to translate all of our Dominican birth certificates from Spanish to English. They have fast response times and certify their documents, which are accepted by USCIS. The four birth certificates translated for USCIS, never caused an RFE. The Immitranslate.com documents are very accurate, professional in appearance, and high quality.

UPDATE: My step-daughter and her son are in the United States! Thank you again to the VJ members that provided good and sound advice. Your were right on! I don't think anyone anticipated Covid-19 disrupting the immigration process, and causing substantial delays. Immigration Timeline: Step-daughter arrived in the U.S. On K2 Visa 12/07/2019 Step-daughter Filed AOS 12/20/2019 LPR card approved 01/29/2021 LPR card received 02/05/2021 Filed Form I-130 For Son 02/09/2021 Form I-130 Approved 03/11/2021 Case Sent to NVC 03/14/2021 Interview at U.S. Consulate 02/17/2022 Immigrant Visa Approved/Issued (FX2) 02/17/2022 Visa Ready For Pickup 02/18/2022 Son Arrived in U.S. 03/31/2022 I agree that Form I-130 is a more streamlined process and should save time. However, Form I-130 was taking longer to process in the year 2018-2019 than the k1/K2 visa. I suspect since Form I-130 was taking over a year to process and USCIS caused delays in AOS processing, that my step-daughter may have been prevented from entering the U.S. during the Covid-19 lockdown, further delaying her son's arrival to the U.S. The immigration process for the son, Austin took approximately 13 months to receive his IV. Whereas the total elapsed time for Austin to migrate to the U.S. and rejoin his family is approximately 27 months.