Future Southern California Oath Ceremony Dates

[jack.k 1]

Andy and Arvin,

Congratulations!!!! :)

Thank you so very much for the details about the ceremony. Tons of useful information here!

I live in the north like 45 miles away from LACC, so I probably should go in the very early morning not to be stuck in traffic. I'm glad there will be signs posted for naturalization parking, I was confused where to park when I went to my interview.

I'm not going to apply for passport there, why would they take your certificate away. Thank you for mentioning this.

Lots of tips here, I'm going go over it and note things down.

Cheers!

[Luv2travel 0]

Andy and Arvin,

I'm not going to apply for passport there, why would they take your certificate away. Thank you for mentioning this.

Lots of tips here, I'm going go over it and note things down.

Cheers!

All passport applications will require you to submit your naturalization certificate. It will be returned to you via mail.

[sonia joshi 0]

I was there today, 12:30pm.

Arrived at about 12pm, there is parking at the convention center for 15 dollars; I think it's worth it enough, there are 10 dollar parking across the street but it's outdoors and I think you're double parked so it'll be tougher to get out. I live in LA so I wasn't coming from the freeway; I approached it on Venice Blvd towards Figueroa going east and there was a sign to the parking lot for "citizenship." There are enough signs and unless you are literally the first person there you just need to follow the crowd.

There was a long line to get into the Convention Center but it was moving pretty briskly when I got there, and it looked like I was in the last 3rd of the line. I bought a certificate holder for 5 dollars from a man who approached us in the parking structure; I read on another thread here recommending it. 5 bucks wasn't a big deal, and it becomes 10 the closer you get inside.

When inside they separate guests and applicants almost immediately; you will not see them again until you leave the hall. When you get in they check your letter and then direct you to any of the 50 or so check-in desks, who will take your green card and punch it and staple it to your appointment letter, and tell you which specific desk will have your certificate at the end of the session. Then you are led to the seats in the hall, which they fill up section by section (so it will definitely be first come first served when getting your certificate).

There were 4199 of us; the actual ceremony didn't start until about 1:30; they didn't check security, and while they said to turn off phones it didn't seem to be a problem to use it (I brought notebook paper to do work on). Finally they start by having you stand in the presence of the judge. Then she does a short speech and then you stand up again and do the Oath of Allegiance (I didn't realize til too late that they gave you a booklet with the oath on it to read along to, so I looked over the person next to me).

They did another speech, then introduced two servicemembers also becoming citizens that day. I'm not at all an emotional person but somehow that actually humbled me to hear these people serving the military even before becoming citizens.

Then we pledged the oath of allegiance and then a man came up to sing the national anthem. Again, who woulda thunkit but I actually started getting emotional again; many people complain that the anthem is very oblique and in some ways glorifies war but I find it very poetic (not just cliched declarations of how great a country is; it tells an inspiring story about the country's resilience).

After that was the message from Obama and the Lee Greenwood music video. Then it was basically done, and they tell the audience to get up and exit the hall before they can start handing out the certificates, which I thought was weird (it's because after you get the certificate you're basically done, and if people were allowed to stay inside to wait for their applicants it would've been chaos).

TIP: I had no idea they let you apply for a passport on site! You just needed your passport photos and a way to pay (they take debit, check, or cash). I was wondering why there was a sign for passport photos when you first entered. If you really want your passport fast I suggest you arrive there early and get passport photos ready or have them before you show up. It would've saved me an extra trip to the post office.

They bring you row by row to the check-in desks; again since you are seated as you arrive that means the later you arrive the later you get your certificate; tough but fair. In the meantime they let you fill in your voter registration form and submit it. Another thread here mentioned that they seemed to imply that you HAD to register to vote, and I certainly felt that way. It is NOT required, and you don't need to submit it. I did anyway, then I realized after I handed it in that I didn't date the signature. Who knows if that actually goes through.

Finally you get up to your line and they find you on the folder, take your greencard and hand you your certificate, which has the photo taken of you at biometrics (NOT the passport photos you submitted). They congratulate you, and if you want to do your passport applications, you do that now (remember they take your certificate on the spot, so if you want to make copies first then you can't apply that day). After that you exit the hall where you see a long walkway where your family members have been waiting outside some caution tape waiting for you . This is where you can take photos.

There are also political party volunteers outside trying to get you to register for their party. The walk back to parking was relatively smooth and it wasn't hard to get out, and it was around 3:15pm when we finally did.

