N-400 July 2020 Filers (merged)

[beans 7]

14 minutes ago, Newfiler said:

Thank you for your post and congratulations. I have a question did you have to put your mask on all the time during the interview?

Yes, I had a mask on for parts and off for others. When I was doing the video interview portion, I had mask off because I was in the room alone. Here is a more detailed post that I did in reddit:

 

Hi all,

 

Had my citizenship interview yesterday and I passed!

 

Went into the building 15 minutes before my appointment. The doors were locked. The security guard came up, asked me to read COVID-19 exposure/symptom questions and asked if any of these apply. After going inside, they went through my purse and I went through metal detector.

 

After that a gentleman called me up to a counter for photo and fingerprinting and went through my documents that I brought.

 

Once that was done, I went into an interview room where a tablet was set up for the interview. The same agent who went through the my documents delivered the interview from his office.

 

After swearing in, the interview began. Starting with biometrics questions. Then a word document went on the screen with a sentence that I was asked to read out loud. Then he printed a page and advised me to write the sentence he was about to give me on a specific section of the paper. Once completed, I held it up to the screen for his review. There was a document box beside me and I placed the form in there.

 

After written and verbal, he asked six biometric questions. And finally went through the questions about moral character and affiliations and defending the US 

 

Printed some more pages about oath, attesting that the information I have was accurate (pretty sure this was before interview but it was all blur).

 

He then came into the interview and told me I passed and that they would love for me to attend the oath ceremony on Friday. I asked if there was anyway possible it could be done today because I have no idea what my Friday looks like at work and it's a 5 hour round trip to get to USCIS. 

 

He went and talked to someone and they were able to do it same day. I went out into the waiting room and waited about 30 minutes. 

 

A lady called me back to the interview room, I returned my green card, filled out the form confirming nothing has changed since my interview (😂) and then gave the oath of allegiance.

 

Long and short - very friendly and accommodating group and the interview felt way easier than any of my others with immigration.

 

CIS Office : Portland ME

Date Filed : 2020-07-16

NOA Date : 2020-07-17

Bio. Appt. : Reused 2012 biometrics

Interview Date : 2020-11-03

Approved : Yes

Oath Ceremony : 2020-11-03

[RandB 156]

6 hours ago, beans said:

Became a US citizen 11/3/2020. Had my interview and was asked if I could come back for Friday oath ceremony. Problem is work is crazy and the USCIS office is 2.5 hours away from home so I asked if there was anyway we could oath same day. 30 minutes later, I was raising my right hand and saying the oath.

 

I ran to my car with a couple of tears, made it back in time to register and vote before polls closed. Perfect day.

 

I hope you all have a speedy adjudication of your cases and I'm glad my immigration journey has come to a close after living in the US since 2009.

That is epic! Congratulations on your citizenship and on voting!

[UnaMexicana 153]

Hello Everyone!

 

The online tool sent me an error message when I tried to create an inquiry, as apparently my case is still within processing time (SFR office).

So I listened to @ToysneATX about calling USCIS anyway. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

If you want, give it a try: 800-375-5283.

 

I tried three times with the English menu and kept stuck in a menu loop until it eventually kicked me out. I tried in Spanish and it connected me to a human right away when I asked "representante". The person I talked to created a service request for me and provided a confirmation number.

 

I am hopeful to hear back before the 30 days she's asked me to wait.

 

Thanks,

 

UnaMexicana

[jivp 1]

2 minutes ago, UnaMexicana said:

Hello Everyone!

 

The online tool sent me an error message when I tried to create an inquiry, as apparently my case is still within processing time (SFR office).

So I listened to @ToysneATX about calling USCIS anyway. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

If you want, give it a try: 800-375-5283.

 

I tried three times with the English menu and kept stuck in a menu loop until it eventually kicked me out. I tried in Spanish and it connected me to a human right away when I asked "representante". The person I talked to created a service request for me and provided a confirmation number.

 

I am hopeful to hear back before the 30 days she's asked me to wait.

 

Thanks,

 

UnaMexicana

Hi! Congrats! Is SFR San Francisco? Did you use the service in Spanish? My wife was able to get to an agent (in English) but he didn’t raise the service request since 90+ days is still within the processing time for San Francisco. How did you manage to get them to raise it? 
thanks much 

[UnaMexicana 153]

Hi @jvip,

 

Yes SFR = SF (I did not know this but she mentioned it when she gave me the service request confirmation number)
I am sorry the agent did not do it, perhaps try again and choose option 2 to get to a Spanish speaking agent? She did say though that I was outside of the window (meaning I had not heard from them in over 60 days)... I did not even know that was a thing, but that's what she mentioned before creating the request

To your last question, when I started the call I told her "my case status hasn't been updated since I filed and I'd like to know what is the status as the last I heard was the day after I filed...", but you know I was super nice and apologetic about it... and reassuring of her time spent bla bla.

 

Hope this helps! See my timeline as it might also be helpful for an estimate.

