Help - Please. Travel pending oath (or during oath week)

[Kathryn41 3,205]

First, congratulations!

Second, oath letters are usually given out at the interview if the interview is coming up so soon that there is a chance the individual might not receive the letter in time through the mail - generally if the interview is within 2 or 3 weeks. If there is an oath ceremony later than that, then the standard procedure is to mail out the letter. You gave them the date that you wanted your ceremony to be after. I expect you will get a letter for a ceremony sometime within the week or two weeks after November 22nd. Don't worry - you will be fine. You can travel without a problem, return home and then have your oath ceremony and get your new US passport. Again, congratulations.

Edited October 29, 2009 by Kathryn41

[miker32us 6]

My wife is Taiwanese and is allowed to be a dual citizen. We will be applying for citizenship in January and have to travel back to Taiwan in April. I am confused about this thread, why would she have to give up her Taiwan passport after she takes the oath to become a US citizen? Is she required to turn in her green card during the citizenship ceremony or when she is fingerprinted?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

No, your wife would not be required to give up her Taiwanese passport at the Oath ceremony. What happens when you become a US citizen, however, is that you are no longer allowed to use the passport of another country to enter the US so she would need to travel on a US passport. Most dual citizens carry both passports - their original country's to enter their home country and the US passport to return to the US. So, after she takes the oath she needs to apply for a US passport in order to return to the US if she travels away. She will need to take that into consideration when looking at a possible oath date. You don't want it to be too soon to when she travels because she may not have enough time to apply for and receive her US passport - which she will then need to return to the US. If she has her interview before she travels, she will need to advise the Immigration officer that she isn't available to take the oath until after she returns, and they will schedule the ceremony at a time convenient to her.

She would keep her greencard until she takes her oath. She will hand in her green card at the Oath ceremony and receive her Naturalization Certificate in its place.

Edited October 29, 2009 by Kathryn41

[civis 0]

First, congratulations!

Second, oath letters are usually given out at the interview if the interview is coming up so soon that there is a chance the individual might not receive the letter in time through the mail - generally if the interview is within 2 or 3 weeks. If there is an oath ceremony later than that, then the standard procedure is to mail out the letter. You gave them the date that you wanted your ceremony to be after. I expect you will get a letter for a ceremony sometime within the week or two weeks after November 22nd. Don't worry - you will be fine. You can travel without a problem, return home and then have your oath ceremony and get your new US passport. Again, congratulations.

Thank you for your message. And thanks everybody for the valuable advice. I have received a Notice with an oath date in early December.

In retrospect, I can say that the USCIS has been most effective, cooperative and certainly flexible. Upon request and having noted the dates of my trip overseas, they have sent me an oath letter before my departure date, with a ceremony scheduled the week after my return. I could not have asked for better. Thanks everybody, thanks USCIS. I will share my experience about the naturalization ceremony.

[antda 13]

Hi Civis,

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear that you had no problems when you mentioned about postpoining the oath, and that you had no problems in waiting for a somewhat later (1-2 weeks later than originally scheduled..wow, that's quick...) oath date either. Good luck with your work-related travels too.

Congratulations on passing your citizenship interview and thanks for sharing about your experience here on VJ.

Good luck with the rest of your immigration journey too, especially with the oath coming up for you in early December (when exactly?) too.

Ant

I thought that you guys might want to know how the story ended. I had my naturalization interview yesterday. It was very smooth and probably lasted about 15 minutes. After I was approved, the IO, a nice and very professional gentleman, handed me a paper stating that I had been approved and said that I should expect my naturalization date to be in about two weeks. Guess what, in two weeks I'd be traveling abroad, as predicted. I had to take a decision. I asked the IO to postpone the oath date after my trip (Nov. 22 or later). He made a note in the file and told me not to worry, that the oath would be after that date.

There are some pros and cons to my decision to postpone. The pro is that the date for the nat. ceremony would not interfere with my upcoming travel plans. The big con is that I did not get an oath letter on site, but have to wait for it in the mail. Someone was otherwise giving oath letters to approved applicants, who had not requested to postpone the swearing-in date.

Feel free to send me your comments. I am a bit concerned that they might delay my letter as my case is now falling outside of the ordinary process. I would have preferred to get the oath letter. The only thing in my possession is a standard form with the details of the IO and a mark where it says approved. Should I be concerned? What should I do if I do not get the letter in the near future?

Thank you for your message. And thanks everybody for the valuable advice. I have received a Notice with an oath date in early December.

In retrospect, I can say that the USCIS has been most effective, cooperative and certainly flexible. Upon request and having noted the dates of my trip overseas, they have sent me an oath letter before my departure date, with a ceremony scheduled the week after my return. I could not have asked for better. Thanks everybody, thanks USCIS. I will share my experience about the naturalization ceremony.

Edited November 13, 2009 by Ant+D+A

[Well-Wisher 1]

Dear friend,

I was told by IO to not to travel after taking Oath and recieving passport.

Make an appointment and ask them, that will be the best.

Wishes.

[Italian_in_NYC 259]

Dear friend,

I was told by IO to not to travel after taking Oath and recieving passport.

Make an appointment and ask them, that will be the best.

Wishes.

Wrong advise.

You can freely travel. That is what the green card is for (travel and employment).

Of course, you have to maintain continuous residence in the US (and physical presence for 50% of the time you have been a LPR).

[NickD 203]

Dear friend,

I was told by IO to not to travel after taking Oath and recieving passport.

Make an appointment and ask them, that will be the best.

Wishes.

Wrong advise.

You can freely travel. That is what the green card is for (travel and employment).

Of course, you have to maintain continuous residence in the US (and physical presence for 50% of the time you have been a LPR).

Advice does sound backwards, as a USC with a US passport, finally free to travel as much as you want to, and no longer have to keep track of your trips. My wife's employer was most gracious in giving her time off for immigration matters, wanted to keep her, and after she received her USC, ease their paper work on keeping track of her immigration status. All's well that ends well.