Mo007

You need a marriage certificate to file for I-130, no exceptions.

Carlos

Thanks Carlos,

Is it easier to get married in the US or Australia in this situation?

Also, once the marriage certificate is obtained, can application be submitted the same week? Or is there a grace period before the I-130 is submitted?

I'm a US citizen, future wife is Australian residing in Melbourne.

At what stage of the I-130 process does applicant need to have a marriage certificate?

We are trying to get married in March 2013, but was wondering if we can file I-130 in January 2013? Or do we wait to get married first then apply?

And how long does is it take to approve the consular processing of I-130 IR-1 for Australians these days? We will be applying through the Nebraska service center.

Thanks for all the advice, I have been a long time member here, and excited to be at VJ for more advice.

My oath date!

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

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

BoraBora.........|10/30/10.|11/05/10.|11/12/10.|12/10/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Orlando,FL.....|

Susan73..........|11/01/10.|11/08/10.|11/12/10.|11/30/10.|02/01/11.|03/02/11.|--/--/--.|New York,NY....|

Pervez...........|11/01/10.|11/05/10.|11/05/10.|12/03/10.|01/10/11.|02/15/11.|--/--/--.|Raleigh,NC.....|

Can-FL-Girl......|11/03/10.|11/09/10.|11/11/10.|11/22/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Orlando, FL....|

kgurl............|11/06/10.|11/15/10.|11/19/10.|12/01/10.|01/31/11.|03/07/11.|--/--/--.|Tampa, FL......|

Duly.............|11/06/10.|11/10/10.|11/18/10.|N/A......|01/24/11.|02/24/11.|--/--/--.|Houston, TX....|

ldobson..........|11/08/10.|11/15/10.|11/19/10.|11/23/10.|01/04/11.|02/02/11.|02/09/11.|Philadelphia,PA|

TN_Canadian......|11/10/10.|11/17/10.|11/16/10.|12/08/10.|12/27/10.|02/01/11.|--/--/--.|Memphis, TN....|

PAULAFERNA.......|11/18/10.|11/19/10.|11/19/10.|12/13/10.|01/24/11.|02/28/11.|--/|--/--/W Palm Beach,FL|

waitingforead....|11/20/10.|--/--/10.|--/--/10.|12/21/10.|--/--/--.|02/03/11.|--/--/--.|Washington,D.C.|

F@rsc@p3.........|11/22/10.|11/30/10.|12/02/10.|12/10/10.|01/18/11.|02/17/11.|--/--/--.|Atlanta,GA.....|

prl907...........|11/22/10.|12/02/10.|12/06/10.|01/04/11.|01/28/11.|03/02/11.|--/--/--.|Charlotte, NC..|

Journey05........|11/27/10.|12/02/10.|12/08/10.|01/11/11.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Newark, NJ.....|

After doing little research, I didn't realize that citizenship oaths are actually done in an actual court and they have TWO ceremonies EVERY WEEK!, at least here at Columbus. Each ceremony typically has about 300 people!

It has been a week already since interview, no oath letter!

Speaking of which, here is a video how oath is done (incase anyone is wondering) at my local office.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hQ3yNWqejg

I had my interview yesterday....

12:35 - I entered building where I originally had my Biometrics taken, this time I had to go to a different floor for my 1pm interview.

12:40 - Security screening with a metal detector.

12:42 - Security personnel took my interview letter and was told to wait in the waiting area until my name is called (there were about 20+ people already in the waiting area, all of them who either had either attorneys or translators. At this time, I'm thinking this will be a long wait with all these people ahead of me.

1:00 - A USCIS agent opens a door nearby the waiting area and calls my name. To my surprise, I didn't expect to be going first ahead of everyone else, perhaps they showed up much earlier than they were scheduled. Interview letter specifically said "Do not show up more than 30 mins prior to the appointment".

1:01 - I was sworn in to tell the truth, nothing but the truth, etc... in his private office/interview room.

1:02 - Agent asked for greencard and verified information from my original N-400 application with a red pen.

1:03 - He verified my profession from the application, and curiously said "that's a great field"... and then quickly proceeded to verify everything on the form.

1:05 - He asked me to sign papers, and told me that he was ready to administer the test. Keep in mind, I reviewed the test packet the night before for about 30 mins.

