The story of my wife's oath ceremony

[mspencer 0]

My wife was scheduled tp appear for her oath ceremony at the courthouse for the District of Western New York at 8:00 A.M. on October 21, 2008, on Court Street in Buffalo, New York. Since it was early in the morning and we live 90 miles south of Buffalo, we stayed overnight in the impressive Adam's Mark Hotel four blocks away, a hotel which was inexpensive for a downtown hotel in a major city. Most of the 50 people who were there to take the oath showed up in good time, but surprisingly there were a small number of people who showed up 10 or 15 minutes late. The people there for their oath and their companions pretty much filled the court room.

As I waited with them, I could tell that a good many of the people there were very nervous (though they were very happy at the end).

Starting at 8:00 A.M. in the 6th floor courtroom where we met, the immigration officer in charge of the ceremony made many remarks explaining what would happen then, and then people were called forward one by one to the table in front to turn in their green card and the appointment letter, the letter which the people were supposed to fill out and sign that morning. There were questions to fill our on back of the letter asking for example if they had been arrested or travelled outside the country since their interview weeks before.

Then finally everyone was told to stand because the judge was coming in. The judge is a bankruptcy judge who made it obvious during the ceremony that he was delighted to help the people there become citizens of the United States. There were 50 people there from 30 countries to take the oath. For example there were half a dozen people from various African countries. Sitting to the left of us was a woman from Albania and right in front of us were a family from India.

Then the people were told to stand in the court and the oath was said. No one had to have memorized the oath, since every part was read to the people there and all they had to do was say "I do" to each part. Then each individual was called forward to receive their certificate of naturalization from the judge. Some people had brought cameras and those who came with them took their picture in front of the courtroom standing next to the judge and holding up their certificate of naturalization. The judge smiled the whole time as this was going on and greeted each person. And so the ceremony ended.

The only thing left for the people to do was to check their certificate of naturalization for errors, such as a misspelled name or the wrong birthday, and to sign it. If there was any error, they were told to bring it forward there and they would get a correct certificate that day or the next day. Quite a good singer, who in fact is the head lawyer for the city of Buffalo, sang patriotic songs such as the national anthem at one point during the ceremony. Off-hand, I would have thought this would be an unimpressive part of the ceremony, but this was a happy and likeable part of the ceremony.

At the end the people were very happy.

For my own part it was the end of four years of many forms and documents and much anxiety, which began after I married my wife in the Philippines. Right at the beginning, if she had not been given a visa to come to the United States, she would have been in the Philippines unable to come and I would have been in the United States.

During the next hour after we left the court room we had two copies of the naturalization certificate made at our hotel and then we went to the nearby downtown post office to apply for my wife's passport. The passport has to come from another government agency, the Department of State. The Department of State has a website that allows you to call up the passport application form and type in the answers by using the keyboard on your computer, and then to print it off. So we had this all ready. We didn't like the fact though that we had to send in the original copy of the naturalization certificate with the passport application form (though they were to send the certificate back to us, either with the passport of separately, at around the same time). I had called the passport office at the Department of State several days before and the information officer who answered the phone said that we would get the passport in a month, or in two weeks if I asked for it to be expedited (at twice the cost).

The next day we went to the Board of Elections for our county, Cattaraugus County, and gave them the voting registration form for my wife. The deadline for registering in time to vote in the Presidential election had been 2 weeks before, but there was a special exemption for those who had just become citizens, and they told us that my wife would be able to vote in the Presidential election, though it was just 2 weeks away.

I hope you find this helpful. I had wondered myself about many things concerning this event.

[haiti 0]

congratulations! I bet it has to feel good! Very soon I will be having the same feeling!

[Angel7422 0]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[Completely 3]

My wife was scheduled tp appear for her oath ceremony at the courthouse for the District of Western New York at 8:00 A.M. on October 21, 2008, on Court Street in Buffalo, New York. Since it was early in the morning and we live 90 miles south of Buffalo, we stayed overnight in the impressive Adam's Mark Hotel four blocks away, a hotel which was inexpensive for a downtown hotel in a major city. Most of the 50 people who were there to take the oath showed up in good time, but surprisingly there were a small number of people who showed up 10 or 15 minutes late. The people there for their oath and their companions pretty much filled the court room.

