Elle84

ALL DONE, guys!! It was such an emotional morning and day. Still trying to collect myself, glad I took a whole day off from work. I sobbed almost the entire time while being there. There were about 1200 people scheduled for ceremony today (not all showed up but it was still A LOT of people), from 102 countries. What I learned today is that naturalization ceremonies are basically federal court hearings. There's a judge who swears us in but before that, there's someone (I think from USCIS) who "advocates" for all those present to be naturalized and formally confirms to the judge that we meet all the conditions. Then the judge stands us all up, says the Oath (I could barely hear him even though I was in second row) and we're supposed to say "I Will". Then he says the Pledge of Allegiance and then a lady and a guitar guy play the Anthem. All this while we all stand. Then some city/county officials say speeches. Afterwards I thought it would be a nightmare for all of us hundreds of people to get our naturalization certificates but it was actually very organized, with several tables and they have ushers that direct people etc. That part only took maybe 15-20 minutes from the moment they allowed my section to leave their seats until I had my certificate in hand. Also - guests were allowed!! 

For those of you still on the journey - may your day come soon! ❤️

Update to the update! Oath ceremony notice was mailed! My oath ceremony will be on March 6, at 7 AM at MO Campbell Educational Center. What a day, guys!!

6 minutes ago, mam521 said:

Excellent news! Watch your MyUSCIS account - I had my oath ceremony instructions from there before they'd even sent the notice in the mail.  

 

Neither ceremony is super formal.  Smart business casual is fine.  Hubs did his at the auditorium and yes, it took like 4 hours.  I did mine at Gears Rd and it only took about 1.5-2 hours.  No one was super formal, but pretty much everyone were smartly dressed and not sloppy.  

oh yes you can bet I have that tab open in my Chrome browser at all times... it was the same for my interview letter, I got the online one on 1/8 and didn't get the physical one until 2.5 weeks later. 

Thanks for the insights for the ceremony! I kinda hope it's going to be at the auditorium so that my husband can come with me and take pictures and a little video. Even if our journey was way shorter than a lot of people's every step of the way, it did take 4 years and 2 months since we first mailed that CR-1 petition packet and we did everything without a lawyer, we can't wait to be FINALLY done with USCIS because all the constant documenting of every little thing in our life took so much energy and time for us.

52 minutes ago, Visitor User said:

Congrats. What questions were asked about the 10 questions?

 

Yes/No questions? 

She only asked me 6 questions because I answered all correctly.

The questions were:

Name 1 branch of the Government (I said Congress)

What does the Constitution do? (I said defines the Government)

What did Martin Luther King Jr do? (fought for civil rights)

During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States? (communism)

What month do we elect the President? (November)

During World War II, who did the United States fight against? (Germany, Italy, and Japan)

For the English test, there were two steps. First, she asked me to read a sentence from an iPad screen that was in front of me. I cannot remember the sentence but it was very simple. Then, she told me a sentence and asked me to write it on that iPad using an electronic pen (which was working like sh*t and my hand was trembling so it took forever because it was literally leaving blank spaces within the letters and I had to go back and fill them in): Alaska is the largest state.

3 minutes ago, Elle84 said:

Thank you! 

.... lol never mind, UPDATE: OATH CEREMONY WILL BE SCHEDULED!! We placed you in line for your oath ceremony and will send you a notice for Receipt Number XXXX, with the date, time, and location of your oath ceremony. You should receive your notice within 30 days of its mailing date. 

I had the interview this morning at 8:10 AM. In case I didn't mention it earlier in the thread, my application was within the 3-year rule (spouse of US citizen). My I-751 had been approved last summer and I have been having my 10-year green card since July.

