N-400 December filers

farah2005 · June 19, 2009

Congratulations, alwayswin!!!
Name..............SentDate....NOA1.......Biodate....Interview...Oath.... Center..LocalOffice.....CheckCashed

shadow_dog........12/01/08....12/05/08...12/31/08...04/13/09....05/20/09...NBC....Chicago.........??/??/??

samsbs............12/01/08....12/23/08...01/14/09...03/20/09....05/05/09...CSC....San_Francisco...12/24/08

broma25...........12/01/08....12/15/08...01/03/09...04/10/09....04/24/09...VSC....Philadelphia....12/12/08

farah2005.......12/01/08.....12/12/08....04/13/09....06/19/09..06/24/09...TSC...oakland park,FL..12/09/08

so2008............12/02/08....12/16/08...01/03/09...xx/xx/xx....xx/xx/xx...TSC....Tampa...........12/15/08

maimai............12/02/08....12/08/08...12/31/08...03/18/09....04/24/09...CSC....Phoenix.........12/12/08

sheepnfish........12/03/08....12/29/08...02/12/09...04/09/09....xx/xx/xx...VSC....St_Albans.......????????

maz...............12/03/08....12/13/08...12/30/08...04/09/09....04/21/09...NBC....Chicago.........12/11/08

Cargo.............12/06/08....12/22/08...01/20/09...04/06/09....05/21/09...CSC....San_Jose........12/23/08

Poppinslp.........12/10/08....12/22/08...01/23/09...04/06/09....04/29/09...TSC....Fort Lauderdale.12/23/08

blessings2us......12/10/08....12/22/08...01/21/09...03/12/09....03/16/09...NBC....Portland........12/22/08

Stella08..........12/10/08....12/19/08...01/13/09...03/17/09....04/24/09...NBC....Washington,DC...12/22/08

ChinaBabe.........12/12/08....12/23/08...01/14/09...04/27/09....04/30/09...TSC....Atlanta,GA......12/24/08

Coquette..........12/12/08....12/30/09...01/30/09...04/28/09....xx/xx/xx...VSC....Norfolk, VA.....01/08/09

NigerLA...........12/13/08....12/23/08...01/07/09...05/13/09....07/02/09...NYC....................12/22/08

rilian............12/16/08....01/09/09...01/27/09...03/20/09....05/05/09...CSC....San_Francisco...01/08/09

Jackjack..........12/17/08....12/27/08...01/14/09...03/12/09....03/17/09...VSC....Boston..........12/26/08

ptrober...........12/17/08....12/31/08...01/22/09...03/10/09....04/16/09...NSC....Cincinnati......01/05/09

radacos...........12/17/08....12/30/08...02/23/09...05/05/09....xx/xx/xx...NSC....Seattle.........12/31/08

alwayswin.........12/18/08....12/31/08...01/23/09...04/15/09....06/17/09...VSC....Buffalo,NY......01/02/09

Debra&John........12/18/08....12/31/08...01/22/09...04/30/09....05/07/09...NSC....Seattle.........01/06/09

DoxATL............12/23/08....12/29/08...04/30/09...06/22/09....xx/xx/xx...TSC....Atlanta.........01/06/09

skoopie...........12/24/08....12/29/08...01/24/09...04/21/09....04/21/09...VSC....Newark,NJ.......01/06/09

den_y2005.........12/24/08....01/05/09...xx/xx/xx...04/27/09....06/26/09...CSC....Santa_Ana.......01/05/09

edandying.........12/27/08....01/07/09...01/29/09...04/20/09....xx/xx/xx...NSC....Chicago.........01/08/09

jamieswith........12/29/08....01/02/09...xx/xx/xx...04/06/09....04/22/09...TSC....Houston.........01/06/09

Kunjal27..........12/29/08....01/02/09...01/30/09...04/28/09....04/28/09...TSC....Atlanta.........01/06/09

Aizi..............12/29/08....01/05/09...02/03/09...04/23/09....04/23/09...VSC....Newark,NJ.......01/12/09

Updating my status,

After the interview was over, I had to wait 1h for the oath letter.

antda · June 19, 2009

Hi Alwayswin,

First of all...Congratulations on being a new US Citizen, Alwayswin!.... :dance:

Thank you, for writing your oath ceremony experience here on VJ, and glad that all went well there on your special day. This is definitely helpful to everyone here on VJ, and for me especially, as I will be going through a similar experience at the same place in Buffalo, NY (the federal courthouse?) sometime soon (early 2010). Thanks too, for the extra tips and information regarding what to do about the passport afterwards.