 

UnaMexicana

 

[Timona 4,207]

Update

 

So I had emailed USCIS from my online account on 25th Oct. I also called 3rd Nov. USCIS just emailed me the below. I do not think Tier 2 will call after this. I do not know how many more 120 days need to pass. I understand this may be a generic reply. 

 

Type of service requested:
-- Fingerprints/Biometrics

The status of this service request is:

Thank you for contacting USCIS concerning the above-referenced application. Below is a summary of what we have found and how the issue has been resolved or additional actions are required.
What We Have Done
USCIS has reviewed your Service Request. According to USCIS records, your application is still pending.  At this time your case is in queue to be scheduled for Biometrics, we anticipate you should receive a notice from USCIS within 120 days.  Please be advised that posted processing times are goals based on Field Office averages.  These goals are subject to change and can vary from office to office.  We apologize for any inconvenience caused by delays in processing. 
What You Can Do
If you do not receive a decision or other notice from USCIS by the time specified above, please contact the National Customer Service Center at the phone number below.
In the interim, please remember to renew your employment authorization documents and travel documents within 3-4 months of the expiration date.
USCIS is committed to adjudicating immigration applications in a timely manner, efficiently and in the order received.  We hope this information is helpful.  If we may be of further assistance, please let us know.

 

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UYpuRqSQkRAdX7Kr_nehvjsjCiNTyADPJ3CAc9qJHf4/edit?usp=sharing

 

Fill timeline, People

[J1student 6]

I also sent a message on October 25th on my.uscis.gov account inbox and receipt what seems to be a generic reply:

 

Quote

Dear FIRSTNAME LASTNAME,

Thank you for your inquiry dated October 25, 2020.

Requesting information about your N-400, Application for Naturalization:
Your case is awaiting the required biometrics submittal, and is currently in suspense until you complete this process. Your application information has been entered into the system which schedules applicants for biometrics at their local Application Support Center (ASC). Biometrics appointments are scheduled as slots become available at the ASC. Once you have been scheduled for an appointment, you will receive an ASC Appointment Notice to appear at a certain date and time at your local ASC. You must take the ASC Appointment Notice and photo ID to your appointment. 
Once you have been scheduled, you may view and print a copy of your USCIS ASC Appointment Notice within your USCIS online filing system account. After you log in to your USCIS online filing system account, access the Home Tab to find the "Documents" field to view or print your official appointment notice from USCIS.
Further information regarding ASC biometric appointments is available at: ASC information.
Please note that extended absences outside of the United States may affect your ability to naturalize. USCIS policy requires that an applicant for naturalization must have resided continuously in the United States up to the time of naturalization. For more information on the Continuous Residence requirement, click here.
For general information about what to expect during the naturalization process, please visit our website at: my.uscis.gov/citizenship/what_to expect.
If you need more assistance with your USCIS online filing system account, please submit another inquiry to the USCIS Contact Center at my.uscis.gov/account/needhelp or log into your online account for specific case inquiries and contact us at my.uscis.gov/account/inbox.
If you move remember to update your address in the USCIS online filing system or contact the USCIS Contact Center at my.uscis.gov/account/needhelp or log into your online account for specific case inquiries and contact us at my.uscis.gov/account/inbox. You must also update your address using our online tool at uscis.gov/addresschange.
In the future, you can visit myaccount.uscis.dhs.gov to sign up for a USCIS online account where you can explore filing online, send us secure messages and get instant updates on the status of your case. You can see your account information and make inquiries any time and on any device.
We hope this information is helpful.

 

[sarahandyunus 133]

Just got a notification that my husband's interview is scheduled for Dec 21!

[Timona 4,207]

Called USCIS twice again today because I have not received Tier 2 call, which I doubt if they would call as they already emailed me. When I first called this morning, I got a rude lady who told me I have to wait and call back Wednesday as "7 business days" are not up. I could not get past her. So I hurriedly left. Called again jus now. Well, got a nice lady the second time around who told me she put in a "notice of non-delivery" and that should get  a response from USCIS within 15 to 30 days. Similarly, I am still in line for the prior Tier 2.

 

Let's see how this goes. 

 

I saw some lucky guy from Austin who filed N400 in late August of 2020 and is on line for biometrics. So, I will keep trying with USCIS. Hopefully, my efforts will not go in vain.

 

Hahhahha and I know someone in Houston who filed N400 in August of 2020 and who called USCIS  this evening, told the Rep she is due next month. The Rep left her on hold for 2 mins and came back and told her she should get expedited biometrics within 5 days. So, whoever is pregnant and due can try this 🤗. 

[JER2020 29]

Hello

 

I got a response today on my account, I had emailed them on 10/27 asking why I had not yet received biometrics appt.

 

Requesting information about your N-400, Application for Naturalization:
Your case is awaiting the required biometrics submittal, and is currently in suspense until you complete this process. Your application information has been entered into the system which schedules applicants for biometrics at their local Application Support Center (ASC). Biometrics appointments are scheduled as slots become available at the ASC. Once you have been scheduled for an appointment, you will receive an ASC Appointment Notice to appear at a certain date and time at your local ASC. 

