PedroDaGr8

Wow, over a month since the last post. Seems like Seattle is on their game and not many are having issues.

Updated my PNW tracker with the most recent data:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YeRoAOAtGsInGRjNgkNw1RrWbAtEDIysrs_lNcTRT7M/edit?usp=sharing

The pending cases in Seattle are down to 9,400 cases a number not seen since 2016! This is down HEAVILY from the 25,480 pending cases a year ago and even more so from the all time high of 28,901 two years previous. 

Overall, across the entire PNW (SEA, SPO, YAK, POR) the number of pending cases is 14,678. The last time we were below this number was 2015! Before that time, while the backlog was lower, so was the number of received cases. Basically, they are running a backlog of approximately 6 months worth of cases (based on the number received per quarter). Clearly, the massive backlog reduction measures done by USCIS have been paying huge dividends for the area.

While we might see the number of pending cases drop a bit more, I don't expect it to be a lot. At some point, the hard to adjucate cases and load balancing of officers to other forms (AoS, RoC, etc.) and field offices should impose a limit on how much improvement is achievable. 

9 hours ago, BJM9918 said:

Sharing my less-than-ideal interview experience: 

 

My interview was scheduled for 1:30, I arrived about 30 minutes before and was let in. After airport-style security check and waiting in the check-in line for about 5min, I was assigned a number. 

 

When I got to the waiting area, I noticed there were about 30 numbers ahead of me. The queue was moving pretty quickly imo. They were progressing about 10 numbers every 15-20 minutes or so. After sitting in the waiting area for about 45 minutes, numbers close to mine began to be called. However, after about 1.5 hours, everyone who came in around the same time as me has been called and they progressed to numbers after me but I was still waiting. I grew anxious. Another 30 minutes went by, my number was still not called and I have been sitting there for 2 hours at that point. I checked with one of the officers and was told it's not uncommon.

 

I was finally called in around 3:20pm. The officer was very friendly but seemed very new to the job. She apologized for the wait and explained there was a hiccup during the interview before mine. 

 

The interview itself was extremely easy. She didn't ask for anything I brought. However, after answering 2-3 civic questions, the officer encountered some issues with her computer. I suspect she either accidentally closed the program or it crashed. As a result I had to answer 6 new civic questions. Not a big deal but it did consume more time. When we wrapped up the interview, she told me I had passed but she had to send my result to a senior officer for final approval - which took another 10-15min. I was also told a same-day oath ceremony was not possible because it was too late and I would be notified within a few weeks. 

 

It's a bummer that I have to wait for a few more weeks but I suppose it's a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of the entire journey. 

Sorry to hear that. At least you are in the home stretch!

Also, examples like yours are why I tell people that same day oaths are never guaranteed. You can do everything right but things can go wrong on the officers end and same day oaths won't happen.

41 minutes ago, hereicomecali said:

Hi Everyone, I have a question: when you have the oath ceremony, do they take away your green card?

Thank you.

Yes they do. When you enter you will hand them your green card and you will leave with your naturalization certificate.

17 hours ago, 1022Lap0G said:

Glad news, interview scheduled for 07/March/2023 at 12:10 PM for me & 12:50 PM for my wife. This forum and this thread has been a great guide for many of us. Thank you so much.

 

Question: Given the time, is same day oath possible for both of us? 

Possible yes, even very likely. That being said, not guaranteed.

On 10/18/2022 at 12:34 PM, PedroDaGr8 said:

I updated the PNW - N-400 Naturalization Historical Case Load Data Spreadsheet with the new 2022 Q3 (which goes from 01APR2022-30JUN2022). For the first time, we start to see the ramp up that is obvious in the Seattle Tracking Spreadsheet. Total pending cases in Seattle dropped by over 4,400 despite receiving over 4,200 cases. That's a change of 8,600 cases! Considering that 6,900 cases were decided in Seattle, that leaves 1,700 cases which were either withdrawn (VERY rare) or transferred to another location. Looking at Yakima, it is clear that they received some of those transferred cases as there are around 1,000 excess cases beyond what they received.

 

As for the entire PNW, we see 833 cases which aren't accounted for (either withdrawn or transferred). My hunch is we are starting to see the impact of remote interviews with the 833 cases being cases which were transferred out of the region for remote interviews and the increase at Yakima also representing transferred cases. 