Good luck too, with your new marriage and good luck with your wife's future immigration journey too.

Enjoy your new citizenship certificate (glad you had no problems getting that updated) and the rights and responsibilities that come with US Citizenship as well!

Ant

P.S. Did you have to bring any other additional documents to you when you had your ceremony? Did they take any of those documents away? As well, how long beforehand did you have to wait until they actually started the ceremony? Did you have to wait after the ceremony? Do they allow cameras there? Where there any kids/children (particularly, babies) at there too?

Took the oath on June 18th. 9 AM to 11 AM total 2 hours ceremony. Nothing special, just as everybody else's oath ceremony. Total 50 new citizens from 32 countries. 2-3 speeches, 2-3 songs etc, got the voter's registration form, a small U.S flag, county clerk gave info abt enhanced driver's icense and applying for passport. Here was something interesting. She said that the county clerk's office is a competitor of the postoffice for passport applications. And if you apply at the county clerk's office, the money remains in the county and is used for making your area better So i might apply for my passport there.
Before the judge came, during the check-in process, I told the immigration officer that I got married after the interview and she asked me if I had a copy of the marriage certificate. I said yes (got married in India and couldn't get the marriage registration certificate by court in time before I had my return flight so my dad received it later and had sent me a scanned copy by email and I had the printout). Then she said that the naturalization certificate shows the marital status on it so the certificate we have with us right now will be given to you during the oath ceremony, but after this is over, you can come to the office with us and we will print out a new certificate for you with the correct marital status and put the copy of your marriage certificate in the file so that they know why we changed it. And she added, that you have to get it done today coz if you don't then your file will be closed and then to get it done later on, you will have to pay some fees.

So after the ceremony, I went to the office and they gave me the new naturalization certificate with the corrected marital status in 5 minutes.

Hope all this info helps other people in future.

My immigration journey ends here and my wife's will start soon

Edited June 19, 2009 by AntandD

alwayswin · June 19, 2009

Hi Alwayswin,
First of all...Congratulations on being a new US Citizen, Alwayswin!....

Thank you, for writing your oath ceremony experience here on VJ, and glad that all went well there on your special day. This is definitely helpful to everyone here on VJ, and for me especially, as I will be going through a similar experience at the same place in Buffalo, NY (the federal courthouse?) sometime soon (early 2010). Thanks too, for the extra tips and information regarding what to do about the passport afterwards.

Good luck too, with your new marriage and good luck with your wife's future immigration journey too.

Enjoy your new citizenship certificate (glad you had no problems getting that updated) and the rights and responsibilities that come with US Citizenship as well!

Ant

P.S. Did you have to bring any other additional documents to you when you had your ceremony? Did they take any of those documents away? As well, how long beforehand did you have to wait until they actually started the ceremony? Did you have to wait after the ceremony? Do they allow cameras there? Where there any kids/children (particularly, babies) at there too?

Took the oath on June 18th. 9 AM to 11 AM total 2 hours ceremony. Nothing special, just as everybody else's oath ceremony. Total 50 new citizens from 32 countries. 2-3 speeches, 2-3 songs etc, got the voter's registration form, a small U.S flag, county clerk gave info abt enhanced driver's icense and applying for passport. Here was something interesting. She said that the county clerk's office is a competitor of the postoffice for passport applications. And if you apply at the county clerk's office, the money remains in the county and is used for making your area better So i might apply for my passport there.
Before the judge came, during the check-in process, I told the immigration officer that I got married after the interview and she asked me if I had a copy of the marriage certificate. I said yes (got married in India and couldn't get the marriage registration certificate by court in time before I had my return flight so my dad received it later and had sent me a scanned copy by email and I had the printout). Then she said that the naturalization certificate shows the marital status on it so the certificate we have with us right now will be given to you during the oath ceremony, but after this is over, you can come to the office with us and we will print out a new certificate for you with the correct marital status and put the copy of your marriage certificate in the file so that they know why we changed it. And she added, that you have to get it done today coz if you don't then your file will be closed and then to get it done later on, you will have to pay some fees.

