mishab

Finally the oath ceremony is this Wednesday. I have the Form DS-3053 (Statement of Consent from the non-applying parent/guardian) in my possession and ready to go to the post office right after the ceremony. the passport application has been filled out. I am super excited and can't wait.

I will bring the kids with me to the post office, but I am not clear how my certificate can be used for three applications? will they make a photocopy of the certificate and include it with my child passport applications?

Oxana

Here is an update on our case. You might recall me writing that during my interview I was asked to show evidence that our marriage is legit and was asked to submit the supporting information.

The timeline

- The interview was on 1/30

- Documents sent via USPS to local INS office on 1/31

- Documents received by the local INS office: 2/1

- Text from INS stating the documents were received: 3/6

- Text from INS stating that the oath ceremony was scheduled: 3/16

Not sure how long it will take to know the oath date, but I am hoping to have the ceremony scheduled for mid April.

Hope this helps other September filers who were asked to submit support documentation.

Post citizenship interview. Mailed via USPS on 1/30. USCIS received on 2/2.

Thank you all for your replies.

I just want to say that it I would find it suspicious if I had my husband's driver license with me. She could have asked me to text him and let him come upstairs and give me the license, but to ask me for to show his license, when such a requirement was not part of the list of required documents, is unfair. Again, I brought everything that was listed on the yellow and the interview invitation letters.

Anyway, all we can do now is to wait and see. Hope it wont take too long for them to make the decision.

Greetings,

It has been more than a week since we mailed the requested documents to the San Francisco USCIS office with proof that our marital union is legitimate and have not heard back. Any idea how long it takes to review the documents and make the decision? How will the USCIS notify us about the decision? What happens if the proof is not sufficient?

This is post interview document request.

TBoneTX: Of course we sent the requested information as soon as I got home. I feel frustrated that I have brought every piece of document the INS asked for, but not a single document was looked at. Instead the officer asked for my husband's driver license. How would I know to bring it? How would my husband be without a license? Is this some sort of a trick they use to see if we live together and I have access to his driver license?

First of all compared to my GC interview 3 years ago, today's citizenship interview was a disaster. I start by saying that I arrived at the office at 20 minutes before my appointment. I spent more than 2 hours in the waiting area before my name was called.

The first thing the immigration officer asked was my husband's driver license and joint bank statements. I said I do not have my husband's driver license as it was not in the list of documents needed for the interview. The officer asked where my husband is and i replied waiting outside. She seemed satisfied.

We went over the application. She had a strong accent and my English is still under development, so it was hard to understand each other. She asked "Your husband was married two times?" I said yes. She said that on the application I put "that he was married once". I said yes, he was married once before, but is married now to me. She was not happy with my answer and started asking me more about his previous marriage. For example she asked if i know the name of his former wife and whether I have met her. I politely answered that I know the name and that we have never met.

When we got to the "trips taken outside the country", the interview got pretty ugly. She was asking me why i have travelled so frequently and the duration of the stay outside was a concern. I said that during summer I travel home so the kids can spend time with their biological father and I spend time with my family. She did not like that. She was asking how my husband feels about me being away for ~3 month per year. I said he is fine, in fact he comes to see us and we travel together.

Then the officer started asking questions if my husband and I ever separated. I said no. But it felt like that her opinion was already made up because I spend several months per year away.

She was asking tricky questions about the children such as "Does your husband have children?" I said no and she replied: "What about your daughters?" I said my husband is their step-father, but they have biological father who lives abroad and they travel to the home country to be with him. That is the verbal agreement. She did not like that either.

What is funny is that she did not look at any of the documents that I brought with me: marriage cert, divorce papers, etc. It does seem as if she already put a red flag next to my travel and wanted to dig deep into that.

Anyway, i passed the civic and english tests without any issues and was told to provide additional evidence about legitimacy of my marriage.

If you do not know our story:

The interview letter got lost in the mail and the interview date and time was known only after calling the INS.