I passed the civics and English test with flying colors. The officer then asked me questions from my application and we made some updates. She was very impressed that I knew (in detail) what the Oath of allegiance is about. She then asked me to show our current lease, a 2024 bank account statement, and car insurance, which I had all with me. She then asked if I have a long-form car insurance and I said I only have what I gave her (which was the insurance card with both our names on it). Then she asked to see our son's birth certificate, which I also had. She then asked what other documents I had with me and she didn't want anything of what I listed (2020, 2021, 2022 tax transcripts - since we haven't yet filed 2023, joint car loan from 2021, older leases, older bank account and credit card statements), she did say yes to me showing her our driver license photos showing both of us having the same residence address (our residence address is different than our physical address: residence address is at my FIL's house, physical address is the one we actually live at but both are joint of course.) 

At the end she said that I passed the English and civics test and that the interview all went well, but that she is having some technical difficulties in the system that it's not letting her stamp the approval. (she did do a lot of typing and clicking on her computer before saying that, so I could tell she had been trying to get it through). So she handed me the N-652 form with "A decision cannot be made yet about your application" (no written detail about why, I only have what she said verbally about the technical difficulties). She also said that I will receive my oath scheduling letter within 30 days and she gave me details about how the oath ceremony will go (no guests and about 2 hours total time, if scheduled at the same location as the field office I interviewed at, as it's a small ceremony venue, or, guests allowed and about 4-5 hours total time, if scheduled at the other ceremony location which is a school, dress formally, etc.)

Our case is strong and we have tons of evidence so I'm not worried about that (including I-751 approved in record time with no interview), I'm just disappointed being stuck in this limbo (which I know from a thread here that can last anywhere from a day to over a year). My status in myUSCIS still says  "Interview was scheduled" sooo... I guess now we wait :). 

 

3 hours ago, mam521 said:

Good luck today! 

Thank you! 

I had the interview this morning at 8:10 AM. In case I didn't mention it earlier in the thread, my application was within the 3-year rule (spouse of US citizen). My I-751 had been approved last summer and I have been having my 10-year green card since July.

I passed the civics and English test with flying colors. The officer then asked me questions from my application and we made some updates. She was very impressed that I knew (in detail) what the Oath of allegiance is about. She then asked me to show our current lease, a 2024 bank account statement, and car insurance, which I had all with me. She then asked if I have a long-form car insurance and I said I only have what I gave her (which was the insurance card with both our names on it). Then she asked to see our son's birth certificate, which I also had. She then asked what other documents I had with me and she didn't want anything of what I listed (2020, 2021, 2022 tax transcripts - since we haven't yet filed 2023, joint car loan from 2021, older leases, older bank account and credit card statements), she did say yes to me showing her our driver license photos showing both of us having the same residence address (our residence address is different than our physical address: residence address is at my FIL's house, physical address is the one we actually live at but both are joint of course.) 

At the end she said that I passed the English and civics test and that the interview all went well, but that she is having some technical difficulties in the system that it's not letting her stamp the approval. (she did do a lot of typing and clicking on her computer before saying that, so I could tell she had been trying to get it through). So she handed me the N-652 form with "A decision cannot be made yet about your application" (no written detail about why, I only have what she said verbally about the technical difficulties). She also said that I will receive my oath scheduling letter within 30 days and she gave me details about how the oath ceremony will go (no guests and about 2 hours total time, if scheduled at the same location as the field office I interviewed at, as it's a small ceremony venue, or, guests allowed and about 4-5 hours total time, if scheduled at the other ceremony location which is a school, dress formally, etc.)

Our case is strong and we have tons of evidence so I'm not worried about that (including I-751 approved in record time with no interview), I'm just disappointed being stuck in this limbo (which I know from a thread here that can last anywhere from a day to over a year). My status in myUSCIS still says  "Interview was scheduled" sooo... I guess now we wait :). 

you guyssss!!!

Just logged into my myUSCIS now and guess what... INTERVIEW SCHEDULED!! February 12th at 8:10 AM!!

Now to study the heck out of those civics and history questions... I started casually having hubs make quizzes with them to me but didn't actually study-study sooo... time to get to work lol. 