 

Basically, we are starting to see them actually load balance between FOs!

 

I somehow missed that the 2022Q4 (which goes from 01JUL2022-30SEP2022) processing data came out last month. I updated the PNW - N-400 Naturalization Historical Case Load Data Spreadsheet and the increased processing, which was ramping up in Q3, is clearly now in full swing!
 

The number of cases decided in Seattle increased DRAMATICALLY from 6,900 cases to 11,737 decided this quarter. Unlike Q3, which saw 1,700 transferred cases, in Q4 only 851 cases transferred elsewhere. To give an idea of how impressive 11,737 decided cases is, Seattle decided 14,492 cases in the previous THREE quarters. This is by far the highest number of cases decided for the period in which I have data (starting 2013Q4). There was a slight uptick in received cases at 4,698 received during Q4 but this is well within historical trends. Overall, pending cases in Seattle dropped 7,890 to a low of 13,043; a level not seen since the beginning of 2017! 
 

Looking at the Pacific Northwest as a whole, we see historically high rates of decided cases in Portland and Yakima as well at 5,209 and 994 respectively. Around 701 cases aren’t accounted for as decided (likely transferred out of the area). Received cases held steady at 7,157, a number which is within the usual for the past 4-5 years. In the end, the total pending cases in the region has dropped MASSIVELY by 11,965 to 18,946 (which like Seattle, was last seen in 2017Q1). 

Based on recent trends, I don't expect 2023Q1 (01OCT2022-31DEC2022) to be historically high but I do expect the levels to remain well above historical averages resulting in an even lower backlog. 

17 hours ago, anon_G said:

Hi Everyone,

 

I have been following the N400 Seattle Tracker Excel sheet - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FcItCasVItCDsUNEbDu15IRQ-AbDMRJWsiljwtz5WRI/edit#gid=1497976778.

Looks like all Aug 2022 filers got interview scheduled at a consistent faster pace well before the predicted date and they froze at Sep 2022 filers since then. Did they pause N400 and switch to processing a different category ? or is it due the holiday time? 

I am a Sep filer as well and really curious to understand the pause and have been regularly checking the status and the tracker everyday!

Likely a combination of the thanksgiving holiday, the excel sheet finally catching up to the reality of the current scenario (no longer underestimating the times), and Seattle being fully caught up. The later means the officers can be used to help other FO catch-up as they roll out the remote interview systems. 

Also, it is possible they have pivoted to clearing the backlog for I-485 (which Seattle has a lot as well).

1 hour ago, Truth_Seeker said:

So hopefully wife will be a citizen on Monday, and we need to get her a passport since we will be flying out the following week.

 

Has anyone have any experience with getting a rush passport in Seattle?

Yes, my wife was able to get hers in a week, for our flight 17 days out. If you are within 14 days of your trip, I would call and schedule the appointment as close to her interview date as possible (obviously after and not before). Can always cancel if she doesn't get same day naturalization. 

34 minutes ago, ivanalex1980 said:

I did not find any thread for NOvember 2022 filers  

So make one!

I updated the PNW - N-400 Naturalization Historical Case Load Data Spreadsheet with the new 2022 Q3 (which goes from 01APR2022-30JUN2022). For the first time, we start to see the ramp up that is obvious in the Seattle Tracking Spreadsheet. Total pending cases in Seattle dropped by over 4,400 despite receiving over 4,200 cases. That's a change of 8,600 cases! Considering that 6,900 cases were decided in Seattle, that leaves 1,700 cases which were either withdrawn (VERY rare) or transferred to another location. Looking at Yakima, it is clear that they received some of those transferred cases as there are around 1,000 excess cases beyond what they received.

As for the entire PNW, we see 833 cases which aren't accounted for (either withdrawn or transferred). My hunch is we are starting to see the impact of remote interviews with the 833 cases being cases which were transferred out of the region for remote interviews and the increase at Yakima also representing transferred cases. 

Basically, we are starting to see them actually load balance between FOs!

24 minutes ago, TheLastMile said:

Filed my N400. 10/7/2022 priority date. I got the biometrics re-used notice within a week of filing.  Does anyone know how long its taking from here to get interview scheduled notices?

