Coco&Kitten

Congratulations coco 

Finally some news: after more than 9 months waiting for a decision to be made, they finally approved my case and I am in line for oath ceremony. 
 
I will never know exactly what caused the delay, maybe the A-file was stuck at the FRC, maybe my case was forgotten.  I had just put a second inquiry to my Senator two weeks ago, not sure either if that is what got it updated.  Maybe it was just timing, someone said here once: you just have to be patient, YES, I think I have been.  Each case is different, patience is the key.
 
Anyway, this thread in particular has somehow kept me from going insane at a times, so thank you all for your updates and encouragements.  I will keep checking on here and wishing everyone else waiting good luck, you will get there.

congratulations!!! your waiting is finally over....

Finally some news: after more than 9 months waiting for a decision to be made, they finally approved my case and I am in line for oath ceremony. 
 
I will never know exactly what caused the delay, maybe the A-file was stuck at the FRC, maybe my case was forgotten.  I had just put a second inquiry to my Senator two weeks ago, not sure either if that is what got it updated.  Maybe it was just timing, someone said here once: you just have to be patient, YES, I think I have been.  Each case is different, patience is the key.
 
Anyway, this thread in particular has somehow kept me from going insane at a times, so thank you all for your updates and encouragements.  I will keep checking on here and wishing everyone else waiting good luck, you will get there.

So, it is February again, it has been a year!
Anybody else waiting for interviews or decisions to be made yet?

Any updates from the Denver filers, any new ones?

I would personally renew the GC, that's what I did and now I am glad I did it because my N400 is very delayed (more than I expected).  At least I have a new GC that doesn't expire anytime soon and I can travel without any worries.

Shawntel Went expected pandemic-related delays when she applied for U.S. citizenship in May 2020. But as months slipped by and friends who had applied for their citizenship after she did were approved, she started to worry.
 
Finally, earlier this month, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offered Ms. Went an explanation: The paperwork it needed to complete her application was stuck in one of several government storage facilities known as Federal Records Centers. Those centers, miles-long networks of man-made limestone caves built beneath the Kansas City metro area, were largely closed due to Covid-19 and had no immediate plans to reopen.
 
Without that paperwork, which contains Ms. Went’s complete immigration history since she moved to the U.S. from Barbados in 2011, the citizenship agency can’t approve her application.
 
The government, she said, told her there was no solution. “They don’t want to open the office to go and get it,” she said. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
 
Ms. Went isn’t the only one in bureaucratic limbo. As of this month, more than 350,000 requests for immigration histories were pending with the National Archives and Records Administration, which oversees the Federal Records Centers in Kansas City, though not all of those requests were for pending citizenship applications.
 
In a statement, USCIS acknowledged that a backlog of file requests had occurred because of operating restrictions at the records centers, and said “the agency is in constant communication with NARA to assist them in whatever way is needed, including offering USCIS staff to assist in procuring files.”
 
Read more here:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/with-paperwork-locked-underground-thousands-of-u-s-citizenship-applicants-wait-and-wait-11643025603
 

Thanks for this information @mw2018!!  Something, we all knew, but now is on the media, more coverage is needed.

Did you have a previous non-immigrant visa before? sometimes that happens and they have 2 alien numbers on file.  I think they have to close one in order to follow up with the second one.

Did you have a previous non-immigrant visa before? sometimes that happens and they have 2 alien numbers on file.  I think they have to close one in order to follow up with the second one.

Good question and I have been asking this myself.
 
My theory is that some Officers feel comfortable approving cases, while others want to look at the whole A-file (remember these files sometimes contain information about non-immigrant visas and so on).  These may be cases that are "old", meaning the person came to the US quite a few years ago.  In the latter case, that's when a case becomes stuck.  My Officer told me clearly: "I want to approve you, but I have to first check your A-file, related to an old visa that you had in 2000).  So they want to retrieve the file that contains all the information and the FRC is not fully operational.
 
