Gary_UK

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.

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

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

Vote!Vote!Vote!
That's the most important right of citizenship for me. I've seen so many bills pass and become a law that makes our community worse.
 

@Pennywise Processing times on USCIS website are completely off and have nothing do with a situation on the ground. I'm not sure why they keep referring people to that web page. For instance, we applied end of March 2017 and had our oath ceremony  in July. Total application time, door to door - 3.5 months. The website still says 'October 2016' for Boston field office.
 
Yes, your interview letter will contain the list of documents you need. I believe general rule is to take more documents with you that you'd need or absolutely required. More is better than less in this case. 
 
About passport photos, I'd like to clarify this a bit. It looks like you need passport photos only if you change your name as a part of the process. On our ceremony, about 15% of applicants applied for a name change. If you do not change your name, you get your naturalization certificate with _printed_ photo and your signature from your FP appointment. When people change names, they _usually_ change signatures. In western countries, signature is how you sign your name, it's not mandatory though. 
 
Photos on the certificates have signatures on them. So, for people that were changing names, photos were glued to the cert with their new signatures (not printed).
 
As for folding the certificates as a part of passport application. It really depends on your local post office and passport processing facility. I and my wife applied at USPS offices at different locations (the ones closer to our work) and in both cases they packaged our applications in full sized envelopes with no folding. They even allowed my wife to keep her application in original USCIS envelope and she got her certificate back in the same envelope. However, they stapled our certificates to the other  paperwork, so you'll get some extra holes on the edges. You DO need to send the _original_ certificate and not its copy. Certified copy can only be issued by USCIS. However, USCIS really wants you to send the  original: https://www.uscis.gov/tools/how-do-i-customer-guides/how-do-i-guides-us-citizens/how-do-i-obtain-certified-true-copies-certificate-naturalization
 
For SS office. Logistically, it's better to apply for your passport the same day and pay for expedited processing - $60 extra. You may also get a passport card, which is pretty convenient to keep in your wallet. It took about two weeks to get our passports and documents back. After that, you can go to any SS office to make the change. Up to you. If you are not in a hurry and don't want to pay extra, go with normal processing after visiting to SS office.
 

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
 

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.

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.

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

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.

LOL it seems that the USCIS people are watching the thread. Just got an email notice with the following....
 
                                                                                                                                                                                  Oath Ceremony Notice Was Mailed
We scheduled your oath ceremony for Receipt Number NBC*xxxxxxxxx. We sent a notice with the date, time, and location of your oath ceremony to the address you gave us. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you do not receive your notice by July 13, 2017, please go to www.uscis.gov/e-request to request a copy of the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.
 
I wonder if I can get an electronic version. or just wait the 4-5 days its going to take to get to me..... 

@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. 
 
 
 
 
 

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.
 
 

Ok now I have time to sit in front of a proper computer I can give a better detail of the experience.
 
My interview was set for 9:30am at the Indianapolis office. I planned to be there by 9am but luckily I managed to get there for 8:50.
Parking at the site (like elsewhere in Indianapolis is appalling ) and there is minimal public visitor parking at the building. Unfortunately there are NO public parking lots in the area so its luck of the draw, first gone first served. after my 5th or 6th lap of the lott I was lucky enough to grab a space at 9:10am.
 
I entered the building, ( USCIS is on the 10th floor) and had to sign in at the ground reception and leave a description of the vehicle to ensure it didn't get towed away.
 
Headed up to the 10th floor which is dedicated to USCIS. They have a metal detector door frame like the ones in airports and had to take off my watch and bracelet as well as my belt,keys, phone and paperwork to be all scanned through. I joked and complemented them on being nicer than the TSA  
 
Once through. I left my appointment letter with reception and was told to take a seat and wait to be called. in the waiting area there are a number of kiosks for people to use and a door leading to offices behind.
 
While there, a number of people were escorted out from that door. Some with big smiles and hand shakes but a couple of latino's who were told to sit back in the waiting area and were handed some form of red outlined paper ( perhaps a certificate ?) and were not happy they were handed to them and left looking upset..
 
At 9:30am I was called by a female officer and asked to follow her through the door. I was led into the rear of the office and we were introduced as the officer who would be conducting the interview.. The office looked like any regular office all be it a nice corner affair with a nice view of the city. I was asked to sit and I complemented her on the view. and she smiled and admitted she doesn't get to enjoy it as much as she would like.
 
