N-400 Dec 2019 Filers

[nwolfe90 18]

I just got my wife's notice for her new interview date (still have to wait till they upload document for exact date) in Charleston. She is a combo filer. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by nwolfe90

[gregcrs2 1,778]

2 hours ago, daniel4310 said:

150 days since my original interview got scheduled and 220 days since my I751 got transferred. And still nothing 😭 original interview date was March 31st. Extension letter good until August 24th. I’m so OVER this 

Wow!  I remember N400 process was going so fast for you!  Hang in there!

[Sartre 123]

Posting entire OpEd article from the New York Times because it's behind a paywall.  Interesting ideas from a person who is waiting for her American Citizenship....

 

Opinion

I’m 10 Minutes Away From Becoming a U.S. Citizen

But U.S.C.I.S. is sitting on a growing backlog of would-be citizens like me.

By Amy Zhang

Ms. Zhang is a segment producer for “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj.”

• July 10, 2020, 5:00 a.m. ET
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People taking the oath of citizenship during a naturalization ceremony at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s Field Office in New York on July 2.Credit...Frank Franklin Ii/Associated Press

Ten minutes and an oath. That’s all that stands between me and American citizenship. After filling out a 20-page application, paying almost a thousand dollars, organizing piles of supporting documents, planning my life around five years of residency requirements and waiting another two — as well as F.B.I. background checks, InfoPass appointments and a civics test — 10 minutes and the recitation of 140 words is all I need.

But I have no idea when that will be. After I was approved for citizenship in March, I expected to have my ceremony in May. But I’m still waiting for my notice from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, or U.S.C.I.S., the federal agency in charge of processing immigration applications. And given that the agency is only conducting oath ceremonies in small, socially distanced groups or drive-through ceremonies, refusing to consider remote ceremonies to help clear the backlog and facing a budget crisis that might require it to furlough 70 percent of its staff in August, I’m stuck in an indefinite limbo.

Ten minutes and an oath is all that’s between me and the right to vote in a pivotal election. I’d finally be able to travel freely and reunite with family and apply for federal jobs and citizen-exclusive opportunities like the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. For an estimated 126,000 would-be-citizens in waiting like me, it’s also a matter of livelihood in these urgent times: Supplemental Security Income only lasts seven years for noncitizens, and many apply for citizenship to remain eligible for benefits. Certain federal financial aid and research grants are for citizens only. And many decide to naturalize because their green cards are about to expire, and once they do, they can’t apply for unemployment or start a new job without a change in status.

According to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, it’s possible that under current conditions, several hundred thousand people won’t be naturalized before the elections. Normally, an average of 63,000 applicants take the oath of allegiance every month. In Los Angeles, just one convention center could hold naturalization ceremonies for 10,000 people in a single day. Now, with social distancing guidelines, that’s down to hundreds — even with drive-through ceremonies. In Phoenix, U.S.C.I.S. started naturalizing 30 people a day in their parking lot, and last month, the agency’s Boston offices resumed ceremonies for groups of eight. Previously, these offices were able to hold ceremonies for groups of 200, in places like libraries and colleges.

 

 

To be clear, I’m glad U.S.C.I.S. is taking social distancing seriously. Even though I was looking forward to waving my little American flag with new citizens from all over the world, traditional oath ceremonies are now a health risk not worth the pomp and circumstance. But what is important is for U.S.C.I.S. to come up with a plan to conduct remote interviews. Shortening the ceremony isn’t enough when you’re only naturalizing a handful of people at a time. When U.S.C.I.S. was closed for three months, the backlog for oath ceremonies grew by an estimated 2,100 people a day. Last year around this time, from April 1 to June 30, 200,000 applicants were approved to be naturalized and due for their oath ceremony.

Fed up with this backlog, two Pennsylvania immigrants actually sued U.S.C.I.S. to ensure they’re naturalized before the state’s Oct. 19 voter registration deadline. The Office of Management and Budget, which oversees all federal agencies, sent a memo in late March directing agencies to “use the breadth of available technology capabilities to fulfill service gaps.”

In May, lawmakers from both parties also sent letters to the director of U.S.C.I.S., urging the agency to “take all necessary measures” and implement remote oath processes, or even to waive the requirement altogether. A letter from 14 members of Congress points to a federal law that grants individuals expedited oaths in place of usual ceremonies, when required by “special circumstances.” Surely, a pandemic counts.

