pineywoods

Just came back from the post office. Sent in my wife's application. I was in Atlanta during my citizenship process and the processing times were longer in Atlanta than in DC. Now that we have moved to Virginia and our field office is DC, I just found out this morning that the processing times have become much longer in DC and much shorter in Atlanta. Funny indeed.

On 7/19/2019 at 5:59 PM, Greg_Dubai said:

We filed on 24Jun19 and completed biometrics yesterday 18Jul19.  Glad to be in the group and great success to everyone!

This is the June 2018 thread. I think you meant to post in the June 2019 thread.

On 6/27/2019 at 8:23 PM, youkhan said:

We had our interview back on March 12th and was told it would only be a few weeks til approval. Fast forward to 90 days past when they were supposed to send us our approval and we had received nothing. So a call with USCIS finally got the local office moving and today June 27th we finally have notification that we have an oath ceremony scheduled and that also the 10 year GC is in the mail. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long for the oath ceremony to take place, but it's nice to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! 

Any idea why your case was held up? My interview was on May 29 and since then they called me to the office one more time on June 26 (apparently because they recorded my signatures incorrectly on the tablets they provide) but absolutely no news about approval until now. Total silence.

Also, I am a bit confused about 'GC is in the mail'. Are you talking about two different cases? One about yourself and one about your spouse?

Had my interview on May 29. Was told "A decision cannot yet be made". Anyone else in the same boat on this thread? I googled this and found some people got notification for the oath ceremony a few days or even hours after the interview. Others had to struggle 2 years with the help of a Senator.

I applied under the 4 years + 1 day rule since I had a re-entry permit and was out of the country. I doubled-checked and I am 100% sure that I meet both the physical presence test and the continuous residency test. But the interview officer didn't seem to know the rules very well. I had to mention the 4 years + 1 day rule and even then she seemed unfamiliar with it.

Any updates by Atlanta folks?

On 4/4/2019 at 12:56 AM, Gal Pal said:

I filed on June 18th, 2018 online. Atlanta local office. Received my interview notice on March 29 (actual “taken action” date - March 28), then it took about 24 hours for actual document to appear online and just got a hard copy in the mail yesterday. Interview date is May 4th (Saturday... which seemed odd since they are technically closed on weekends, but I’ve read in several sources that scheduled interviews are still performed as USCIS are trying to clear their backlogs)

Hello Gal Pal, could you fill out your dates here?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bzzBpN9qAoFP2HZB3goy7m3DkiIwxlO-NzEr4MFtkEI/edit#gid=0

Hello folks. I made a Google Sheet for our timelines:

https://tinyurl.com/y5owjc9c

Could you please update yours on the sheet? Thank you.

On 3/23/2019 at 2:49 PM, WBFDO said:

I apologize if I made any mistakes. That was not my intention, and I asked if someone could update my case. Again, I have received notification on March 18th and letter was available on the same day around 6 pm. My interview is on April 25th. Can someone update my case please.

No apologies required at all! You are helping us out with your information, especially those of us in Atlanta. Thank you so much!

@WBFDO I think you made mistakes in updating the table. You had earlier mentioned that you were in line (or got the interview letter; could you confirm which one?) on March 18 and NOT March 28 (which hasn't arrived yet). Also your interview is on April 25, not that you received the letter on April 25. Kindly have a look at the table again.

I filed from Atlanta too and I did my fingerprints exactly one week after you did. I am wondering whether I am next in receiving notification about the interview. Thank you for updating us about your situation.

10 hours ago, Ire-Atl said:

I had my citizenship exam and interview yesterday in Atlanta, all went well and passed it! I logged onto my account this morning and discovered that my Oath ceremony is Friday March 22nd! I was
not expecting it to be so quick, but delighted it is! so glad i filled online!

Congrats! What questions did the interviewer ask? What happened during the interview?

