After more than 7yrs my wife is naturalized

[sean2000 0]

I apologize if similar topics exist. If you look at my timeline you can see that it took us forever to get to this point. Every step was unique. The naturalization interview was no walk in the park, in fact we feared the worst after the interview. Our appointment was at 9:40 a.m. and got to the building (Fairfax, VA) waiting room around 9:35. After about 90 minutes of wait time, my wife was called up for her interview by the IO. I was getting ready to go in the room with my wife and that was when the IO stopped me and said to wait. After about 20 minutes of wait time, my wife came out of her interview telling me it was not over. We had to rush to the police station to get a police record for her. The story is as follows: after filing for the N400, we got a notice for my wife's FP. For some odd reason, the initial FP failed and she was asked to go for a second FP. My wife made sure that there won't be any issues with her 2nd visit. We thought none of it as we got a letter for naturalization interview. My wife said that the interview went very smoothly and in fact the IO congratulated as she had just become a citizen. But for some odd reason, he could not process the final paperwork. He dug into her file and realized that her 2nd set of FPs had failed as well, however, we did not receive any letter from USCIS. The IO agreed that a letter should have been sent to us and we should not have had a interview date without FP records. It was now 12:00 p.m. The IO told us to go to the police station nearby, as we live close by the office and get a background check for the past 5 years. Well here comes the new twist to the story... We have only lived in VA for the past 2 yrs. Prior to that, we lived in NC (in 3 different counties). My wife mentioned this to the IO and he had to check with his supervisor. After looking at my wife's file, he realized that a FP and background check exist from 2008. So the IO told us to go to police station and get a background check for the past 2yrs. He said if we could get this letter to him before 2 p.m., he could squeeze my wife for the 4:00 p.m. oath ceremony today. Otherwise, she would have to wait. We rushed to the police station and grabbed a number and waited for out turn. It was a chaos in the station. People were being seen out of turns for no apparent reason. Many people were frustrated and some left angrily. The supervisor of the station came out and said due to budget cuts, we have limited staff so people have to be patient. It was 1:25 p.m. and my wife's #22 was called. My wife explained the situation, and within minutes, her background check was produced with a $10.00 fee. We rushed back to the USCIS office and my wife handed the document around 1:55. The IO told my wife, this may not be a done deal as we may need you to provide us with background check from North Carolina. An hour passed and the IO said that everything looks good and he took my wife's GC and she was ready for her 4:00 p.m. oath ceremony. She received her naturalization paper after the ceremony and we will apply for her U.S. passport ASAP. All in all, it a very stressful day and a hectic journey for both of us. But I am glad we have made it through all of this and can happily leave forever.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Wow! Congrats at last!!

[NickD 203]

How does one fail a fingerprint test? Since the Milwaukee office was dead empty, they let me go in with my wife, her tiny finger print filled up a 17" monitor screen, could see every line clearly. This was her third set of prints within a four year period, the first two appeared on her conditional and ten year card, third set appeared nowhere, no fingerprints on your ceritificate.

I understand they send those to the FBI, have no idea what they do with them, but understand they are forwarded to your service center to complete the package then sent to your local office with the rest of your file. So did somebody lose her prints?

Understand if the law enforcement finds a print at a crime scene, they compare that print with a database, but if you have never committed a crime and never had were prints taken, you won't be in that database. That database is basically loaded with prints from those that were arrested for something or another.

It was my understanding the reason the USCIS takes fingerprints is for identification purposes only. Only time I had my prints taken was when I was drafted into the service and was told that. But a very poor form of identification if a guy had his hands blown off.

Only time wife and stepdaughter required a background check was when they first came here, needed a letter from there police department that they didn't commit a crime. Was your wife suspect of some kind of crime? Of course, if you did commit a crime and never was arrested or caught, there would be no record of that crime. Which is the key reason they ask that question if you are eventually caught, you lied on your application that is grounds to deport you.

But my stepdaughter had to answer to battery charges when she was 17 months old, where in the hell did the USCIS come up with this?

For me, it was a humiliating experience to be accused of fraud until I was forced to prove my innocence, and by some idiot sitting on the other side of the desk that could barely speak English! Throughout my history in this country, any promotion or certification was done by a board, can only conclude the USCIS is a bunch of incompetent people that is totally unaware of the American way. But don't have to prove this statement, just call that 800 number.

[sean2000 0]

Thank you for your replies. Guys, I want to know if we can get refunded for my wife's biometric test? We paid $86.00 but the FP test failed twice and the IO told us to go to the police station to get a background check on my wife. Thank you.

[milimelo 4,572]

Thank you for your replies. Guys, I want to know if we can get refunded for my wife's biometric test? We paid $86.00 but the FP test failed twice and the IO told us to go to the police station to get a background check on my wife. Thank you.

No, you won't get a refund.

[mamaSue 38]

Wow.... what a day!!

Congratulations!!!