But in response, U.S.C.I.S. officials ruled out remote oaths, saying that they presented security concerns and logistical challenges. This response did not sound like one coming from a country that usually values innovation and creativity. Their reasoning is also disingenuous. Security and logistical challenges have not stopped ICE from conducting deportation hearings via video.

 

 

 

Image

People taking the citizenship oath during a socially distanced naturalization ceremony in Des Moines on July 2.Credit...Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Other countries have also figured out a way to address these concerns. Canada held 300 online citizenship ceremonies in one week in June and even took advantage of the technology to host a celebratory cross-country group ceremony for Canada Day. And Australia, with its own backlog of applicants, started one-on-one video ceremonies in April. They look absolutely delightful.

 

 

At U.S.C.I.S., it couldn’t be more clear that bureaucracy is wielded for political gain. The Trump administration has introduced rules and policies to make it harder for people to become citizens, and for anyone to gain any kind of legal immigration status. It tightened scrutiny of applicants, reportedly rejecting them for things as small as writing “NA” instead of “N/A”; made it harder for low-income immigrants to stay if they relied on food stamps or other assistance; and requested far more additional paperwork, the dreaded “requests for evidence” that create further delays before a final decision. They handicapped processing times by diverting staff to ICE and, if their goals couldn’t be more clear: They created a denaturalization task force.

Even before the pandemic, the processing rate for citizenship applications was the lowest in a decade. Wait times for applicants in 2019 doubled from two years prior. So while immigrants like me needlessly waited, the rising fees we paid were used to denaturalize some people and make the process harder for everyone else. Currently, an applicant in New York can wait up to 36 months to be naturalized, according to U.S.C.I.S.’s own estimates.

Ten minutes and an oath. For me and thousands of other immigrants who have gamely jumped through every hoop asked of us, that’s all that’s standing between us and citizenship. From an agency that has fairness and efficiency in its mission, we deserve this bare minimum of effort to relieve us from an unnecessary, never-ending wait.

Amy Zhang (@azhang852) is a segment producer for “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj.”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: letters@nytimes.com.

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.

 

 

 

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[Hannah_NYC 14]

7 hours ago, daniel4310 said:

150 days since my original interview got scheduled and 220 days since my I751 got transferred. And still nothing 😭 original interview date was March 31st. Extension letter good until August 24th. I’m so OVER this 

Woww. Crazy. What center? Are you still within processing time?

[daniel4310 154]

7 minutes ago, Hannah_NYC said:

Woww. Crazy. What center? Are you still within processing time?

SRC and then Tampa. And I’m not. Opened a ticket and their response was “you’re in line for a interview, contact us in 90 days” lol 

[Georgia16 2,858]

6 minutes ago, daniel4310 said:

SRC and then Tampa. And I’m not. Opened a ticket and their response was “you’re in line for a interview, contact us in 90 days” lol 

Did you put one in for ROC also? Otherwise do that also.

[daniel4310 154]

6 minutes ago, Georgia16 said:

Did you put one in for ROC also? Otherwise do that also.

It was for the ROC  

[Georgia16 2,858]

1 minute ago, daniel4310 said:

It was for the ROC  

Okay hopefully that interview will come soon!

[BRgirlUS 38]

Does anyone knows what type of questions are asked in the naturalization ceremony? I still didn't receive the schedule notice, but my new status says I will "answer questions about my activity since my interview" at the ceremony. I just want to be prepared.

[Amadia 711]

11 hours ago, Sartre said:

Posting entire OpEd article from the New York Times because it's behind a paywall.  Interesting ideas from a person who is waiting for her American Citizenship....

I read this on my Google news feed....severely appalling!! 

It echoes the frustration that each applicant, who is told to wait, is experiencing.

I have researched cases in which USCIS was sued by immigrants with applications of Naturalization that was pending for 2yrs+ after interview was completed but was told they could not make a decision at that point in time.....and the court STILL gave them 60 days to respond to the applicant. Immigrants suing and winning against USCIS exists but it only seemed to happen when the applications passed 18mths....I guess that happened by the applicants' choice to file the lawsuit after much time has passed.

