VeraVimes

Congratulations, Sassiringa! I just checked my online case and it finally changed to Oath Letter Sent. Seems they're finally getting their act together at the Chicago office! I have no idea if my writing to my senator had any effect - I never heard anything from them - but fingers crossed the letter comes soon and there's still time to register to vote...

Hey everyone! Just wanted to give another quick update on my progress (or lack thereof...). I still haven't heard anything from them after that unhelpful service request, so I called my senator's office today (####### Durbin). They told me there's a simple online process to request their assistance in cases like this, so I went to his website and filled out the form. Now I have to print, sign & mail it to them, and hopefully I'll hear something soon! I'll keep you posted (if I'm not the only one still left in limbo?)

Despite VeraVimes' rather unhelpful refusal to provide a meaningful answer to my question (for a US-Netherlands marriage, why choose to immigrate to USA rather than to Netherlands, which many think is actually a better country?), I have located some very relevant and useful information here:

http://www.expatica.com/nl/visas-and-permits/How-to-get-Dutch-citizenship_107817.html

which explains that the US process is faster / easier since NL may require 15 years of residency first or proof of a very meaningful knowledge of Dutch (way beyond the rudimentary knowledge of the most basic English needed for US), and since NL will not accept dual citizenship (so it would be necessary to renounce all other citizenships in order to become a citizen of The Netherlands), whereas the US really doesn't care how many other citizenships you have.

No need to be snarky, I just misunderstood your question at first... Furthermore, the matter of why we went for one and not the other has little to do with ease of immigration. My husband has lived here all his life, has a stable job and is well-established. I was 20 at the time, with no job, no education, and very little community to keep me there. It wasn't hard to decide which of us should uproot.

Now that we've been married and have lived together for over 5 years, I think it would be fairly straightforward for us to move to Europe. He wouldn't be eligible for citizenship off the bat, much the same as here - just some form of residency. We have been discussing it a little more recently, in light of the upcoming election...

There are exceptions to the dual citizenship rule, which is murky and constantly changing. I have dual citizenship with the UK, and as I obtained Dutch citizenship second, they let me keep both. If I ever obtain US citizenship, they will allow that too, as it is the citizenship of my current spouse.

No news on the USCIS front, I actually received my service request letter within a few days of calling. It literally said that they were still working on my case, and could not tell me when they would come to a decision. And so we wait...

Hi Visa Journey Peeps,

Today I checked my case status and nothing changed since they I did my FP. I also checked USCIS processing times for my field office and is over due. My husband and I are lost on this, can any one know what we can do next please.

Definitely call them and ask for a service request. I just called about my application and spoke to someone who gave me yet another set of information - that in the case of an RFE like I got, their response time has to be within 60 days. (So far I've been told 3 weeks, 90 days, and the office's processing time...). In any case, I'm way beyond that, so he set up a service request for me and said I should hear from someone within 30 days.

What are the odds of me calling them in 30 days' time and hearing a whole new story...?

I see that you are coming from The Netherlands, which many people think is actually a better country. May I ask why you decided to go with USCIS rather than with IND?

I have been very fortunate so far, which I'm sure is because I came from a "trustworthy" European country. I always tell people how biased USCIS is re: one's country of origin - they're always so surprised at how hard it is to move here and how many hoops we have to jump through.

I always just assumed I had to go through the US immigration system to move here as a fiancée. I didn't even think to look at any other routes. I wasn't eligible to use employment to immigrate, and my only motivation was to be with my husband. I don't know how the IND could have helped me. But my journey so far has been extremely smooth, so I can't complain about this current hiccup. Fingers crossed they're just taking their time about it. Processing time now shows them working on September 19, so it's edging nearer!

