Our Experience in Chicago

[cindaroo64 0]

Thought I would share our naturalization experience in the Chicago office yesterday, don't see much about that office here...anyway, some background first. I came to the US from Canada in 2001 with my 3 children to marry my american husband in Oct. 2001. All of my children were minors at that time. Received our green cards in April 2004, and at which time I believed (I didn't do my research) that we had to have the green cards for 5 years before we could apply for citizenship. I did not know I could qualify after 3 years in a marriage situation, so went on with life and didn't inquire about things again until our 5 years were coming up. In the meantime, my two oldest children, who are twins, turned 18 (in 2008) and I applied for SSI disability benefits for them because they both have autism and was told they would not be eligble until they were American citizens. So in 2009 when our 5 years were up I decided to make out applications for them first (I did not have funds available to me at the time for all of us to apply) Sent in their applications in October 2009, stating on their applications that they had a disability BUT were capable of going through the interview process, I made the request for the accomadation that I be able to navigate them thru the process and answer any additional questions that might come up over and above the interview.

Anyway, interview appointments were scheduled for yesterday, March 30th at 10:45am (for both)

We arrived early but didn't go inside until a half hour before our appointment as was requested on our interview letter. Went through the security center and made our way up to the third floor into an open area where about 100-150 people were seated. I gave the boys letters to the lady behind the glass and she gave me back the first one along with a pager and instructions to have a seat and when the pager went off to go to Door #1 and wait for the officer to come and get my son. Then she gave my second son the same instructions along with a pager but told him to go to Door #2 when his pager went off. I panicked because the doors were at opposite sides of this enormous room and how was I going to be in two places at once!? I told her that the boys had autism and that I had made the request to be with them so she started to write something down and it looked like it might become more of an issue than we needed to deal with (I was so nervous) so I told her not to worry about it, I would get it figured out. She then gave us a green slip with both their alien numbers on it and told us to give this to one of the officers so that both boys would be scheduled together for their oath ceremony. We sat down, it was 10:30.I realized that they would be going in two different directions and I might not be able to go with each of them so I separated all their paperwork and did my best to explain to them what everything was and what they needed to say if asked about passports etc (all my kids were on my passport). We waited and at 11:05 my first son's pager went off and I took him to the door. When the officer came out I told her that my son had a disability and she told me that she had read his application and that I could come in with him, but I told her that my other son was still waiting and I would need to stay with him until he was called. I told her that he would be okay, that he would understand everything and away they went. I sat down with my other son and we decided to move closer to the other door that he was to go into in. The lady behind the counter started calling out names but it was so noisy in the room it was hard to hear what she was saying. When people got up to move closer the security officer told everyone to "hush down and they would be able to hear" (she was kinda intimidating) Anyway my son's pager did not go off but we heard his name(at 11:20) and moved over to the door. The officer that came to get him was very friendly and asked if I was his mom, asked me if he studied, I answered yes to both questions and she told me I would have to wait in the waiting room. Away they went and I sat there until 11:25 when my first son came back out into the room with his paper that said HE PASSED!! I was so relieved and happy! We then waited for my other son. At 11:45 the officer and my son appeared in the waiting room and signaled for me to come over. She told me that my son did an awesome job and that he passed without any problems. She then said that they would then get a letter about the oath ceremony in 2-4 weeks and it would take place in Rock Island, IL which is ALOT closer to home. We thanked her, breathed a sigh of relief and left the building....when I asked the boys about the interview they told me that they were each asked questions, and both answered the first 6 correctly so didn't need to be asked any additional ones. The questions they remembered being asked were, "Who is the Speaker of the House?", "Who is the father of our country?" "How long is a Representative elected for?" , "What is one of the longest rivers in the United States?" , " When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?", "How long do we elect a president for?" "Who is the Chief Justice?" and "What war was fought in the 1900's" (that's all the questions they remember being asked). They were also asked to write down "Thanksgiving is in November" and "Washington was the father of our country".

I am so proud of my boys, they did an awesome job in a stressful situation (I think I was the stressed out one) and came out of it showing me that once again, they are more capable then some people give them credit for....next stop, Rock Falls!

Good luck everyone!

[v333k 59]

Thought I would share our naturalization experience in the Chicago office yesterday, don't see much about that office here...anyway, some background first. I came to the US from Canada in 2001 with my 3 children to marry my american husband in Oct. 2001. All of my children were minors at that time. Received our green cards in April 2004, and at which time I believed (I didn't do my research) that we had to have the green cards for 5 years before we could apply for citizenship. I did not know I could qualify after 3 years in a marriage situation, so went on with life and didn't inquire about things again until our 5 years were coming up. In the meantime, my two oldest children, who are twins, turned 18 (in 2008) and I applied for SSI disability benefits for them because they both have autism and was told they would not be eligble until they were American citizens. So in 2009 when our 5 years were up I decided to make out applications for them first (I did not have funds available to me at the time for all of us to apply) Sent in their applications in October 2009, stating on their applications that they had a disability BUT were capable of going through the interview process, I made the request for the accomadation that I be able to navigate them thru the process and answer any additional questions that might come up over and above the interview.

