Mi & Mo

I had the oath ceremony yesterday and now I'm a US citizen!

Thanks everyone and good luck to you all.

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==============|========|========|========|========|========|========|========|==============|

Nanggroe......|09/28/10|10/07/10|10/05/10|11/29/10|12/06/10|01/12/11|01/18/11|Houston,TX....|

bonnerbonner..|10/05/10|NA/NA/NA|10/12/10|10/21/10|12/02/10|01/11/11|02/17/11|Oakland,FL....|

Drakulea......|10/05/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Louisville,KY.|

LastSurvivor..|10/26/10|11/02/10|11/05/10|11/10/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Atlanta,GA....|

nyhazmat......|10/18/10|10/26/10|10/25/10|11/23/10|02/07/11|03/16/11|--/--/--|Greer, SC.....|

aposantos.....|10/13/10|NA/NA/NA|NA/NA/NA|11/05/10|11/29/10|01/27/11|--/--/--|San Antonio,TX|

Updating Alive!

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==============|========|========|========|========|========|========|========|==============|

Nanggroe......|09/28/10|10/07/10|10/05/10|11/29/10|12/06/10|01/12/11|01/18/11|Houston,TX....|

bonnerbonner..|10/05/10|NA/NA/NA|10/12/10|10/21/10|12/02/10|01/11/11|02/17/11|Oakland,FL....|

Drakulea......|10/05/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Louisville,KY.|

LastSurvivor..|10/26/10|11/02/10|11/05/10|11/10/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Atlanta,GA....|

nyhazmat......|10/18/10|10/26/10|10/25/10|11/23/10|03/16/11|--/--/--|--/--/--|Greer, SC.....|

aposantos.....|10/13/10|NA/NA/NA|NA/NA/NA|11/05/10|11/29/10|01/27/11|--/--/--|San Antonio,TX|

Finally got the oath letter!

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==============|========|========|========|========|========|========|========|==============|

Nanggroe......|09/28/10|10/07/10|10/05/10|11/29/10|12/06/10|01/12/11|01/18/11|Houston,TX....|

bonnerbonner..|10/05/10|NA/NA/NA|10/12/10|10/21/10|12/02/10|01/11/11|02/17/11|Oakland,FL....|

Drakulea......|10/05/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Louisville,KY.|

LastSurvivor..|10/26/10|11/02/10|11/05/10|11/10/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Atlanta,GA....|

nyhazmat......|10/18/10|10/26/10|10/25/10|11/23/10|03/16/11|--/--/--|--/--/--|Greer, SC.....|

aposantos.....|10/13/10|NA/NA/NA|NA/NA/NA|11/05/10|11/29/10|01/27/11|--/--/--|San Antonio,TX|

Congratulations Bonnerbonner!

As for me, I'm still waiting for the oath letter. On the interview the IO had told me that I should receive a letter from them by the end of January / beginning of February. It's been 47 days and I haven't heard from them yet. So today I called USCIS and they told me that the local office can take up to 120 days to make a decision but I could contact them again in case I don't receive any updates within 90 days after the interview date. I don't think that I can wait for 43 more days, so I decided that I'm going to schedule an infopass appointment. What do you guys think? Is it worth it?

Hi VJ Friends... please put me in red as I am now a US CITIZEN... no more USCIS... next stop Passport, update drivers license & register to vote, update social security card... And then I can exhale.... No more going to the mail box every day... YEEAAHHHHH!!! well after the passport, that is :-)

Oath Ceremony took about an hour, however, instead of starting at 7:30 it started at 8:30. I got the new digitized naturalization certificate, and they used the biometrics picture.

No, not yet. I can't wait to get it.

Updating Alive.

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==============|========|========|========|========|========|========|========|==============|

Nanggroe......|09/28/10|10/07/10|10/05/10|11/29/10|12/06/10|01/12/11|01/18/11|Houston,TX....|

bonnerbonner..|10/05/10|NA/NA/NA|10/12/10|10/21/10|12/02/10|01/11/11|--/--/--|Oakland,FL....|

Drakulea......|10/05/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Louisville,KY.|

LastSurvivor..|10/26/10|11/02/10|11/05/10|11/10/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Atlanta,GA....|

nyhazmat......|10/18/10|10/26/10|10/25/10|11/23/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Greer, SC.....|

aposantos.....|10/13/10|NA/NA/NA|NA/NA/NA|11/05/10|11/29/10|01/27/11|--/--/--|San Antonio,TX|

Awesome! Congratulations Nanggroe!