On 1/4/2024 at 7:47 AM, Rocio0010 said:

I was in your exact same spot last summer. Only difference being I was in Columbus. I purchased my tickets July 7th to fly on the 16th and I kept my trip short (two weeks). On my 40th birthday, July 12th, I found out I was scheduled for my N400 interview, which was on August 29th. So roughly about 45ish days, give or take. It all worked out perfectly.

awesome, it worked perfectly for you! I had actually read a thread about your journey before I posted mine!

and fun fact, my husband's parents are from Argentina!

On 1/3/2024 at 9:48 AM, Beth & Achraf said:

We filed 11/15/2023 and in Houston also, Biometrics was re-used also, and just waiting for interview letter and or on line updates

Nice! 3 days after me! We can be waiting buddies! 

Thanks so so much everyone! Given all the above I would rather wait until I have the passport (or at least the passport application sent) to book the trip, even with flexible dates. I have too much going on to have the added stress of this uncertainty on top of it, and yes I do want to visit home but not as much as to make that stress worth it or risk anything go wrong. 

20 minutes ago, harry.st said:

 

The thing to stress about is your passport - not the interview. Now, this can get in the way of your vacation. Easily.

 

As a US citizen, it is next to impossible to fly back without one (the airline will likely not let you board the plane). Last summer, with all the post-COVID revenge travel happening, it was taking 4-5 months to get a new one (things have improved... but again, fewer people are travelling in the winter. You do not have to believe me - just search on reddit). 

 

Now there are ways around it (either while still in the US or at the consulate in Bucharest), but is it neither easy nor pleasant. You've got some reading to do - information abounds.

OMG. Thank you for this! It didn't even cross my mind. That makes sense. They take your green card when you become a citizen so you need the US passport to actually get back in I guess. I checked Reddit now and I see that I really can't make any assumptions . It doesn't look like I can even book the flights until I have the actual passport, anything else would be too risky. Such a bummer. 

9 minutes ago, harry.st said:

 

Why are you assuming June? Have you looked at this?

 

https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/citlist.php?op6=All&op7=Houston+TX&op1=3&op2=&op4=1&op5=5%2C10%2C11&cfl=0

 

-- h

 

PS The estimated wait time on the USCIS website is not to be trusted (was wrong for me, and many others, too)

Wow ok  I had no idea that section of the forum even existed. And I've been around for 4+ years lol. Thanks so much!!! And double wow - looks like Houston is SO fast?

Honestly I assumed June because we're in January, and my myUSCIS today said 5 months... so January + 5 months = June :)). This will be interesting.

35 minutes ago, NorthByNorthwest said:

When I went through the process last year my interview notice showed up in my online account about 6 weeks before the interview date, but it took almost two weeks until the paper notice showed up. I did hear some folks getting the notice as late as 2 weeks before the interview, so it will definitely vary. 

 

For maximum early warning be sure to check your online account at least weekly - I got no notification that my case had been updated so I would not have seen it without logging in regularly.

Thanks so much, this helps tremendously. I do check my myUSCIS online account weekly as I don't get notifications either. 

Hello beautiful people!

I have the following situation:

N-400 online filing: 11/12/2023

USCIS actively reviewing case: 11/12/2023 (no biometrics, I got a "reuse biometrics" notification, probably from my ROC in 2022)

Currently it says about 5 months wait time until a decision will be made (that's for people applying under 5-year rule in my area; I applied under the 3-year rule so that estimate can be totally irrelevant).

I am in Houston, TX.

So assuming I will get an interview letter in early June this year - how far out will the actual interview date be from the date I receive the letter?

Asking this because of course I am planning on traveling for vacation to my home country for 2 weeks between last week of June and 2nd week of July.

I already know that "vacation" is not exactly a valid reason to try to move your interview date, and I am planning to book tickets in a way that makes the trip date change possible. But the trip still has to happen at some point during summer and I don't want to give it up altogether.

Thanks so much!!

Hi all! I have a parking ticket that I paid the day after getting it. Where do I declare it on my N-400 online application? Under which question? I'm filling out the application right now and would like to complete it today but I'm stuck on these questions and Google doesn't help. I found stuff saying about "traffic violations" but those are "moving violations" and nothing says anything specific about parking tickets. Please help!