Check the Google Sheets document (also put your data in there). Looks like it is running around 4-5months at this point. 

15 hours ago, Jujuy said:

Well, the officer told me that "there were no more available spots" for the oath ceremony, this was at 1:35 pm.

Sorry if it came across that I implied you were lying. I was said that because you are the first that I have heard to be told that. I have heard people at 2:45PM being told their case wouldn't be done before the last oath ceremony but not that they ran out of slots. It is a new wrinkle that has to be taken into consideration.

On 10/12/2022 at 10:45 AM, forthecookies said:

What's the current consensus on cutoff time for a same day oath? My spouse and I got scheduled for next month with 1:30PM and 2:10PM slots, and both of us had biometrics reused when we submitted applications.

I don't think anyone knows for certain. I've never heard someone told "all of the slots were full". Historically,I would say that your times were just fine provided there were no issues with biometrics and the officer had your case file.

10 minutes ago, Keiko2325 said:

Hi! Had my interview today - just wanted to see from your experience, how long did it take for the online case status to be updated? 

 

Thanks! 

For my wife, it was a matter of minutes. Before she could even call me to say she passed, the egov.usvis.gov site sent me a series of messages saying she was approved, that her oath ceremony would be scheduled, and that her oath ceremony was scheduled (it was a same day oath).

14 hours ago, Jujuy said:

Congratulations on becoming a US citizen!

Can you share the steps for getting a passport so fast, please? Did it take 2 days from the interview to receive your passport?
I'm really interested in hearing this as I have a trip 8 days after the interview and I worry I won't get a passport on time.
Or would you prefer that I contact you in private?

Thank you so much in advance and once again, congratulations!!!

You should be able to get a passport in that amount of time, my wife was able to get hers in less than a week. 

After you have done your oath, call 1-877-487-2778 which is the scheduling line for Urgent Travel Service Passport Service. The hours for the line are 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET, Mondays through Fridays.

My wife called on a Wed evening and was able to get an appointment for Friday morning. At the appointment, they will determine, based on your travel details, if you need same day service or can wait two business days to receive your passport. Make sure you bring all of the necessary stuff with you (passport photos, proof of travel, payment, etc.). From there, you will return to the office either later in the day or two days later to pick up your passport. 

8 hours ago, AdmiralAaron said:

Got it.  What is the advantage of a Pass Card.  Is the passport itself sufficient?

 

Benefits:

The passport card is cheap and, in some scenarios, you can leave the full passport at home. 

Downsides: None

On 9/11/2022 at 3:19 AM, Hamilton said:

Hi folks, the journey is finally over - I'm officially a US citizen!! I loved when people shared detailed experiences on VJ, so here's mine: 

 

My interview was early in the morning. Parking was straightforward in the USCIS lot. I entered the building 15 minutes before my appointment time. There was no one ahead of me in security so it all went really smoothly - it functions like an airport security checkpoint, you have to take off your belt, shoes, jacket, etc. and put your bag through a scanner. Then at the next window, I got my photograph and fingerprints taken again, and then I was directed to go upstairs to the waiting room for my interview. 

 

My interview was virtual. A really friendly assistant came and took me to a large room with about 8ish office-style cubicles. I had to take out my passport, ID, and green card and put the rest of my stuff in a drawer. The interviewing officer turned on their video on the iPad the moment I sat down, and the interview began. She was very professional and very serious. We started with the reading and writing test, followed by the civics questions (and stopped after I got the first six correct). Then we went through a lot of the N400 questions (current employment, current and old addresses, many of the yes/no questions). I let her know about a correction I needed to make to the form, and it was no big deal -- she made it for me. She also asked me how I met my wife and if we rented/owned our house - but this didn't feel like an interrogation, just like a chat. She asked about our marriage evidence, and I told her about a few of the documents I had brought in. She wanted our latest tax transcript, so she sent a message to the assistant to come fetch it from me. The assistant took the papers and scanned them and then brought them back. While we waited (about 5-10 mins), the officer turned her video off and I just hung out 😄 Then she asked me to confirm all my details were correct on the iPad for my naturalization certificate, said I was approved, and sent an approval notice to the printer that was on the desk next to me. The only issue with the interview was that people in the room were really loud, and occasionally I had to ask the officer to repeat herself -- but it really wasn't a big deal. While the interview started out really serious, I chatted with the officer a little while she was entering things into her computer and we ended up having a nice conversation and joking a little too.