December 2019 - 16 months. I am in Atlanta. It was like this before and after they received my biometrics.

gc@gc, do note that what you have posted is 100% of the poverty line.

For fee waiver purposes, it's 150% of the poverty line that matters. That is what I linked to.

The poverty line depends on how many members you have in your household. Have a look at Form I-912P:

https://www.uscis.gov/i-912p

I have 6 members (me + wife + 4 kids) and hence my income needed to be under $50,610. But if you are single, your income must be under $18,210.

My income is below 150% of poverty level. It helps to have 4 kids, hehe....

For those who come across this thread in the future, my fee waiver request got approved. @Plarka, let us know what happened.

Update:

I received my NOA in the mail today. "Received Date" and "Priority Date" are both June 18, 2018. But "Notice Date" is July 5, 2018. Make of that what you will.

I did apply for a fee waiver and it got approved. So I think that pushed back my notice date, but I am just guessing.

I was scheduled for biometrics on July 26 but I went today and got it done today, July 12, as a walk-in.

Mine is IOE. I don't know what that means but I see there's a column for that in the table.

My biometrics was Code 5. Is everyone who applies for N400 supposed to get Code 5? Does this affect anything?

Also, for those who are interested, right now my USCIS account is showing processing time of 19 months.

@PauPau, kindly update the table. Thanks.

No idea what will happen. I am a bit worried because I sent my N-400 and I-912 last week using the poverty level criterion also and I haven't heard back at all. I sent 4 years tax return though, and I didn't send a check or credit card details.

On a side note, I did the same 2 years back when renewing my green card in 2016. They approved my I-912 without any issues.

4 hours ago, Going through said:

In the instructions for the fee waiver, it outlines the types of documents they accept as supporting evidence of financial hardship.  Not sure why he thought only the tax return was needed.  Check out the instructions PDF, part 6 https://www.uscis.gov/i-912 

 

Part 6. Financial Hardship  

 

Item Number 3. Total Monthly Expenses and Liabilities. Provide your average monthly costs for all applicable categories provided.

Documentation:   Provide evidence, where possible, such as copies of monthly bills and payments, and documentation for monthly expenses and any extenuating circumstances, such as medical bills. If you cannot provide evidence of income, you may submit affidavits from religious institutions, non-profits, or community-based organizations verifying that you are currently receiving some benefit or support from them.

 

It sounds like they didn't have much evidence to go on when determining an approval, if he didn't submit anything more than just the tax return as evidence.

 

Were you/your spouse getting any means-tested benefits?  If so, did you include proof of that (as also noted later on in the instructions)?  Did you include any proof of income generated now, like any pay stubs, employment letter stating income, etc. (as also noted later on in the instructions)?  Copies of bills, anything other than just the tax return?

But they didn't apply based on financial hardship. They applied based on income below 150% poverty level. And the only requirement for that is to send the tax return, which they did. So I don't see how this is an issue of not sending enough evidence or documentation.

Hello ReR2015. My income is below 150% of the poverty threshold and hence I filed I-920 instead of sending a check.

Kindly add my application:

================================== 
Dallas/Lewisville, Texas Lockbox 
================================== 
UserName.........|GC-Date.|Sent.|Cashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int ltr..|Intrview.|Oath.....|Field Office..|NBC/IOE
Mishal...........|08/27/06|06/15|--/--|--/--|--/--/--|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Atlanta, GA...|...

Thanks.

Thanks. I will list info for 5 years.

Thanks Going through.

I am aware of the usage of N-470. I just don't understand why Attachment  C in The Guide to Naturalization does not allow for I-131 just like it allows for N-470.

Regarding filling out N-400, do I provide addresses, employment history, and trips of 24 hours of more outside of U.S. for last 5 years or 4 years+1 day?