So after the ceremony, I went to the office and they gave me the new naturalization certificate with the corrected marital status in 5 minutes.

Hope all this info helps other people in future.

My immigration journey ends here and my wife's will start soon

Thanks for your good wishes Ant. My oath ceremony was at 25 Nottingham ct in the Buffalo and Erie county historical society building (and they also gave free passes for the whole family after the ceremony and they are valid until sep. 1st ). One is required to take only the oath letter (which is actually Form N-445 with 7 questions about any status change since the interview) and the green card to the oath ceremony. They take the green card away (permanently) during the check-in process before the ceremony starts. The ceremony start time was stated as 9 AM on the letter. I reached at 8:50. At 9 they started the check-in process and gave instructions about what to expect during the next hour. All this went on for about 30-45 min. and then the judge came and the actual ceremony started which lasted exactly upto 11 AM. There was no wait after the ceremony was over and everybody was free to either leave or see around the building and do whatever. Cameras are allowed (actually, no security check at all and everybody just walked in the building like when going to a party). Yes there were kids and babies at the ceremony.

Best wishes in advance for your application process.

Edited June 19, 2009 by alwayswin

antda · June 19, 2009

Hi Alwayswin,

You're welcome about the good wishes. Thanks again for your helpful reply in answering my questions here. I was surprised that you mentioned that your ceremony was at the historical society, as I always thought that it was at the federal courthouse downtown. I guess they change locations from time to time, and you're lucky that you got to go somewhere else instead (the historical society is overall better than the courthouse anyways, and there's free parking there too, from what I've read about it). That's a great bonus as well, that you got passes to visit there too. It sure will be a fun outing for you, your wife, and your family to go to there afterwards and then remember your historical citizenship experience there. Hmmmm....I wonder it was a special occasion, only at certain times of the year, that they did the ceremony at the historical society instead of the courthouse? Maybe that's why you had to wait extra longer to have your ceremony done now in June instead of April after your interview approval?

It's good that the check-in process (no security checks, that's even better) was quick and simple for you, and that you had no problems during your ceremony afterwards. One more question about that: Were you and your family separated into different rooms/areas and/or seated at different places before and during the ceremony? Good too, that you were free to stay or leave afterwards, cameras, and that kids were allowed (I plan on bringing our baby, so I was wondering about this too).

Good luck too, in getting your US passport and with updating the SSA afterwards. By the way, if you want to get a NYS EDL (which is also another good proof to have of US Citizenship while you are waiting for your passport, and good for land travelling to Canada and Mexico)...just to let you know that it only costs $30-$40, and it takes about 2 weeks for it to arrive in the mail from the DMV (note: this is based on my USC husband's experience in getting an EDL).

As for my citizenship application...I plan on sending my paperwork soon in August...So I hope the entire citizenship process will go as well for me as it did for you in Buffalo NY....

Good luck with the rest of your life journeys too.

Ant

P.S. By the way, was your oath ceremony the one featured on tv by the Channel 4 (or was it Channel 7?) local news, as they did a story about that this week....hmmmm.....

Took the oath on June 18th. 9 AM to 11 AM total 2 hours Thanks for your good wishes Ant. My oath ceremony was at 25 Nottingham ct in the Buffalo and Erie county historical society building (and they also gave free passes for the whole family after the ceremony and they are valid until sep. 1st ). One is required to take only the oath letter (which is actually Form N-445 with 7 questions about any status change since the interview) and the green card to the oath ceremony. They take the green card away (permanently) during the check-in process before the ceremony starts. The ceremony start time was stated as 9 AM on the letter. I reached at 8:50. At 9 they started the check-in process and gave instructions about what to expect during the next hour. All this went on for about 30-45 min. and then the judge came and the actual ceremony started which lasted exactly upto 11 AM. There was no wait after the ceremony was over and everybody was free to either leave or see around the building and do whatever. Cameras are allowed (actually, no security check at all and everybody just walked in the building like when going to a party). Yes there were kids and babies at the ceremony.
Best wishes in advance for your application process.

