N-400 Seattle (Part 2)

[Gaps0214 67]

38 minutes ago, Mv125 said:

Update..

 

I had my N400 interview a couple of hours ago and I passed the test. However, they were not able to make a decision as the I751 is still pending. They told me that a decision will be made after they receive my A-file.
 

The interview took 15 minutes. I was asked about basic information (name, DOB, address..), then the civics test, and finally a few yes/no questions from the application. 

 

The following questions were asked for the civics test:

 

1. what does the Constitution do?

2. Name one branch or part of the government?

3. What ocean is on the East Coast of the United States?

4. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?

6. How many U.S. senators are there?

 

I will post an update whenever I hear from them. Feel free to ask if you have questions.

Hi,

 

Congratulations on passing your N-400 interview.

Please post an update on how it goes with your timeline when you get their decision.

 

Cheers,

G&A

 

[Truth_Seeker 14]

So, we are in Germany right now, and we are traveling to Seattle on 10 December 2022  for an appointment on 12 December 2022 and we are planning on flying back home  to Germany on 20 December 2022.  So if my wife passes, she will need a U.S. Passport.

 

With that said, we plan on calling up the State Department before we leave to try and get an appointment.  So hopefully this won't be a problem.

 

Anyhow, does anyone know of any pitfalls that we need to be aware of?

 

Also are there any pro tips for us?

[Trent & Alexa 19]

I’m officially a US citizen! 🎉

 

I was super nervous before the interview but it was a lot easier than I thought. My appointment time was 12:10pm and I got called in at 12:45. The interviewer was very nice. Started with the 6 questions:

• What movement tried to end racial discrimination 
• Name one state that borders Canada
• Where is the Statue of Liberty 
• What’s the name of the national anthem
• Name two US holidays
• In what month do we vote for president

After this he asked quick questions about my work, my husband, my most recent international trips and asked me if I wanted to take the oath today!

 

All in all the interview lasted no more than 10 min. The oath ceremony started at 1:10pm. We were maybe 20 people in the room. I’m glad I got to take the same day oath and not have to worry about USCIS anymore Now off to applying for a passport!

 

Thanks to everyone on VisaJourney for your help over the years! A page is finally closing!

[Gaps0214 67]

Hello all,

 

Just a quick question for your thoughts.

 

Will uploading a scanned copy of my I-751 (which is still pending) into the unsolicited documents and evidence of my N-400 increase my chances of getting both adjudicated at the N-400 interview and hence get into a citizenship ceremony on the same day?

 

Thanks,

G&A

[da95826 387]

On 10/31/2022 at 11:21 AM, Truth_Seeker said:

So if my wife passes, she will need a U.S. Passport.

Yes to get back into USA she will need a passport. She can use her current passport to trvel out of US.

On 10/31/2022 at 11:21 AM, Truth_Seeker said:

Anyhow, does anyone know of any pitfalls that we need to be aware of?

The n400 may not be approved during appointment. In our case the n400 was approved 3 weeks after the interview, then another 3 weeks for the oath ceremony. You may have a same day approval and oath ceremony. You may have to wait for weeks for approval and oath ceremony.

Have you met the continuing residency requirements, or do you have the waiver due to government service out of the US? Have you been out of the USA more than 180 days or more than half the time of the 3 or 5 years.

[Truth_Seeker 14]

6 hours ago, da95826 said:

Yes to get back into USA she will need a passport. She can use her current passport to trvel out of US.

The n400 may not be approved during appointment. In our case the n400 was approved 3 weeks after the interview, then another 3 weeks for the oath ceremony. You may have a same day approval and oath ceremony. You may have to wait for weeks for approval and oath ceremony.

Have you met the continuing residency requirements, or do you have the waiver due to government service out of the US? Have you been out of the USA more than 180 days or more than half the time of the 3 or 5 years.

We are filing under 319b, so no continuing residency test, and we live in Germany, which USCIS is aware of.

[Truth_Seeker 14]

Looking at the letter for the interview, I find it interesting that it states the following::

 

 

If you filed your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, on or after Dec. 1, 2020, and are required to take the 2020 version of the civics test, you may now have the option to take the 2008 version of the

civics test. To learn if this option is available to you, visit the USCIS Citizenship Resource Center at uscis.gov/citizenship/2020test.

 

But when you got to the website at https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/2020test you find that pretty much everyone has to take the 2008 version.  I guess they don't care if they confuse everyone.  

 

 

[forthecookies 4]

I'm putting together the list of things I'll need to take to the interview. My case is based on 5 years of permanent residence. So far I have:

• Passport
• Green card
• Driver's license
• Details of any trips I took outside the US after submitting the application
• Tax returns (included as extra docs in application)
• Marriage certificate (included as extra docs in application)

Anything else I'm missing?