Also as a final note they said to NOT contact the SS office until after about 30 days; they claimed if you went sooner they wouldn't have you in their system. I'm so busy nowadays I don't really care (though I gotta make sure not to forget).

If I had to do it again I'd've arrived a little earlier (around 11:30 I think would've been a good balance of not standing around too long waiting and get to leave pretty early). Not sure if I would've applied for passport because didn't want to lose my certificate, but if you're not paranoid this will save you time. Definitely suggest you bring something to read if you get bored easily.

That's it! I've been in the US almost 19 years, an LPR almost 10 years (my GC expires in 2 months), and the entire application in LA took 4 months and 13 days from NOA to oath. I feel so lucky and I can't wait for you guys to get your day!

If you have any other questions let me know and I'll try to answer them

Congratulations (:

Andy and Arvin,

Congratulations!!!! :)

Thank you so very much for the details about the ceremony. Tons of useful information here!

I live in the north like 45 miles away from LACC, so I probably should go in the very early morning not to be stuck in traffic. I'm glad there will be signs posted for naturalization parking, I was confused where to park when I went to my interview.

I'm not going to apply for passport there, why would they take your certificate away. Thank you for mentioning this.

Lots of tips here, I'm going go over it and note things down.

Cheers!

Congrats (:

FInally received my official notice to appear on oath ceremony on april 17 at 8:10 am...........(:

[AndyZap 0]

Congratulations (:

Congrats (:

FInally received my official notice to appear on oath ceremony on april 17 at 8:10 am...........(:

Congrats, Sonia - make sure you get up and set out REALLY early on that day though!

[sonia joshi 0]

hi all, can you please help me finding the way to delay my oath ceremony. As i mentioned before too that i was waiting for my citizenship to be done as soon as possible coz i need to travel outside the country. And it's really an emergency so now i can't even wait for oath and then getting U.S passport and Indian visa. So at this point it's better for me to travel on my greencard and leave soon. But another question which is coming to my mind is how much it's gonna delay my process later and what could be the risks?

[ManuFred 10]

hi all, can you please help me finding the way to delay my oath ceremony. As i mentioned before too that i was waiting for my citizenship to be done as soon as possible coz i need to travel outside the country. And it's really an emergency so now i can't even wait for oath and then getting U.S passport and Indian visa. So at this point it's better for me to travel on my greencard and leave soon. But another question which is coming to my mind is how much it's gonna delay my process later and what could be the risks?

I don't know if you already had your interview done. If so, returning the oath letter to USCIS would be the way to go. Preferably, you (or someone on your behalf) sends the letter back when it gets in the mail with the request for another oath ceremony date.

If you're gone when the letter gets in and nobody is able to grab your mail, your case will be automatically placed on hold for up to one year. You can call USCIS to resume your case after you come back.

No worries, book your flight, go travel on your GC and come back.

Edited March 26, 2012 by ManuFred

[sonia joshi 0]

I don't know if you already had your interview done. If so, returning the oath letter to USCIS would be the way to go. Preferably, you (or someone on your behalf) sends the letter back when it gets in the mail with the request for another oath ceremony date.

If you're gone when the letter gets in and nobody is able to grab your mail, your case will be automatically placed on hold for up to one year. You can call USCIS to resume your case after you come back.

No worries, book your flight, go travel on your GC and come back.

Thanks for responding and showing me a way. Yea I am done with my interview and got my oath ceremony letter which is on april 17. Do u know how does it take for them to reschedule or do I need to tell them the specific date I am coming back on? Thanks again.

[arvinb 17]

@Andy - did you go to the SS office today? Let me know if you were able to update your status.

@Sonia - I suggest you give them your travel dates when you submit your form to reschedule. Are you definitely not going to be back by the next oath ceremony in May?

[AndyZap 0]

Arvin - I went to the SS office the day after the ceremony. They took all my information and made a copy of my certificate, but they did say they would have to verify my status before they could send a new card.

They said this should take about 4 weeks, but at least I do not have to go back there and the card will come back to me automatically once they have verified everything is in order. I also have an official receipt of the visit with this information on it.

If you still have your naturalization certificate (have not sent it off with a passport application yet) I would recommend going to the SS office ASAP.

Sonia - I agree with what the others have said - if you know you need to be out the country the date your oath is scheduled just explain this to the USCIS and ask them to reschedule you.

As for how much it will delay you, I'm not sure anyone can know that, but as long as you do tell them you can't make that ceremony instead of just not showing up there should be no risk to your application (If you did just not show up they may well consider you application to be abandoned).