alwayswin · June 20, 2009

Hi Alwayswin,
You're welcome about the good wishes. Thanks again for your helpful reply in answering my questions here. I was surprised that you mentioned that your ceremony was at the historical society, as I always thought that it was at the federal courthouse downtown. I guess they change locations from time to time, and you're lucky that you got to go somewhere else instead (the historical society is overall better than the courthouse anyways, and there's free parking there too, from what I've read about it). That's a great bonus as well, that you got passes to visit there too. It sure will be a fun outing for you, your wife, and your family to go to there afterwards and then remember your historical citizenship experience there. Hmmmm....I wonder it was a special occasion, only at certain times of the year, that they did the ceremony at the historical society instead of the courthouse? Maybe that's why you had to wait extra longer to have your ceremony done now in June instead of April after your interview approval?

It's good that the check-in process (no security checks, that's even better) was quick and simple for you, and that you had no problems during your ceremony afterwards. One more question about that: Were you and your family separated into different rooms/areas and/or seated at different places before and during the ceremony? Good too, that you were free to stay or leave afterwards, cameras, and that kids were allowed (I plan on bringing our baby, so I was wondering about this too).

Good luck too, in getting your US passport and with updating the SSA afterwards. By the way, if you want to get a NYS EDL (which is also another good proof to have of US Citizenship while you are waiting for your passport, and good for land travelling to Canada and Mexico)...just to let you know that it only costs $30-$40, and it takes about 2 weeks for it to arrive in the mail from the DMV (note: this is based on my USC husband's experience in getting an EDL).

As for my citizenship application...I plan on sending my paperwork soon in August...So I hope the entire citizenship process will go as well for me as it did for you in Buffalo NY....

Good luck with the rest of your life journeys too.

Ant

P.S. By the way, was your oath ceremony the one featured on tv by the Channel 4 (or was it Channel 7?) local news, as they did a story about that this week....hmmmm.....

Took the oath on June 18th. 9 AM to 11 AM total 2 hours Thanks for your good wishes Ant. My oath ceremony was at 25 Nottingham ct in the Buffalo and Erie county historical society building (and they also gave free passes for the whole family after the ceremony and they are valid until sep. 1st ). One is required to take only the oath letter (which is actually Form N-445 with 7 questions about any status change since the interview) and the green card to the oath ceremony. They take the green card away (permanently) during the check-in process before the ceremony starts. The ceremony start time was stated as 9 AM on the letter. I reached at 8:50. At 9 they started the check-in process and gave instructions about what to expect during the next hour. All this went on for about 30-45 min. and then the judge came and the actual ceremony started which lasted exactly upto 11 AM. There was no wait after the ceremony was over and everybody was free to either leave or see around the building and do whatever. Cameras are allowed (actually, no security check at all and everybody just walked in the building like when going to a party). Yes there were kids and babies at the ceremony.
Best wishes in advance for your application process.

Yes they had free parking there and it was proudly mentioned in the oath letter too lol.

Yes that was my oath ceremony on TV and I think it'll be aired again on July 4th ( I believe that's what they told at the oath ceremony). My guess is that it was the last oath ceremony before the July 4th so that might be the reason that it was done there for the story. They do a story like that every year on July 4th.

If you read my interview experience (earlier in this thread), the officer told me that there was an oath ceremony on April 17th and one on May 7th but they were both full so that is why I had to wait until June 18th to get a spot.

There was no separation of family members at any time. Like I said, we parked our car and walked in the building as if we went to a movie theater, no security checks, sat down in the hall, attended the ceremony and walked out.

If you are applying in August, you should expect your interview in exactly 4 months from the date you send your application in. That seems to be the timeline for Buffalo. It was the same for quite a few people and me too.

Edited June 20, 2009 by alwayswin

antda · June 20, 2009

Hi Alwayswin,

Free parking in Buffalo...now that's a perk.... :thumbs: (lol...sure beats paying for the parking meters on Delaware Ave. and Chippewa Ave.!)

