Pete20155

13 hours ago, Yanirose said:

Just wanted to let you know I am officially a US citizen 👏🏾💃 ... the interview went well and it was super easy here in Seattle.

 

Good bye USCIS. What a Journey it has been and thank you to everyone on here who has kept me sane through this process from K1, Removing condition and N400.

 

 

@YaniroseCongratulations .....!!🎈🥳🎊

Just now, Husky_Rescue said:

Did any of you had to call the National Passport Center? Has their waiting time always been so long or did it get worse during Covid-19? 

Yep called them multiple times, and had to stay on hold for long period of times (1-2 hours) before I could speak to anyone. I guess it got worse due to covid. Some days if you call early you might only have to be on hold for like 30 mins - 45 mins. 

Just hang in on the phone and eventually you will be able to get to speak to the agent. Patience is the key. Good Luck.

On 4/7/2021 at 11:16 AM, Pete20155 said:

Finally the DOS updated my passport status to 'In-Process'

 

Overall timeline so far:

• Naturalization Oath Ceremony on : 02/26/21
• Passport Application Submitted on: 03/09/21 (Regular processing) at Gainesville, VA USPS.
• Passport Status : 'In-Process' on 04/06/21

I am considering calling in and changing the processing from 'Regular' to 'Expediated'.

Update:

  Passport application approved, shipped and received.

• 4/08/21 : Called and requested to upgrade to expedited service (paid additional $60 over the phone via credit card) 
• 4/14/21 : Passport status: Approved & Shipped via usps priority mail.
• 4/16/21: Received Passport - Delivered in mail.
• Surprise - They included my Naturalization Certificate in the same packet as my passport. I was expecting to receive it separately via normal mail. Even in the approval notification it was indicated that they will be shipped separately. But I am glad they did not send it separately, done with it faster than expected.

36 minutes ago, evapaula said:

 

yeah, it's a big time suck, but they do respond eventually. 

Thank you for all your help with the required info, I was able to talk to a rep and requested to move the processing from Routine to Expediated. He did mention that my application & supporting documents were sent to their Seattle Facility for processing , so it with the time difference they could very well update the processing today itself to Expediated. And then he gave me the usual 20 business days processing time line.

Hoping it would get done faster than 20 days.

22 hours ago, Scandi said:

Thanks! I know, it's harsh. 😂

 

Oddly enough, my status just went from "Not Found" to "Not Available", and the text below is different from what I have seen before. According to the text there doesn't seem to be a difference between the two statuses.

Got this screen grab from DOS website:

2 minutes ago, evapaula said:

I just gave them the credit card info over the phone. 

 

Thank you for the info. I am on hold with them for last 40 mins. Hopefully will be able to get connected with a rep soon. 

23 hours ago, evapaula said:

If you have a need for a passport soon, it's definitely worth the extra $60. I called for my twins and they printed the passports the next day (even though they told me 20 business days over the phone).

Thank you, I do have plans to travel around end of may timeframe. I will surely call In and request to Expediate my processing. Do you know how they take the extra $60? Credit Card or has to be a check that I need to mail in?

On 3/30/2021 at 10:59 AM, Pete20155 said:

• Naturalization Oath Ceremony on : 02/26/21
• Passport Application Submitted on: 03/09/21 (Regular processing) at Gainesville, VA USPS.
• Already been 3 weeks and No Status update.
• Called Several times and been on long hold times, however looks like they may have lost my application package. The NCIP Rep asked me to get USPS tracking number from USPS.  Per the USPS Rep who gave me print out of tracking - the package was delivered on 03/12/21.
• Upon providing the tracking# to the NCIP rep which shows delivered , the rep said he will contact the facility and provide my details so they can find and enter my application details in their system.
• The NPIC rep just asks me to be patient and that it may take several weeks before it gets entered into their system...yep he said there is no time frame...which was shocking.
• When I asked if I can call back a couple weeks later if it is still not entered into their system, he said if you wish to you may however we cannot do anything else until the application is found and entered in their system.😱

Did this happen to anyone else on this thread/forum?

 

Finally the DOS updated my passport status to 'In-Process'

Overall timeline so far:

• Naturalization Oath Ceremony on : 02/26/21
• Passport Application Submitted on: 03/09/21 (Regular processing) at Gainesville, VA USPS.
• Passport Status : 'In-Process' on 04/06/21

I am considering calling in and changing the processing from 'Regular' to 'Expediated'.

