N-400 Filers from ND and Northern MN

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

Well, this is unusual.

 

It is Duluth.

 

That isn't any closer than MSP for us.  🤯

[Citizendan 8]

On 4/12/2019 at 3:59 PM, N-o-l-a said:

Well, this is unusual.

 

It is Duluth.

 

That isn't any closer than MSP for us.  🤯

Fargo ND would have been fine, right?

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

34 minutes ago, Citizendan said:

Fargo ND would have been fine, right?

 

Oh yeah, it is way closer and would have only been a day trip.

 

I see another Minnesota filer who lives very close to Fargo got sent to Duluth too.  @Dualie

 

LOL, I even have an appointment with my tattoo artist in Fargo a week from the interview date.  🤓

Edited April 14, 2019 by N-o-l-a

[Citizendan 8]

28 minutes ago, N-o-l-a said:

 

Oh yeah, it is way closer and would have only been a day trip.

 

I see another Minnesota filer who lives very close to Fargo got sent to Duluth too.  @Dualie

 

LOL, I even have an appointment with my tattoo artist in Fargo a week from the interview date.  🤓

 

I don't know why they do that. According to their naturalization schedule, there was an oath ceremony at Moorhead MN in March. They could have added him to that group. Asking him to go to Duluth doesn't make sense. 

[Dualie 185]

1 hour ago, N-o-l-a said:

 

Oh yeah, it is way closer and would have only been a day trip.

 

I see another Minnesota filer who lives very close to Fargo got sent to Duluth too.  @Dualie

 

LOL, I even have an appointment with my tattoo artist in Fargo a week from the interview date.  🤓

Hi there! Just got your message. I hadn't run across this group before. Will follow up with you after my interview on Monday!

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

54 minutes ago, Citizendan said:

 

I don't know why they do that. According to their naturalization schedule, there was an oath ceremony at Moorhead MN in March. They could have added him to that group. Asking him to go to Duluth doesn't make sense. 

 

I see there are ones in Moorhead and Duluth in September and Fergus Falls in July.  That isn't a huge issue because this is an interview only unless they are planning on doing same day oaths.

 

I remember another ND filer basically having to beg his elected representative to try and get him in on a MSP oath ceremony after his interview. It took forever.

[Dualie 185]

After reading this thread from the beginning, I feel I should clarify my situation.  I applied to remove the conditions on my green card on 01/18/2017. I applied for naturalization on 02/20/2018.  They have tossed my cases around...no RFEs or anything, but the last I heard was when they transferred my "case" to NBC on May 5, 2018.  Then nothing....until I got notification of my scheduled interview.  I was surprised to find it scheduled for Duluth instead of MSP.  I had to get a second I551 stamp in Fargo, so I was kind of hoping for an interview in Fargo.  Yeah, right. 

[Citizendan 8]

1 minute ago, N-o-l-a said:

 

I see there are ones in Moorhead and Duluth in September and Fergus Falls in July.  That isn't a huge issue because this is an interview only unless they are planning on doing same day oaths.

 

I remember another ND filer basically having to beg his elected representative to try and get him in on a MSP oath ceremony after his interview. It took forever.

 

Haha, I'm also an ND filer. I don't think we are part of their plans. 😊😊

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

5 minutes ago, Dualie said:

After reading this thread from the beginning, I feel I should clarify my situation.  I applied to remove the conditions on my green card on 01/18/2017. I applied for naturalization on 02/20/2018.  They have tossed my cases around...no RFEs or anything, but the last I heard was when they transferred my "case" to NBC on May 5, 2018.  Then nothing....until I got notification of my scheduled interview.  I was surprised to find it scheduled for Duluth instead of MSP.  I had to get a second I551 stamp in Fargo, so I was kind of hoping for an interview in Fargo.  Yeah, right. 

 

It was the hope here too as they've done interviews in Fargo in the past, but maybe they were only for ND residents? He did biometrics in Fargo twice.  My husband works in ND, so that should at least count for something. FFS, it is where I grocery shop too. The difference is really taking a half a day off from work and a quick drive, versus a 5 hour drive each way and having to pay for a hotel, etc.  Then, maybe having to do it again for the oath ceremony.....

 

At least it isn't as bad as Chicago, he had to drive out there to renew his passport.  😢

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

12 minutes ago, Citizendan said:

 

Haha, I'm also an ND filer. I don't think we are part of their plans. 😊😊

 

When your state has less people than a city, people sometimes forget about it, you know?  Upper Midwesterners are really good at waiting, though!

[Citizendan 8]

4 minutes ago, N-o-l-a said:

 

When your state has less people than a city, people sometimes forget about it, you know?  Upper Midwesterners are really good at waiting, though!

Sadly, you are right

[Dualie 185]

I had my interview(s) today in Duluth MN.  Duluth is a small Application Support Center, and it looks fairly new...by that I mean it looks as though the office equipment and such has not been there very long.  The officer there is an older gentleman, stern looking but with a sense of humor in a no nonsense way.  My appointment was for 10:30 and we arrived shortly after 10AM.  Security was easy and pleasant.  We were directed to the second floor to room 208, where we checked in at the desk.  The lady asked for my appointment letter, took it and said that she would tell the officer we were there and he would call me when he was ready.  