Now, there are cases that haven't even got the interview scheduled.  That might be because, again, the Officers (now knowing how long it takes) want to make sure they have the A-file in hand before the interview.
 
I just noticed that the "new cases", meaning people who got here to the US in the last 5-6 years, are approving much faster. Those files must be in electronic format, rather than paper.  Just my guess.

Yes, totally agree.  The management of this situation is not acceptable at all.

Good question and I have been asking this myself.
 
My theory is that some Officers feel comfortable approving cases, while others want to look at the whole A-file (remember these files sometimes contain information about non-immigrant visas and so on).  These may be cases that are "old", meaning the person came to the US quite a few years ago.  In the latter case, that's when a case becomes stuck.  My Officer told me clearly: "I want to approve you, but I have to first check your A-file, related to an old visa that you had in 2000).  So they want to retrieve the file that contains all the information and the FRC is not fully operational.
 
Now, there are cases that haven't even got the interview scheduled.  That might be because, again, the Officers (now knowing how long it takes) want to make sure they have the A-file in hand before the interview.
 
I just noticed that the "new cases", meaning people who got here to the US in the last 5-6 years, are approving much faster. Those files must be in electronic format, rather than paper.  Just my guess.

Good question and I have been asking this myself.
 
My theory is that some Officers feel comfortable approving cases, while others want to look at the whole A-file (remember these files sometimes contain information about non-immigrant visas and so on).  These may be cases that are "old", meaning the person came to the US quite a few years ago.  In the latter case, that's when a case becomes stuck.  My Officer told me clearly: "I want to approve you, but I have to first check your A-file, related to an old visa that you had in 2000).  So they want to retrieve the file that contains all the information and the FRC is not fully operational.
 
Now, there are cases that haven't even got the interview scheduled.  That might be because, again, the Officers (now knowing how long it takes) want to make sure they have the A-file in hand before the interview.
 
I just noticed that the "new cases", meaning people who got here to the US in the last 5-6 years, are approving much faster. Those files must be in electronic format, rather than paper.  Just my guess.

Congratulations @LAN400!!! Very happy to hear you finally got an update 😃
And many THANKS for taking the time to write down your experience and tips to get through the process.  I totally agree with you, we are like a big family here and I also truly appreciate all the help that comes through this site. 
 
Let us know when your oath ceremony happens!

Congratulations!! Go celebrate!!
 
I was thinking about your case today, I calculated it took about 9 months after the interview to get approved? I am at almost 7 months now, so I still hold some hope one of these days (or months) I will hear something. 

Congrats!!! Finally your case got moving, very happy for you! 
I guess, the rest of us, will keep the thread alive 🙂
 

I think that shows in their internal files only (not to us when we log in).  I got the same automated message, I checked on-line, I couldn't see any update.  But then months later, when I called to make an inquiry about the decision, they said that the interview showed as complete.  So, I guess they can see that when they log in, and we can't. 

Congrats!!! Finally your case got moving, very happy for you! 
I guess, the rest of us, will keep the thread alive 🙂
 

Could be considered "old", not sure how many years they go back and which files are transferred to the records center. 
 
Someone posted here one time that they look at the "whole history", meaning non-immigration visits as well.  I know that first hand because I asked my officer after the interview why she needed to look at my A-file and she told me it was related to an old J1 visa that I had once (21 years ago!).  So, they do look at everything and some officers are more scrutinizing than others.

Yes - and this makes me wonder - the FRC stores A-files for people who applied in 2021/ 2020 and the years before . What is the logic behind saying that only files of folks who applied  in April/May  20202 are locked up and cannot be retrieved from these facilities .
 
I don't buy it. This has to be escalated 

Wow, CONGRATULATIONS @Moradesk!!! What a pleasant surprise.  So, if your filing date was March 2020 it means it took more than 19 months... what a journey.  Happy for you, let us know when you get the oath date.
 
Still waiting for mine, I am at about 6 months since interview.

Thanks for updating and Congratulations on your oath notice, wow it was about time.  You are one step closer, as you said it is not done till it is done!

Congratulations!!