The officer began by taking my fingerprints of both index fingers and took a photo of me using a web cam that was set up on a small tripod on her desk. She then picked up a manila folder that must have contained at least 3 - 4 inches of paperwork with my name on it. ( I am assuming it is every file on me from when I started this journey as a K1 Visa applicant back in 2009). 
 
I was asked to stand again and take an oath to be truthful and  honest through the interview.
 
She then popped open the binder and went through the N-400 paperwork making some notes in red pen at a couple of the questions. This will be revealed more later.
the paperwork review took only 5 maybe 6 minutes. I did submit two photos when I sent off my N-400 application and they were handed to me and asked to put my signature on them. once done they were put into a small clear plastic baggy and stapled to my paperwork.  I did comment that I was glad that I had added them although they were not stipulated at the time. The officer replied  that the process changes so many times that they work with them if they get them.
 
After this, I was also handed a piece of paper to sigh to reflect the changes the officer had made to my application. They were mostly trivial amendments as my application was submitted based on 3 year marriage to my wife but we had been married now for over 7 years so they changed the paperwork to reflect the 5 year option. Also a couple of other amendments relating to my parents not being american citizens. The paperwork mentions skipping to step 7 meaning those questions are left blank but the officer filled them in with a note to explain why.
 
We then quickly moved onto the civics questions.
 
1) What is the supreme law of the land ?.
2) Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States ?.
3) We elect a US Representative for how many years ?.
4) How many US Senators are there ?
5) What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
6) What is an amendment ?
 
During the testing I noticed that the Officer was clicking the mouse on her computer so I am assuming that the questions are random generated.
 
Quickly after this she smiled and informed me that I had passed the test and that she would be recommending me to be approved to become a citizen. and to expect a letter with an appointment to attend a swearing in ceremony in the next 30-60 days. I was also handed a piece of paper congratulating me and telling me what happens next.
 
Sorry for the lengthy post. But thought I would offer as much input as I could to help alay any fears or concerns some of you may have who are going through the process. 
 
 
Onward and Upward.
 
G
 
Oh. P.S. I DID have to read a line of English and write a line of English on a piece of paper ( cursive was ok ). which to be honest I was amazed they didn't just skip that whole part of the process. Maybe my Brummie accent threw them off ?
 

Well. I passed !!!  6/6 questions.
 
Application has been recommended for approval.
 
I was told I should get a letter in 30-60 days with an appointment to be sworn in.
 
Everything went very smoothly and the staff were very friendly.
 
I asked about locations for the oath ceremony and was told it could be South Bend, Fort Wayne or in Indi.
 
Such a relief. Good luck to everyone.else. 
 
(I'm updating in my phone. I'll update with more information when I get home.).
 
 
 
 
 

Ok now I have time to sit in front of a proper computer I can give a better detail of the experience.
 
My interview was set for 9:30am at the Indianapolis office. I planned to be there by 9am but luckily I managed to get there for 8:50.
Parking at the site (like elsewhere in Indianapolis is appalling ) and there is minimal public visitor parking at the building. Unfortunately there are NO public parking lots in the area so its luck of the draw, first gone first served. after my 5th or 6th lap of the lott I was lucky enough to grab a space at 9:10am.
 
I entered the building, ( USCIS is on the 10th floor) and had to sign in at the ground reception and leave a description of the vehicle to ensure it didn't get towed away.
 
Headed up to the 10th floor which is dedicated to USCIS. They have a metal detector door frame like the ones in airports and had to take off my watch and bracelet as well as my belt,keys, phone and paperwork to be all scanned through. I joked and complemented them on being nicer than the TSA  
 
Once through. I left my appointment letter with reception and was told to take a seat and wait to be called. in the waiting area there are a number of kiosks for people to use and a door leading to offices behind.
 
While there, a number of people were escorted out from that door. Some with big smiles and hand shakes but a couple of latino's who were told to sit back in the waiting area and were handed some form of red outlined paper ( perhaps a certificate ?) and were not happy they were handed to them and left looking upset..
 
