N-400 February Filers 2018

[AmusingCamera 128]

5 hours ago, CTgal18 said:

Thanks for sharing ! It’s great to know which dates they’re working on so thanks for passing along that info. 

Np- glad to help. I hope you hear something soon

[AmusingCamera 128]

4 hours ago, Anabless said:

Thanks for updating @AmusingCamera! So I may hear something in the next 2 weeks then(I applied on Feb 07th). I'm so anxious!!! 

I hope you hear something next week or beginning of May. 

[andy1121 11]

Hello everyone

So I had vacation right after interview so here is  my delayed info on
how it all went. I'll also post in parent as it might have some
interesting bits.

Key points of application and bits of Interview experience. 

Some details might be interesting and I’ll try to mention what

I saw gets discussed, asked ..

 

This forum is helpful as much as we all share as much as we can.

 

Regular 5 year rule application, family based gc.

Applied just month before 5y date.

 

Docs - form filled in online like everyone else  - and in addition to that uploaded green card front and back.

Decided to upload only drivers license as it had my first address so it was a proof of first address in the application. 

I think general logic should be if you be asked you should have something to show that you resided at the adresses 

you listed in the application. That was my logic.

 

I did not upload my child birth certificate as some recommend to do it ..

I did bring it to interview and i was not asked for it .. 

 

Taxes wise decided to bring to interview and not upload.

Had with me just the last(2017) year as I already had it

accepted. Never was asked for it. 

 

I did give a thought to make passport photos for interview 

as I read some folks  still are asked for them but then decided to not do it. 

I was not asked passport photos at interview.

 

I did not file taxes first two years so I answered yes to that big ‘have you ever’ question

as recommended here and everywhere else.  

What was interesting officer went over this with me and since I was not required - I did not

have income - what happened the office changed that answer to ‘NO’!

That was interesting turn but I did not object. So if not filing taxes question is one

of your worries be ready for this kind of turn

 

I’ve had  a few long trips and I thought I might get asked about them

All below six month. One was 179 days. No questions ..

 

On the interview I was quite stressed .. and was trying to act normal

Also it was hot in the room

I don’t remember questions but they were not the most difficult.

Civis test goes in interesting way - questions were printed on some

blank and looked like officer was reading them and writing down my answers in blanks. I guess

that is how process is to document our interviews and this is added to your case.

After first six or seven correct answers I was not asked the rest of it .

 

Final statistic point already 2 week and my status is still - ceremony

will be scheduled. Officer mentioned I might go in May but Im kind of

bumed no date no info and no letter yet :-(

[mnydriven818 2]

15 hours ago, ilyak said:

ECD is calculated automatically and is based on the general metrics for the responsible field office or service, so it's not case-specific in that sense. I doubt they adjust the calculation method for exceptional cases such as expedited naturalization under 319(b).

 

Fun fact: My ECD was listed as February 2019 one day before my oath was scheduled for May 14th, 2018. 

Thank you for the clarification Ilyak,

 

based on your n400 timeline, is it safe to assume you filed under the 319(b) as well?

 

You had your interview around a month after your bio metrics?

 

Thanks

[ilyak 79]

5 hours ago, mnydriven818 said:

Thank you for the clarification Ilyak,

 

based on your n400 timeline, is it safe to assume you filed under the 319(b) as well?

 

You had your interview around a month after your bio metrics?

 

Thanks

No, mine was the regular N400 process. It did move a lot faster than I anticipated, but there a few others with similar timelines on VJ. The interview was scheduled less than a week after the biometrics appointment, and the interview date was just over a month from then. Buffalo is not the busiest field office though, and I think it's safe to say that if your background check comes back as clear, the number of pending cases ahead of you at your field office is the real determinant of when your interview will be scheduled for.

[mnydriven818 2]

11 minutes ago, ilyak said:

No, mine was the regular N400 process. It did move a lot faster than I anticipated, but there a few others with similar timelines on VJ. The interview was scheduled less than a week after the biometrics appointment, and the interview date was just over a month from then. Buffalo is not the busiest field office though, and I think it's safe to say that if your background check comes back as clear, the number of pending cases ahead of you at your field office is the real determinant of when your interview will be scheduled for.

wow that is pretty quick. Had i known i would have applied in Buffalo as well.. Thank for the update.

[ilyak 79]

56 minutes ago, mnydriven818 said:

wow that is pretty quick. Had i known i would have applied in Buffalo as well.. Thank for the update.

It's not a unique situation either, a few people are reporting similar timelines and this is not specific to the Buffalo office. It's weird, given the averages hinted at by the estimated completion date, but maybe USCIS has made some changes to the process. Or maybe a few of us just got very lucky.

[CarlHamilton 252]

10 minutes ago, ilyak said:

It's not a unique situation either, a few people are reporting similar timelines and this is not specific to the Buffalo office. It's weird, given the averages hinted at by the estimated completion date, but maybe USCIS has made some changes to the process. Or maybe a few of us just got very lucky.

I think that people who care enough to post here on a regular basis also care enough to submit complete and accurate applications, so they may be ahead of the curve.  