1:06 - He tested my reading and writing ability by asking me to write "There are 100 senators!". I write it, he checked off a box next to it.

1:07 - A 10 questions test begins, which I ended up getting 9 of them right. It's odd, because oral tests are harder to answer as oppose to normal test. I think I got "what's the common law of the US" or something to that effect wrong, I said "The constitution". He wrote all my answers down, and I doubt you can change answers after he writes them down.

1:10 - The test ended. Agent fills out a 1 page form, and he gets up and congratulates me. He then tells me to wait 6-8 weeks for the oath ceremony letter to be in the mail.

Overall, it was a breeze, just be yourself and be prepared.

Good luck people!

Wow, time flies!

Haven't check this topic lately. This time next week, I will be reporting my interviewing experience.

Congrats n' Good luck to Everyone.

Congrats to you guys with the interview dates!

2 more weeks until I nail that interview.

Thanks! Pretty excited.. I'm back to attempting to memorize the answers.. I just hope I can remember the new names that resulted from elections this Nov

I was flummoxed by the list of documents that I'm supposed to bring, though! All this time, I thought I would only need my GC, passport.. the usual stuff. Didn't expect to need all the originals of pretty much everything I sent with the application. Since we'd just moved, I had to dig high and low for the original papers, which were still in boxes! All is good now, though. *study study*

Congrats.

The questions you have to memorize are mostly discussed on TV news and newspapers. Even if you don't watch news, you can memorize everything couple of days before and ask a friend to go over and ask those questions randomly.

I will share my interview experience in about 3 weeks or so.

Correction

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

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

BoraBora.........|10/30/10.|11/05/10.|11/12/10.|12/10/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Orlando,FL.....|

Susan73..........|11/01/10.|11/08/10.|11/12/10.|11/30/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|New York,NY....|

Pervez...........|11/01/10.|11/05/10.|11/05/10.|12/03/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Raleigh,NC.....|

kgurl............|11/06/10.|11/15/10.|11/19/10.|12/01/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Tampa, FL......|

ldobson..........|11/08/10.|11/15/10.|11/19/10.|11/23/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Philadelphia,PA|

PAULAFERNA.......|11/18/10.|11/19/10.|11/19/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|W Palm Beach,FL|

F@rsc@p3.........|11/22/10.|11/30/10.|12/02/10.|12/10/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Atlanta,GA.....|

Journey05........|11/27/10.|12/02/10.|12/08/10./--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Newark, NJ.....|

Updating myself!

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

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

BoraBora.........|10/30/10.|11/05/10.|11/12/10.|12/10/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Orlando,FL.....|

Susan73..........|11/01/10.|11/08/10.|11/12/10.|11/30/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|New York,NY....|

Pervez...........|11/01/10.|11/05/10.|11/05/10.|12/03/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Raleigh,NC.....|

kgurl............|11/06/10.|11/15/10.|11/19/10.|12/01/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Tampa, FL......|

ldobson..........|11/08/10.|11/15/10.|11/19/10.|11/23/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Philadelphia,PA|

PAULAFERNA.......|11/18/10.|11/19/10.|11/19/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|W Palm Beach,FL|

F@rsc@p3.........|11/22/10.|11/30/10.|12/02/10.|12/10/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Atlanta,GA.....|

Journey05........|11/27/10.|12/02/10.|12/08/10./--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Newark, NJ.....|

Called USCIS, my interview date is Jan 13th. I still didn't get the letter though.

Beyond thrilled. My case was updated too!

Your case has been transferred to a local office and an interview will be scheduled. You will be sent a notice advising you of the date and time of your interview.

Maybe there aren't a whole lot of N400 applications in OH, and that's why it's moving fairly fast? I guess we'll see what date will be in that interview letter.

Congrats!

Thanks guys.

Something interesting to note...

My original FP date was Dec 18th, and since I did my FP early, I will probably get my interview letter before Dec 18th.

For future reference, early FP does expedite the process.

My case status has been updated on the USCIS site:

Testing and Interview

Your case has been transferred to a local office and an interview will be scheduled. You will be sent a notice advising you of the date and time of your interview.

It has been exactly 30 days to date since I sent my application.

I'm impressed!

Nice to hear all the good news lately! We are almost at the finish line! Hang On!