On 3/17/2021 at 9:50 PM, Hyatto said:

Applied:  2/6 Chesapeake, VA Post Office

Online Tracking: Application Not Found

 

 

I called the National Passport Info Center, just in case their online tracking system is not updated yet. They said my application is not in their system yet🥺🥺 they told me to call the post office.

 

I called the post office and their phone line is always busy but I did get to talk to their passport officer once, she said they’ll call me back but never heard from them again and that was 3/10. I’m getting  worried that they’ve lost my application. 😢😭

 

 

@Hyatto  Hi Wanted to follow-up and check if they received you application or did they loose it? I think I am also in the same boat I applied 3/9 Gainesville, VA USPS and still no update. So I am interested to know the status on your application.

• Naturalization Oath Ceremony on : 02/26/21
• Passport Application Submitted on: 03/09/21 (Regular processing) at Gainesville, VA USPS.
• Already been 3 weeks and No Status update.
• Called Several times and been on long hold times, however looks like they may have lost my application package. The NCIP Rep asked me to get USPS tracking number from USPS.  Per the USPS Rep who gave me print out of tracking - the package was delivered on 03/12/21.
• Upon providing the tracking# to the NCIP rep which shows delivered , the rep said he will contact the facility and provide my details so they can find and enter my application details in their system.
• The NPIC rep just asks me to be patient and that it may take several weeks before it gets entered into their system...yep he said there is no time frame...which was shocking.
• When I asked if I can call back a couple weeks later if it is still not entered into their system, he said if you wish to you may however we cannot do anything else until the application is found and entered in their system.😱

Did this happen to anyone else on this thread/forum?

On 1/29/2021 at 10:09 AM, Pete20155 said:

Update: Hi, I received an update online a couple days ago, the new date for my oath ceremony is on Feb 26th. So about a month's wait time. Keeping fingers crossed. 

Best of Luck to folks who are still waiting.

 

Hello everyone,

Wanted to provide quick update: As of this morning I have officially completed this long journey and become an American Citizen🥳🎈🎉.

Oath Ceremony Experience:

Location: USCIS Office,  Fairfax, VA

• Arrived 15 mins early at the USCIS office, They led me into a Naturalization Ceremony Waiting room.
• Officer behind the counter was very polite and courteous
• He requested my Appointment letter and Green Cards(Current & Expired)
• Then he proceeded to ask me Yes/No questions
• Upon completion he provided me a token number, asked me to take a seat in waiting area and there will be some other lady officer who will lead us all up to second floor Oath Ceremony Room.
• After About 10 mins wait time, we were all asked to follow the lady officer to the second floor oath ceremony room and seat ourselves on the chair that has Naturalization Packet with the Token number provided in the waiting room earlier.
• The Chairs were all placed 2 meters apart due to social distancing and I noticed they were only 20 chairs in the room.
• Next, another officer walks in and explains us a few basic stuff such as once we become citizens we will have right to vote, update SSN after 15 days etc etc.
• Then he proceeds to ask us all to stand up and take oath of allegiance and repeat after him.
• Once done, our names were called to go one by one and collect the Naturalization certificate and check our information is correctly printed in it.
• The lady officer who was giving the Certificate of Naturalization congratulated us while giving the certificates.
• Then we were asked to leave the building.
• We were told strictly no photos were allowed in the building and not to stop for taking any pictures.

In less than an hour since I arrived I was on my way back home full of happiness and joy. Glad this journey ended today.

Best Wishes,
- P

12 minutes ago, pejman said:

HI all,

 

I just received this:

 

 

February 2, 2021

Interview Was Scheduled

On February 2, 2021, we scheduled an interview for your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, Receipt Number ********. We will mail you an interview notice. Please follow any instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

Estimated wait time:

6 months

 

 

Do you guys have any experience, how long it takes to receive the interview in mail? What is that ``Estimate wait time: 6 months"?

Thanks.

Congratulations @pejman !!!

Usually you can expect to see the letter in mail in 5-7 business days, sometimes it may take longer depending on weather, holidays etc.

You can also view the copy of letter sent to you in online account https://my.uscis.gov/account/applicant under documents tabs. It usually takes a day or two to show up there after you received the interview notification.

Best wishes!!

