TastyCake

I did 18 months of bank statements, 12 months utility bills. Quite frankly I think that was as far back as I could go at this time because I was not meticulously printing statements month-by-month over a two and a half year period. A lot of places only save your statements so far back. I think I had four or five years of tax returns (some overlap there from when we submitted the I-751). I went back four or five rental contracts when we had an apartment (again some overlap). I'm surprised I didn't get a hernia lugging that all over the city yesterday. Against a cold wind no less.

We had our combo interview today. We checked in, waited maybe 10-15 minutes and were called in. The officer never asked a question or looked at a document we brought for the I-751. Went straight into the citizenship interview. My wife nailed the reading and writing tests and then it was time for the civics test. 6 questions asked, 6 unwavering (and correct) answers provided and we were done. Just the usual questions after that and then the officer gave us some GREAT news. Even though my wife was doing a small name change, they could accommodate that TODAY because they were doing oaths in the building. After an hour or so my wife took the oath, got her naturalization document with her new name on it and moments later we were out celebrating! We made an appointment with the USPS for tomorrow morning to send out the passport application. WE'RE DONE !!!!! Good luck to everyone out there!

And for the second one I hope you have ample discretionary cash in your bank account or you're going to be eating tuna casserole for the next 6 months to fund that option.

I think you may be referring to the civics test. If so, that is not what I was asking about. I was asking about the part of the test where you have to read one sentence correctly in English and write one sentence correctly in English.

I have a question for those who have recently had their citizenship interview at the downtown Boston USCIS office (JFK Federal Building across from City Hall). How might you recommend preparing for the English test (Speaking, Writing, Reading)? IS there a way to prepare? Is it simple and straightforward? Any information and guidance you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

I hope we get your officer. 😉

Question to those who have recently taken the civics test (as part of the N-400 interview) at the downtown Boston USCIS office (JFK Federal Building across from City Hall). How is the civics test administered? Do they hand you an iPad to take the test interactively? Does the officer read the questions off verbally and you reply with your answer(s)? Other? Any information and guidance you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

I think you had a legit concern because of the way the officer behaved. The problem is these officers have a 'god' complex and some probably get a charge out of rattling people's cages. They hold the cards. Absolute power. This person was just being a jerk for no good reason. Congrats! We hope to be in your position a couple of weeks from now (successfully adjudicated cases, oath ceremony scheduled, etc.). Any change in the status of your I-751? <<insert laughter here>>

When you got there how long did it take before you were called in? Long wait? A lot of people there? Geez, you wait all this time only to get there and have to deal with an attitude.

So, was this guy being nice about it but he just had some general concerns about some inconsistencies he felt he saw? Or was he cantankerous and just being a world class pr!ck? Was your interview yesterday or today? No change in I-751 status yet? I hope we don't get him in a couple of weeks.

In all seriousness, CYA. Contact the USCIS immediately about next steps. It may be as simple as them telling you to destroy the card. Or, they may have a procedure for you to follow. But yes I am shaking my head at the dysfunction.

The first thing I did after reading your post was dive for our I-751 interview letter and check the A and receipt numbers. Both are correct on the letter. Your situation is a first for me. I agree with the advice to bring all documents to the N-400 interview and let the Rhodes scholars at the USCIS sort it all out during the interview.

At least at our stage... in 2024... I don't think calling gets you anywhere. At the K1/I-129f level 4-5 years ago you used to be able to get to an agent easier and could even request a Tier 2 at the outset of the call and they would put you through. Ask for a Tier 2 today and they won't do it if your question is something they are already equipped to address. It's also a bit tricky to get to a live person now. I find saying Infopass at the first prompt and then indicating you don't have your case # is the most consistent way to getting an actual human being these days. Still, the agents don't help a whole lot when you actually get to them. Maybe others have a different, less pessimistic view regarding calling the USCIS.

We officially received the letter confirming we will have a combo interview.

A few questions if you don't mind: 1) Acronym check... what is DH? 2) Did you have your ceremony at Moakley because you needed a judicial oath ceremony (i.e. name change, etc.)? 3) Roughly how many people in total were there today?

This is not uncommon. It happened to me along with several others here on VJ over the last year or two. The estimate is better thought of as a guesstimate. If there are any delays, that number will change in your online account... or you get the dreaded message you are seeing. Do not hang your hat on anything the USCIS tells you. It took us almost a year after getting the aforementioned dreaded message before seeing any movement. The silver lining is I just read an article today... not sure about its veracity... on how the USCIS SUPPOSEDLY got through a significant amount of its backlog in 2023: https://www.boundless.com/blog/uscis-breaks-records-and-reduces-backlogs/ So, your wait time may not be as painfully long as ours was. But keep in mind this IS the USCIS we are talking about so everything is subject to change.

What is the date of your citizenship interview? We have received no notification yet on our pending I-751. My wife's citizenship interview is 3/19. We are hoping for a combo.

Received both a text and email today. N-400 interview has been scheduled for March 19.

How did you find out? Did you check your online account and noticed the status change? Or did you receive something via U.S. mail? Are you set up for text updates on your case? Did you receive a text update?

BUG: I put some items in the Comments section of the citizenship portion of my timeline. The comments display when I go to edit my timeline but when I view my timeline... or if anybody views my timeline... the comments are not visible. Why? How to fix?

I haven't lost any other functionality that I know of. Thanks for the link! I will pursue.

For some strange reason, I have two items in the Comments for the Citizenship section of my timeline yet none of them display when I VIEW my timeline (comments display nothing, like I never entered any). When I go to EDIT my timeline, there they are in the Comments box. I have comments in other parts of my timeline that DO display whenever I view it. Anybody else have this problem? If you solved it, what did you do?

If you already have a fully adjudicated I-751 (i.e. no 'combo interview') it is possible you got kicked down the curb some months as you have a 10-year green card now and can wait for the N-400 interview. I know of this happening to another Boston filer.

Be on the lookout for another communication from the USCIS. A fellow Boston filer 2 months ahead of you received a separate notice indicating it would be a combo interview. Maybe the same happens for you. If so, please let us know. As we are two months behind you, we have our fingers crossed we hear something soon. VERY cautiously optimistic, though.

I would like some guidance from people who have prior experience with the use of a writ of mandamus for immigration purposes. I don't want amateur responses. Either an immigration lawyer or someone with firsthand knowledge of the process please. We have now hit the one-year mark for our N400 and TWO-YEAR mark for our I-751 and are now at wit's end. We're on the cusp of going with a WoM. This is because the senator's office is about as much help as a bad case of acne and we see others from our local USCIS office in the same exact situation who have been waiting on their N-400 for months longer with no movement. This whole situation is absolutely ridiculous, unacceptable and inexcusable. It seems if nothing changes we will technically be considered outside normal processing in early December. 1) What additional steps should we take before we go the WoM route? We have made periodic inquiries at the USCIS. We engaged our senator's office TWICE with nothing coming from it. Do we first wait until we are outside of normal processing and then get a Tier 2 officer involved? I want to make sure we lay the proper groundwork as a foundation for a WoM if all else fails (i.e. "Yes, your Honor, we did do X, Y and Z with no movement or results") 2) What are the criteria for a WoM to be successful? What are all the steps to take initially? (maybe this is a repeat of question #1 above) 3) We have BOTH an I-751 and N-400 outstanding. So would this be TWO WoMs? If a WoM runs circa $5k, would that hit our wallet to the tune of $10k? Thanks in advance for any valuable guidance experienced people can offer us.