As I waited with them, I could tell that a good many of the people there were very nervous (though they were very happy at the end).

Starting at 8:00 A.M. in the 6th floor courtroom where we met, the immigration officer in charge of the ceremony made many remarks explaining what would happen then, and then people were called forward one by one to the table in front to turn in their green card and the appointment letter, the letter which the people were supposed to fill out and sign that morning. There were questions to fill our on back of the letter asking for example if they had been arrested or travelled outside the country since their interview weeks before.

Then finally everyone was told to stand because the judge was coming in. The judge is a bankruptcy judge who made it obvious during the ceremony that he was delighted to help the people there become citizens of the United States. There were 50 people there from 30 countries to take the oath. For example there were half a dozen people from various African countries. Sitting to the left of us was a woman from Albania and right in front of us were a family from India.

Then the people were told to stand in the court and the oath was said. No one had to have memorized the oath, since every part was read to the people there and all they had to do was say "I do" to each part. Then each individual was called forward to receive their certificate of naturalization from the judge. Some people had brought cameras and those who came with them took their picture in front of the courtroom standing next to the judge and holding up their certificate of naturalization. The judge smiled the whole time as this was going on and greeted each person. And so the ceremony ended.

The only thing left for the people to do was to check their certificate of naturalization for errors, such as a misspelled name or the wrong birthday, and to sign it. If there was any error, they were told to bring it forward there and they would get a correct certificate that day or the next day. Quite a good singer, who in fact is the head lawyer for the city of Buffalo, sang patriotic songs such as the national anthem at one point during the ceremony. Off-hand, I would have thought this would be an unimpressive part of the ceremony, but this was a happy and likeable part of the ceremony.

At the end the people were very happy.

For my own part it was the end of four years of many forms and documents and much anxiety, which began after I married my wife in the Philippines. Right at the beginning, if she had not been given a visa to come to the United States, she would have been in the Philippines unable to come and I would have been in the United States.

During the next hour after we left the court room we had two copies of the naturalization certificate made at our hotel and then we went to the nearby downtown post office to apply for my wife's passport. The passport has to come from another government agency, the Department of State. The Department of State has a website that allows you to call up the passport application form and type in the answers by using the keyboard on your computer, and then to print it off. So we had this all ready. We didn't like the fact though that we had to send in the original copy of the naturalization certificate with the passport application form (though they were to send the certificate back to us, either with the passport of separately, at around the same time). I had called the passport office at the Department of State several days before and the information officer who answered the phone said that we would get the passport in a month, or in two weeks if I asked for it to be expedited (at twice the cost).

The next day we went to the Board of Elections for our county, Cattaraugus County, and gave them the voting registration form for my wife. The deadline for registering in time to vote in the Presidential election had been 2 weeks before, but there was a special exemption for those who had just become citizens, and they told us that my wife would be able to vote in the Presidential election, though it was just 2 weeks away.

I hope you find this helpful. I had wondered myself about many things concerning this event.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

[KC♥MP 0]

Congratulations!!! :dance:

[Yaads 0]

Congratulations! Isn't it a great feeling to be done?!

[antda 13]

Hi Mspencer,

Congratulations, Mspencer on your wife becoming a US Citizen recently!

Thanks too, for your very detailed post about your wife's Oath Ceremony experience. I found this review very helpful, indeed! I found it especially helpful since when I become a USC (next year or the year after), I will be in the same Buffalo courthouse, and I will more or less have the same oath experience as you and your wife had described in detail.

So based on your post I definitely know more of what to expect when my turn comes then. Thank you!

Ant (Still waiting at the VSC for the I-751...)