 

On 1/20/2021 at 11:33 AM, Pete20155 said:

Hi All,

 

Update: My oath Ceremony scheduled on Jan 19th was cancelled due to the Presidential Inauguration. Got an email last week stating that : USCIS is Closing All Offices and Cancelling All Appointments on Jan. 19 and 20. All appointments, interviews, and naturalization ceremonies on Jan. 19 and 20 are cancelled, and will automatically be rescheduled. 

Just waiting for the new oath ceremony date to be scheduled. The waiting game never seems to get over for me. Fingers crossed for new date to be scheduled soon.



 

Update: Hi, I received an update online a couple days ago, the new date for my oath ceremony is on Feb 26th. So about a month's wait time. Keeping fingers crossed. 

Best of Luck to folks who are still waiting.

 

18 hours ago, AnotherAndrew said:

Wife had the same, reschedule for the 28th

Ok good to know they are rescheduling it quickly. I haven't received the rescheduled date yet. Hoping it will be set soon.

On 1/6/2021 at 8:26 PM, Pete20155 said:

Hi folks,

Just wanted to let you all know,  finally my Oath Ceremony Notice was uploaded online today and it is scheduled for Jan 19th.  It says that I cannot bring any guests due to social distancing, so unfortunately cannot take my family along. Anyway given the current situation I believe it is for the better good. Now I am just waiting for the physical notice to arrive in the mail and hoping everything goes smoothly during the oath ceremony.

Good Luck to folks who are still waiting for their interview/oath ceremonies.

Best,

 

Hi All,

Update: My oath Ceremony scheduled on Jan 19th was cancelled due to the Presidential Inauguration. Got an email last week stating that : USCIS is Closing All Offices and Cancelling All Appointments on Jan. 19 and 20. All appointments, interviews, and naturalization ceremonies on Jan. 19 and 20 are cancelled, and will automatically be rescheduled. 

Just waiting for the new oath ceremony date to be scheduled. The waiting game never seems to get over for me. Fingers crossed for new date to be scheduled soon.



 

On 12/17/2020 at 10:27 AM, Pete20155 said:

Hello Everyone, 

 

2.5 months after my N400 Interview, Finally I received an email from USCIS stating there is an update on my case, I logged in and see that I have been placed in line for the oath ceremony. Yaaayyy !!!  Now it really feels like the Holidays are here 😀. There is no oath ceremony date provided yet (checked in documents tab as well) but hoping to see the oath Ceremony date soon. I am so relived that finally this journey is coming to an end.

 

 I thank you all on this forum who helped me in this journey. Will keep you all posted on any further updates with regards to the oath ceremony.

Best Wishes to the folks who are still patiently waiting.  Happy Holidays & Season's Greetings to Everyone !!!🎉🎈🎊

Hi folks,

Just wanted to let you all know,  finally my Oath Ceremony Notice was uploaded online today and it is scheduled for Jan 19th.  It says that I cannot bring any guests due to social distancing, so unfortunately cannot take my family along. Anyway given the current situation I believe it is for the better good. Now I am just waiting for the physical notice to arrive in the mail and hoping everything goes smoothly during the oath ceremony.

Good Luck to folks who are still waiting for their interview/oath ceremonies.

Best,

 

32 minutes ago, Zkot4ov said:

Congratulations. Just wanted to to add that I don't think there was any malice from the officer regarding the name and the subsequent 2 month wait. Where I live in chicago, there is a large south asian community and I must know about 4 or 5 people named Puneet. My local liquor store is owned by someone with that name for example. Anyway glad it worked out in the end for you. Congrats to you again.

Thank you so much. !! I am pretty sure that the officer did not have any malice, he obviously had his reasons that he forwarded my case file for quality review. I was only worried that the two months wait could easily become a 6 months or a year wait. Glad it wasn't the case.
😀

1 hour ago, bubblyheather said:

Congratulations!!!!!!!

Thank you @bubblyheather !!

21 minutes ago, sjones said:

Hi everyone, 

 

Just wanted to keep you all posted on my interview experience. My interview was scheduled for 8:30AM Dec16th at Santa Ana, CA and I arrived there at 8:15AM. I was taken to the second floor where Adjustment and Naturalization interviews take place. I waited in the waiting room for an hour before i was called in. My officer was such a nice guy and he was accompanied by a female officer who was there to observe him. They both were looking at my documents and said I have lots of evidence and they really appreciated the fact that I had submitted that much.

