3 minutes ago, NYCruiser said:

UK banks etc are asking for US SS # for reporting earned income in the UK to the IRS here.

Do you have any information to substantiate this ?
 

Hi. I went through this process last year. 

I went to my local SSN office the following morning after my naturalisation ( make it as early as possible ) take your ID and your certificate with you and they will take care of the rest and take 3-5 business days for the system to fully update.

OH and you will need to use that cert to apply for your US Passport  copies (unless its a certified copy) are not accepted. just ask the postal / passport people if they can put a post-it on your cert to ask for them to not fold or bend it.

USCIS give you all the information at your ceremony.

Best WIshes.

Important point to note on sending that certificate. 

When I applied for my passport last year, i heard horror stories of the cert being folded by the passport people on return.

The postal / passport office i went through was nice enough to put post-it notes on the cert and notes on the envelope to not bend it. 

Amazingly a week or so after my US passport arrived my certificate returned in a cardboard backed envelope and was unscathed !

Hope you are as fortunate as I was.

Funny Story I was called to attend jury duty while I was still a legal permanent resident.! here in North Indiana !

I did call their office and brought this to their attention to which they quickly apologised and said that they would take me off the register.

I became a citizen last July and as others have said. I chose to become one  partially because of the current political climate. but also to help ensure that I can do ( if need be ) my civic duty. I have made the US my home and I am not planning on moving back to the UK any time soon. BUT !, that being said. it keeps doors of opportunity open. I am kicking myself that I did not become a citizen sooner. I can now vote and apply for Federal jobs if something comes up. 

But most of all its cool as heck to run around with two Passports

Welcome Jamia. Best of luck on your journey  

21 hours ago, vikc07 said:

As some of you might know I had my interview in Indianapolis on 6/16. I received the recommendation for approval on the spot and then soon I got an update that Oath Ceremony will be scheduled. However, since then I have been waiting to hear about ceremony date and venue. I know they said the Oath ceremony will be local to my area. As I live in Fort Wayne, IN, the next scheduled ceremony in Fort Wayne is in September. Then in October. There were none in June and July, and none in August. It's a possibility that I get in September but it's also possible that I don't. Getting a bit anxious. Should I wait more or should I call and ask what's going on?

Hey Vikc07 glad to hear your interview went well

I would not worry about the time it takes for you to be given the date of your oath ceremony. As you may recall I live near south bend ( they do sometimes have oath ceremonies there at the law courts ) but mine ended up being in Indianapolis.  I suspect that you may have to wait 3-4 weeks before you will know for sure where your ceremony will be, but odds on you may well be in Indianapolis too.

When I attended mine on July 11th there was at least one other ceremony going on the same day !

Just be prepared that it will be a quick process and with little pomp and circumstance.  I am sure for the folks doing this every day its like working on a production line.

Best wishes to you.

Hey All.

Just wanted to share something which may be of benefit as you go through the process and come out the other end...

I learned that when you need to go to the social security office to report your citizenship, be there as early as possible. Preferably as they open or you are going to have a long wait. (mine was well over an hour ).

Have your passport application done ready when you go to the post office and to make things smooth have your photos ready to hand in.

But this is the sad part. When you DO hand over your certificate. ( they will not take copies ) There is a likelihood that some ####### is going to bend / Fold it.  

The nice staff at my post office warned me that they had a staff member go though this process and was devastated that the passport office folded their certificate.  

They were kind enough to put my cert in a cardboard backed envelope with a "DO NOT BEND" notice, but I guess I will find out when my Passport arrives on the 18th.

Thanks.

G

21 hours ago, mcdull said:

I read in the news (possibly fake)  that the President has no recorded a video. This is rather an admin issue than a political statement. When Obama became president, USCIS took forever to update his picture/videos/letters too

 

I sincerely hope by the time I got to go to my Oath Ceremony, the president will by then recorded a video and issued a letter.

 

 

 

 

There was no video of 45 but some random video recorded by some representative.  to be honest its a piss poor way to officially greet people who are becoming citizens.

Wanted to ask a question to those of us who have been fortunate enough to be at the end of our visa journey here in the US and completed their Oath Ceremony.

Did anyone get a yellow envelope in their "Welcome Pack" from the President of the united states ?  

I don't want this to turn into a heated political debate.

I read over the weekend that some people are still getting the envelope with a letter from President Obama. My ceremony in Indianapolis did not have a letter at all !.

Tempted to go after USCUS and request my letter. as it seems that there has been no replacement put in since the new president came into power.

If anyone is in the know. I would be most grateful.

Thanks in advance.

8 minutes ago, Heading2VietNam said:

Which ceremony were you at Gary, the 1pm or 2:30pm?  We were at the 1pm one.

lol no kidding. !

i was attending the 2:30 but i got there early enough to have attended the 1pm one. if you saw a big 6' 2"  guy wearing a blue shirt and a fetching tie. that was me

15 hours ago, vjstk said:

@Gary_UKGood luck with your ceremony 

Thank you !

Today went smoothly.no issues really beyond it was done and over so quickly. Didn't think it would feel much, if any different  but honestly i'm realizing a weight has been lifted. almost a release. no more visas, fingerprints, background checks, means testing, renewal dates, and all the other hoops and jumps I have had to go through to reach this point today.

biggest surprise for me is how physically and emotionally Drained  I feel.

been waiting a long time to say this.... "could someone update my line in the chart to Red, Please. I'm a Citizen !!!"

Best of luck to the rest of the March Filers.

Just throwing this into the mix. if you fly from Europe. US border checks are in Dublin airport. so you technically enter the US before you board the aircraft. Makes arrivals to destinations such as O'hare an absolute breeze. you land.. de-plane. pick up your luggage and go.