Anyway, interview appointments were scheduled for yesterday, March 30th at 10:45am (for both)

We arrived early but didn't go inside until a half hour before our appointment as was requested on our interview letter. Went through the security center and made our way up to the third floor into an open area where about 100-150 people were seated. I gave the boys letters to the lady behind the glass and she gave me back the first one along with a pager and instructions to have a seat and when the pager went off to go to Door #1 and wait for the officer to come and get my son. Then she gave my second son the same instructions along with a pager but told him to go to Door #2 when his pager went off. I panicked because the doors were at opposite sides of this enormous room and how was I going to be in two places at once!? I told her that the boys had autism and that I had made the request to be with them so she started to write something down and it looked like it might become more of an issue than we needed to deal with (I was so nervous) so I told her not to worry about it, I would get it figured out. She then gave us a green slip with both their alien numbers on it and told us to give this to one of the officers so that both boys would be scheduled together for their oath ceremony. We sat down, it was 10:30.I realized that they would be going in two different directions and I might not be able to go with each of them so I separated all their paperwork and did my best to explain to them what everything was and what they needed to say if asked about passports etc (all my kids were on my passport). We waited and at 11:05 my first son's pager went off and I took him to the door. When the officer came out I told her that my son had a disability and she told me that she had read his application and that I could come in with him, but I told her that my other son was still waiting and I would need to stay with him until he was called. I told her that he would be okay, that he would understand everything and away they went. I sat down with my other son and we decided to move closer to the other door that he was to go into in. The lady behind the counter started calling out names but it was so noisy in the room it was hard to hear what she was saying. When people got up to move closer the security officer told everyone to "hush down and they would be able to hear" (she was kinda intimidating) Anyway my son's pager did not go off but we heard his name(at 11:20) and moved over to the door. The officer that came to get him was very friendly and asked if I was his mom, asked me if he studied, I answered yes to both questions and she told me I would have to wait in the waiting room. Away they went and I sat there until 11:25 when my first son came back out into the room with his paper that said HE PASSED!! I was so relieved and happy! We then waited for my other son. At 11:45 the officer and my son appeared in the waiting room and signaled for me to come over. She told me that my son did an awesome job and that he passed without any problems. She then said that they would then get a letter about the oath ceremony in 2-4 weeks and it would take place in Rock Island, IL which is ALOT closer to home. We thanked her, breathed a sigh of relief and left the building....when I asked the boys about the interview they told me that they were each asked questions, and both answered the first 6 correctly so didn't need to be asked any additional ones. The questions they remembered being asked were, "Who is the Speaker of the House?", "Who is the father of our country?" "How long is a Representative elected for?" , "What is one of the longest rivers in the United States?" , " When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?", "How long do we elect a president for?" "Who is the Chief Justice?" and "What war was fought in the 1900's" (that's all the questions they remember being asked). They were also asked to write down "Thanksgiving is in November" and "Washington was the father of our country".

I am so proud of my boys, they did an awesome job in a stressful situation (I think I was the stressed out one) and came out of it showing me that once again, they are more capable then some people give them credit for....next stop, Rock Falls!

Good luck everyone!

Congratulations!!! Thanks for sharing your experience....

[MoroccanInTexas 24]

Congrats :)The whole thing must be emotional. Glad things turn out alright.

[-B&T- 1]

Congratulations!

[NickD 202]

Venezuelan and Colombian consulate, and the USCIS Chicago field office all located conveniently near each other within walking distance. Was a beautiful day, but wonder if you were already a nervous wreck from driving close to 200 miles before you got there. How was Chicago traffic? Did learn a good place to park is in the basement of the Sears Tower.

A lot more evidence required for three year, too bad you didn't know about it and saved that trip plus $1,350.00. But the worse part is over now, and congratulations to your two boys.

[cindaroo64 0]

Venezuelan and Colombian consulate, and the USCIS Chicago field office all located conveniently near each other within walking distance. Was a beautiful day, but wonder if you were already a nervous wreck from driving close to 200 miles before you got there. How was Chicago traffic? Did learn a good place to park is in the basement of the Sears Tower.

A lot more evidence required for three year, too bad you didn't know about it and saved that trip plus $1,350.00. But the worse part is over now, and congratulations to your two boys.

We actually only drove to Aurora and hopped on the metra to Union Station, wasn't to far to walk from there and beat the hassle of driving in Chicago and trying to find parking...the only stressful part of that was making sure we caught the right train...which we did, barely...lol Just waiting for oath letters now...

[NickD 202]

Metra is nice, after I heard about it, we pick it up in Antioch, IL, two bucks for all day parking, and when you ride in, can see cars blocked up for miles waiting for the train you are on to pass. Only thing, last train leaves at 5:35 PM, better make sure you are on it or overrun your CC limit staying in one of those way overprice Chicago hotels.

Wish they would move those offices to O'Hare, least you can find parking there, sometimes, maybe...