We finally got the official letter few days ago stating that the interview is this Friday (1/30) and after looking at the list of documents to bring to the interview have realized that we do not have the original divorce papers for my husband (US citizen). I found a copy (at least it looks like a b/w copy) of the divorce decree, which might as well be the original. I simply do not know. My husband does not remember if any of the stamps or signatures on the divorce decree were in color, but the one we have looks and feels like a copy.

We probably have time to run to city hall to get the official copy or take the chance and see if this one will work. Note: a copy of this divorce decree was sent along with all forms going back 4+ years, so there should be no surprises.

What should we do?

Thanks JimmyHou Took your advise and called them. They said the interview is scheduled for 1/30 (less than 3 weeks from now) and I should have received the letter. They are resending the interview letter.

N-400 Sept Filers

======================================
USCIS Dallas/Lewisville, Texas Lockbox
======================================

UserName......|GC-Date.|Sent.|ChkCashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|Field Office
Freyja........|12/10/09|09/02|??/??/14|09/13|10/03/14|10/07/14.|12/08/14.|01/12/15.|--/--/--.|Charlotte, NC
Claytlin......|08/22/11|09/02|09/08/14|09/08|09/23/14|09/25/14.|12/19/14.|01/28/15.|--/--/--.|Jax, FL
kks25.........|08/11/09|09/02|09/11/14|09/16|09/23/14|10/14/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Atlanta, GA
IARP..........|11/30/09|09/01|09/05/14|09/11|09/29/14|10/31/14.|11/07/14.|12/09/14.|01/09/15.|Buffalo, NY
Willow6.......|07/28/11|09/03|09/11/14|09/20|10/02/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Memphis, TN
AlmostDone....|11/03/11|09/05|09/11/14|09/08|10/10/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Don't know yet
Atm...........|05/25/11|09/09|09/16/14|09/11|10/08/14|10/10/14.|01/05/15.|02/06/15.|--/--/--.|New York, NY
BoyRideFree...|12/11/09|09/12|09/22/14|09/26|10/15/14|11/11/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|New York, NY
marco7........|11/11/11|09/13|09/15/14|09/16|10/07/14|10/20/14.|12/15/14.|01/22/15.|--/--/--.|Memphis, TN
kongo.........|12/15/11|09/13|09/19/14|09/24|10/17/14|11/17/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Houston, TX (Early bio 10/10/14)
WRS123........|12/01/09|09/18|--/--/14|--/--|10/24/14|11/03/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Baltimore, MD (Early bio 10/16/14)
Dordor........|12/19/09|09/22|??/??/14|09/26|10/24/14|11/19/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Dallas, TX

================================
USCIS Phoenix, Arizona Lockbox
================================

UserName......|GC-Date.|Sent.|ChkCashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int Ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|Field Office
kmzrtl........|04/13/95|08/29|09/08/14|09/11|10/09/14|10/13/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Riverside, CA
Lollo.........|12/02/11|09/04|09/17/14|09/15|10/07/14|11/03/14.|11/04/14.|12/08/14.|01/21/15.|Sacramento, CA
Caramella.....|12/02/11|09/04|--/--/14|--/--|10/17/14|--/--/--.|12/08/14.|01/13/15.|--/--/--.|San Francisco, CA
Nonchalante...|09/19/11|09/04|09/11/14|09/09|10/01/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|St. Louis, MO
kzielu........|11/21/11|09/11|09/16/14|09/15|10/09/14|10/21/14.|--/--/--.|12/02/14.|12/29/14.|Cincinnati, OH
Alisya....... |10/24/04|09/11|09/15/14|09/17|10/06/14|10/08/14.|10/29/14.|12/01/14.|01/16/15.|Tucson, AZ
Ileana19......|07/18/11|09/15|09/20/14|09/24|10/17/14|10/21/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Santa Ana, CA
Jill Fikkert..|12/13/11|09/16|??/??/14|09/26|10/15/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Fresno, CA
Dr Mirage.....|02/15/11|09/16|09/24/14|09/18|10/15/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|02/03/15.|--/--/--.|San Fernando Valley, CA
PAGE 11.......|12/05/11|09/16|09/23/14|09/26|10/17/14|11/05/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Fresno, CA
Wizzle........|12/12/11|09/18|09/24/14|09/29|01/02/15|10/29/14.|01/09/15.|02/10/15.|--/--/--.|Indianapolis, IN
bevmo.........|06/25/07|09/18|09/24/14|09/26|10/14/14|10/23/14.|12/15/14.|01/23/15.|--/--/--.|San Francisco, CA
Jojolicious...|11/30/11|09/20|MoneyOrd|09/24|--/--/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Chicago, IL
Courage.......|10/26/09|09/23|09/30/14|10/04|10/24/14|10/28/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Denver, CO
Rachel Chen...|12/22/11|09/24|10/01/14|10/04|10/21/14|11/24/14.|12/06/14.|01/05/15.|01/21/15.|Sacramento, CA
ch0207........|09/20/09|09/25|--/--/--|--/--|--/--/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|San Francisco, CA
mishab........|12/05/11|09/29|10/01/14|10/01|10/29/14|11/12/14.|01/12/15.|01/30/15.|--/--/--.|San Francisco, CA

