OfficalE

Haha please feel free to hijack! Your wealth of knowledge is appreciated. Regarding INTERNATIONAL travel, have you traveled under the new administration? Would you suggest I get an I-551 stamp before embarking on travel? The extension extends my status till April 2026. Also, would you recommend I travel with additional documentation? Like the I-290B receipt, and evidence related to the old case (the reschedule letter, my MTR)?

Hi, thanks! I ended up filing both an I-290B and a new I-751. Straightforward I-290Bs have been processed within 30 days, based on cases on Reddit and on here, so hoping I can get an answer soon. I'm based in NYC tho and that field office is extremely backlogged but hoping for the best. For the N-400, I’m planning to file an N-336 since the government is required to schedule a hearing to review the denial. Because it was denied for “Failure to Appear,” and I have written confirmation that the interview was rescheduled, it should be a bit more straightforward. The hope is that my attorney can get them to reopen the I-751 during the hearing and adjudicate both cases together. That said, you’re absolutely right about the challenge of getting USCIS to acknowledge an error — there’s still some risk, since they could argue I haven’t yet removed my conditions and therefore don’t currently qualify for naturalization.

Charged me $5K for the motion to reopen and attending the N-400 (before that was also denied). So far, I only paid $2,500 for the I-290B motion to reopen. Not sure if she will charge a separate fee for the N-336. I decided to file a fresh I-751 myself as well.

So that's another thing, they've sent me a denial for the N-400 BUT the case in MYUSCIS still says pending, unlike the I-751 which clearly states CLOSED, and I have not received a new date yet. I keep checking to see if I will receive one but, since they sent a denial letter for the N-400, idk if any more updates will be made to the N-400 case. A user on Reddit stated that when he rescheduled his, he got a DEscheduling notice on both his cases, something I did not receive. So it looks like they put in and accepted the rescheduling request, but did not not DEschedule the original interview, so the adjudicating officer ultimately determined I did not show up to my original interview. My lawyer wants to file an N-336 case for the N-400 within the 30 day deadline. Can't believe I am about to spend close to $10K for this.

Also wanted to add, the the reason stated for the N-400 denial was NOT because the I-751 was denied. It was denied because "On XXX date, you were requested to appear for an initial interview on your naturalization application to determine your eligibility for naturalization, but did not appear as requested", clearly stated in the N-400 denial letter. In the failure to attend notice posted on my I-751 case, while it does state the I-751 Petitions to Remove Conditions case at the top of the notice, it stated in the body that "You were scheduled to appear for an interview on your Application for Naturalization on XXX Date. Our records indicate you failed to appear for this interview." So CIS seems to be treating this as a naturalization interview, AND stating that I did not attend, while previously communicating to that my naturalization interview had/has been rescheduled. It's so very confusing. I don't wish this on my worst enemy.

Wait and see meaning filing the I-290B, waiting for the outcome on that, and then filing the I-751 if needed. I argue we should file both at the same time (I don't need her to file the I-751 as I did that by myself in the past). The I-290B does not restore my status if it gets denied. It might prevent an NTA (which is 50/50) but it does not necessarily restore status unless it is granted. Her reservation with filing a fresh I-751 is that I am past the 90 day deadline since I am still filling with my spouse, and I would need to show good cause and extenuating circumstances so convincing an officer might be difficult.

@mindthegap I heard from the grapevine you would be a good resource to consult on this. Do you have any thoughts about filing an I-290b vs filing a fresh 751?

Unfortunately, because the case has been closed, my congressman was not able to do anything. They basically asked me to submit the I-290B and then they'll reach out to USCIS to expedite that process.

Situation: I called the contact center to reschedule my interview when I received the interview notice in August because my husband would be on a mandatory, two-week work trip in October, when our interview was scheduled. I received a letter from USCIS acknowledging the reschedule request for the N-400 case and confirming it would be rescheduled. I assumed since it was one interview, my rescheduling was confirmed. However, on the day of the original interview, the 751 was denied and closed. When I followed up, the contact center explained that my reschedule request had only been applied to the 400 application and not the 751—even though both were supposed to be adjudicated together at the same interview and this was what I requested the agent to do on the phone. The agent guaranteed my N-400 would still be rescheduled and both cases could still be adjudicated at that interview, which was definitely not true after I spoke to an immigration attorney. Today, I have now received yet another denial letter for the N-400 and the reason given is that I failed to appear for my N-400 interview, despite the fact that I have a letter from the field office confirming my reschedule request for the N-400. Do you think it's worth filing and I-290B/N-336 to save both applications since I have that reschedule confirmation from USCIS and I have proof that I contacted CIS in good timing to reschedule with documented evidence? Or do I need to file a fresh I-751? I am still happily married to my husband so this will not be a waiver case, and we are way past the 90-day deadline. My lawyer thinks I have a decent case for an I-290B but she's also very forthcoming and is clear that it could very well be denied. She wants to try a wait and see approach, but I don't mind filing an I-290B and a fresh I-751 together.