In particular, the 'trips of 24 hours or more' section is problematic. It forces me to include June 12, 2013 - June 11, 2014 as days out. I was out all those 365 days. Obviously that is WHY I got the re-entry permit. But my total number of days out SINCE June 11, 2014 is roughly 45 days. I mention that because that ensures I meet both the physical presence test and continuous residence test comfortably. So do I put in the 365 days out or not? Or do I leave it out and write on the form that I am applying based on the 4 year+1 day rule? I believe some people who apply based on the 3 year rule (marriage to U.S. citizen spouse) list their days out of U.S. for the last 3 years only and point this out on the form because the form does not accommodate the 3 year rule by default.

Hello everyone,

I am about to apply for citizenship and my timeline is:

August 27, 2006 - landed in U.S. and became U.S. L.P.R.

2006 - 2009: moved in and out of U.S. and didn't maintain continuous residence for citizenship

2009: settled in U.S. and didn't travel out of U.S. until 2012

2012: got a job abroad and got re-entry permit before leaving

June 11, 2014: came back to U.S. before re-entry permit expired

2014 - 2018: didn't travel out of U.S. except for a few days here and there (1 day in Mexico, 3 days in Ireland, 3 days in Canada etc.)

June 12, 2018: should be able to apply for citizenship based on 4 year + 1 day rule (kindly correct me if I am wrong)

Here are my questions:

1. On M-476 A Guide to Naturalization the page before the last page, there is "Attachment C: I have been out of the country for one year or more". There it says, 'Since becoming a Permanent Resident, I have not taken a trip out of the United States that lasted for one year or more without an approved "Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes" (Form N-470)'. Then it indicates 'Not True' --> STOP --> You are not eligible to apply for naturalization. Problem is that I did stay out for more than a year. Kindly refer to my timeline. I did apply and get a re-entry permit (I-131). And I did come back before it expired. That was 4 years back. The wording in M-476 above does not allow for this. It says I must have had a N-470 which I didn't. What's going on?
2. Also on M-476, it says 'If you have taken any trip outside the United States that lasted 6 months or more since becoming a Lawful Permanent Resident, send evidence that you (and your family) continued to live, work and/or keep times to the United States, such as an IRS tax return transcript or an IRS-certified tax return listing tax information for the last 5 years (or for last 3 years...blah blah blah...not applicable to me since I am not applying based on marriage to U.S. citizen spouse)'. I filed taxes every year since 2007 (zero income in 2006) and I have already requested for tax return transcripts for the years 2014 - 2017 through the IRS website. But the option to obtain a 2013 transcript is not there online and I have to call them up and request it. In short, to get all 5 years' transcripts physically in my hand may take days, if not weeks. Must I wait for these before I send my n-400 application? Or can I just send my application without transcripts because I have been in the U.S. continuously for the last 4 years?

Thanks for reading.

Thanks to everyone for their replies. Bob, your reply was helpful in putting things into context, even though that means I will be waiting a lot longer for the citizenship but that's okay.

Nigel, you are not the friendliest person on the planet but I guess not everyone is. I will keep it at that.

No...Unless you can prove that you never abandon your us residency...such as filed taxes..own a house...kept us bank account...your family stayed here in the us throughout..

You didnt file a re-entry permit...

You didn't read my post properly. I never stayed out of US for more than a year. In fact, I always stayed out of US for LESS than a year. No wonder I was allowed back into US and I am right now IN USA! Why on Earth would I need a re-entry permit if I never stayed out of USA for more than a year?

As for filing taxes and all, yes I did file my taxes during those 3 years and my family did stay in US throughout and I did maintain a bank account in USA.

Please don't jump to conclusions.

As for Mr. Jason, you seem to be even more hasty. I went to Canada for my studies because I got my Canadian university offer of admission and student visa BEFORE I even got my US immigration visa and green card. And yes, Canadian universities can be a lot better than American universities depending on which two universities you are comparing. If you don't want to help, no one is forcing you to reply.

Harpa, thanks for your post. Do you have idea about the answer to my question? Thanks.