I filed online in Nov, 2019 and submitted a bunch of documents. A few months ago, I added some more updated documents with 2019 joint tax filing, joint insurance, quarterly bank statements since my submission last year, lease renewal etc. and they were a bit confused as to why there were more recent submissions. I told them that I didn't see any movement in my case, so thought I'd update my documents online and they both nodded, smiled and said that it was great that I was proactive. 

The main officer asked me for my green card and driver's license, and he explained to the other officer that this is to see if I still have my green card and the driver's license is for checking my residency. He went through the application questions, talked for a bit and then congratulated me and told me that I was getting recommended for approval. The entire process took about 30 mins. They asked me to wait in the lobby for about an hour to receive my Naturalization certificate. I was walked outside and waited in the lobby for like 15 mins when I was called back in. I took the oath with both officers in the same interview room and received my certificate. I was out in 5 minutes this time. I walked out of there with my certification in hand at 10:10AM so basically it took me 2 hours total. I'm an American citizen now!!!

 

Questions that I was asked were: 

- What did Abraham Lincoln do?

- When was constitution written?

- What happened on 9/11?

- What's the capital of California?

- How many amendments in Constitution?

- Name one of the longest rivers.

 

I answered them all 6 questions correctly so he told me I passed the test. 

That's Awesome, congratulations !!🎈🎊🎉🥳

On 10/6/2020 at 11:07 AM, Pete20155 said:

I do not know what happened to the my post which I posted right after my interview. Anyways, I will type it all again:

 

Unpleasant Interview Experience:

 

My interview was scheduled for Oct 1st at 11:10 am at Fairfax VA office. I reached there and checked in by 10:55 am (They only allow you to get into office 15 mins prior to your scheduled time). I was asked to sit in an open hall on 2nd floor, there were at-least 25 other people waiting there.

After checking in with the lady at the desk on 2nd floor I waited for more than and hour for my turn. There were people who came in after me and checked in after me and they were done with their interviews and gone.

At around 12:10 pm it was lunch time and I was pretty much the only person waiting in the hall, I saw a bunch of interview officers leaving to have lunch and were talking to each other about where they would be picking up their lunch from. I patiently waited and then decided I will check with the reception about the delay - I was told I am still in waiting list and that I be seated till my name is called. 

After about 5 mins, an officer came out and called my name, I was relived and happy to follow him back to the interview room.

The initial part of interview was smooth, the officer asked me to take an oath that all I would say is the truth before we get started, which I did.

He then proceeded to ask the civics test questions, this is what I vaguely remember:

 

1. What was the war between the north and south called?

2. Who is the first President of the USA?

3. Name 3 states from the 13 original colonies.

4. What happened at the constitution convention?

5. Name two senators of your state.

 

I do not remember the 6th one now.

 

After the civic tests, he proceeded to reading and writing test:

Reading: How many senators are there?

Writing: There are one hundred senators.

 

So far so good.  This is where things started going a different direction.

The officer then started asking me yes or no questions from my DS form.

After which he said, since you have a common name, I will have to verify your identity. (My name common? what seriously? My Name is: Puneet, how many do you know with that name?) 

He proceeded to ask me question about my initial entry into USA while I was a student. And then proceeded to ask my employment related questions from 10 years ago - which I vaguely remember as I was a travelling consultant I worked on projects from 6 months -1 year. Details such as employment dates at certain clients/employers etc.

Finally he printed out the details of what we discussed and asked me to sign it or suggest corrections if it contained anything that we did not talk about. (The print out contained - questions he asked with regards to my identify and my responses) He asked me to sign it, which I did and he added it into the huge file he had in front of him.

 

He then told me that though I passed my civic test, a decision cannot be made and I should wait for 2 months to hear back on the decision/oath ceremony. Also If they require any additional paperwork they will be reaching out to me.

So almost at 1pm I left the USCIS office disheartened and feeling rejected. After waiting for almost a year after applying it was not the desired outcome.😢😢 Hopefully will get a positive outcome in 2 months.

Anyway, I am happy for folks who were able to achieve this milestone. Best wishes for your future. God Bless !