 

It was nearly 11AM when he called me.  I went in alone, figuring that if the IO wanted my husband to come in, he would say so.  He did not.  The officer had my file(s) on the desk.  He spent a lot of time reading over my files, and entering stuff into the computer.  He asked to see my green card, my Canadian passport, and my state drivers license. I explained that the IO in Saint Paul had taken my green card when I got my first I551 stamp, and I gave him the photocopy of my green card that was given to me there.  He made copies of these and gave them back to me.  Then he said, "I see you have a pending I-751. I will have to adjudicate that before we continue.  I expected him to ask my husband to join us, but he did not.   He asked me how many times I had been married, how many times my husband had been married, and then how long we have been married to each other.  I answered all of these, and he said, "So you haven't kicked him to the curb?" He didn't smile but his voice did.  Then he unlocked a file drawer and brought out a stamp, and stamped my I-751 file "Approved".  

 

At this point he began having issues with the computer program, and it took quite a while before he could proceed.  He finally was able to move forward, he had me stand and take the oath to tell the truth....  He asked me how many Supreme Court judges there are; what is the capital of my state; who was one of the writers of the Federation Papers; what one of the reasons the colonists came to America; what is the political party of the present President.....and I can't for the life of me remember the last one, but I was counting in my head and I got six correct.  Then he had me read the sentence "Who can vote".  Then he had me write "Citizens can vote".  He asked me about my military service in Canada, and about the unions I had belonged to, and we chatted a little bit about each.  Then he asked me all of the questions at the end of the N400 application.  He updated my employer, as that had changed last year and I was unable to change it online.  He had me read the changes and what we talked about on the iPad.  I signed the iPad again.  He printed out a form for me which said that I had passed the tests and my application was being recommended for approval.  He told me my oath ceremony would be held in Saint Paul, and that it shouldn't be too long of a wait...but don't hold him to it, lol.  He thanked me for my patience and I thanked him, and I left.  I was in the office for about an hour and a half, as I got out at 12:30.

 

I was surprised that the I-751 was so easy.  I had a whole file folder full of evidence, and I never once opened it.  Anyway, that was my experience. I sure hope my oath ceremony is closer to home.  I did go online to check case status and got an error message.  I have read that that is common.  I will try again later.  

[Citizendan 8]

24 minutes ago, Dualie said:

I had my interview(s) today in Duluth MN.  Duluth is a small Application Support Center, and it looks fairly new...by that I mean it looks as though the office equipment and such has not been there very long.  The officer there is an older gentleman, stern looking but with a sense of humor in a no nonsense way.  My appointment was for 10:30 and we arrived shortly after 10AM.  Security was easy and pleasant.  We were directed to the second floor to room 208, where we checked in at the desk.  The lady asked for my appointment letter, took it and said that she would tell the officer we were there and he would call me when he was ready.  

 

It was nearly 11AM when he called me.  I went in alone, figuring that if the IO wanted my husband to come in, he would say so.  He did not.  The officer had my file(s) on the desk.  He spent a lot of time reading over my files, and entering stuff into the computer.  He asked to see my green card, my Canadian passport, and my state drivers license. I explained that the IO in Saint Paul had taken my green card when I got my first I551 stamp, and I gave him the photocopy of my green card that was given to me there.  He made copies of these and gave them back to me.  Then he said, "I see you have a pending I-751. I will have to adjudicate that before we continue.  I expected him to ask my husband to join us, but he did not.   He asked me how many times I had been married, how many times my husband had been married, and then how long we have been married to each other.  I answered all of these, and he said, "So you haven't kicked him to the curb?" He didn't smile but his voice did.  Then he unlocked a file drawer and brought out a stamp, and stamped my I-751 file "Approved".  

 

At this point he began having issues with the computer program, and it took quite a while before he could proceed.  He finally was able to move forward, he had me stand and take the oath to tell the truth....  He asked me how many Supreme Court judges there are; what is the capital of my state; who was one of the writers of the Federation Papers; what one of the reasons the colonists came to America; what is the political party of the present President.....and I can't for the life of me remember the last one, but I was counting in my head and I got six correct.  Then he had me read the sentence "Who can vote".  Then he had me write "Citizens can vote".  He asked me about my military service in Canada, and about the unions I had belonged to, and we chatted a little bit about each.  Then he asked me all of the questions at the end of the N400 application.  He updated my employer, as that had changed last year and I was unable to change it online.  He had me read the changes and what we talked about on the iPad.  I signed the iPad again.  He printed out a form for me which said that I had passed the tests and my application was being recommended for approval.  He told me my oath ceremony would be held in Saint Paul, and that it shouldn't be too long of a wait...but don't hold him to it, lol.  He thanked me for my patience and I thanked him, and I left.  I was in the office for about an hour and a half, as I got out at 12:30.

 

I was surprised that the I-751 was so easy.  I had a whole file folder full of evidence, and I never once opened it.  Anyway, that was my experience. I sure hope my oath ceremony is closer to home.  I did go online to check case status and got an error message.  I have read that that is common.  I will try again later.  

 

Congrats

[Citizendan 8]

There will be oath ceremony in Fargo ND on 04/23/19 for 141 new citizens. Is anybody here part of the ceremony?

 

[N-o-l-a 7,167]

On 4/19/2019 at 6:56 PM, Citizendan said:

There will be oath ceremony in Fargo ND on 04/23/19 for 141 new citizens. Is anybody here part of the ceremony?

 

 

With USCIS's speed that is probably for the people interviewed in 2018.  😂