Rekyrts

Yep, the site is down; been chatter about it online.

Welcome back and good luck!

13 hours ago, TBoneTX said:

Thanks for your update and intriguing report.  You seem to have been quite fortunate in dealing with potential bureaucracy.  Commendations and congratulations!

That was the VERY FIRST thing I thought when I read that... OP received valuable help when calling a a government entity? Congratulations are definitely in order... 😄

On 6/30/2025 at 8:58 AM, Brian74 said:

The Milwaukee office is pretty low key about the whole thing.  Took 1/2 an hour and they schedule the ceremony's back to back to back, so they usher you out as soon as its done.

 

While the letter said to bring any employment authorization cards, they didn't take my wife's, they just took the green cards.  Not sure if that was an oversight or not.

 

She will be going in for the passport interview in July to get that taken care of.  Her Cambodian passport expired a couple of months ago and you cannot renew it in the USA.

Congrats! Make sure she updates SSA.

10 hours ago, Trese said:

Now a newly-minted American, finally! 🥳

 

Timeline:

02/23 - online application

02/24 - notice receipt, bio reuse

05/23 - interview scheduled

07/01 - I-751 and N-400 combo interview, same day oath taking

 

Best of luck to you guys, it’ll be your turn soon!

Congratulations! Don't forget to update SSA.

On 7/2/2025 at 12:16 AM, tumtumwater said:

An update: went through my N-400 interview today, it was pretty quick (20 minutes?) after about an hour wait after checking in (They were getting behind on some of earlier appointments).

I got six civic questions in a row right, quick Read/Write test, then went through my application with my travel history (focused on longer than a week ones), corrected couple items I had, and got the Certificate of Naturalization after the same-day oath at 2pm!

Overall from start to finish, it pretty much lined up with "5.5 months" that USCIS projection gave

Congrats!

14 hours ago, Dashinka said:

Interesting how things are run differently at different field offices.  In Detroit, certificates are signed at check-in,

Yes, different procedures at different location. I find it fascinating.
 

We were given our certs at check in to inspect and sign. They took them back and "presented" them to us after taking the oath.

On 6/26/2025 at 6:35 PM, VisaVisaVisaVisa said:

Case complete. N400 and i751 passed. She mentioned they'll give a date in the mail for the oath. Also, case has not been updated online. Is that normal?

Yes. 

Count me as one of those that preferred using apps. 

I tried a couple, but really liked Citizen Now by Liontude. Nice interface, geo-populated data (so local congresspeople are there), flashcards, audio, even worked with Android Auto. It generated random 10 quiestion tests and allowed for you to create special tests with difficult questions. 

I am grateful that we live in times where folks can utilize any number of tools based on how they learn.

On 6/28/2025 at 5:30 PM, An Alien said:

I only see one member here whose interview has been cancelled. How many are we talking about?

 

Timeline:

Feb 13 – submitted case online,

Feb 13 – received NOA1 with case #,

Feb 13 – received biometric reuse letter.

May 27 - Interview Scheduled for 15 July 2025 (PDF copy in USCIS account)

A bunch reported for Houston area in particular on Reddit.

5 hours ago, P055UM said:

Looks like interview cancellations have ticked up recently. I wonder why. 

It does seem like there have been increased reports; IIRC, in Texas, it was an issue of them not continuing to use some sites. I wonder if other FOs have had to cut some usage contracts.

On 6/16/2025 at 2:52 PM, provec said:

Hi everyone, where on VJ do I go to read about other people's experiences in front of the interview officer during the naturalization meeting?

I'm interested in getting a baseline of questions to pass on to someone who has their interview in a few days, TX!

It's especially tough to get a general "baseline" as every case is different.

We do know that a candidate will be "examined" and will face 10 civics questions, as well as testing in reading and writing. Outside of that, the best advice I think is to be prepared to discuss anything related to one's immigration journey.

I was tested on the core, and after that, not too much else. Under 20 minutes.

6 hours ago, Good4U said:

Hi everybody,

 

I have been scheduled to attend the ceremony in July, but I have not yet received the official notice by mail yet. It's not too late and I may still wait, but I would like to ask if it would be acceptable to print the attached oath ceremony notice from my USCIS online account and bring it with me to the ceremony in place of the mailed copy.

 

Thanks.

Yes. That's exactly why it's there... as a backup.

Enjoy your day!

Per established caselaw, a valid U.S. Passport is sufficient proof for USCIS proceedings. However, I do believe USCIS can challenge the validitiy of the passport per the guidance.
 

I firmly believe the estimate "feature" is a way USCIS makes money from big pharma by slyly testing blood pressure medication.