Lucky you too, that you had your oath ceremony aired on TV, which makes it extra special. Lol...So I guessed right after all, when I said that your ceremony was the one on tv this week. And if it is aired again, yes, you should definitely tape it, and show it to all your family and friends later on too. That would make sense that it would be a special ceremony as well, be it that it is close to July 4th and it was held at a different location at the historical society instead.

Funny how Buffalo, NY tv seems to show a lot of local stories on the news (lol...I remember I was on channel 2 before for about a minute or so, for a Bisons' baseball sports feature...but that's another story....).

Yes, I did read your interview experience before earlier on this thread, and have been following your immigration journey since (as you're the only one from Buffalo, NY filing for the N-400 on VJ so far, and I wanted to learn more about about that since I will be going through something similar in Buffalo NY this/next year). I knew about your interview to oath delay, and was wondering why it took so long for you to get an oath ceremony. Maybe the delay was also because the ceremony was held at a different location than the courthouse? Too bad though, that the earlier ceremonies were full and you wern't able to get it done then. Oh well, at least you got it done and over with now...And again, congrats on being a US Citizen!

Good to hear that there are no security checks at the ceremony that you went to, and it was "easy in and easy out" that day as well. Not sure if the same thing will happen to me (or that I will also have my ceremony at the historical society either), but if it does...hey, all the better there!

Thanks too, for the information about the interview being about 4 months after I send the application in. Hmmm...let's see...so if I apply in August, then maybe I can get an interview in December (and maybe an oath then too). Wow, that sure is fast, indeed! Lol...compared to the long 10 months+ nightmare wait that I had to go through with my I-751....The N-400 seems to easy!

Ant

Yes they had free parking there and it was proudly mentioned in the oath letter too lol.
Yes that was my oath ceremony on TV and I think it'll be aired again on July 4th ( I believe that's what they told at the oath ceremony). My guess is that it was the last oath ceremony before the July 4th so that might be the reason that it was done there for the story. They do a story like that every year on July 4th.

If you read my interview experience (earlier in this thread), the officer told me that there was an oath ceremony on April 17th and one on May 7th but they were both full so that is why I had to wait until June 18th to get a spot.

There was no separation of family members at any time. Like I said, we parked our car and walked in the building as if we went to a movie theater, no security checks, sat down in the hall, attended the ceremony and walked out.

If you are applying in August, you should expect your interview in exactly 4 months from the date you send your application in. That seems to be the timeline for Buffalo. It was the same for quite a few people and me too.

Edited June 20, 2009 by AntandD

AngelK96 · June 20, 2009

Updating my status,
After the interview was over, I had to wait 1h for the oath letter.

Congratulations Farah!

doxATL · June 22, 2009

Name..............SentDate....NOA1.......Biodate....Interview...Oath.... Center..LocalOffice.....CheckCashed
DoxATL............12/23/08....12/29/08...04/30/09...06/22/09....xx/xx/xx...TSC....Atlanta.........01/06/09

[/font]

Hello everyone, tomorrow is my interview day, I hope everything goes well...

Stella08 · June 22, 2009

Name..............SentDate....NOA1.......Biodate....Interview...Oath.... Center..LocalOffice.....CheckCashed
DoxATL............12/23/08....12/29/08...04/30/09...06/22/09....xx/xx/xx...TSC....Atlanta.........01/06/09

[/font]

Hello everyone, tomorrow is my interview day, I hope everything goes well...

I'm sure everything will be fine! Good luck! :thumbs:

den_y2005 · June 22, 2009

Good luck for tomorrow, doxATL!

farah2005 · June 22, 2009

Updating my status,
After the interview was over, I had to wait 1h for the oath letter.

Congratulations Farah!

Hi Angel,

Thank you.

edandying · June 23, 2009

Oath letter arrived today, July 2 in Peoria, IL

Name..............SentDate....NOA1.......Biodate....Interview...Oath.... Center..LocalOffice.....CheckCashed

shadow_dog........12/01/08....12/05/08...12/31/08...04/13/09....05/20/09...NBC....Chicago.........??/??/??