Congratulations Bonnerbonner!

Congratulations JA Tam! What a good start for the New Year. =)

@JA Tam: Good luck tomorrow!

@Bonner Bonner and Nanngroe: I'm sure you're more than ready for the interview. Have you tried the online "Naturalization Self Test" on USCIS website? It's helpful. Here's the link: http://www.uscis.gov...0004718190aRCRD

Everything will be fine guys!

@Champi: Citizenship based on marriage to a US citizen is only granted after 3 years of permanent residency. However, according to USCIS, we can submit our citizenship application 3 months before the 3rd anniversary of green card because they assume that in most cases that's how long it takes from the moment they receive a N400 application to the date of the interview. In my case, the interview was scheduled 1 week before the completion of the 3 year window. So although I passed the test, the officer who interviewed me explained that they'll hold my application for a couple of days before they recommend it for approval. He told me that they'll schedule the oath ceremony for the end of the month or beginning of February. A little bit confusing but I hope it makes sense.

@Safroot: Just so you know, there's no oath ceremony on the same day of the interview at the San Francisco office; in fact, the ceremony only takes place every other week on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, CA.

I had my interview today in San Francisco.

That particular USCIS office is known for being crowded and having rude employees. I got there 20 minutes before my scheduled appointment and I was afraid that it would take a long time to check-in. Surprisingly, I don't know if most people were still in holiday mode but everybody was in a good mood and the building was empty today. There were no lines to go through security, no lines to check-in and the officer who interviewed me called me in less than 5 minutes.

Interview went smoothly and the IO was a very nice guy. After placing me under oath, he asked for my greencard, passports and driver's license. Then he went through my application and at the same time he asked questions about my background, my spouse, family etc. He took notes of everything. We basically chatted and joked for about 10 minutes but I could tell that by asking those questions he was checking if my citizenship application was based on a real marriage (and probably evaluating my ability to understand and speak English -- LOL!).

Then we went through the civic questions:

1. What is freedom of religion?

2. Name one state that borders Canada.

3. What ocean is on the East Coast to the United States?

4. How many U.S. Senators are there?

5. When was the Constitution written?

6. When must all men register for the Selective Service?

I can't remember the sentence I read and I think that I had to write "People pay for taxes" or something like that.

At the end of the interview the IO told me that I passed the test and asked me to sign some documents. Because my greencard 3rd anniversary is only next week, he explained that they'll hold my application for a couple of days before they recommend it for approval. He told me that they'll schedule the oath ceremony for the end of the month or beginning of Feb. That's all right because even if my greencard were already 3 years-old, I knew that nobody takes the oath ceremony on the same day of the interview at the San Francisco office; in fact, the ceremony only takes place every other week on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, CA.

Overall, my interview experience was easy and relaxed. The officer was really friendly and during the interview he was giving me advice about babies, trips and real state. I guess he wasn't in a hurry today! The whole thing took about 20 minutes.

According to USCIS website, 94% of the applicants are approved. The questions are quite simple. If you read and study the test book, you don't even have to think to answer the questions.

Good luck to you all.

I had my interview today and it was a piece of cake. My green card 3rd anniversary is only next week so I'll have to wait for a couple of weeks until they schedule my oath ceremony.

I'm glad our journey is almost over.

Good luck to you all!

Congratulations Nanggroe! Enjoy parenthood and good luck on the interview.

Updating Bonnerbonner and Aposantos. Congratulations guys!

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==============|========|========|========|========|========|========|========|==============|

Nanggroe......|09/28/10|10/07/10|10/05/10|11/29/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Houston,TX....|

bonnerbonner..|10/05/10|NA/NA/NA|10/12/10|10/21/10|12/02/10|01/11/11|--/--/--|Oakland,FL....|

Drakulea......|10/05/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Louisville,KY.|

LastSurvivor..|10/26/10|11/02/10|11/05/10|11/10/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Atlanta,GA....|

nyhazmat......|10/18/10|10/26/10|10/25/10|11/23/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Greer, SC.....|

aposantos.....|10/13/10|NA/NA/NA|NA/NA/NA|11/05/10|11/29/10|01/27/11|--/--/--|San Antonio,TX|

Last week USCIS sent an email saying that my case had been transferred to a local office and an interview would be scheduled, so yesterday I finally got the interview letter.

