Will USCIS want the green card back?

[Aeolus 0]

Hello all:

I am happy to say that my spouse's interview and test for citizenship is approved. She is now anxiously awaiting the oath ceremony. I of course have some questions.

1. What goes on at an oath ceremony?

2. The yellow notice that was given to us states: it may take two hours?

3. Will USCIS want the 2 yr green card and the ten year green card back or do I keep them?

4. Any thing else that I should know about attending an oath ceremony?

As always thank you for all of the help.

[Nate_us 0]

Hello all:

I am happy to say that my spouse's interview and test for citizenship is approved. She is now anxiously awaiting the oath ceremony. I of course have some questions.

1. What goes on at an oath ceremony?

2. The yellow notice that was given to us states: it may take two hours?

3. Will USCIS want the 2 yr green card and the ten year green card back or do I keep them?

4. Any thing else that I should know about attending an oath ceremony?

As always thank you for all of the help.

Congratulation on your citizenship interview You need to give back your green cards you can’t gate your citizenship certificate without given up your 10 years green card

[JA Tam 7]

Congratulations to your wife on passing the citizenship interview and hopefully she won't have to wait too long to get her oath ceremony scheduled.

Here's an excerpt from an oath ceremony in July 2008:

The actual ceremony will take less than an hour, but due to the amount of persons that may be sworn in, they ask you to come early so that they can get the new citizens checked in and seated, plus of course their visitors accommodated to see the ceremony.

They will have a video message from the President welcoming the new citizens, the singing of the National anthem and video that show the faces of immigration accompanied with the song, "

". The reading of the oath of allegiance that's at the end of the application form and of course the pledge of allegiance.

I hope that was a good overview for you.

Yes, the letter you receive for the oath ceremony will instruct her to bring her green card with her and any travel documents to show whether she traveled outside of the country in between her interview and the ceremony. They will take the green card before the ceremony begins and at the end of the event, she will receive her naturalization certificate.

All the best to you and Congrats again!!!!

Edited March 31, 2011 by JA Tam

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Your spouse will arrive at the ceremony. There she will turn in her N-445 form (don't fill out the back out before getting there!) and her latest Green Card (keep the expired ones at home). Then it's annoying waiting, followed by boring stuff. Men wearing black rubber masks talking stuff that's hard to understand. Then some video with Obama saying something and some Country and Western dude singing America the Beautiful. Luckily, you can have a beer while all this is happening. About 1-1/2 hours later thousands of newly coined US citizens head back to the about 50 lines where they receive their Cerificates of Naturalization. That's the end of the torture and you'll be driving home for hours, with mixed feelings ranging from euphoria like 'yay, I am a US citizen now!' to 'what the ####.'

[NickD 203]

Stepdaughter filled out her N-445 while we were waiting in line. Was different this time as the first time I was separated from my wife. Told her not to sign it, but she did anyway, but the office manager glanced at it and took it anyway. She didn't know how to spell Bloomington. She also turned in her green card. They never asked her or my wife for their conditional green cards, still have those in our folders. Worthless, but what the heck, a reminder of what we went through to get those.

We were suppose to be there at 2:15 PM, had a bit of a problem getting my wife and stepdaughter out of the Mall of America, but got there at 2:20 PM. Didn't make any difference, we were at the end of the line for that metal detection inspection, but it moved fast, was in our seats at 2:35PM and waited until 3:00 PM when it formally started. Manager have a five minute talk on what to do after you received your certificate. She called the people to stand and remain standing by country, half the people were from Laos, other half from China, on my stepdaughter stood up from Venezuela. They recited the oath, had all of us stand for the pledge of allegiance, showed a brief welcoming from Obama, played that video about America being great, then she said, no pictures, and when you get your certificate, make sure its correct or will cost you 380 bucks if you leave with errors on it. Stepdaughter was the third to be called out of 38. I read her certificate twice taking about five seconds, then we left.