[UnaMexicana 153]

This is the update that I received upon successfully calling and having the operator place a service request:

 

On 11/04/2020, you or the designated representative shown below, contacted us about your case. Some of the key information given to us at that time was the following:

Caller indicated they are:
 -- Applicant or Petitioner

Case type:
 -- N400

Filing date:
 -- 06/30/2020

Receipt #:

Type of service requested:
 -- Fingerprints/Biometrics


The status of this service request is:

Recently, you or your representative contacted USCIS concerning a biometric services appointment.


Biometric appointments are scheduled based on application/petition requirements and/or the associated processing times.  You will be scheduled for, and notified of, an appointment at the appropriate time.  Your appointment notice (Form I-797C, Notice of Action) will include the date, time and location for your ASC appointment.  You must take the appointment notice and photo ID to your appointment.


We hope this information is helpful to you.


Kind regards,

USCIS

 

=================================================

And the Oscar for "Best Non Answer ever" goes to...

USCIS

😹😹😹😹😹

 

Thanks,

 

UnaMexicana

 

[UnaMexicana 153]

On 11/5/2020 at 12:19 PM, J1student said:

I also sent a message on October 25th on my.uscis.gov account inbox and receipt what seems to be a generic reply:

 

 

I am sorry you are in the same boat. At least know that you are not alone, and based on the canned reply I received, clearly you are at least a bit ahead of me.

 

Hang in there 💫

 

Una Mexicana

[NYBEtt 88]

Hey everyone - also a July 2020 filer here. Can someone explain to me the whole commotion regarding not being called for biometrics? It's barely been 4 months.

 

I assume this is mostly people who are filing immigration forms for the first time under a Trump administration (and have no idea what the timelines have been like over the past 4 years) but I also want to make sure I am not missing anything!

[LTrucker 22]

11 hours ago, NYBEtt said:

Hey everyone - also a July 2020 filer here. Can someone explain to me the whole commotion regarding not being called for biometrics? It's barely been 4 months.

 

I assume this is mostly people who are filing immigration forms for the first time under a Trump administration (and have no idea what the timelines have been like over the past 4 years) but I also want to make sure I am not missing anything!

You're not. The waiting game for USCIS and different pace of the field offices is already an unknown black box. For people who've gone through USCIS processing a few times before, I think they understand patience is key but for others, comparing their case timeline to someone else (even if they're in completely different parts of the US with difference processing centers) and if their case is only intermittently updated, I think it gives a sense that something is amiss. I posted a comment on here a while ago essentially saying that this is how USCIS has worked and COVID has made things much more difficult, so if anything, we should expect things to take much longer than usual. Of course we should ask for things to be more efficient and transparent moving forward, but it is what it is for now.

 

I was actually surprised by how quickly things progressed for me (after waiting for a long time for GC and RoC) and I live in a big city so the field office is very busy. My biometrics was reused from ~2 years ago from RoC and my interview is scheduled for the first week in December already, so only took about 4.5 months from submission to interview, which from N-400 standards might be slow especially compared to 4-8 years ago, but is still much faster than any other USCIS processing I've gone through.

 

Also, there are some posts suggesting that if you call USCIS, somehow your case will jump queue, and for anyone who has dealt with USCIS before, they know that this is not the case and you can't just jump your queue by calling. I think what's happening now is that interviews are starting to be scheduled slowly and people are correlating the phone calls with getting interview dates/movement in their case, but correlation does not mean causation. Might be true for some folks who might've gotten RFEs or lost notices in the mail or what not but I think it is just sheer coincidence.

All the best!

[NYBEtt 88]

8 hours ago, LTrucker said:

You're not. The waiting game for USCIS and different pace of the field offices is already an unknown black box. For people who've gone through USCIS processing a few times before, I think they understand patience is key but for others, comparing their case timeline to someone else (even if they're in completely different parts of the US with difference processing centers) and if their case is only intermittently updated, I think it gives a sense that something is amiss. I posted a comment on here a while ago essentially saying that this is how USCIS has worked and COVID has made things much more difficult, so if anything, we should expect things to take much longer than usual. Of course we should ask for things to be more efficient and transparent moving forward, but it is what it is for now.

 

I was actually surprised by how quickly things progressed for me (after waiting for a long time for GC and RoC) and I live in a big city so the field office is very busy. My biometrics was reused from ~2 years ago from RoC and my interview is scheduled for the first week in December already, so only took about 4.5 months from submission to interview, which from N-400 standards might be slow especially compared to 4-8 years ago, but is still much faster than any other USCIS processing I've gone through.

 

Also, there are some posts suggesting that if you call USCIS, somehow your case will jump queue, and for anyone who has dealt with USCIS before, they know that this is not the case and you can't just jump your queue by calling. I think what's happening now is that interviews are starting to be scheduled slowly and people are correlating the phone calls with getting interview dates/movement in their case, but correlation does not mean causation. Might be true for some folks who might've gotten RFEs or lost notices in the mail or what not but I think it is just sheer coincidence.

All the best!

Thank you for your clear and thorough response. I also highlighted a part of your post which I think is relevant here - especially for those who've had ROC recently. Good luck with the interview next month!