On 6/4/2025 at 8:27 PM, OldUser said:

1) Tax return trascripts prove good moral character and support answer "No" to question "Since you became a lawful permanent resident, have you called yourself a "nonresident alien" on a Federal, state, or local tax return or decided not to file a tax return because you considered yourself to be a nonresident? "

2) They also confirm continuous residence

 

It takes less than 5 minutes to download them for free from IRS website and upload with form. It's a low effort and there is no harm in providing them.

On VJ I read from people applying under 5 year rule being asked for transcripts at the interview.

 

It's just one way to take reasons away that would cause USCIS slow down processing, request evidence or put applicant in uncomfortable position at the interview.

 

 

I tend to agree.

1 minute ago, OldUser said:

Informing SSA about citizenship update triggers card replacement. On the backend, SS officer fills SS-5 

I *think* one can request the officer not send a new card. I believe it might be a default selection, so it almost always comes, but it is possible to not have a new card sent.

No real reason not to get a new one though, since it doesn't count against the lifetime limit of physical cards.

As others have noted, this happens unfortunately. I wouldn't be too worried (though I completely understand your disappointment).

3 hours ago, OldUser said:

AI is a very unreliable source of informafion. It tends to hallucinate (make things up) when it doesn't know the answer.

 

I know for a fact I got car loan as LPR with lowest rate advertised by dealership at the time. Also, my credit cards typically got lower APR than my USC spouse because I got higher income and excellent payment history.

Where, however USC spouse got better rate, was mortgage. But the reason for that was, spouse's credit history was twice as long as mine. And I got more credit inquiries due to applying for cards / loans.

I'll keep this remark by SSA employee this in mind though. Just never came across this as a factor, and I'm really into finance as a hobby for the past 7 years.

Plus, not too many creditors will ask to look at the physical SS card anyway...

@Lance27, you can conceivably get by without updating the physical ss card to remove the authorization legend, but you DEFINITELY want to inform SSA of your citizenship status. The unrestricted card is a fringe benefit of informing them, but you want to inform them to ensure your retirement benefits are properly cataloged.

 

I'd have the proof of plan ready to go regardless; part of me feels you should upload it despite the newest notice...

On 6/2/2025 at 5:55 AM, Dashinka said:

With the lack of specific dates, can you clarify, was she a minor (under 18) when you naturalized? 

 

Assuming she was, she is already a USC, and can apply for a US passport using your naturalization certificate.  As @OldUser stated, she can also file the N600 to obtain her own naturalization certificate, but I would pursue the US passport first.

 

Good Luck!

OP: this...

On 5/25/2025 at 11:56 AM, gregoryagu said:

Sorry, I am not being very clear here. Yes, we have applied for the N400 as of July 2024.

 

I am not quite sure exactly what you mean by "under the 3 or 5 year rule"  If you are asking how long we waited, the date of her becoming a LPR was March 24, 2018.  So we waited over five years.  So I think that means we filed under the 5 year rule.

 

What I was trying to say is that we should have waited only 3 years from the date of her LPR, and then filed, as we would be finished by now.

But did you file utilizing general provision (based on five years of residency) or marriage provision (3 years of residency and 3 years of marriage to USC)? Sounds like she qualified for both.

On 5/10/2025 at 3:24 PM, OldUser said:

I thought this video was very educational and informative.

 

 

 

I am weird. I watched it twice! Thanks for sharing.

On 5/6/2025 at 11:15 AM, Mike X Man said:

100% facts. There is an older gentleman in Florida or Tennessee who learned this lesson the very hard way after his parents were deceased when he applied for his social security benefits after paying for them for 60+ years. Better be safe than sorry. This particular case, he was born in Canada to US parents and they never really finished the required paperwork to solidify his US citizenship. It was inferred and he got caught up after the Real ID laws went into effect.  I believe they actually refused to renew his driver's license where he lived. He was also a veteran. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g5JNlzg7zM

That case was discussed a lot online; funny thing being that based on the information on hand, the TN guy really wasn't a citizen.

You're point still stands, though. In theory, had that gentleman gone ahead and filed an N600 prior, he would have discovered his status much sooner, and had more time to take corrective steps.

A passport is proof of citizenship, but notthing beats an Amercian CB/CON/COC/CRBA. If I had a kid that derived, a COC is DEFINITELY something I would invest in.

On 5/8/2025 at 3:32 PM, Bill Hamze said:

 

Ok so leave the current deed out and bring the corrected one to interview? 

 

My understanding is that once we submit the application, we can't add any more docs up until the interview. (unless they RFE)

You can upload evidence after submission. Having said that, I think @OldUser's advice is sound.