@OldUser thank you!!! Phew. I had googled this thing in all possible (wrong) ways so I wasn't finding anything. But googled by "green card redesign 2023" now and found this exact image you posted, on the USCIS website. I almost can't believe this whole journey is over lol. Buckling up for N-400 in a bit.

Hello hello!! Closing the loop here for all of you beautiful people who helped me make sure that my packet was perfect. My 10-year green card was delivered in the mail on July 25. No RFE. NO INTERVIEW!!

NOW, why my new green card does not have the fingerprint on it, this is a different question on which I'm suddenly freaking out... is this normal?? Or should I file an I-90 to have it changed?? I did have my fingerprints taken at my biometrics appointment last November...

You guys, we  made it! I feel I owed an update lol :).

I got my receipt/notice of action/extension letter in the mail last week. Now for another 2 years of peace and quiet, or, better said, I guess I should start stressing about my N-400 application although that doesn't seem half as labor intensive.

Thank you all so much again!

3 hours ago, Chancy said:

 

If HR asked specifically for your ROC receipt for I-9 purposes, what they did was illegal.  From https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/employee-rights-and-resources/employee-rights -- "Your employer may not: [...] Demand a specific document when reverifying that you are authorized to work."

 

They asked for an "unexpired permanent resident card" or "receipt that I filed for extension". I don't think it came from a place of bad will on their side, but of limited knowledge. I guess they could also just verify my social security number since it doesn't have restrictions on it, but they just don't know. 

Hi guys! First of all thank you so much to all of you for your advice! It was really helpful in finalizing my packet! I ended up shipping it today with UPS in one of their boxes. It ended up being a 6 pounder (including the box). I did take out all the staples (which took me more or less an hour lol). Originally my packet wasn't supposed to be THIS thick but I read so much stuff on this forum with people putting in a lot of documents, that every week I got new ideas of things to add. Our case isn't particularly complicated but I was like better safe than sorry, I really don't want an RFE and who knows, maybe we won't even get an interview (even if we do have to do one, it's totally fine). I know some people will say it's an overkill while others will say what I included is not enough.

Here's what I included as proof of bona-fide marriage  (extract from cover letter after deleting personal information):

• Copy of the birth certificate of our son 
• Copy of the social security card of our son showing our current physical address
• Copy of our marriage certificate showing my name change (because the birth certificate of our son lists my maiden name and not my married name)
• Copy of our joint lease at our current physical address (lease 2021; renewal in 2022)
• Joint checking account statements for 2021 and 2022 showing joint expenses such as rent, car payment, etc.
• Joint savings account statements for 2021 and 2022 showing contributions from our joint checking account
• My checking account statements for 2021 and 2022 showing regular/ongoing contributions to our joint checking account
• Credit card statements:

o   Chase Sapphire – showing payment to our fertility clinic and fertility pharmacy; also attached copy of credit cards (hubs is main cardholder, I am an authorized user)

o   Chase Freedom Unlimited – showing payments to our fertility clinic; also attached copy of credit cards (hubs is main cardholder, I am an authorized user)

o   Chase Freedom Unlimited (a different one) – showing payment to our fertility clinic; also attached copy of credit cards (I am the main cardholder, hubs is an authorized user)

o   American Express – showing payment to our fertility clinic; also showing payments both by the main cardholder - hubs - and authorized user - me)

• Joint car loan contract
• Joint tax transcripts & returns filed in 2022 (for 2021) and 2021 (for 2020)
• Car insurance cards showing both of us on the policy for our car
• Proof of joint residence for our main residence (copies of our drivers’ licenses)
• Extract from my work benefits showing hubs as the beneficiary of my life insurance
• Joint renters’ insurance from 2021, and renewal from 2022
• Joint checking account statement from 2019 (while we were living in Romania, my home country).
• Proof we lived together in Romania (2019-2020): my Romanian ID cards and hubby's Romanian Residence Permits showing the same address
• Proof of travel together with husband's family Bucharest – Naples (Sept-Oct 2019) (boarding passes)
• Proof of travel together Bucharest – Buenos Aires (December 2019) (flight itinerary)
• Photos of us together, and together with our families and friends, covering the timeframe from our civil marriage (August 2019) to the present day

What added the most bulk were the 2 years of statements for 3 bank accounts (joint checking, joint savings, and my checking), the tax returns, and the lease. The lease had A LOT of pages (44 pages 2021, 38 pages 2022) and I didn't have the courage to skip pages because it had our initials from DocuSign on every page, plus they were numbered.