[jack.k 1]

When you go to the SS office, do you submit the same form (SS-5) to apply for a social security card or do you just tell them you are a citizen now?

What is the difference between a non-citizen SS card and a citizen SS card? I don't understand why they can't just update their records automatically. Always something to do.

[AndyZap 0]

Yes, you need to use an SS-5 form when you go to the SS office.

They will only replace your SS card if it has a restriction printed on it. My card is from my K1 days in 2001, so it has "Valid for work only with INS authorization" printed on it, which is why it is being replaced.

If your card does not have any restrictions it should not be replaced, but you still need to submit an SS-5 to update your status.

[jack.k 1]

Yes, you need to use an SS-5 form when you go to the SS office.

They will only replace your SS card if it has a restriction printed on it. My card is from my K1 days in 2001, so it has "Valid for work only with INS authorization" printed on it, which is why it is being replaced.

If your card does not have any restrictions it should not be replaced, but you still need to submit an SS-5 to update your status.

I see, thank you for the clarification.

[sonia joshi 0]

Arvin - I went to the SS office the day after the ceremony. They took all my information and made a copy of my certificate, but they did say they would have to verify my status before they could send a new card.

They said this should take about 4 weeks, but at least I do not have to go back there and the card will come back to me automatically once they have verified everything is in order. I also have an official receipt of the visit with this information on it.

If you still have your naturalization certificate (have not sent it off with a passport application yet) I would recommend going to the SS office ASAP.

Sonia - I agree with what the others have said - if you know you need to be out the country the date your oath is scheduled just explain this to the USCIS and ask them to reschedule you.

As for how much it will delay you, I'm not sure anyone can know that, but as long as you do tell them you can't make that ceremony instead of just not showing up there should be no risk to your application (If you did just not show up they may well consider you application to be abandoned).

Thank you very much for providing me some helpful information. Everybody has recomended me to attend oath ceremony first if not then to notify USCIS before leaving. I hope I could find a way to attend this oath instead of delaying.

[sonia joshi 0]

@Andy - did you go to the SS office today? Let me know if you were able to update your status.

@Sonia - I suggest you give them your travel dates when you submit your form to reschedule. Are you definitely not going to be back by the next oath ceremony in May?

Thanks arvin......If I am going there is no way I could come back before june. so Just thinking.......

[jack.k 1]

I went to the naturalization oath ceremony this morning at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I am finally citizen! Thank you for those who shared their experience, it was good knowing in advance what was to be done, and thank you to those who helped answer some questions I had during the past weeks. Your help was greatly appreciated.

There were 5K people sworn in during the morning, I arrived very early at 6:30 am and to my surprise there was already a long line. But not as bad as those who arrived later, it just kept on getting longer and longer. I didn't park in the LACC structure as I figured thousands of people will not exit in a timely manner after it's over. I parked outside on a lot on Pico Blvd -- for those who park outside and want to save money, go on Pico blvd and there is a nice parking lot kinda hidden next to some taco restaurant, only $5. Just a few feet away it's $15.

I bought a certificate holder from someone outside for $5. When you go stand in line when you're about to enter LACC, other sellers sell it for $10. That one appears to be better quality. The one I got is plastic inside and I'm afraid that it will discolor the certificate after time. When you are seated, they also give you a package that includes a paper holder and it's good enough. I personally wouldn't recommend buying the $5 holder, and if $10 is too much, I'd skip it as the paper holder is fine if you keep in a safe place. And holders are still being sold at the end of the ceremony should you change your mind.

I'd definitely recommend going as early as you can, as you guys said, first come are first to receive their certificates. Everything was orderly, there were several workers assisting people if there are any questions, directing people where to go, they were friendly. They passed around voting registration forms if you want to register, no problem if you don't want to at this time they don't even ask you. I'm not sure some people managed to fill them out on their knees, sitting next to people were tight.

One thing that sucked was unable to take pictures with your guests inside the hall, they directed every visitor outside and pictures were taken on the streets. I guess they change the rules from ceremony to ceremony. It doesn't matter though, I'm just happy this is over with.

Oh, and for some reason, they used my photo I included with my application NOT the picture they take during biometrics.

If anyone has any questions let me know and I'll be glad to answer. But nothing was chaotic during the ceremony, they explained everything clearly and numerous times. I was expecting madness to be honest. So good job USCIS or whoever is in charge of managing these ceremonies in such a large scale.