samsbs............12/01/08....12/23/08...01/14/09...03/20/09....05/05/09...CSC....San_Francisco...12/24/08

broma25...........12/01/08....12/15/08...01/03/09...04/10/09....04/24/09...VSC....Philadelphia....12/12/08

farah2005.........12/01/08....12/12/08...04/13/09. .06/19/09....xx/xx/xx...TSC....oakland park,FL..12/09/08

so2008............12/02/08....12/16/08...01/03/09...xx/xx/xx....xx/xx/xx...TSC....Tampa...........12/15/08

maimai............12/02/08....12/08/08...12/31/08...03/18/09....04/24/09...CSC....Phoenix.........12/12/08

sheepnfish........12/03/08....12/29/08...02/12/09...04/09/09....xx/xx/xx...VSC....St_Albans.......????????

maz...............12/03/08....12/13/08...12/30/08...04/09/09....04/21/09...NBC....Chicago.........12/11/08

Cargo.............12/06/08....12/22/08...01/20/09...04/06/09....05/21/09...CSC....San_Jose........12/23/08

Poppinslp.........12/10/08....12/22/08...01/23/09...04/06/09....04/29/09...TSC....Fort Lauderdale.12/23/08

blessings2us......12/10/08....12/22/08...01/21/09...03/12/09....03/16/09...NBC....Portland........12/22/08

Stella08..........12/10/08....12/19/08...01/13/09...03/17/09....04/24/09...NBC....Washington,DC...12/22/08

ChinaBabe.........12/12/08....12/23/08...01/14/09...04/27/09....04/30/09...TSC....Atlanta,GA......12/24/08

Coquette..........12/12/08....12/30/09...01/30/09...04/28/09....xx/xx/xx...VSC....Norfolk, VA.....01/08/09

NigerLA...........12/13/08....12/23/08...01/07/09...05/13/09....07/02/09...NYC....................12/22/08

rilian............12/16/08....01/09/09...01/27/09...03/20/09....05/05/09...CSC....San_Francisco...01/08/09

Jackjack..........12/17/08....12/27/08...01/14/09...03/12/09....03/17/09...VSC....Boston..........12/26/08

ptrober...........12/17/08....12/31/08...01/22/09...03/10/09....04/16/09...NSC....Cincinnati......01/05/09

radacos...........12/17/08....12/30/08...02/23/09...05/05/09....xx/xx/xx...NSC....Seattle.........12/31/08

alwayswin.........12/18/08....12/31/08...01/23/09...04/15/09....06/17/09...VSC....Buffalo,NY......01/02/09

Debra&John........12/18/08....12/31/08...01/22/09...04/30/09....05/07/09...NSC....Seattle.........01/06/09

DoxATL............12/23/08....12/29/08...04/30/09...06/22/09....xx/xx/xx...TSC....Atlanta.........01/06/09

skoopie...........12/24/08....12/29/08...01/24/09...04/21/09....04/21/09...VSC....Newark,NJ.......01/06/09

den_y2005.........12/24/08....01/05/09...xx/xx/xx...04/27/09....06/26/09...CSC....Santa_Ana.......01/05/09

edandying.........12/27/08....01/07/09...01/29/09...04/20/09....07/02/09...NSC....Chicago.........01/08/09

jamieswith........12/29/08....01/02/09...xx/xx/xx...04/06/09....04/22/09...TSC....Houston.........01/06/09

Kunjal27..........12/29/08....01/02/09...01/30/09...04/28/09....04/28/09...TSC....Atlanta.........01/06/09

Aizi..............12/29/08....01/05/09...02/03/09...04/23/09....04/23/09...VSC....Newark,NJ.......01/12/09

Stella08 · June 23, 2009

Adding farah's oath date again.

Congratulations on your upcoming oaths, farah and edandying! :dance: :thumbs:

Name..............SentDate....NOA1.......Biodate....Interview...Oath.... Center..LocalOffice.....CheckCashed

shadow_dog........12/01/08....12/05/08...12/31/08...04/13/09....05/20/09...NBC....Chicago.........??/??/??

samsbs............12/01/08....12/23/08...01/14/09...03/20/09....05/05/09...CSC....San_Francisco...12/24/08

broma25...........12/01/08....12/15/08...01/03/09...04/10/09....04/24/09...VSC....Philadelphia....12/12/08

farah2005.........12/01/08....12/12/08...04/13/09. .06/19/09....06/24/09...TSC....oakland park,FL..12/09/08