LS

It has been almost a month since your FP, does it usually take this long for your file to be transferred to your local district office?

Just wondering.

Yeah that's what I did. 3046255590 is the number. #2 for individual and then there's an option for immigration. Listen to what it says and it will give prompt to speak with representative.

They ask for your alien number and also your name.

They don't tell you whether you "passed" or not but can tell you whether they processed it or not....

I found the info from below:

http://www.***removed***/immigration/fingerprints.html

Thanks. I called this morning, and I was told the FP were completed and sent back to USCIS the same day they were taken.

If it was the quick for both of us, I would assume it's cleared.

I checked with FBI around 5 PM and they said that they received my FP, processed it, and sent it back to USCIS.

When I asked if I had to redo it and that's why they sent them back, they said no, everything was okay and I didn't need to redo them.

They told me to check with USCIS.

So I guess now I just wait on USCIS...

How do you check with the FBI? by phone #?

I concur.

It takes at least a month for the interview stage, we are still in November. Had to double check if I read the post from NickD in "November 2010 filers" thread.

Okay, that is NOT normal, considering you have not yet completed your Bio, right? Typically you would get the RFE notice for your BIo at this stage. Could be a mistake unless you have had a BIO done recently for some other purpose which required an FBI clearence.

Updating myself!

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**For more detailed instructions with screen-shots "CLICK HERE"**

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

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

BoraBora.........|10/30/10.|11/05/10.|11/12/10.|12/10/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Orlando,FL.....|

Susan73..........|11/01/10.|11/08/10.|11/12/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|New York,NY....|

Pervez...........|11/01/10.|11/05/10.|11/05/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Raleigh,NC.....|

kgurl............|11/06/10.|11/15/10.|11/19/10.|12/01/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Tampa, FL......|

ldobson..........|11/08/10.|11/15/10.|11/19/10.|11/23/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Philadelphia,PA|

PAULAFERNA.......|11/18/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|W Palm Beach,FL|

F@rsc@p3.........|11/22/10.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Atlanta,GA.....|

Mo007 what's the word on early biometrics? We are all waiting for your report!

Not nice to keep your friends waiting.

LS

lol. Definitely not nice to keep my friends waiting.

Well, as I reported before, I got my FP letter last Monday (Nov 22nd) for Dec 15th. So I decided and planned to go the following Monday (Nov 29th), however I googled federal holidays, and today (Fri Nov 26th) wasn't listed. So I got out of the bed this morning, and headed to the address that was provided in my FP letter. Here is what happend next:

10:00 am: I parked the car on the street outside the building. Threw 2 quarters into the parking meter (30 mins).

10:02: I was in the building and saw only person ahead of me. Explained to the lady why I was early "I'm a dentist, I have a busy schedule during the week except this time of the year", lady was nice and smiles "it's always nice to get things done early", she gives me a 1-page form that took about 30 seconds to complete. She then stamps my original FP letter with today's date.

10:05: I was asked to come-up and get the FP's take. All 10 fingers were taken, and my name was verified, a picture was taken on a cool Canon SLR camera (was told to smile, but no teeth showing). I was asked if I'm ok with the way my picture came out.

10:10: Was given all my papers back and Naturalization test paperwork, and a yellow feedback card about the service. Checked excellent service all the way down.

10:11: I was back in my car, with still 19 mins on the meter.

Looking forward to the next step.

Thanks guys. I will share my experience when I return from the FP's.

My biometrics are all done, went in today as a walk-in, no problem at all!

Whether or not it speeds up the application depends on how UCSIS processes the paperwork (ie; are the fingerprints automatically transfered to the FBI immediately or are they transmitted on the day of the scheduled bio appointment?). Regardless FBI processing is 4-6 weeks.. One thing is for sure, It can not hurt to go early especially with Thanksgiving and Christmas which are Federal Holidays around the corner, which means there will be less personel working during this time of year.

Can you share little more about what happend when you got there early? Did they ask questions why you early? or wait until everyone who is scheduled that day goes 1st... etc?

I'm trying to go early too, on Monday!

Thanks

FP date Dec. 18th. Got the letter today.

I studied with the following program http://amaruk.atspace.com/tests/NewCivicsTest.html

Thanks for sharing!