 

Then the assistant came back to fetch me and congratulated me a few times 😊, and I went back downstairs to the auditorium. The officer there took my green card and threw it in a bag 😂 it felt weird seeing it dumped into a bag like that after I've guarded it with my life for so long. I asked if my wife could come in for the ceremony and she said yes! So I texted my wife and met her outside, and then we both came back inside together (had to go through security again). There were about 15 other people at the ceremony and it was only about 10 minutes long, but it was still nice -- the officer smiled a lot and said how momentous the occasion was and how long our journey has been, and congratulated us. Then we said the oath and received our naturalization certificates and little US flags. Some folks posed for photographs in the auditorium afterwards. 

 

The whole thing took about 1.5 hours (30 min interview, 10 min ceremony, plus waiting around). Overall, it was a great experience. Everyone was SO nice and friendly and chatted with me and put me at ease -- the security guards, biometrics person, the assistant, the interviewing officer, and the ceremony officer. I'm so glad to be done! Good luck to the rest of you with interviews coming up, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

 

 

Congratulations! Also, that is amazing news that your spouse could attend. I was not allowed to attend when my wife had her ceremony, so that changed recently!

3 hours ago, MexPhil said:

wow..i saw your timeline and it says your BIOMETRICS is waived? Why is that? Are you a senior citizen? I had asked you because I'm processing my dad's N400 very soon and he is 76 y/o already. It says that biometrics is waived, but I am not sure if they meant the fee only or is the whole in-person biometric itself waived? Please enlighten us.

 

Thanks a lot and congratulations !!!!

To be clear it was my wife's biometrics and yes hers were waived. Also, neither of us are close to senior citizen in age. At the time she applied, they were waiving the vast majority of biometrics.

Waiving biometrics means your dad doesn't have to go in to get his fingerprints taken again, they will reuse the prints taken in a previous case to perform the background checks. They do not waive the fee because most of that goes for the aforementioned background checks. That being said, when you dad goes for his interview, they will take his biometrics again and confirm they match the ones previously on file. 

10 hours ago, LoveAndLight2045 said:

Thanks for sharing. I just checked online and they close at 3 pm, and the 877 number I called, no one was picking up and I wasn’t able to speak to an agent past 3 pm. Please DM me, I might be missing something. 

Let's keep it here so it can potentially help others. The number she called is 1-877-487-2778; the hours for that number are 8am to 10pm Eastern time. It is a national scheduling line, not a direct line to the local office. If you call and don't get the phone tree, then something is wrong. 

22 hours ago, waiting4i130 said:

Thank you for all this information!

That means I cannot travel internationally after my oath ceremony and before I get my US passport I'm assuming since they will take the green card...

 

My wife was able to get an Urgent Travel Service appointment at a local facility for two days after her oath. She had her passport in two business days after that. She called the appointment line, the same evening she took her oath and was able to schedule said appointment. You have to be traveling with 14 days or 28 days if you need a visa. 

19 hours ago, Bob in Boston said:

That is correct. They do have a passport service if your traveling in 2 weeks or something like that but it will cost you.

Travel within 14 days or 28 days if a visa is needed.

15 hours ago, Nkrish83 said:

The passport service doesn't cost anything more than what you'd pay if you were applying at an acceptance facility like USPS.  The harder part is to get a timely appointment at an agency near your location. Depending on the criticality of your travel, you can search outside your general area and look for alternate location. Since you have a need to travel, that justifies the reason. 

This is correct. The price is the exact same as an expedited passport application. It seems like appointments are starting to get easier to find (that or my wife got insanely lucky). My wife called the same day she had her oath (in the evening), got an appointment for two days later and had her passport two business days after that. 

On 8/18/2022 at 2:24 PM, Keiko2325 said:

Interview is scheduled! Application 5/2, interview date 9/29. My ROC is pending and status didn’t change, still at “ready for interview”. will they both be adjudicated at the N400 interview? 

It is extremely common for them to do a combo interview, but not 100% guaranteed. The general rule is come prepared for one, including bring your spouse (even though they won't be allowed in until the officer requests them). 