At 9:30am I was called by a female officer and asked to follow her through the door. I was led into the rear of the office and we were introduced as the officer who would be conducting the interview.. The office looked like any regular office all be it a nice corner affair with a nice view of the city. I was asked to sit and I complemented her on the view. and she smiled and admitted she doesn't get to enjoy it as much as she would like.
 
The officer began by taking my fingerprints of both index fingers and took a photo of me using a web cam that was set up on a small tripod on her desk. She then picked up a manila folder that must have contained at least 3 - 4 inches of paperwork with my name on it. ( I am assuming it is every file on me from when I started this journey as a K1 Visa applicant back in 2009). 
 
I was asked to stand again and take an oath to be truthful and  honest through the interview.
 
She then popped open the binder and went through the N-400 paperwork making some notes in red pen at a couple of the questions. This will be revealed more later.
the paperwork review took only 5 maybe 6 minutes. I did submit two photos when I sent off my N-400 application and they were handed to me and asked to put my signature on them. once done they were put into a small clear plastic baggy and stapled to my paperwork.  I did comment that I was glad that I had added them although they were not stipulated at the time. The officer replied  that the process changes so many times that they work with them if they get them.
 
After this, I was also handed a piece of paper to sigh to reflect the changes the officer had made to my application. They were mostly trivial amendments as my application was submitted based on 3 year marriage to my wife but we had been married now for over 7 years so they changed the paperwork to reflect the 5 year option. Also a couple of other amendments relating to my parents not being american citizens. The paperwork mentions skipping to step 7 meaning those questions are left blank but the officer filled them in with a note to explain why.
 
We then quickly moved onto the civics questions.
 
1) What is the supreme law of the land ?.
2) Name one of the two longest rivers in the United States ?.
3) We elect a US Representative for how many years ?.
4) How many US Senators are there ?
5) What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
6) What is an amendment ?
 
During the testing I noticed that the Officer was clicking the mouse on her computer so I am assuming that the questions are random generated.
 
Quickly after this she smiled and informed me that I had passed the test and that she would be recommending me to be approved to become a citizen. and to expect a letter with an appointment to attend a swearing in ceremony in the next 30-60 days. I was also handed a piece of paper congratulating me and telling me what happens next.
 
Sorry for the lengthy post. But thought I would offer as much input as I could to help alay any fears or concerns some of you may have who are going through the process. 
 
 
Onward and Upward.
 
G
 
Oh. P.S. I DID have to read a line of English and write a line of English on a piece of paper ( cursive was ok ). which to be honest I was amazed they didn't just skip that whole part of the process. Maybe my Brummie accent threw them off ?
 

If its of any relevance. I used to do UK government contract work so had to undergo strict government background and anti terrorism checks on me and my family. I had to sign the official secrets act years ago. My criminal record is obviously clean. As someone else mentioned earlier, perhaps being a British citizen may also play a part.  I moved to the states back in 2009 and apart from 1 vacation back to blighty I have never left the country (meaning I am way over the 5 year rule). I'm still married to the person I came into the US for on my K1-Visa and we have a mortgage on a property and joint filed our taxes since being here.
 
Maybe this all plays a part being so boring that there is little to anything on me that may "flag" as a possible issue for further checks. ( shrugs ).

I really cannot stress to you that the visa process and obtaining the K1 is just the beginning of a very much longer process.
You would be forgiven to think that the marriage is the be-all-to-end-all in this process but if you feel that is the case, then you are very much mistaken.
As others have said, read the VJ guides,these are invaluable databases of information gained from many thousands of fellow visa applicants and know the steps you and your
partner need to take to ensure that you do not miss anything critical as once married there is the need to think about drivers licenses, work permits, obtaining SSN's, also
2yr green cards then the lifting of conditions and the common pitfalls that some have fallen into.
The emphasis is on you and your partner knowing and understanding this.
If you want to make your journey as easy as possible, never delay any part of this process till the last moment. It is stressful enough. Goodness knows we have just
come out the other end of the process we started with our K1 application back in 2008 with a shiny new 10 Year green card.
Good Luck.

In my experience of the American bureaucracy system, Including social security people (I will spare you the nightmare of 4 visits to the local "SS" office on a K-1 Visa to get my ssn). Keeping things as simple as possible has always worked well for us.
I'm sure the office has to handle thousands of these applications every month so keeping it as clear, simple and concise as possible will help avoid silly admin blunders.