===========================================================================
USCIS Lincoln, Nebraska Lockbox (Filing Under 319b, 328, or 329 of the INA)
===========================================================================
UserName......|GC-Date.|Sent.|ChkCashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int Ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|Field Office
Name .........|--/--/--|--/--|--/--/14|--/--|--/--/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Field Office, State


Instructions for adding/updating yourself (or assisting others) to this list:
1. DO NOT DELETE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
2. Please make sure you are using Rich Text Editor as your message setting.
3. Click "Quote" on the most recent/updated posting version of this list.
4. Remove the "Quote Coding" at the top and bottom of the list.
5. Always use [Courier New] Font and font size.[12]
6. Make changes and Add Reply.
7. Red Font="I'm A United States Citizen"!

Legend:

GC-Date: The 'Resident Since' Date located on your first green card
Sent: Date N-400 was mailed to USCIS
ChkCashd: Date your check was cashed by USCIS
NOA: Date you received the official I-797 notification in the mail about case acceptance
Fprints: Date assigned for fingerprinting
In Line: Date you received e-notification about in line for interview
Int Ltr: Date you received the official letter in the mail regarding interview
Intview: Date of your interview
Oath: Date Oath taken
Field Office: Your local USCIS office where you would be doing the N-400 interview

Still nothing. The interview letter probably lost in the mail.

Early Monday morning we got an email notification that the interview date has been set but no date was given. As of today, the letter with the date has not been received. I would assume the notification processes is fully automated and no human action is required. Unless I am wrong and the person who licks the envelope is on Christmas break.

After looking at the timeline of other vj users, it seems the interview is scheduled about 30 days after the interview letter is received. It would really suck to miss the interview.

I want to apply for citizenship for my children age 12 and 15 as soon as I have my Naturalization Certificate and I plan to do it at the passport office.

1) Can I apply for my passport and my children passports at the same time?

2) My understanding is that my Green Card will be taken away at the oath ceremony and replaced with the Naturalization Certificate. But when my children green cards will be taken away?

Thanks,

mishaB

Also received notification today - In line for interview.

N-400 Sept Filers

got the yellow letter in the mail today.

Thank you for suggesting to use the uscis online tool. I realized that I already have an account with the INS . So I updated my portfolio and hopefully will get a text update soon.

I noticed folks posting "Got email/text status update..." How do you sign up for the updates? I do not recall providing my email address anywhere on N400. Is it something I can do now (after sending the N400) or is it too late?

I see few folks are inline for the interview but the date field is empty. The INS sends you text stating that you are inline for interview, but they do not give you the interview date? Is that what is going on?