[shell20 746]

10 hours ago, andy1121 said:

Hello everyone

So I had vacation right after interview so here is  my delayed info on
how it all went. I'll also post in parent as it might have some
interesting bits.

Key points of application and bits of Interview experience. 

Some details might be interesting and I’ll try to mention what

I saw gets discussed, asked ..

 

This forum is helpful as much as we all share as much as we can.

 

Regular 5 year rule application, family based gc.

Applied just month before 5y date.

 

Docs - form filled in online like everyone else  - and in addition to that uploaded green card front and back.

Decided to upload only drivers license as it had my first address so it was a proof of first address in the application. 

I think general logic should be if you be asked you should have something to show that you resided at the adresses 

you listed in the application. That was my logic.

 

I did not upload my child birth certificate as some recommend to do it ..

I did bring it to interview and i was not asked for it .. 

 

Taxes wise decided to bring to interview and not upload.

Had with me just the last(2017) year as I already had it

accepted. Never was asked for it. 

 

I did give a thought to make passport photos for interview 

as I read some folks  still are asked for them but then decided to not do it. 

I was not asked passport photos at interview.

 

I did not file taxes first two years so I answered yes to that big ‘have you ever’ question

as recommended here and everywhere else.  

What was interesting officer went over this with me and since I was not required - I did not

have income - what happened the office changed that answer to ‘NO’!

That was interesting turn but I did not object. So if not filing taxes question is one

of your worries be ready for this kind of turn

 

I’ve had  a few long trips and I thought I might get asked about them

All below six month. One was 179 days. No questions ..

 

On the interview I was quite stressed .. and was trying to act normal

Also it was hot in the room

I don’t remember questions but they were not the most difficult.

Civis test goes in interesting way - questions were printed on some

blank and looked like officer was reading them and writing down my answers in blanks. I guess

that is how process is to document our interviews and this is added to your case.

After first six or seven correct answers I was not asked the rest of it .

 

Final statistic point already 2 week and my status is still - ceremony

will be scheduled. Officer mentioned I might go in May but Im kind of

bumed no date no info and no letter yet :-(

Thanks for sharing, sharing is always great as it gives us all an insight.  Strange about the tax thing and strange they didn't question you too much, but also good as its far less stressful. I have to show 3 birth certificates, one for my son and two for my husbands sons. Still don't know why they would want them. I have uploaded two but will pick the 3rd up when I go away in May.  I hope you hear from them regarding your ceremony shortly and then you can finally say goodbye to this very long journey. 

[flyingkites 22]

Any updates from New Yorkers?  I submitted 02/23 and I had my biometrics a month ago 03/20 and I was hoping to hear something by now about an interview.  But after numerous automated emails right after (with no updates to show for them) I got an email last week basically saying "we have not forgotten you" which was reassuring   Says March 2019 right now for completion.

[zukkaus 10]

Hello people,

 

I just wanted to share my interview experience.

 

I got to the USCIS office 20 minutes before my appointment. It was at 12:50pm. 12:51pm, a IO calls my name and asked me to follow him. He asked me why I was late to my appointment???....what????? I replied that I wasn't late. He looked at the appointment letter and realized that I was on time. He mentioned that the system shows my appointment at 12:15pm.....odd!!!

 

He sworn me in, and we started. 6 questions, all correct. Made me write a sentence and read another one.

 

Asked me all the list of questions where you have to respond if I am a communist or belong to any illegal party and so forth....... I think this took 75% of the time that I spent in his office.

 

After that he verified that all my information was correct. and made me sign electronically on an IPAD that was design for this purpose.

 

No weird questions, or anything from my past (which I have nothing actually)

 

While he was scanning and making copies and addressing my file (which was probably 2 inches wide), I asked him about my short wait for the interview since the process was started. He replied by saying that most of the delays are generated by the third parties they use to do the background and other inquiries about the applicant. He said I got lucky and probably they didn't find anything on me to delay. Well, good to know.

 

After all the paperwork, he made me sign a document that had my name on it and verify it was correct...again!! and explained I will be receiving a document by mail where all the details of my oath ceremony will be described. He said that he will be recommending me to be approved and walked me out.

 

The IO was a very polite gentleman. I am sure he noticed I was nervous and he tried to calm me down with his smooth talking....it helped. I felt very comfortable when we started the process.

 

In general a good experience. My case has been updated in the website to "Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled". 

 

I wish you guys the best luck. This threat has helped to keep me busy and not be anxious about this process.

 

Thank you all.

 

Zukkaus

[ilyak 79]

On 4/24/2018 at 11:02 AM, shomer said:

I think that people who care enough to post here on a regular basis also care enough to submit complete and accurate applications, so they may be ahead of the curve.  

Eh, I kinda doubt that the majority of processing delays are generated by incomplete or inaccurately filed cases. I'm sure it happens, but I also think that it's more about the overall case load of a particular office, with the secondary factor of things that come up on background checks that require further investigation. The N400 process is comparatively less involved for the officers than other kinds of applications, because the eligibility criteria are pretty simple and straightforward. This means that there are few judgement calls to make that may require gathering significant amounts of additional information. There's also plenty of (admittedly anecdotal) evidence out there that N400 cases are routinely given to junior officers.