Hello Everyone, 

2.5 months after my N400 Interview, Finally I received an email from USCIS stating there is an update on my case, I logged in and see that I have been placed in line for the oath ceremony. Yaaayyy !!!  Now it really feels like the Holidays are here 😀. There is no oath ceremony date provided yet (checked in documents tab as well) but hoping to see the oath Ceremony date soon. I am so relived that finally this journey is coming to an end.

 I thank you all on this forum who helped me in this journey. Will keep you all posted on any further updates with regards to the oath ceremony.

Best Wishes to the folks who are still patiently waiting.  Happy Holidays & Season's Greetings to Everyone !!!🎉🎈🎊

11 hours ago, uak92 said:

I am a November 2019 filer. I had my Naturalization Interview today 12/08 at USCIS Philadelphia Office. The interviewer was very nice. He asked me 6 questions, I answered all correctly. The last three questions were:

If the president can no longer serve.... 

Who is the current Chief Justice? 

What are the two main political parties. 

 

Then, he asked me to read "Which state has the most people" on the iPad and asked me to write "California has the most people".

 

After this he asked me questions about my address, employment to confirm all the information that I had on the form. Then he asked about my travel history and mentioned that he is seeing different information to what I have written on the N400 form. I confirmed with him all the places that I have been to and all that was on the form is correct. The officer was very nice and he told me not to worry as he also thinks that somehow the information that he is seeing isn't correct in his system. 

 

Then the officer asked me a few yes/no questions and approved my application. Philadelphia isn't doing same day Oath Ceremony and he told me all the people who we are approving today will probably have their Oath Ceremony on December 22nd. My online status is now showing that "Oath Ceremony is schedule and we sent you the letter". I will check again tomorrow for the letter in the online account. 

 

Good Luck to everyone!

Awesome !! Congratulation !!!!🎉🎊🎈

On 10/14/2020 at 12:27 AM, hammond said:

I got my letter for an interview in mid-Nov. Yay!

 

What all documents do you need for you interview? My case is through marriage. Do I need to bring my spouse?

 

I am in the San Jose office. 

What are next steps after the interview?

How long does it take to get the oath ceremony scheduled? And when is the passport mailed after that?

@hammond Congratulations !!

Take all the documents mentioned in the interview letter, plus anything you feel may be important (eg: old passport, current passport, current year joint federal income taxes etc;) Carrying more documents is always beneficial than carrying less. Also don't forget to carry your face mask.😷

In the interview letter they will mention who you are allowed to bring along with you, due to COVID-19 they aren't allowing to bring families. At least in my state Virginia and I am sure other states are following similar precautionary measures.

Next steps after Interview is Oath Ceremony, after which you will be handed your Naturalization Certificate. Oath Ceremony can be scheduled anywhere between couple days or a few weeks after the N400 interview ..it varies case to case and state to state.

They will not be mailing your passport, You will need to apply for your passport afterwards , you can do that at your local USPS, please follow the link for the steps (First Time Passports):
https://www.usps.com/international/passports.htm#firsttime

Best Wishes for your Interview !!!👍

8 hours ago, MMarco said:

pls , what is egov website?

@MMarco egov website is the regular uscis website where you normally put in your receipt# to check your case status.

https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do

19 hours ago, kenzo_gal said:

Thank you @Pete20155 

I have read the same response like yours before and some of them got a decision after a few days or weeks. Hopefully, you'll hear from them as soon as possible. God bless.

Well hoping to get the decision sooner. Where I had to wait for so long I don't mind waiting a couple more months, but anything longer than that will cause me anxiousness. Thank you. @kenzo_gal How did your Oath Ceremony go ? did you apply for your passport yet ?

17 hours ago, kenzo_gal said:

Yesterday, I took an Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America. It was a mixed of emotions since I am happy that after migrating here for five years, eight months and five days, I am finally done with the immigration process and at the same time, it was with a heavy heart to renounce my citizenship to my Mother Land. I will always love my country of birth and origin no matter what, and will always continue and raise my children with the Filipino values and morals that were taught and passed down to me by my parents, but I also love to live and fulfill my American dream in God's time.

 

The ceremony could've been better with my family around, but due to the present pandemic, I had to attend and took an oath all by myself. But on the lighter note, I am finally done and I am so over the moon. To God be the Glory!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

 

Thank you all for sharing your inputs, your own experiences and for your positivity. I wish everyone the best. 🥰

Congratulations again ...happy for you !!👍