Not much fanfare, but was shocked to learn that about 15 people had there interview that morning, same day oath. Would have been nice for us with another 450 mile trip. But we were lucky, had a blizzard the day before. Road conditions were reported as being snow covered, but at least one lane was clear, so we left three hours earlier and got there three hours early, so hit the mall instead. Wife and stepdaughter thanked me for great patience with another three hours at the mall, not of thing of interest to me at that mall, prices are super high as is the MN sales tax.

We are now at that stage where her original US citizen certificate had to be sent off to some unknown place and wondering if we will ever see it again for her passport.

[Szilvia74 3]

Thanks Nick! But I have some questions:

What do you mean "Stepdaughter was the third to be called out of 38". Called out for what? And why did you have to read her certificate?

And why "her original US citizen certificate had to be sent off to some unknown place"? I thought I can use that right away to get the passport.

Don't everyone lllooovvvee the MOM? LOL (I can't stand it either).

Stepdaughter filled out her N-445 while we were waiting in line. Was different this time as the first time I was separated from my wife. Told her not to sign it, but she did anyway, but the office manager glanced at it and took it anyway. She didn't know how to spell Bloomington. She also turned in her green card. They never asked her or my wife for their conditional green cards, still have those in our folders. Worthless, but what the heck, a reminder of what we went through to get those.

We were suppose to be there at 2:15 PM, had a bit of a problem getting my wife and stepdaughter out of the Mall of America, but got there at 2:20 PM. Didn't make any difference, we were at the end of the line for that metal detection inspection, but it moved fast, was in our seats at 2:35PM and waited until 3:00 PM when it formally started. Manager have a five minute talk on what to do after you received your certificate. She called the people to stand and remain standing by country, half the people were from Laos, other half from China, on my stepdaughter stood up from Venezuela. They recited the oath, had all of us stand for the pledge of allegiance, showed a brief welcoming from Obama, played that video about America being great, then she said, no pictures, and when you get your certificate, make sure its correct or will cost you 380 bucks if you leave with errors on it. Stepdaughter was the third to be called out of 38. I read her certificate twice taking about five seconds, then we left.

Not much fanfare, but was shocked to learn that about 15 people had there interview that morning, same day oath. Would have been nice for us with another 450 mile trip. But we were lucky, had a blizzard the day before. Road conditions were reported as being snow covered, but at least one lane was clear, so we left three hours earlier and got there three hours early, so hit the mall instead. Wife and stepdaughter thanked me for great patience with another three hours at the mall, not of thing of interest to me at that mall, prices are super high as is the MN sales tax.

We are now at that stage where her original US citizen certificate had to be sent off to some unknown place and wondering if we will ever see it again for her passport.

[NickD 203]

Thanks Nick! But I have some questions:

What do you mean "Stepdaughter was the third to be called out of 38". Called out for what? And why did you have to read her certificate?

And why "her original US citizen certificate had to be sent off to some unknown place"? I thought I can use that right away to get the passport.

Don't everyone lllooovvvee the MOM? LOL (I can't stand it either).

Was 38 recipients for the certificate, stepdaughter was the third to receive hers, so we were the first out the door. Office manager said to read the certificate carefully, will correct errors then and there for free if found, but once you walk out the door will cost you around 380 bucks. Since my stepdaughter reinvented the meaning of being broke, I would be paying that amount, so you are darn right I read it. It was correct.

Sure you know your agents name and address, for applying for your US passport, but they send it off to some unknown place. Of all places, they sent my wifes' certificate to New Orleans, right after Katrina, but we didn't know that until we got it back. Last time I renewed, was in Cincinnati, surprised they don't send it to China.

DOS trusts their agents to administer the oath, to verify you are the person you say you are, to make sure your passport photos are of you, to look at your certificate and swear that is you. But apparently do not trust them to determine if your certificate is a forgery or not so they can just make a copy of it and send that off. They insist on sending your certificate via the post office. Normally that is not bad in an overnight envelop that has to be signed for, and if you pay for expedient service, your passport comes back in an overnight envelop that you have to sign for. But they just jam your one and only US certificate in a plain brown envelop with a first class stamp on it. With no traceable proof.

[Szilvia74 3]

Thanks for the info