Nkrish83

Hi Folks - Summarizing my experience here with the Dallas passport agency last month for anyone that may find it helpful Background: Naturalized on 1/19 at Dallas USCIS (Irving) office and was offered a same day oath, which is unusual for this office. I was happy to take it. I had a work trip to Dublin that i had pushed out since Oct ‘22 when i applied for naturalization. Since i was naturalized, i had the opportunity to do it in the current quarter (before 1/31) so i dont lose my travel budget. Booking experience: Given i had <8 days (1/27) to travel from naturalization, i decided to call the NPIC for an urgent travel request. Did that on 1/20 around 10AM and was connected instantly. You have to do a 1-2-2-3 (English(1) → Questions about Passport application(2) →Not received passport(2) → traveling in less than 14 days(3)) to be connected to an agent who will take your info. Attempt #1: Called on 1/20 around 10AM and was told nothing in Dallas or Houston for next 12 days. Hung up to talk to my team about alternate dates, maybe even in Q1 so i can just do a regular USPS appointment. Attempt #2: Called on 1/21 around noon hoping lady luck would show some love. Got connected to an agent who took the info and said there is a 1/21 10AM at Dallas (maybe someone cancelled). Asked them to grab it rightaway and got it booked. Agency experience: For Dallas passport agency applicants - There is a parking ($10) lot right across, but the agency’s appointments are from 8AM to 11AM. So the lot gets full quickly. There is another lot further out (across the closest one) which is bigger and has usually spots. For my appointment i was lucky to find one across the earle cabell federal building. Inside the building you go through a security check (airport style), collect your belongings and head to the 11th floor. Security guard will check your appointment time (dont be there too soon, just <30 mins prior) and ask you to join a line for check-in. Check-in counters are 1-5 and they check your ID, application, photo, travel itinerary and then give you a token and asked to be seated. Soon you will be called to one of the acceptance counters where your documents will be taken and payment will be accepted. You will get a confirmation slip asking you to come back around 2PM. For me since my travel was on friday, the acceptance agent asked if i was ok to come back the next day or want it shipped. I had to plead a little bit with her to get it to a same day and she eventually agreed. Note: They try to sort things by whoever is traveling the earliest. If your travel is a like a week away, you mostly would be told that you will get it shipped or can come back after a few days to pick it up closer to your travel date. Pickup experience: I reached the office close to 2PM, parked and repeated the same security check to get to the 11th floor. This is where it gets crazier - saw over 100 people sitting awaiting their passports. The way the pickup works is when you get in, you will hand over the pickup slip to security who collects 10-20 of them and hands it over to one of the counters. They will then randomly be calling people’s names along with counter #s. In essence your name cannot be called before you arrive (it was a bit nerve racking for me until i understood what was happening). I waited an entire hour before i got my passport (probably as my travel date was 3 days away). When i was called, i got an envelope with passport/card/evidence(Nat cert). They ask you to check if everything is ok and then you can leave the place. My tip: The agency closes at 3PM. Try getting inside by 2:30PM and you can pick up in <30 mins. Showing up early doesn’t guarantee an early pickup. Unless you have to catch a flight the same day, there is no incentive to show up exactly at 2PM. You are better off coming in last when everyone is about done and quickly collecting your passport.

Nope. At the irving office, it was just applicants with a notice. Others will have to wait outside in the parking lot or by the entrance.

Enter the zip code in this page and it will tell you what your field office is. Given you are based out of Charlotte, it's most likely the Charlotte office https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office/field-offices (Locator at the bottom of the page)

If its just GC, then you can just do 3). They already will have that doc since they are the issuing authority. You can take it during your interview and show them when they ask for a GC.

Congrats on the successful completion of the journey!!

If you have an online account, you can get the letter immediately. Even if you file by paper, you can setup the USCIS account and track changes/docs there.

Congrats @ImmigrantKrish!