Anyway. This monster is out the door and now time to sit back, relax and finally enjoy what's left of my maternity leave!! (or maybe I'll truly enjoy it once I see they charged the credit card lol). Side note, this petition stressed me out also because the HR at my job ALREADY asked me to send them the petition receipt in MAY. I was like ma'am my card doesn't expire until 12/19 and I can't even file before 9/20 so yeah.

Hello knowledgeable folks! I have just completed my I-751 packet and want to mail it out on Monday. The problem is that it's extremely thick!! I'm sure this is a common problem with people frontloading their petition so I am asking: how did you organize and mail it? Right now I have a stack of letter-size paper that is 2.5 inches tall (also due to multiple paper clips that I tried my best to minimize but yet again, they don't like staples so I only stapled some of the documents). I used colored sticky tabs that I stuck at the bottom of the docs to say what they are (did the same thing for my CR-1 I-130 petition and they seemed to have liked that so I did it again). 

I have 1 sturdy letter size envelope (ridiculously small for my stack, it doesn't fit in!) and a plastic bubble envelope that is bigger but still my stack doesn't fit inside that either. Please help a noob out!! How do I get this monster to USCIS? Reducing the number of pages is obviously out of the question

Thank you so much!!

On 2/17/2021 at 9:40 PM, Elle84 said:

Visa fee payment: November 24, 2020

POE (Houston TX, IAH): December 19, 2020

Green Card is being produced: February 12, 2021

Green Card mailed: February 17, 2021

(Now let's see how much it takes to actually receive it, apparently USPS in Texas does not deliver mail these days...)

 

SSN:

SSN issued: December 22, 2020

SSC mailed: December 31, 2020

SSC received: January 4, 2021

Update: Green Card received in the mail February 21, 2021. 

Visa fee payment: November 24, 2020

POE (Houston TX, IAH): December 19, 2020

Green Card is being produced: February 12, 2021

Green Card mailed: February 17, 2021

(Now let's see how much it takes to actually receive it, apparently USPS in Texas does not deliver mail these days...)

SSN:

SSN issued: December 22, 2020

SSC mailed: December 31, 2020

SSC received: January 4, 2021

16 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

@Elle84
TurboTax CDs and downloads support of Form 2555 is not new. I used it back in 2008. Even the Basic version supports it, but Deluxe is often on sale at the same price as Basic. I bought the 2020 Deluxe CD for $29.99 last week at Sam’s Club. (Federal only, no State return). That’s all you need since you’re in Texas and have no State income tax to file. I find the CD that you install more useful than online version. Same price at Amazon, Target, Costco. BestBuy and Staples are $10 more. 
 

There was one year that TurboTax tried a new business model where the cheaper versions (Basic, Deluxe) did not include all tax forms. There was a huge consumer backlash. H&R even gave me a free CD of their software to lure me away from TurboTax. The CEO of TT sent me apologetic emails and gave me the $100 version free. And he stated that TurboTax made a mistake, and promised in the future that all versions of CD software would contain all forms. 
 

 

@Wuozopo wow now that's a story! Thank you for sharing!

In fact, I should have known, since last year hubby filed his 2019 taxes and part of the income was from abroad. But of course, last year I didn't take such a close look at the process as to know form numbers and such :D. Starting this year, I have to stay on top of everything IRS, and it's really not simple! Today I had to fill in a W4 (I got a job, yay!!) and I scratched my head more than once lol. 

Thanks again to all of y'all for the detailed insights. We decided to file jointly after all. Wishing everyone a great week!