N-400 Sept Filers

======================================

USCIS Dallas/Lewisville, Texas Lockbox
======================================

UserName......|GC-Date.|Sent.|ChkCashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|Field Office
Freyja........|12/10/09|09/02|??/??/14|09/13|10/03/14|10/07/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Charlotte, NC
Claytlin......|08/22/11|09/02|09/08/14|09/08|09/23/14|09/25/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Jax, FL
kks25.........|08/11/09|09/02|09/11/14|09/16|09/23/14|10/14/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Atlanta, GA
IARP..........|11/30/09|??/??|09/05/14|09/11|09/29/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Buffalo, NY
Willow6.......|07/28/11|09/03|09/11/14|09/20|10/02/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Memphis, TN
AlmostDone....|11/03/11|09/05|09/11/14|09/08|10/10/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Don't know yet
Atm...........|05/25/11|09/09|09/16/14|09/11|10/08/14|10/10/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|New York, NY
BoyRideFree...|12/11/09|09/12|09/22/14|09/26|10/15/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|New York, NY
marco7........|11/11/11|09/13|09/15/14|09/16|10/07/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Memphis, TN
kongo.........|12/15/11|09/13|09/19/14|09/24|10/17/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Houston, TX

Dordor........|12/19/09|09/22|??/??/14|09/26|10/24/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Dallas, TX

================================
USCIS Phoenix, Arizona Lockbox
================================

UserName......|GC-Date.|Sent.|ChkCashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int Ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|Field Office
kmzrtl........|04/13/95|08/29|09/08/14|09/11|10/09/14|10/13/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Riverside, CA
Lollo.........|12/02/11|09/04|09/17/14|09/15|10/07/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Sacramento, CA
Caramella.....|12/02/11|09/04|--/--/14|--/--|10/17/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|San Francisco, CA
Nonchalante...|09/19/11|09/04|09/11/14|09/09|--/--/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|St. Louis, MO
kzielu........|11/21/11|09/11|09/16/14|09/15|10/09/14|10/21/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Cincinnati, OH
Ileana19......|07/18/11|09/15|09/20/14|09/24|10/17/14|10/21/14.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Santa Ana, CA
Jill Fikkert..|12/13/11|09/16|??/??/14|09/26|10/15/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Fresno, CA
drmirage......|02/15/11|09/16|09/24/14|09/18|--/--/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|San Fernando Valley, CA
PAGE 11.......|12/05/11|09/16|09/23/14|09/26|10/17/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Fresno, CA
Wizzle........|12/12/11|09/18|09/24/14|09/29|--/--/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Indianapolis, IN
bevmo.........|06/25/07|09/18|09/24/14|09/26|10/14/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|San Francisco, CA

Jojolicious...|11/30/11|09/20|MoneyOrd|09/24|--/--/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Chicago, IL

Courage.......|10/26/09|09/23|09/30/14|10/04|10/24/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Denver, CO
Rachel Chen...|12/22/11|09/24|10/01/14|10/04|10/21/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Sacramento, CA
ch0207........|09/20/09|09/25|--/--/--|--/--|--/--/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|San Francisco, CA
mishab........|12/05/11|09/29|10/01/14|10/01|10/29/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|San Francisco, CA

===========================================================================
USCIS Lincoln, Nebraska Lockbox (Filing Under 319b, 328, or 329 of the INA)
===========================================================================
UserName......|GC-Date.|Sent.|ChkCashd|NOA..|Fprints.|In Line..|Int Ltr..|Intview..|Oath.....|Field Office
Name .........|--/--/--|--/--|--/--/14|--/--|--/--/14|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|--/--/--.|Field Office, State


Instructions for adding/updating yourself (or assisting others) to this list:
1. DO NOT DELETE THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
2. Please make sure you are using Rich Text Editor as your message setting.
3. Click "Quote" on the most recent/updated posting version of this list.
4. Remove the "Quote Coding" at the top and bottom of the list.
5. Always use [Courier New] Font and font size.[12]
6. Make changes and Add Reply.
7. Red Font="I'm A United States Citizen"!

Legend:

GC-Date: The 'Resident Since' Date located on your first green card
Sent: Date N-400 was mailed to USCIS
ChkCashd: Date your check was cashed by USCIS
NOA: Date you received the official I-797 notification in the mail about case acceptance
Fprints: Date assigned for fingerprinting
In Line: Date you received e-notification about your interview date
Int Ltr: Date you received the official letter in the mail regarding interview
Intview: Date of your interview
Oath: Date Oath taken
Field Office: Your local USCIS office where you would be doing the N-400 interview

Here is an update:

- Yesterday went to the local branch where the account was first opened. Spoke to the manager on duty. He called somewhere and after numerous "yes" and "I understand", he said that he was not given much information other than listed in the letter and there is nothing he can do.