[antda 13]

Hi Cindaroo64,

Congratulations on your twin sons passing their citizenship intervew recently! And thanks for sharing about that experience here on VJ too.

By the way, did you ever apply for US citizenship for yourself too?

I'm glad to hear that the USCIS was able to accomodate your sons, because of their disabilities. And it's great too, that you were there and were supportive with them along the way..

Remember: Disability = Ability

Good luck in them getting an oath ceremony letter soon too.

By the way, if they need some sort accomodation for the oath ceremony, don't hesistate to ask for that beforehand either, as they have every right to have such too. For example, making sure that you and them are not separated during the ceremony, and/or other arrangements like that.

Good luck with the oath ceremony and SSI case next too (lol..you're going to need a lot of luck SSI-wise too...it's a long wait....)

And yes, do keep us updated here on vj as to what happens next too...

Ant

Thought I would share our naturalization experience in the Chicago office yesterday, don't see much about that office here...anyway, some background first. I came to the US from Canada in 2001 with my 3 children to marry my american husband in Oct. 2001. All of my children were minors at that time. Received our green cards in April 2004, and at which time I believed (I didn't do my research) that we had to have the green cards for 5 years before we could apply for citizenship. I did not know I could qualify after 3 years in a marriage situation, so went on with life and didn't inquire about things again until our 5 years were coming up. In the meantime, my two oldest children, who are twins, turned 18 (in 2008) and I applied for SSI disability benefits for them because they both have autism and was told they would not be eligble until they were American citizens. So in 2009 when our 5 years were up I decided to make out applications for them first (I did not have funds available to me at the time for all of us to apply) Sent in their applications in October 2009, stating on their applications that they had a disability BUT were capable of going through the interview process, I made the request for the accomadation that I be able to navigate them thru the process and answer any additional questions that might come up over and above the interview.

Anyway, interview appointments were scheduled for yesterday, March 30th at 10:45am (for both)

We arrived early but didn't go inside until a half hour before our appointment as was requested on our interview letter. Went through the security center and made our way up to the third floor into an open area where about 100-150 people were seated. I gave the boys letters to the lady behind the glass and she gave me back the first one along with a pager and instructions to have a seat and when the pager went off to go to Door #1 and wait for the officer to come and get my son. Then she gave my second son the same instructions along with a pager but told him to go to Door #2 when his pager went off. I panicked because the doors were at opposite sides of this enormous room and how was I going to be in two places at once!? I told her that the boys had autism and that I had made the request to be with them so she started to write something down and it looked like it might become more of an issue than we needed to deal with (I was so nervous) so I told her not to worry about it, I would get it figured out. She then gave us a green slip with both their alien numbers on it and told us to give this to one of the officers so that both boys would be scheduled together for their oath ceremony. We sat down, it was 10:30.I realized that they would be going in two different directions and I might not be able to go with each of them so I separated all their paperwork and did my best to explain to them what everything was and what they needed to say if asked about passports etc (all my kids were on my passport). We waited and at 11:05 my first son's pager went off and I took him to the door. When the officer came out I told her that my son had a disability and she told me that she had read his application and that I could come in with him, but I told her that my other son was still waiting and I would need to stay with him until he was called. I told her that he would be okay, that he would understand everything and away they went. I sat down with my other son and we decided to move closer to the other door that he was to go into in. The lady behind the counter started calling out names but it was so noisy in the room it was hard to hear what she was saying. When people got up to move closer the security officer told everyone to "hush down and they would be able to hear" (she was kinda intimidating) Anyway my son's pager did not go off but we heard his name(at 11:20) and moved over to the door. The officer that came to get him was very friendly and asked if I was his mom, asked me if he studied, I answered yes to both questions and she told me I would have to wait in the waiting room. Away they went and I sat there until 11:25 when my first son came back out into the room with his paper that said HE PASSED!! I was so relieved and happy! We then waited for my other son. At 11:45 the officer and my son appeared in the waiting room and signaled for me to come over. She told me that my son did an awesome job and that he passed without any problems. She then said that they would then get a letter about the oath ceremony in 2-4 weeks and it would take place in Rock Island, IL which is ALOT closer to home. We thanked her, breathed a sigh of relief and left the building....when I asked the boys about the interview they told me that they were each asked questions, and both answered the first 6 correctly so didn't need to be asked any additional ones. The questions they remembered being asked were, "Who is the Speaker of the House?", "Who is the father of our country?" "How long is a Representative elected for?" , "What is one of the longest rivers in the United States?" , " When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?", "How long do we elect a president for?" "Who is the Chief Justice?" and "What war was fought in the 1900's" (that's all the questions they remember being asked). They were also asked to write down "Thanksgiving is in November" and "Washington was the father of our country".

I am so proud of my boys, they did an awesome job in a stressful situation (I think I was the stressed out one) and came out of it showing me that once again, they are more capable then some people give them credit for....next stop, Rock Falls!

Good luck everyone!

Edited April 4, 2010 by Ant+D+BabyA