19 hours ago, waiting4i130 said:

Congrats to everyone that passed the interview!

Can someone explain what the process is after the interview? 

How do we know whether or not the oath is on the same day?

Any other forms we need to submit afterwards?

Same day oath depends on several factors:

• First and foremost, your field office. Some field offices do same-day oaths and some do not. If your field office does same-day oaths and some do not.
• The time of your interview. For field offices that do same day oath, there is usually a cut-off time, after which, they will stop doing same day oaths and will schedule you for another day.
• How long the various final processing for you case taking to complete. For example, when you go in, you may have to refresh/verify your biometrics. If there is a problem with verifying your biometrics it may have to be done manually which can take some time. ALL of the processing on your case has to be complete by the aforementioned  cut-off time or they will schedule your oath to another day. 
• Are you changing your name? If I remember correctly, name changes require a judicial oath ceremony which are not typically done same day. 
• Does the officer have your case file? This applies more for the new video interviews where sometimes the officer doesn't have the original copy of your case file yet (they only have the digital versions). Without the full case file, they cannot finalize your approval and schedule your oath.

Long story short, if you have a morning or lunchtime interview at a field office that does same day oaths and your case is pretty straightforward then it is very likely that you will have a same day oath. 

For my wife, at the Seattle FO, after her video interview was complete and she was approved, the assistant came in and direct her down to queue up for her oath ceremony. The ceremony consisted of 10-15 people and it seemed that they were doing them every 30min to 1h. When she went in, they took her green cards (current and expired) and other things like that and gave her the New Citizen packet of info. When it was done, as she walked out, there were already 5 more people queued up for the next ceremony. 

18 hours ago, CMJuilland said:

I would second what @Jeanne Adil and @.yana said: basically, bring what you have. 

There is a chance that they won’t even want it, especially if they already have an original on file. In my case, I had ordered an original BC for my spouse to bring to my interview, but they didn’t even bother looking at it. In the event that they need an original, you’ll have to reorder one. 

Having my fingers crossed for you. Best of luck! 

 Yeah, for my wife's case, they didn't ask to see a single piece of evidence about me, they didn't even ask for our marriage certificate. They mainly asked for evidence showing we were still married (bank account, lease, tax returns) and the rest was all about her. That being said, all of the evidence about me is within scope and the CAN ask for it, if they want. 

On 8/17/2022 at 10:06 PM, arnab221 said:

Could you please tell us about the evidence of the emergency that you needed to show. I am assuming this the Seattle Passport Agency ? 

On 8/18/2022 at 2:32 AM, LoveAndLight2045 said:

Yep, would love to know about this one as well thanks. 

Correct, the Seattle Passport Agency. To clarify, this was the Urgent Travel Service (international travel within 14 days of the appointment or within 28 days if a visa is needed) and not the Life-Or-Death Emergency Service. To provide proof of travel within 28 days (since she needs a visa), she just had to provide a copy of our already booked flight itinerary. 

On 8/17/2022 at 10:09 PM, melodsal said:

Also I’ve heard it’s next to impossible to get an appointment unless you call 14 days in advance. Is it much easier now?

 

thanks!

I had heard the same thing and honestly thought there was zero chance of getting an appointment that late in the day but figured why not try. As I mentioned, despite the phone tree warning that hold times were over 60 minutes, a rep answered right away (literally immediately after that warning, in fact). Once my wife clarified that she needed a visa, which means you can get an appointment up to 28 days out, the rep offered her several appointment times with the first being 9am two days later (the appointment she took).  

9 hours ago, ZeeJ said:

How much did it cost?

Surprisingly, no different than an expedited passport, $225 in total: $130 Application Fee + $35 Execution Fee + $60 Expedite Fee

To clarify, she called at around 5:30-6:00pm in the evening (Pacific Time).

2 hours ago, Hamilton said:

Thanks!   Did your wife apply for a passport yet?

Yep, she picked it up yesterday.

Since we are travelling at the end of the month, she called to get an appointment that evening after getting her citizenship. 

I was absolutely stunned that she was able to get a passport appointment so easily. The phone tree said waits were over an hour, but then immediately an agent picked right up and she had an appointment for two days later (last Friday). Since we weren't traveling in the next couple days, she got her passport in two business days. Otherwise, she would have gotten it the same day.