It seems the officer asked for everything that we had submitted before plus more proof of our marriage. Also wanted last 3 years of tax script for my wife. My wife landed in here at the end of 2011 and did not start work until 2013. She told the officer about that too but again in the letter she asked for the same, I am not sure why. Besides that, our bank and credit card statements for the past 3 years and any other document showing our names with the same mailing address. I also got 3 of my close friends to write an affidavit knowing us and our marriage. Also sent more pictures of us just together and some with family. We were so sure we have sent all the required documents, but I guess you can never tell until you hear from them.

This sounds very similar to what happened to me, though my officer gave me the letter and deadline at the interview. I sent everything in within a week and haven't heard a peep since - more than three months ago now. I'm so sorry they denied you, hopefully there will be some way for you to appeal. Do let us know what the letter says when it comes. I may be following you down that path before long...

This might help in case Vera doesn't log on again today.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/568429-n-400-october-2015-filers/page-37#entry8006938

Thanks, Jimmy! I forgot I had typed it all out already.

I just got off the phone with USCIS. I won't type out the entire confusing conversation, but here's the gist. Although an office does have 120 days to process an application after the interview (which is what I was told last time), that is overruled by the office's own processing time. As someone else said here, Chicago is currently working on August 20, 2015. The woman I spoke to quoted the same date.

So the only time you can call to speed things along is if that date is later than the date they received your application (October 20 for me). Then they can look into why yours is being delayed and possibly hurry it along.

As always, it just comes down to waiting... But she said that I would definitely have heard something if my case had been cancelled or denied, so no news is still good news, I guess!

Hi everyone!

Just checking in to commiserate with the other Chicagoans still waiting. I had my interview February 11th and passed the test, but was asked for more documentation of my marriage. I sent in as much as I could (the list she gave me was extensive...) and waited for a response. My officer had said I would hear back 2-3 weeks after them receiving the additional documents. After 4 weeks with no word I called them up. The person I spoke to said they are allowed to take 120 days (from my interview date) to make a decision, and that he wouldn't even be able to access my file unless it had been more than 90 days.

Tomorrow is 90 days, so I'll call them again and see if they can tell me anything. Does anyone have any advice for when I talk to them? Should I ask for a Tier 2 officer? I guess I've been very lucky so far, as I've never had to chase them down before.

If they tell me anything new I'll come back and update you all.

I think you are in a better situation than I'm. My IO told me that I should receive the list of requirement in 2 weeks by snail mail

And, the IO made no decision because he/she insisted I should've applied under 5 years rule, though he/she finally realized why I chose to do it under 3 years rule (becasue I travelled outside of US too much in the first 2 years). The IO did confirm I could apply under 3 years rule in the end, but I still have to wait for the snail mail. Now, I sort of understand why the IO insisted on 5 years rule, which is obviously more straightford and easier to review and make decision than 3 years rule. I'll compare my list with yours once I got the mail, hopefully in 2 weeks

2 weeks! How infuriating. It's pretty bizarre how much offices differ from each other. And there has to be large amount of chance involved in the amount of documentation they ask for. Good luck with putting your package together, I hope the letter comes soon!

Make sure you take your passport to the oath ceremony. There'll be a question about whether or not you've taken any trips since your interview and sometimes they want to check dates.

Thanks! That's a good tip.

Oh jeez, I just tried to edit my post up there and it disappeared... I'll have to write it out in full here, sorry folks!

I brought my duplicate package and an original marriage certificate.

Interview was scheduled for 10:45, I got there at about 10:30. Checked in at the front desk and was given a number and told to wait. Right on time, my number was called and I was greeted by a friendly woman who took me to her office. I was told to stand and took the oath. She asked for my passport, green card and driver's license. After checking those she started with the questions.

Who is the Commander in Chief of the military? The President.

What are the two political parties of the US? Democratic & Republican

What is the political party of the current President? Democratic

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? Jefferson

Name 3 original states? New Hampshire, New Jersey, Virginia

Name a state that borders Mexico? California

Then I had to read "How many states do we have?" and write "We have fifty states".

So far so good.

