RamonGomez

My wife submitted her N400 September 10 2023, her interview was Nov 7 2023, and oath was Nov 15 2023. So basically 2 months + 5 days from submission to naturalization certificate in hand. It legitimately might be faster to go through the N400 process than deal with an I-751 NOA issue (don't ask me how I know...) Just be aware of the dual citizenship issues with mainland China if you do go forward with the N400.
 
Good luck to you!

If it doesn't arrive by December 8, it will probably never arrive. I think you will be fine. Once you have the card in hand, file the AR-11. 

Can't answer about the I751 since my wife already had her 10-year card when she filed the N400.
 
Regarding the oath, it depends on the field office. Some don't do same-day oaths. Some give you the option of a same-day oath or waiting for the bigger ceremony (usually at the end of the interview). At other offices it seems like same day oath is SOP. Best thing would be to ask the officer about it once you pass the interview.

My wife filed mid-September and just got an interview notice in the mail this morning, looks like they sent out the notice 18 days after she submitted the N400. She filed the N400 online and she already has a 10-year green card so this will be only an N400 interview.
 
interview is 4.5 weeks from today. 

Total was $800? I agree lawyer is a life saver at the interview. We had some miscommunications at my AOS and my lawyer interrupted and had to clarify the answers as well as couple documents that we submitted. Otherwise, I would have had delays in a decision. I was approved the following morning. 
 
Lawyer fees is what YOU value not what others think. 

We've used the same attorney on and off over the years.
 
For the N400, my wife filled out the forms.  The attorney is charging $600 to familiarize herself with the submitted N400 (1 hour), a 1-hour strategy/prep session before the interview, and the interview itself. So basically $200/hr for 3 hours of her time.
 
We definitely want a witness there in case the USCIS officer acts of line (rare, but happens, and much less likely to happen with an attorney present), if we ever get into a "USCIS's word vs. our word" type of situation, etc. Plus the attorney knows pretty much all the officers there and knows how to handle the few oddballs. And if we run into the rare problem post-interview, like a denial, we already have an attorney that's familiar with the case and can get working on next steps ASAP.

My wife filed mid-September and just got an interview notice in the mail this morning, looks like they sent out the notice 18 days after she submitted the N400. She filed the N400 online and she already has a 10-year green card so this will be only an N400 interview.
 
interview is 4.5 weeks from today. 

We were not asked to show any documents, they only asked her one question at the exit immigration desk ("where are you going?"). I don't think I've ever heard of anyone running into issues.
 
But yes, better be safe than sorry especially with the latest exit control tightening and take what @RandyW suggests. She'll need all those documents in the US anyways. 
 
 

Wife just filed her N400 yesterday, got the receipt and re-use letter immediately. Estimated time of 10 months which is perfectly fine, but our attorney told us she is seeing interviews in the 4-6 month range at our office. 
 
Man... this online interface is so nice compared to having to send in reams of paper. 
 

I have a wonderful stepdaughter here in the US. I have known her for a long time, and her biological father has been MIA since she was 2 years old.
 
It's been shockingly easy and schools, doctors, government offices etc. have never given me any grief for not being her "legal" father. I don't even think I was ever asked. We are, however, looking into legal options in the event something happens to my wife (e.g. adoption, guardianship, etc.) One option we're leaning towards is specifying me as the legal guardian in her will, since my wife has sole custody. In theory, we could also make the argument in court that since her biological dad is "unfit" and she has no other immediate relatives in the US, it's in the child's best interest to stay with me, her stepfather. 
 
But I agree, pay for an hour to talk to a good family-law attorney, ideally one that has experience involving immigrants. There are also state-by-state differences.

I have a wonderful stepdaughter here in the US. I have known her for a long time, and her biological father has been MIA since she was 2 years old.
 
It's been shockingly easy and schools, doctors, government offices etc. have never given me any grief for not being her "legal" father. I don't even think I was ever asked. We are, however, looking into legal options in the event something happens to my wife (e.g. adoption, guardianship, etc.) One option we're leaning towards is specifying me as the legal guardian in her will, since my wife has sole custody. In theory, we could also make the argument in court that since her biological dad is "unfit" and she has no other immediate relatives in the US, it's in the child's best interest to stay with me, her stepfather. 
 
But I agree, pay for an hour to talk to a good family-law attorney, ideally one that has experience involving immigrants. There are also state-by-state differences.

Lol literally 0% of this turned out to be true. Just goes to show the loudest and most confident aren't always the most correct. Congrats OP.
 

Lol literally 0% of this turned out to be true. Just goes to show the loudest and most confident aren't always the most correct. Congrats OP.
 

Lol literally 0% of this turned out to be true. Just goes to show the loudest and most confident aren't always the most correct. Congrats OP.
 

Lol literally 0% of this turned out to be true. Just goes to show the loudest and most confident aren't always the most correct. Congrats OP.
 

Lol literally 0% of this turned out to be true. Just goes to show the loudest and most confident aren't always the most correct. Congrats OP.
 

Update: I made it back to the US on my original flight. Since I booked my flight using points, I didn't have anything to lose and decided to push my luck. I checked in online, put my A-number in the form and entered May 2027 as the expiration date of my greencard. Also added my Global Entry number. Went to the airport and nobody asked for the physical greencard at the bag drop off. There was one more document check but nobody wanted to see the actual greencard or the letter so I got on the flight without any issues. At immigration in the US I got in the Global Entry line as always. The officer asked for my greencard and I said I don't have it with me but showed him the extension letter. He looked at it and said 'Welcome to the US!"... I didn't even have to go to secondary inspection so I must have gotten incredibly lucky.
I had a plan B in place in case they would have denied boarding which I totally expected: I would have taken a flight to Mexico City a few hours after my original departure and met my husband there. He was ready to travel there from the US just to deliver my greencard and to get back together to the US on the next flight. 
 