I guess I'll spend the holidays studying for the test but it's all right!

Please see updated instructions in instructions below to make this work. Thanks to Kathryn41 for the help!

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==============|========|========|========|========|========|========|========|=============|

Nanggroe......|09/28/10|10/07/10|10/05/10|11/29/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Houston,TX...|

bonnerbonner..|10/05/10|NA/NA/NA|10/12/10|10/21/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Oakland,FL...|

Drakulea......|10/05/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Louisville,KY|

LastSurvivor..|10/26/10|11/02/10|11/05/10|11/10/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Atlanta,GA...|

nyhazmat......|10/18/10|10/26/10|10/25/10|11/23/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Greer, SC....|

Yes, you're right. I tried to update the timeline and it didn't work either. What a bummer!

Hey Usman&Saman, have you received any NOAs since your biometrics appointment?

Turns out that I was planning to try a walk-in biometrics at the Okland, CA office but I've just read about someone who was denied not so long ago.

http://www.visajourn...ometric-denied/

I guess I'll be patient and wait until next week.

Hello Mi & Mo,

What are the letters that you received before the Biometrics appointment letter? We have the same filing date and filing location, but so far i only received my NOA1 and that's it. Thanks!

Richard

Welcome, htslogistics-john!

RichardShane, so far I've only received my NOA1 and the biometrics appointment letter. Good luck to you!

BonnerBonner, I might give a shot and try to do early biometrics tomorrow. I'll let you know what happens. Thanks for the tip.

Welcome Last Survivor!

Updating Alive's and my status.

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==============|========|========|========|========|========|========|========|=============|

Nanggroe......|09/28/10|10/07/10|10/05/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Houston,TX...|

bonnerbonner..|10/05/10|NA/NA/NA|10/12/10|10/21/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Oakland,FL...|

Drakulea......|10/05/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Louisville,KY|

LastSurvivor..|10/26/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Atlanta,GA...|

Example.......|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|City,State...|

Updating my status.

It looks like there are not many October filers, huh?

Cheers.

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Nanggroe......|09/28/10|10/07/10|10/05/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Houston,TX...|

bonnerbonner..|10/05/10|NA/NA/NA|10/12/10|10/21/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Oakland,FL...|

Drakulea......|10/05/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Louisville,KY|

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Nanggroe......|09/28/10|10/07/10|10/05/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Houston,TX...|

bonnerbonner..|10/05/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Oakland,FL...|

Drakulea......|10/05/10|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|Louisville,KY|

Example.......|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--|City,State...|

Hello guys!

I'm also a September filer. I've just had my interview in San Francisco today and got approved for my green card. Even though we had to wait 50 minutes for the officer to call us, the interview was very smooth and took only 15 minutes. After asking a few questions, the lady said that our case was straight forward and approved it right away.

One tip: when you go to the interview, make sure you don't take cell phones with camera or any recording devices with you. They are not allowed at the USCIS building. We didn't know that and we were sent back to our car!

Good luck everyone!

My husband and I took turns to see each other at least every 2 weeks during the weekends. There is no direct flight from California to Brazil, so we flew 15 - 18 hours each way just to spend 2 or 3 days together and then go back home. From Sep 2006 to Jun 2007 he went down to Brazil 10 times and so did I to the US. Last year I came for the holidays and spent almost 2 months with him. That was great! Long visits are definitely the best deal. I wish we could have done that more but it just didn't work because both of us had to work! At least to pay for the tickets!

We were very lucky for being able to do all these trips during our K1 process.

Everybody here knows how hard it is to be in a long distance relationship. Some couples are able to visit each other, some are not. But the most important thing is that in the end we all are gonna be with the ones we love.

I went to visit my fiance in the US at least once a month for the last year and didn't have any problems at all. Although I gotta say that always had my return ticket and employment letter with me, just in case the immigration would give me a hard time at the airport. Fortunately it never really happened.

Just make sure that you don't overstay the 90 days tourist visa permission, otherwise you're gonna get into trouble with the immigration.

There is no problem visiting the US during the K1 process, the only thing is that as soon as you get the fiance visa your B2 tourist visa will be cancelled and you're only allowed to enter the US under the K1 visa.