My wife was scheduled tp appear for her oath ceremony at the courthouse for the District of Western New York at 8:00 A.M. on October 21, 2008, on Court Street in Buffalo, New York. Since it was early in the morning and we live 90 miles south of Buffalo, we stayed overnight in the impressive Adam's Mark Hotel four blocks away, a hotel which was inexpensive for a downtown hotel in a major city. Most of the 50 people who were there to take the oath showed up in good time, but surprisingly there were a small number of people who showed up 10 or 15 minutes late. The people there for their oath and their companions pretty much filled the court room.

As I waited with them, I could tell that a good many of the people there were very nervous (though they were very happy at the end).

Starting at 8:00 A.M. in the 6th floor courtroom where we met, the immigration officer in charge of the ceremony made many remarks explaining what would happen then, and then people were called forward one by one to the table in front to turn in their green card and the appointment letter, the letter which the people were supposed to fill out and sign that morning. There were questions to fill our on back of the letter asking for example if they had been arrested or travelled outside the country since their interview weeks before.

Then finally everyone was told to stand because the judge was coming in. The judge is a bankruptcy judge who made it obvious during the ceremony that he was delighted to help the people there become citizens of the United States. There were 50 people there from 30 countries to take the oath. For example there were half a dozen people from various African countries. Sitting to the left of us was a woman from Albania and right in front of us were a family from India.

Then the people were told to stand in the court and the oath was said. No one had to have memorized the oath, since every part was read to the people there and all they had to do was say "I do" to each part. Then each individual was called forward to receive their certificate of naturalization from the judge. Some people had brought cameras and those who came with them took their picture in front of the courtroom standing next to the judge and holding up their certificate of naturalization. The judge smiled the whole time as this was going on and greeted each person. And so the ceremony ended.

The only thing left for the people to do was to check their certificate of naturalization for errors, such as a misspelled name or the wrong birthday, and to sign it. If there was any error, they were told to bring it forward there and they would get a correct certificate that day or the next day. Quite a good singer, who in fact is the head lawyer for the city of Buffalo, sang patriotic songs such as the national anthem at one point during the ceremony. Off-hand, I would have thought this would be an unimpressive part of the ceremony, but this was a happy and likeable part of the ceremony.

At the end the people were very happy.

For my own part it was the end of four years of many forms and documents and much anxiety, which began after I married my wife in the Philippines. Right at the beginning, if she had not been given a visa to come to the United States, she would have been in the Philippines unable to come and I would have been in the United States.

During the next hour after we left the court room we had two copies of the naturalization certificate made at our hotel and then we went to the nearby downtown post office to apply for my wife's passport. The passport has to come from another government agency, the Department of State. The Department of State has a website that allows you to call up the passport application form and type in the answers by using the keyboard on your computer, and then to print it off. So we had this all ready. We didn't like the fact though that we had to send in the original copy of the naturalization certificate with the passport application form (though they were to send the certificate back to us, either with the passport of separately, at around the same time). I had called the passport office at the Department of State several days before and the information officer who answered the phone said that we would get the passport in a month, or in two weeks if I asked for it to be expedited (at twice the cost).

The next day we went to the Board of Elections for our county, Cattaraugus County, and gave them the voting registration form for my wife. The deadline for registering in time to vote in the Presidential election had been 2 weeks before, but there was a special exemption for those who had just become citizens, and they told us that my wife would be able to vote in the Presidential election, though it was just 2 weeks away.

I hope you find this helpful. I had wondered myself about many things concerning this event.

Edited November 2, 2008 by AntandD

[NigerLA 1]

Congratulations!!! Very detailed experience, and the end to a long and very expensive journey for you. Wishing you all the best.

[virginian 0]

Congratulations to your wife!

[raymaga 25]

Congrats and best wishes to you both. It is a very nice feeling to know you are finally done!!!

Don't forget to go to the SSA office with your Naturalization Certificate to "update" your status with them.

[Jonesie 1]

Congrats - and thanks for posting! We will be taking this part of our journey next year

[Sand 5]

Congrats