Thanks again for all your replies. I am incredibly grateful for what happened today and that was absolutely not what I expected to happen. Success factors for me were online check-in and Global Entry I believe. Plus a lot of luck! I don't ever want to go through this again though.

She was a CCP member but easily meets the exemption requirements, since she only was pushed into it in college for "job opportunities" (which she never took advantage of) and hasn't been a member or paid dues in 15 years. That shouldn't pose any problems with the N400 but you never know whether the IO is aware of USCIS's own policies. For our AOS interview the attorney dug up and brought a massive stack of court rulings related to CCP issues but the issue was never brought up. My wife did however submit a "letter of explanation" with the I485 packet per the attorney's suggestion. 
 
I'm not too worried about it but like @Mike E said in another thread, having a third person as a witness is invaluable in case it ever comes down to a "our word versus yours" situation. And according to her 20+ years of experience, USCIS IO's generally behave better when there is an attorney in the room - not that abusive behavior is particularly common, but it's especially uncommon when an applicant has legal representation present.

She was a CCP member but easily meets the exemption requirements, since she only was pushed into it in college for "job opportunities" (which she never took advantage of) and hasn't been a member or paid dues in 15 years. That shouldn't pose any problems with the N400 but you never know whether the IO is aware of USCIS's own policies. For our AOS interview the attorney dug up and brought a massive stack of court rulings related to CCP issues but the issue was never brought up. My wife did however submit a "letter of explanation" with the I485 packet per the attorney's suggestion. 
 
I'm not too worried about it but like @Mike E said in another thread, having a third person as a witness is invaluable in case it ever comes down to a "our word versus yours" situation. And according to her 20+ years of experience, USCIS IO's generally behave better when there is an attorney in the room - not that abusive behavior is particularly common, but it's especially uncommon when an applicant has legal representation present.

She was a CCP member but easily meets the exemption requirements, since she only was pushed into it in college for "job opportunities" (which she never took advantage of) and hasn't been a member or paid dues in 15 years. That shouldn't pose any problems with the N400 but you never know whether the IO is aware of USCIS's own policies. For our AOS interview the attorney dug up and brought a massive stack of court rulings related to CCP issues but the issue was never brought up. My wife did however submit a "letter of explanation" with the I485 packet per the attorney's suggestion. 
 
I'm not too worried about it but like @Mike E said in another thread, having a third person as a witness is invaluable in case it ever comes down to a "our word versus yours" situation. And according to her 20+ years of experience, USCIS IO's generally behave better when there is an attorney in the room - not that abusive behavior is particularly common, but it's especially uncommon when an applicant has legal representation present.

The applicant was a member of CCP as per:
 

lawyers are like insurance. Insurance protects stuff we value.
 
I have never had my house burn down, and yet I have fire insurance.
 
Presumably Ramon values his wife and wants to protect her.

Yes. Give the attorney the N-400 case number and your N-400 application and evidence, and she will take it from there.

While I don't know your financial situation or what country they are from, life can be very expensive and difficult living as, basically, an undocumented illegal immigrant. 
 
They will not be eligible for any free government welfare, food stamps, medicaid, auto insurance etc. They will not be eligible for health insurance through the ACA. They will be living here on a cash basis. Look up cash prices to see a dentist, doctor, emergency room bills - they aren't pretty. A single incident can wipe out whatever money they earn for your siblings, which I'm guessing isn't that high given they would be working under the table. 
 
I know of two couples who were able to legally bring their parents over here on an IR5, and it led to the breakdown of both marriages BTW, but maybe it will work out for you. My suggestion - unless their lives are in grave danger in their home country (in which case they should apply for asylum), they should go back.
 

While I don't know your financial situation or what country they are from, life can be very expensive and difficult living as, basically, an undocumented illegal immigrant. 
 
They will not be eligible for any free government welfare, food stamps, medicaid, auto insurance etc. They will not be eligible for health insurance through the ACA. They will be living here on a cash basis. Look up cash prices to see a dentist, doctor, emergency room bills - they aren't pretty. A single incident can wipe out whatever money they earn for your siblings, which I'm guessing isn't that high given they would be working under the table. 
 
I know of two couples who were able to legally bring their parents over here on an IR5, and it led to the breakdown of both marriages BTW, but maybe it will work out for you. My suggestion - unless their lives are in grave danger in their home country (in which case they should apply for asylum), they should go back.
 

Thanks for sharing. I figured it wouldn't be trivial.
 
I did just put in an e-Request for a typo and supposedly they should get back to me within 3 weeks. The one service request I put in a few years ago actually did work for a green card that never got mailed, but it took more like 2 months. So I'll at least give it one try before calling USCIS.  It really sucks that this letter is also the extension for the 2-year-card. I still can't believe how a one-letter typo can cause so much havoc and be so difficult to fix. The US federal government should just subcontract out the IT infrastructure and all logistics to Amazon or Google because this is a disgrace.  Like, could they not verify what they typed against the A# number? Or just look up the applicant based on the A# rather than typing things in manually?