Folks - time for me to share my N-400 interview experience today at Dallas Field office (Irving). My interview was set at 9AM. I entered the office at 8:45 and quickly proceeded through security and then to one of the counters on the 1st floor that handle the interview receipt validation, check-in and biometric confirmation. After that, i was instructed to go to the 2nd floor where there is a check-in process to hand over your interview notice and wait to be called by an officer. I had a 40 min wait before finally being called around 9:55AM. A very warm/affable officer called my name and walked over to her office. Before being seated, i was told to take the oath to tell the truth (respond with I do). We started with the civics test - questions are below: What does the constitution do? (Sets up the government) How many amendments does the constitution have? 27 Name one branch of government? (Congress) Before eisenhower was president, he was a general - which war? (WW II) If the president cannot serve who becomes president? Vice-president Who makes federal laws? (Congress) We stopped right after the 6th question and proceeded to reading/writing: Reading: Where is the white house? Writing: The white house is in Washington D.C. Subsequently proceeded to review yes/no questions (i had a traffic ticket from 2011). Officer asked if tickets were paid and that’s it. Then we went over the questions about readiness to take oath, bear arms (last section of N400). She captured a couple of signatures, asked me to review changes (My wife got naturalized last week - so that was a change), asked about where i am employed etc and that’s it. I was given the decision approval form and also a same day oath ceremony notice. Something to note for Dallas N400 applications: They are doing same day oath for everybody this month so if you have an interview this month without a name change, you are in LUCK!

Folks - time for me to share my N-400 interview experience today at Dallas Field office (Irving). My interview was set at 9AM. I entered the office at 8:45 and quickly proceeded through security and then to one of the counters on the 1st floor that handle the interview receipt validation, check-in and biometric confirmation. After that, i was instructed to go to the 2nd floor where there is a check-in process to hand over your interview notice and wait to be called by an officer. I had a 40 min wait before finally being called around 9:55AM. A very warm/affable officer called my name and walked over to her office. Before being seated, i was told to take the oath to tell the truth (respond with I do). We started with the civics test - questions are below: What does the constitution do? (Sets up the government) How many amendments does the constitution have? 27 Name one branch of government? (Congress) Before eisenhower was president, he was a general - which war? (WW II) If the president cannot serve who becomes president? Vice-president Who makes federal laws? (Congress) We stopped right after the 6th question and proceeded to reading/writing: Reading: Where is the white house? Writing: The white house is in Washington D.C. Subsequently proceeded to review yes/no questions (i had a traffic ticket from 2011). Officer asked if tickets were paid and that’s it. Then we went over the questions about readiness to take oath, bear arms (last section of N400). She captured a couple of signatures, asked me to review changes (My wife got naturalized last week - so that was a change), asked about where i am employed etc and that’s it. I was given the decision approval form and also a same day oath ceremony notice. Something to note for Dallas N400 applications: They are doing same day oath for everybody this month so if you have an interview this month without a name change, you are in LUCK!

You can also call them and request for a mailed copy of the transcript, especially since you have filed it. Returns are generally sufficient but transcripts add credibility since they are an IRS generated document vs a return is something you prepared. If you are doing returns, i'd suggest you supplement them with the acceptance status from IRS to prove that it was accepted by IRS.

Thanks. She got done at 2PM. Rather a quick 10 min ceremony and no drama ending to the immigration journey. Let's see what lady luck has in store for me next week on 1/19 at my interview

Good morning folks - Time for an update on my wife's N400 case: Field office: Dallas (Irving office). Interview time: 7:50AM - checked in at 7:30. Questions asked (Civics test): - Who does the senator represent - Who is the commander in chief of the military - The federalist papers supported the passage of the US Constitution. Name one of the writers - Name 1 right from the 1st amendment - Which are the 2 political parties in US - Name the first US president. Reading: Who can vote? Writing: Citizens can vote. Officer asked her sections from N400 (Part 12, 45-50). Asked her about family, address, work, children etc. Asked her to confirm information is accurate and capture the signatures. She was given an option to do same day oath in the afternoon and she took it. Timeline: Good morning folks - Time for an update on my wife's N400 case: Field office: Dallas (Irving office). Interview time: 7:50AM - checked in at 7:30. Questions asked (Civics test): - Who does the senator represent - Who is the commander in chief of the military - The federalist papers supported the passage of the US Constitution. Name one of the writers - Name 1 right from the 1st amendment - Which are the 2 political parties in US - Name the first US president. Reading: Who can vote? Writing: Citizens can vote. Officer asked her sections from N400 (Part 12, 45-50). Asked her about family, address, work, children etc. Asked her to confirm information is accurate and capture the signatures. She was given an option to do same day oath in the afternoon and she took it. Timeline:

Good morning folks - Time for an update on my wife's N400 case: Field office: Dallas (Irving office). Interview time: 7:50AM - checked in at 7:30. Questions asked (Civics test): - Who does the senator represent - Who is the commander in chief of the military - The federalist papers supported the passage of the US Constitution. Name one of the writers - Name 1 right from the 1st amendment - Which are the 2 political parties in US - Name the first US president. Reading: Who can vote? Writing: Citizens can vote. Officer asked her sections from N400 (Part 12, 45-50). Asked her about family, address, work, children etc. Asked her to confirm information is accurate and capture the signatures. She was given an option to do same day oath in the afternoon and she took it. Timeline:

yeah those things dont exist anymore. There is no official publication (unless you can wing it inside USCIS) that lets you know the dates. It's more word of mouth from other interview folks who may manage to snag a response from a knowledgeable officer if they happen to know. Or it's one of those big date ceremonies (like July 4) which are advertised ahead.

The old doc you reffered to are judicial oath ceremonies, more reserved for folks with name change requests. USCIS generally does not publish a calendar of administrative ceremonies which are far more frequent. Unless your mother has requested a name change, she will generally be tagged to an administrative ceremony.

Once your oath ceremony is scheduled, your status will flip to "Oath Ceremony notice was mailed". Assuming you have an online USCIS account - you should be able to see the notice under documents before you receive a physical copy as well with the actual date/time/location.

If you have genuine urgent travel coming up, you'd want to book the appointment ahead of schedule. And yes, they do allow even if you haven't naturalized. It's honestly not a question they ask - They just expect you will bring required documents for passport to your appointment. The only thing really asked is travel details (which you must bring) and dates etc to find you an appointment close to your travel date.

If you have an online USCIS account, you can pull the interview letter with date/location rightaway.

When my colleague had his oath there, there is an area (separate room) where there are TVs and you can generally sit there and watch. It won't be like the good old days which was more like a graduation ceremony where you could watch from the gallery. My colleague's family told me they were better off sitting in the car. This was October 2022, so dont know if something has changed from that point onwards.

There ya go! Congrats and it will be a fun event - the ones in plano are usually 1000+ and while the time is 7:30, it takes a while to get started (~9:30-10) and then in 15 mins you'd be done :).

Seems a couple of folks have received an oath for 1/26 morning at Plano event center. And there is one in the office on 1/19 so seems they are starting to pick up the ceremonies and clear the backlog after the holidays. Hope something comes around quickly for you!

Your wife can always request for a same day oath at the end of the interview. While i dont know the situation with the pheonix office, here in Dallas they generally do big ceremonies EXCEPT if you live outside a 2 hour radius of the metroplex. Then you are typically given a same day oath given the drive.

The driving record should be pulled from the state where your DL was when you got pulled over. If you lived in AZ, then CA reports it to AZ DMV. CA DMV would have had no record of what happened.

Here is my suggestion on how you handle it: (and also how i went about it) 1) See if you can get a driving report from DMV. Generally tickets are listed there and some of the info you got there may help find the relevant info. I had a ticket from 2011 in a different state, but was listed on my driving record. It helped me locate the ticket # and then was able to get the details from the court. 2) Check your old email for any payment receipts you made for the fine. I surprisingly found the receipt confirmation. Coming to the question of disclosure - My suggestion would be to mention this before you take the oath before start of interview. Lack of disclosure questions your moral character at best. From everything i have seen with my friends and brother who are already naturalized, tickets under 500 as long as they were paid were just asked and ignored. Yes - there are folks and attorneys who would tell you to ignore this stuff, but ask yourself if this is worth it. In the end being truthful puts you on higher ground.

Just got an update for Wife's N400 - Interview scheduled: Dec 12, 2022 - interview date of 1/13/2022 at Irving office (Dallas FO)