He reiterated that most likely citibank flagged my wife's account due to large amount of cash deposits. Upon my detailed explanation on why we did this, he suggested to use wire transfers instead of cash deposits.

We opened another account across the street without any issues.

Not sure if this is the right place to post this question, but considering where we are in the immigration process, this seems to be the right place.

On 9/26 my wife sent out the N400 and on 10/1 we got the first NOA. So far no red flags and we are hopeful to complete the immigration journey before the end of March.

Well, last night my wife and I got 2 separate letters from Citibank stating that “based on a recent review of your relationship with Citibank we have determined that we can no longer service your account and it will be closed on 11/3”. Since I have never received anything remotely similar, I called the 800 number found in the letter and the customer service rep suggested that I call the local branch for further info. However they gave me a hint that their decision is based on the cash activity in the account.

This morning I called the local branch and spoke to the branch manager. She did not give me much additional information, but also hinted that the decision is due to suspicious cash activity with the wife’s account. And since her name is on the join account, that account is also affected. The branch manager asked silly questions such as “how we use the joint account” and “what is the purpose of the joint account”. Other than that she said that the best thing to do is to come to the branch tomorrow and have a call the office and get more information. She genuinely sounded clueless. Of course I could not refrain from asking the key question, whether my wife and I are permanently banned from Citibank and to my surprise the answer was: Yes, regarding my wife and No regarding me. That sounded alarming.

My guess on the cause:

Soon after my wife’s arrival the USA (3 years ago) we went to open 2 Citibank accounts: one individual and one joint. Few weeks after that my wife decided to withdraw cash from the Russian bank using the ATM and deposit the funds into her account. She kept doing this on and off once or twice per month. The amount ranged between 1K – 10K to cover every day expenses as well as annual payments to private schools. The Citibank’s $3 service fee is much lower than the 1% charged for the same transaction made via a teller, so she kept doing this. She would deposit money immediately into her Citibank account via the same ATM.

I recall receiving a call from Citibank asking about these transactions. I explained that we are transferring the money from Russia using the ATM. The concern was about the transaction that close to 10K. And I was asked whether this is done to avoid reporting this to the IRS. I said no – we do this strictly out of convenience. The bank sent us a form, which we filled out and returned back to the bank. I believed the matter was resolved.

Back in March of this year after the first wave of US sanctions against Russia was announced, my wife did a massive sweep and withdrew the remaining amount (larger than usual) and deposited into the account. The sweep took a week and it was done simply of fear of not being able to withdraw the cash in the future. Plus the RUS rouble started showing first signs of decline. This was a family decision and I was fully supportive of that.

I do not believe we broke any laws here. The bank supposedly will issue a cashier check tomorrow and hopefully we would be able to open another account with another bank.

We probably will never know the “official” explanation on why the accounts were flagged and soon to be closed, but if anything, the above is the only scenario I can think of.

My questions are:

• Has anyone run into similar issues? What did you do?
• What should we do to resolve this. Having being banned from the largest US bank is a serious thing.
• Our credit reports are perfect. Not sure if this issue will somehow affect this. Obviously getting home loan from Citibank will be problematic.
• Any reason to think that my wife will be banned from other banks?
• Is there a slight chance this matter can surface during the n400 processing? (this probably should be the top question.)

Thanks

Awesome! Thank you for your reply kzielu. Do you think when end of November comes, your paperwork will be on top of the pile and your interview will be scheduled soon after?

I wonder why the government allows n400 submission to be mailed 90 days prior to the eligibility date? My understanding is that the earliest when the INS will review the n400 is after the eligibility date and not before. Is there a chance I can get the biometrics appointment before my eligibility date?

Anyway, my 3 years anniversary of having the GC is 12/12/14 and we have mailed out the n400 last Saturday. The check was cashed today

Based on the immigration timeline, I should have my interview in Feb 2015. Can't wait...

Silly question: Can I travel abroad after submitting N400? I do not intend to take long trips - just going to Canada or Mexico for a weekend.

Thank you.