 

If you look at the timeline tables in this and other monthly filers' threads, there're usually a few people who get scheduled for interviews significantly earlier than others. They tend to be filers from larger regional offices covering relatively sparsely populated areas - basically, big jurisdictions with few filers. Overall, though, the average processing times that USCIS posts are not far from what the majority of the filers will see.

[shell20 746]

3 hours ago, zukkaus said:

Hello people,

 

I just wanted to share my interview experience.

 

I got to the USCIS office 20 minutes before my appointment. It was at 12:50pm. 12:51pm, a IO calls my name and asked me to follow him. He asked me why I was late to my appointment???....what????? I replied that I wasn't late. He looked at the appointment letter and realized that I was on time. He mentioned that the system shows my appointment at 12:15pm.....odd!!!

 

He sworn me in, and we started. 6 questions, all correct. Made me write a sentence and read another one.

 

Asked me all the list of questions where you have to respond if I am a communist or belong to any illegal party and so forth....... I think this took 75% of the time that I spent in his office.

 

After that he verified that all my information was correct. and made me sign electronically on an IPAD that was design for this purpose.

 

No weird questions, or anything from my past (which I have nothing actually)

 

While he was scanning and making copies and addressing my file (which was probably 2 inches wide), I asked him about my short wait for the interview since the process was started. He replied by saying that most of the delays are generated by the third parties they use to do the background and other inquiries about the applicant. He said I got lucky and probably they didn't find anything on me to delay. Well, good to know.

 

After all the paperwork, he made me sign a document that had my name on it and verify it was correct...again!! and explained I will be receiving a document by mail where all the details of my oath ceremony will be described. He said that he will be recommending me to be approved and walked me out.

 

The IO was a very polite gentleman. I am sure he noticed I was nervous and he tried to calm me down with his smooth talking....it helped. I felt very comfortable when we started the process.

 

In general a good experience. My case has been updated in the website to "Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled". 

 

I wish you guys the best luck. This threat has helped to keep me busy and not be anxious about this process.

 

Thank you all.

 

Zukkaus

Thanks for sharing Zukkaus.  Which field office did you have your interview at?   I do believe that they have to wait for third parties for security checks, but I also believe this is an awful lot to do with the vast back logs at some field offices.  What they need to do is probably open more offices in the jurisdictions that are buckling under the pressure of the sheer applications coming through. I hope you hear from them shortly regarding your Oath Ceremony.

[nuno 16]

6 hours ago, zukkaus said:

Hello people,

 

I just wanted to share my interview experience.

 

I got to the USCIS office 20 minutes before my appointment. It was at 12:50pm. 12:51pm, a IO calls my name and asked me to follow him. He asked me why I was late to my appointment???....what????? I replied that I wasn't late. He looked at the appointment letter and realized that I was on time. He mentioned that the system shows my appointment at 12:15pm.....odd!!!

 

He sworn me in, and we started. 6 questions, all correct. Made me write a sentence and read another one.

 

Asked me all the list of questions where you have to respond if I am a communist or belong to any illegal party and so forth....... I think this took 75% of the time that I spent in his office.

 

After that he verified that all my information was correct. and made me sign electronically on an IPAD that was design for this purpose.

 

No weird questions, or anything from my past (which I have nothing actually)

 

While he was scanning and making copies and addressing my file (which was probably 2 inches wide), I asked him about my short wait for the interview since the process was started. He replied by saying that most of the delays are generated by the third parties they use to do the background and other inquiries about the applicant. He said I got lucky and probably they didn't find anything on me to delay. Well, good to know.

 

After all the paperwork, he made me sign a document that had my name on it and verify it was correct...again!! and explained I will be receiving a document by mail where all the details of my oath ceremony will be described. He said that he will be recommending me to be approved and walked me out.

 

The IO was a very polite gentleman. I am sure he noticed I was nervous and he tried to calm me down with his smooth talking....it helped. I felt very comfortable when we started the process.

 

In general a good experience. My case has been updated in the website to "Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled". 

 

I wish you guys the best luck. This threat has helped to keep me busy and not be anxious about this process.

 

Thank you all.

 

Zukkaus

Thanks for sharing!

I'll be there on May 10. Hope my interview process will be smooth as yours!

[Sukie 1,464]

8 hours ago, flyingkites said:

Any updates from New Yorkers?  I submitted 02/23 and I had my biometrics a month ago 03/20 and I was hoping to hear something by now about an interview.  But after numerous automated emails right after (with no updates to show for them) I got an email last week basically saying "we have not forgotten you" which was reassuring   Says March 2019 right now for completion.

Nothing for us, with a 2/18 submission and a 3/12 biometrics appointment.  We get the “we have not forgotten you” email every two weeks on Monday mornings.

 

Sukie in NY ((Hudson Valley))