MJS2020

4 minutes ago, APWB said:

I got my originals back . 21 days from passport approval. Thank god.

Congrats! It takes quite a while nowadays.

11 hours ago, APWB said:

Any one else waiting for original documents like me (19 days running).

I just got my Certificate 20 days after I got my passport. The certificate was shipped four business days after they mailed my passport… so pretty much it was the USPS taking they’re sweet time.

2 hours ago, JlovesA said:

My certificate showed up in the mail today! Phew!

 

If it's helpful to anyone, I applied for my passport at USPS on April 30th with expedited processing. USPS said they received it around May 11 (I forget the date exactly). It was approved June 7, and in my hands June 10th (regular shipping speed).  Today, July 9th, I got my naturalization certification back. Glad to be DONE. Good luck to everyone else, I hope you'll be done soon, too!

Congrats!

Was the Certificate delivered in a manila envelope?

5 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

I think the passport agency is being ultra cautious on USPS at present, like warning people regular mailing of passports could add 6 weeks to the process. My experience with other stuff is usps is definitely slower than it used to be but not like that. Of course they may also say that so that people don’t phone them every week …

I think it’s the combination of both—slower USPS under DeJoy and an attempt of the Passport Center to avoid people calling them. However, considering how important the Certificate is and how expensive it is to order a new one and how long it would take to do so, it would make sense to mail it with at least the tracking number 🤦‍♂️ 

1 minute ago, Scandi said:

You've waited almost a year?

Haha. I meant June.

1 hour ago, dfw2019 said:

Today is 8th day after U have received my passport.

Still waiting for Naturalization Certificate.

Did anyone wait so long to receive back original documents?

I’m still waiting. I’ve got my passport on June 24. I’ve spent 4h and 22min trying to call the National Passport Center but they finally answered. They told me that my Certificate was mailed out on June 29 and that I shouldn’t expect it for the next two to three weeks. Like #######?!? I understand that they’ve used the regular mail but Jesus Christ! How long does it take to ship from one part of the lower 48 states to another?!

8 minutes ago, Scandi said:

Yeah we have seen several cases in N-400 groups on Facebook where it took close to 2 month to receive it back. Some passport agencies are fast while others are very slow, just like with USCIS' different service centers and field offices, the wait times vary greatly.

True, there’s no consistency. However, it’s kind of telling that the process is so bad that even a simple task of sending the evidence back to the applicant takes months. 

4 minutes ago, Scandi said:

It can take a couple of months to get the certificate back, so just keep waiting. 

Several months to get the Certificate back? That’s really messed up. However, considering the current state the USPS is in I won’t be surprised if they lost it somehow. 😕

Was anyone able to reach the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 by phone? It’s been more than 10 business days since I received my passport but I still didn’t get my Certificate of Naturalization. The National Passport Center doesn’t even let the call though—after you go through all the prompts the call drops. :(

How long does it take to receive the Certificate of Naturalization back after receiving the Passport? Also, do you get any tracking info when it is mailed?

13 minutes ago, medic5678 said:

what facility did you send your application to, and what state are you in?

I applied in person in Atlanta, GA for an expedite processing. Idk where they sent it but according to USPS mail tracking it went from Little Rock, AR

Applied for the passport on June 11, in person at USPS facility (Atlanta).

Got an email that they have received my application on 06/16/21.

Got an email that they have shipped my passport on 06/21/21.

Received my passport (no card or the Certificate of Naturalization yet) on 06/23/21.

It looks like they shipped the passport from Little Rock, Arkansas.

7 hours ago, millefleur said:

Just had to update everyone: my husband finally had his oath!! It's overrrr!!! Finally!

 

Now to apply for a passport and all the other boring stuff.

Congrats! 🎉 

Finally! Had my Judicial Oath Ceremony this week in downtown Atlanta courthouse. There were about 50 people, masks required, socially distanced. 
 

The whole process took two hours—from 9:30am till 11:30. The first hour and a half is to get everyone into the courtroom, seat them, and get the pronunciation of everyone’s new names. The last 30 minutes are the official ceremony with the judge, celebratory speech, etc. They do not allow guests into the courtroom with applicants but they do allow the guests to wait in the cafeteria until the ceremony is over. 
 

After the ceremony is over (11:30 am) everyone can re-enter the courtroom (including guests and family) to take pictures so feel free to bring your guests and families. 
 

At the ceremony you are given a bunch of flyers, brochures, and other stuff. Among them are the instructions on how to apply for the passport at the midtown USPS.
 

I’ve had an appointment with them scheduled for the same day… big mistake. The midtown USPS does not work by appointments and pretty much does not work at all. It took me more than THREE hours to get my turn (first come first serve ticketing system). The process to apply is just FOUR MINUTES. That’s right you have to wait three hours for just four minutes of actual work 🤦‍♂️  Btw, those morons STAPLED my new Certificate of Naturalization #######. 
 

Anyhow, I’m happy that I’m finally a US citizen…even though I have nothing to prove it with right now since I gave my certificate to the USPS lol

5 hours ago, elicearea said:

My Oath Ceremony is scheduled for July 9th. Does anyone know if my husband can join me for the ceremony? Thank you.