Then we moved on to the N400 form. She checked through my husband's 3 divorce certificates (Note: I had listed them in reverse chronological order which threw her off!) She went to check my travel in my passport, but as it's new, there are no stamps in there. She didn't mind, though.

She checked a few things like full name and address, then went through the Yes/No questions.

Then she started about the proof of marriage I had sent in. As my husband is the breadwinner, he takes care of all the bills and the mortgage is in his name only. This leaves me with little proof - I had a joint bank account statement, and the summary page of three tax returns showing us filing jointly. This clearly wasn't enough. She gave me a long list of documents to send in (see below) and told me I had a month to do it. As I'm going away from three weeks next Wednesday, I have to get on this before then. By the way, I told her I would be leaving the country and asked if they needed documentation of that, she said they didn't.

So now I have to send in a massive package, and they will contact me 2-3 weeks later with their decision.

Here's what they asked for:

- Full copy of tax returns for 2012, 2013, 2014

- Copies of all statements filed with tax returns, including 1099s and W2s for me and spouse

- A current pay stub for myself and spouse, as well as one from 2015

- Copy of spouse's driver's license

- Bona fides:

a. Life insurance declaration evidencing beneficiaries

b. Health insurance coverage evidencing beneficiaries with proof of effective date of coverage

c. Auto insurance as above

d. Mortgage statements evidencing joint ownership or leases for 2010-present

e. Any and all recorded deeds related to property

f. A copy of utility bills from 2013-present (January and July statements for each year only)

g. Title to any and all automobiles and/or loan statements

Sheesh, they don't want much, do they? I don't have all of these (who keeps their utility bills that long??) but I'll try to get as much as possible. I can include my Roth IRA with him as beneficiary, and some of his credit cards I have a card for (she mentioned this as well).

We applied to have my name added to the deed last year which went through, but it takes so long to get a copy that I won't have that. I do have a copy of the quit claim deed that shows him adding me, so I hope that will suffice.

Sorry for the length, but I hope this might be useful for anyone wondering what kind of extra documents they might bring! I'll let you know what happens once I hear back from them. I'll have to tell my neighbor to keep an eye on our mail for any USCIS letters!

Good luck to everyone with an upcoming interview. Let me know if you want any other details.

Hi everyone! Just wanted to add my interview experience from today at the Chicago location.

Interview was scheduled for 10:45, I got there at about 10:30. Checked in at the front desk and was given a number and told to wait. Right on time, my number was called and I was greeted by a friendly woman who took me to her office. I was told to stand and took the oath. She asked for my passport, green card and driver's license. After checking those she started with the questions.

Who is the Commander in Chief of the military? The President.

What are the two political parties of the US? Democratic & Republican

What is the political party of the current President? Democratic

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

Received the letter today (1/8)! Notice date on it is 1/5/2016. Interview scheduled for 2/11/2016... just a few days before I leave for three weeks! Phew, so relieved. Not sure how this will pan out with the oath ceremony, as they don't do same-day ceremonies in Chicago as far as I can tell. But I'm assuming they'll be able to tell me on the day.

KASH, thanks for the run-through of your interview, it's very helpful!

Huzzah! Online case status tells me my interview was scheduled on January 4th. Will update when I get the letter. Fingers crossed they didn't schedule my interview during the few weeks I'm out of town...

Got my alert today that the interview was scheduled! I will update when I receive the actual notice...

Congratulations! It does my heart good to see movement from a fellow Phoenix. Fingers crossed for more good news before the year's end!

Question I recieved

On November 5, 2015, we started the interview scheduling process for your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization , Receipt Number XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX. We will send you an interview notice. Please follow any instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

But I have not recieved anything by mail / text? what is next?

As I understand it, this means you will receive a notice once the interview has actually been scheduled. So we just have to wait until it's our turn, at which point they will send a letter with further instructions.

I'm sure others can confirm/correct this?

Yes! I was put in line for the interview yesterday, 11/11. And now we wait...

