Any of my fellow Canadians feel a letdown after their oath ceremony?

[antda 13]

Hi CanAmCharlotte,

I already congratulated you on the citizenship forum...But I thought I would congratulate you here again..

Congratulations on becoming a dual US/Canadian citizen, Jo-Anne!!!

Good luck with the rest of your journey as afterwards too, especially in getting your passport and voter's registration

As for that disappointing feeling....

I know what you mean there, as in some ways, I feel the same way too...

"And all I got was a stupid certificate".....lame......

I was like.."Oh, that's it..That's all there is after going through USCIS hell?. No apologies or anything....."

Lol..And to this day, I'm still waiting for that apology and refund from the USCIS...Yeah right, as if I'm going to get that back...lol...I felt as though I wasted all that money and time with them all these years..

I think that for the both of us (and for others too perhaps), that because of the bad experiences we had with the USCIS, that the ceremony just didn't cut it for us. No ceremonies, pomp and circumstance, etc. could take all that hurt away. It was like we expected more, after the hell that we've been through with them. Do you know what I mean? Nothing that the USCIS can do to change this fact...

And thus, this is where the disappointment, voidness, betrayal, etc. regarding the USCIS comes in....Sigh...

So in that sense, they ruined the ceremony...By the bad service that they had before....Truly disappointing, indeed!

Oh well..At least we don't have to worry about them anymore (lol..except if the certificate is lost..)

Despite the pomp and circumstance (lol...or the lack of, in my case, as mine was a private ceremony..and I was in and out of the office in less than 10 minutes...and it took us over 2 hours to get there..lol...), I still consider myself an American...I sure didn't need the USCIS to tell me that...

And likewise, you (or anyone else) should feel the same way too...It's all over! No more USCIS! And yes, that's definitely something to celebrate afterwards!

Goodbye USCIS!!!!!! Proud to be an American!!!!

Ant

It's funny, I went through five years of hell to become an American citizen (finally made it last week) but now I am experiencing anticlimactic feelings. Wonder if this is normal. My swearing-in ceremony wasn't at all what I expected. I envisioned a solemn occasion with the sounds of soft sobbing from new citizens all around me. Instead it seemed hurried, casual, and void of any pomp or pageantry. A number of people actually came late and several didn't bother adhering to the dress code as explained in the interview letter. Maybe when I get my passport this will all sink in. Still, I'm glad it's all over and believe me, there were times when it felt like I would never get to this point.

[Marilyn. 340]

Congratulations on gaining your citizenship!

I find that society, in general, has become more casual in their approach to solemn or formal occasions. I'm like you..... I prefer the formal to remain formal. Except for having to wear fancy gloves to church or on the airplane. I'm glad that's not the rule anymore. Except for the germs. They'd still come in handy for the germs.

I was looking through my MIL's pics and she has some old pics they took at Disneyland and they are all wearing their Sunday best..

Edited September 11, 2010 by Marilyn.

[CanAmCharlotte 0]

I was looking through my MIL's pics and she has some old pics they took at Disneyland and they are all wearing their Sunday best..

That's hilarious (and cute)! Thanks for posting. When I took my first plane ride at age 13, I actually wore white gloves. I kid you not. Now people wear their flannel pajama bottoms and flip flops.

[CanAmCharlotte 0]

Oh well..At least we don't have to worry about them anymore (lol..except if the certificate is lost..)

Despite the pomp and circumstance (lol...or the lack of, in my case, as mine was a private ceremony..and I was in and out of the office in less than 10 minutes...and it took us over 2 hours to get there..lol...), I still consider myself an American...I sure didn't need the USCIS to tell me that...

And likewise, you (or anyone else) should feel the same way too...It's all over! No more USCIS! And yes, that's definitely something to celebrate afterwards!

Goodbye USCIS!!!!!! Proud to be an American!!!!

Ant

Hey Ant,

Yup, you said it all and thanks again! Glad to know there are people out there who feel exactly the same way I do about this process and the USCIS in general (grrrrrrrr). BTW, my certifciate came today so nothing more to worry about. Phew! Off to New Brunswick in a few days with my handy dandy new US passport in hand. Can't wait to hand it to the customs officer in Toronto where I connect. Do I get a stamp?

Always nice to hear from you,

[Flames9_RN 358]

Its a double edged sword that the govt can't win----if people want more of a ceremony, then who pays for it?? Many complain about the fees now.

[antda 13]

Hey Ant,

Yup, you said it all and thanks again! Glad to know there are people out there who feel exactly the same way I do about this process and the USCIS in general (grrrrrrrr). BTW, my certifciate came today so nothing more to worry about. Phew! Off to New Brunswick in a few days with my handy dandy new US passport in hand. Can't wait to hand it to the customs officer in Toronto where I connect. Do I get a stamp?

Always nice to hear from you,

Jo-Anne-Glad to hear from you too, and that you got your certificate back, along with your new US passport! Btw, how long did it take for you to send and receive such? And did you do the expedited service, since you were in a hurry? Good luck with your trip back to New Brunswick, and all the best in recovery for your father. Have fun in Canada!

As for stamps....I don't know (since I don't have a US passport, I have an US EDL instead...)...

Bur when entering Canada you can use your Canadian passport...(that's what I do, and no, I don't get stamps in that).....And that should make things a bit easier when entering Canada....

When returning to the USA...use your US passport..As that's what you have to do now that you are a US citizen.......

Its a double edged sword that the govt can't win----if people want more of a ceremony, then who pays for it?? Many complain about the fees now.

Flames-Lol...I say...Skip the ceremony!!!

And have that option instead....

After all, how much does a certificate cost, minus the ceremony?

Have the ceremony for $675...

Or go without the ceremony, and just send the certificate in the mail...$30 (lol..that's how much it costs for a US birth certificate)....

Now that's an idea that the USCIS can consider......

Ant

Btw..Everyone...For Canadian citizenship..It only costs about $100 CDN or so (well that was back in my day when I was a child...)...

And that includes a citizenship card, a certificate, and the ceremony..

Lol..Talk about a Canadian citizenship bargain, indeed!