I haven’t seen any changes announced at their website so you’ll have  to follow what your Oath Ceremony letter says. Currently they all say that you cannot bring any guests. 

The CDC recently changed the mask mandate among a few other changes. Does anyone know if the USCIS has updated its policy on Oath Ceremony attendance? Can you bring someone to the Oath Ceremony now or is it still limited to yourself? I haven’t found any changes though on USCIS website. 

Has anyone who had a name change submitted the Name Change Certificate with their application? It looks like it is not required based on the list of documents that the Department of State lists. Just wondering if anyone had any issues with not sending the Name Change Certificate.

Does anyone know how long is a Naturalization Oath Ceremony in Atlanta? Especially the Judicial Oath Ceremony? 

1 hour ago, NYBEtt said:

It depends on how soon you want your passport. Here in NY all appointments are also taken but they open up slots 4 weeks in advance in the morning. Its 7am and almost all slots available for June 8 (4 weeks from today) for my nearest post office. I'll bet it's the same for you too. 

Thank you for the reply. Yeah, the timeframes are weird. My travel date will be 3 weeks out from my oath ceremony. So it’s less than 4 weeks which is the minimum processing time for an expedited service but not “urgent” enough to qualify for the urgent travel category 😕

4 minutes ago, Smile4rill1 said:

I made d appointment d day I got the naturalization interview letter. My appointment  was 10am I made appointment for 2pm at usps

Damn, that was fast. I cannot find a single appointment at USPS in 100mi radius lol

I was able to find the “passport application acceptance facilities,” and they are walk-in only. It looks like they are government facilities and some are located in county courts.
I wonder if anyone has use them.

On 4/23/2021 at 6:35 AM, Smile4rill1 said:

I got my naturalization certificate april 19th. Went to usps same day to apply for my passport  and yesterday April 22 I got an email saying they received my application and reviewing it.

Did you make an appointment at USPS or walk-in? Cuz I don’t see any appointments in my area for almost two months out.

Perhaps not exactly on topic here but does anyone know how to apply for US Passport for the first time (DS-11) without USPS? It looks like USPS has no available time slots for appointments and I was wondering what would be the alternative to an USPS appointment? Passport Agencies (for expedited service) currently do not seem to have appointments either so I assume they won’t any time soon. 

I’ve found “Passport Acceptance Facilities” and they do not require appointments so I was wondering if I can go there (when the time comes haha) and apply for passport on site?

Does anyone know how to apply for US Passport for the first time (DS-11) without USPS? It looks like USPS has no available time slots for appointments and I was wondering what would be the alternative to an USPS appointment? Passport Agencies (for expedited service) currently do not seem to have appointments either so I assume they won’t any time soon. 

I’ve found “Passport Acceptance Facilities” and they do not require appointments so I was wondering if I can go there (when the time comes haha) and apply for passport on site?

7 hours ago, -Shana- said:

On April 23rd I had my oath ceremony, I'm officially a US citizen! I got there 15 minutes before my appointment time and went through security then up to the second floor. There was someone there to double check my letter and asked me to sit in a specific place in the waiting room. They then called people up one by one based on where they were sat up to the check in desk. Someone was there to ask some of the questions that you answer on your letter, then he took my greencard and I got a number on a little US flag. I was then instructed to sit in a specific place based on my number, I saw a little commotion when (I'm assuming) the wife of an applicant was there and insisting that she needed to be in the room. I couldn't hear exactly but eventually they convinced her to wait outside since only interpreters were allowed in. 

 

The person who ran the ceremony was miserable, haha. Very solemn about the fact that we don't get the full ceremony because of Covid. He mentioned that "just because you're not getting the full ceremony doesn't mean it isn't special" and Covid this Covid that about 3 times. He then went on to say the usual speech then made us all swear the oath, then we gave ourselves a round of applause and sat back down and waited to be called up one by one to get our certificate. We got a very stern warning to check our certificates for errors, because if we leave the building and there is a mistake we'll be charged $600 to change it. Once I had my certificate in hand I went into the waiting room, checked it (all good) and left. I overheard someone asking if we needed to sign the certificates there and then but an IO said no, sign it later. No passport application area, no photos allowed inside, it was very much an in and out situation. For me, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, since I'm not one for ceremonies! Would've appreciated someone a bit more light hearted though to welcome me in as a citizen not some doom and gloom man 🤣

 

Since Social Security offices are closed and passports are appointment only, I decided to apply for my passport first since I'll have to mail my naturalization certificate with my application and then once I have my passport I can use my passport to change my SSN card. Glad to almost be done with the process, happy to have had a place like VJ to help me since 2015, and to everyone else still waiting hang in there and I hope you get results soon!

Congrats! Your journey is finally complete! 

17 minutes ago, PonJor said:

I agree. I wish there was more transparency regarding this process. I'm hoping we won't have to follow up with the ombudsman after 120 days, but its USCIS😅

Haha yeah… I don’t think there’s anything really that can force USCIS to move faster.

According to Lawfully app, though, from the people who applied in April and got the approval I’m the only one without the oath/Naturalization certificate so far. Idk why my case is taking longer.