A quick update for me. I went into my local biometrics office last Friday to see if they'd take me early. The officer told me I had to come in on the day of my appointment (today), but that it was okay to show up when they open at 8am, rather than wait until my appointment time of 11am.

Just got back, swift and easy. So now I'll hope for a quick interview scheduling!

Received my biometrics letter, scheduled for 11/9. I might try to go in early and see if they'll take me.

Thank you, Kash2011! Goodness, it's exciting to be back in the fray again...

Hello all! It's been a while since I was active on Visajourney, although I've been recommending it to hopefuls for years. I could never have gotten to where I am without all your support! Now I've decided to try for citizenship, so it's back to grindstone and the waiting game... Here's where I'm at right now (let me know if I should post this elsewhere):

Field office: I'm guessing Chicago, as that's where I'm located

Phoenix, AZ lockbox

Original GC date: 08/09/11

Application sent: 10/14/15

Check cashed: 10/21/15

NOA: 10/20/15

That's as far as I've gotten. I must say I was rusty putting together the application. Luckily, as I have always faithfully followed the instructions here, I had duplicate copies of K1 and AOS packages, so most of the documents were at hand. Anyway, good luck to all of us!

Have the NVC sent your case to the embassy? If so, it could be worth your while to call them anyway. I assumed it would take my (Amsterdam) embassy at least a week to receive my case and start working on it. When I called them a week later, they said it had also been sent to them electronically and they had received it the same day (so a week earlier) and were already working on it.

Then again, it's certainly a smaller embassy. I would say, call them, see how helpful they are in answering your questions. Once they start to process your case, they should contact you through your mailing address (this might differ for each embassy, I don't know), but they will definitely contact you. Still, I and many others have found that, with these people, it generally can't hurt to badger them a bit.

Good luck with everything, I'm sorry you're going through a rough time.

It sounds as though the applicant copies envelope has been nicely provided to you to include with your AOS as proof of your full medical. Just send that in. If you were up to date with all vaccines at that point that should be all you need to do.

I get that feeling too, especially since it's sealed. My experience with the Amsterdam embassy was that they were extremely helpful and efficient, so it wouldn't be surprising. Thanks for the reassurance, I'm just going to try it and see what happens!

Hi there! I'm sure half of you will roll your eyes at this, but the more I try to find answers in the forum, the more confused I get, so I'm hoping someone can help me.

I am unsure what medical documents, if any, I am required to obtain before I send in my AOS package. I had my medical exam and x-ray on February 3rd, interview on the 10th. With my approved visa and passport I was also mailed a large sealed envelope that was to be opened at the POE, and a smaller sealed envelope which says: 'K1 - applicant copies of medical forms. Retain this sealed envelope for your I-485 application with the USCIS Office. DO NOT OPEN.'

Of course, I am itching to rip it open to see if it has the forms I need, but I shall resist.

At the interview itself I was also given a CD which supposedly has my x-ray results on it (couldn't open it on my Mac), which came with a sheet of paper called 'Vaccination Documentation Worksheet'. It says For Use with DS-2053 or DS-2054, and To Be Completed by Panel Physician Only. In the bottom lefthand corner it says DS-3025, 07-2010. This sheet basically shows I've had all of the vaccinations I need (a note to other Dutchies - the only vaccination I needed as healthy young woman was a renewal of my DKTP... a shame they wouldn't tell me that before I had myself shot up with a cocktail of expensive diseases. Ah well!)

So, on the one hand it looks to me like I have everything they need. But as always, the fear of an RFE compels me to want to go to a doctor here and get everything done again. Any tips? At this point, saving on yet another doctor's bill wouldn't hurt...

Thanks a lot, VJers!

I just wanted to chip in and say that I'm so happy to see things are still moving in the right direction for you. I keep checking here to see what's up! I'm sure you're completely stressed out and busy with this, so all I'll say is good luck and I've got my fingers crossed more than ever that things work out. Keep your chin up! xxxx Vera