\

21 hours ago, Agentpig said:

first day being a new citizen. Good luck to you all!

Awesome ! Congratulations. !

16 hours ago, reginaglenn said:

 @Gary_UK my deepest condolences to you and your family.

thank you to you and to everyone's replies.

Hi all.

As you may recall there was a family emergency that I mentioned a while ago and sadly I had a phone call on Wednesday June 14th that my father only had hours left to live.

We battled with the airline company to get our flights moved and due to bad weather in the mid west that evening all flights out of Chicago were fully or over booked. and no way to get out of the states for 24 hours at least. We ended up going to Chicago O'hare on Thursday with no flight and a hastily packed bag with wife in tow to see if we could beg the desk staff for some help.

The BA staff in Chicago were amazing and pulled some serious strings to get us on the next flight and were on board just before the door closed. In less than an hour we were airborne. while we flew my dad slipped into unctuousness. We landed in London at 8 am Friday morning and after grabbing a rental we high tailed it up the M40 to the Birmingham Queen Elizabeth II hospital and arrived at 11:40. My wife and I were able to be by his side for around 7 hours before he peacefully passed away.

After getting the funeral arranged and doing a lot of running around to get his estate in order. We traveled back to the states on Saturday. And my passing through immigration on my British passport and green card were of no issue. The border guard did some extra checks and offered his condolences when he asked as to the reason for the trip.

So to my question.... As my Naturalization Oath Ceremony is in a week's time ( July 11th ) the N-445 form asks the question "Since your interview, have you traveled outside of the united states". I obviously have to answer yes. but it also stipulates "Bring Documents to support your answers" and gives examples for marriage or military but nothing related to travel.  

Should I bring boarding passes ? itinerary emails ? I have a copy of my fathers death certificate if need be. as well as information from the funeral directors we used as well as flower orders etc. 

how much information is too much ? should I take it all ? I am just not sure how deep they will want to go into this.

Any information you can offer will be of great help.

Many thanks.

My Appointment for oath ceremony arrived this morning. July 11th In Indianapolis.

Just to confirm, i can still travel on my green card up to that date ?

My Family member has taken a turn for the worst and currently battling British Airways and NHS Bureaucracy to get mt flight changed so i and my wife can fly out ASAP... Today is one of those days you wish you could just sprout wings......

thank you.

1 minute ago, sunshinestate2013 said:

Yay! Congratulations, Gary! Not only on having your Oath Ceremony scheduled but also for being the first one of March 2017 filers to get approved! Wishing you the best!

Thank you @sunshinestate2013 I'm going to be watching for the mail every day from this point.

Although I never got a letter with the approval (?) I have heard some get them and some don't. As soon as my date is confirmed I will let everyone know.

LOL it seems that the USCIS people are watching the thread. Just got an email notice with the following....

                                                                                                                                

For what its worth.

With all the extra dynamics of the current government making changes to immigration from certain countries. do you really want to possibly jeopardize your application in any way let alone due to an expired green card ?

if my GC was within a year of expiry id be looking at renewal. bear in mind the number of naturalization applications have seen a 30% increase in the last year. meaning process times are getting longer.

if its causing you worry just renew it and its one less thing to stress over.

best of luck.

Hey guys. Sorry if I'm splitting hairs here.. but my wait for my oath appointment has me trying to decipher the notice in my case status update.

As some of you know I had my interview and passed on May 16th.  I received a bundle of 6 emails from USCIS on the 22nd stating... " We placed you in line for your oath ceremony and will send you a notice for Receipt Number NBC*xxxxxxxx, with the date, time, and location of your oath ceremony. You should receive your notice within 30 days of its mailing date."

This part has me scratching my head " You should receive your notice within 30 days of its mailing date ".  

Does this mean I have to expect a letter in the post with my official approval ? before I should expect my oath ceremony appointment ?

I normally never get any physical mail from USCIS just emails. As it is approaching 30 days since my interview. should I be worried ? 

7 minutes ago, Abikyshow said:

congratulations. I think 4th of July is holiday. 

 

Awesome ! Congratulations

How fantastic would it be to be to take the oath on July 4 😁

Good luck to @Agentpig on your interview tomorrow.

@reginaglenn Thank you for the sentiment. So far no further news.

@sunshinestate2013  and @Investinmiami Congratulations hope you are getting prepped for your interviews in no time. Best of luck to you. 

8 hours ago, casualuser said:

I think you can postpone your oath ceremony and USCIS does not have a problem with this. You are right that once you take the oath you loose your travel documents... Postponing the oath seems to be the best option and they can delay it one month, this is what other people say on e.g. www.trackitt.com/usa-discussion-forums/n400. As you may guess I have a very limited personal experience with this stage of naturalization process.  

yeah the information i have appears that i can travel between interview and oath on my GC and British passport. At the moment its speculation that ill get the oath ceremony date in the mail next week.

Things may move faster than that if the family member takes a turn for the worst. I'm just taking each day as it comes at this point. 

The watery divide has not felt so long in many years.

Hey everyone I have a dilemma and  important question to ask and would appreciate your input.

As you know I am awaiting my Oath Ceremony appointment which may arrive some time next week going by others who have recently gone through the process.

I have had news that an elderly family member back in the UK has been taken ill and appears to to be not doing well. There is a possibility that I may need to drop everything and take an emergency flight to the UK. but am not quite at that stage yet.

Can I travel on my British passport ?

Should I contact USCIS and explain my circumstances and hopefully get an expedited ceremony ? If this happens I loose my permanent resident card and will have to wait weeks to get my American Passport !

Any help and input you can offer is deeply appreciated.