The applicants filed a 1447b that could then be followed up by a Writ of Mandamus.....the crappy thing about that is the legal fees for this filing and the possibility of it NOT getting palmed off for the USCIS to reimburse you if the judge does not see the applicant as the "prevailing party". One case I saw had the judge agree with the motion filed and that the legal fees had to be repaid to the plaintiff in the amount of $25,500 by the USCIS.

[Sartre 123]

It appears, based on their weekly communication letter,  USCIS is trying to reduce the backlog from the Covid-19 closings. This is the most important sentence in the communication: "USCIS has naturalized approximately 64,500 new citizens over the past month and anticipates completing nearly all postponed administrative naturalization ceremonies by the end of July." 

 

USCIS to Celebrate Independence Day by Hosting Naturalization Ceremonies Across the Country

07/01/2020

WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is celebrating the Declaration of Independence and the birth of our great country by hosting naturalization ceremonies across the United States from July 1 through July 7. Despite the pandemic, USCIS continues to welcome new citizens, demonstrating American resiliency and the importance of our independence.  USCIS began to conduct limited naturalization ceremonies in May and began to fully resume ceremonies in early June, after temporarily pausing in-person services to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The ceremonies have been shorter to limit exposure to those in attendance, incorporating social distancing and other safety precautions that protect the health and safety of applicants and USCIS staff. USCIS has naturalized approximately 64,500 new citizens over the past month and anticipates completing nearly all postponed administrative naturalization ceremonies by the end of July.  “Taking the Oath of Allegiance and embracing U.S. citizenship is a remarkable act of patriotism. We are a stronger nation today because of those who have chosen to become naturalized citizens,” said USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow. “I am proud of the USCIS employees who have worked diligently to ensure that our agency can conduct safe, yet meaningful, naturalization ceremonies during these difficult times.” USCIS is committed to promoting assimilation, awareness and understanding of citizenship by offering a variety of free citizenship preparation resources for applicants and teachers, including materials like the Establishing Independence lesson plan in the Citizenship Resource Center. Immigrant-serving organizations can register to receive a free Civics and Citizenship Toolkit to help lawful permanent residents prepare for naturalization. USCIS continues to encourage applicants to file their Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, online. To file online, individuals must first create a USCIS online account at myaccount.uscis.dhs.gov. Naturalization is the most significant benefit USCIS offers. Immigrants who lawfully join our country through naturalization express their attachment to our Constitution and commitment to assimilate into our society. We invite new citizens and their families and friends to share their experiences and photos from the ceremonies on social media using the hashtags #newUScitizen, and #IndependenceDay. For more information on the naturalization process and filing online, visit our website at uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.

[gregcrs2 1,778]

3 hours ago, Sartre said:

It appears, based on their weekly communication letter,  USCIS is trying to reduce the backlog from the Covid-19 closings. This is the most important sentence in the communication: "USCIS has naturalized approximately 64,500 new citizens over the past month and anticipates completing nearly all postponed administrative naturalization ceremonies by the end of July." 

 

Maybe not if furloughs occur.

[soso723 57]

I've been waiting in Jacksonville for 7 months for an interview now an no luck yet. Background checks were finished in May. My lease is up in 2 weeks and I can either stay or leave. I was thinking of moving to Buffalo, NY, they have a really fast office there and I hear they do the naturalization oath the same day as the interview. Should I stay or should I go ?!

[Georgia16 2,858]

5 minutes ago, soso723 said:

I've been waiting in Jacksonville for 7 months for an interview now an no luck yet. Background checks were finished in May. My lease is up in 2 weeks and I can either stay or leave. I was thinking of moving to Buffalo, NY, they have a really fast office there and I hear they do the naturalization oath the same day as the interview. Should I stay or should I go ?!

We can't answer if you should go or not that's up to you. but I will say it's kind of silly if you ONLY want to move do to the processing times. If it's because you want to move there then I get it. But it's not like you get first in line when you move there.

[Sartre 123]

10 minutes ago, Georgia16 said:

We can't answer if you should go or not that's up to you. but I will say it's kind of silly if you ONLY want to move do to the processing times. If it's because you want to move there then I get it. But it's not like you get first in line when you move there.

Also, you should consider how long will it take to actually transfer your case from Jacksonville to Buffalo and then the amount of time needed for Buffalo to review your case and schedule a time for your interview.  Please consider this as just an early morning musing...Best to you.