[Hamilton 511]

11 hours ago, forthecookies said:

I'm putting together the list of things I'll need to take to the interview. My case is based on 5 years of permanent residence. So far I have:

• Passport
• Green card
• Driver's license
• Details of any trips I took outside the US after submitting the application
• Tax returns (included as extra docs in application)
• Marriage certificate (included as extra docs in application)

Anything else I'm missing?

I doubt you'll need anything else. Good luck!

[1022Lap0G 10]

Hello all,

 

Filed my family application 5/Nov/2022. Here are the details,

 

1. Both my wife & I are 5 years based applicants.

2. We both filed our individual applications. We assume that our 9 years old daughter would be automatically naturalized when we are. So we could all apply passports together.

3. I have been on F1, F1/OPT & H1B visa in the US until I turned 26. So I chose I was not qualified for Select Service in the application.

4. We also lost most of our original documents when we relocated a couple of years ago. Although we had a scanned copy of our marriage certificate and uploaded it in the application, we both also wrote a letter mentioning the absence of original documents.

5. As additional documentation we also uploaded our tax filings for the past 4 years.

 

Receipt showed up almost instantaneously. Biometrics waived for both of us. Please let me know if I missed anything.

I will keep the community posted on progress. Thank you.

Edited November 6, 2022 by 1022Lap0G

[Gaps0214 67]

Hello everyone,

 

I just came out of an N-400 interview (Seattle,WA) with a pending I-751(LIN processing center).

 

I brought my husband to the N-400 interview in case they wanted to do a combo adjudication.

 

When it was my turn to be called in, my husband was told to stay in the waiting area.

 

I told the IO while we were walking to her office that I brought my husband because of a pending I-751, and she said that some other IOs would require the spouse to be present in cases of a pending I-751 but for her, she said she will process my N-400, and if I pass it, she will review the I-751 and approve the I-751 without the need for another interview.

 

The interview went well, citizenship questions, yes and no answers, confirmation of personal information, and then I got a paper that I have passed the naturalization exams and I am approved for naturalization, however the oath taking will have to be scheduled because she needs to approve the A-file for the I-751 first.

 

She said to watch for the mail on the oath-taking ceremony.

 

Almost there.

 

Cheers,

G&A

[Mv125 14]

44 minutes ago, Gaps0214 said:

Hello everyone,

 

 

I just came out of an N-400 interview (Seattle,WA) with a pending I-751(LIN processing center).

 

I brought my husband to the N-400 interview in case they wanted to do a combo adjudication.

 

When it was my turn to be called in, my husband was told to stay in the waiting area.

 

I told the IO while we were walking to her office that I brought my husband because of a pending I-751, and she said that some other IOs would require the spouse to be present in cases of a pending I-751 but for her, she said she will process my N-400, and if I pass it, she will review the I-751 and approve the I-751 without the need for another interview.

 

The interview went well, citizenship questions, yes and no answers, confirmation of personal information, and then I got a paper that I have passed the naturalization exams and I am approved for naturalization, however the oath taking will have to be scheduled because she needs to approve the A-file for the I-751 first.

 

She said to watch for the mail on the oath-taking ceremony.

 

Almost there.

 

Cheers,

G&A

Congratulations for passing the interview. It looks like we are in the same situation with a pending I-751. Did they give you Form N-652 with box B (cannot make a decision…) checked? 

it has been 497 days since the last update for I-751. Ridiculous!

 

It has been two weeks now since my interview, and I have not heard anything. I keep updating the status tracker throughout the day, and it is so annoying! I also have noticed in this forum that some people had to wait months before they got the approval following their interview. 

 

Please keep us updated on your case. Here are the cases that I’m currently tracking.

Edited November 10, 2022 by Mv125

[Gaps0214 67]

1 hour ago, Mv125 said:

Congratulations for passing the interview. It looks like we are in the same situation with a pending I-751. Did they give you Form N-652 with box B (cannot make a decision…) checked? 

it has been 497 days since the last update for I-751. Ridiculous!

 

It has been two weeks now since my interview, and I have not heard anything. I keep updating the status tracker throughout the day, and it is so annoying! I also have noticed in this forum that some people had to wait months before they got the approval following their interview. 

 

Please keep us updated on your case. Here are the cases that I’m currently tracking.

Yes, I was given the Form N-652, the following boxes were checked:

 

You passed the English test and the U.S. history and government test.

Congratulations! Your application has been recommended for approval. At this time, it appears you have established your eligibility for naturalization. If final approval is granted, you will be notified of when and where to report for your naturalization ceremony.

 

No other boxes were checked.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Cheers,

G&A

[TheLastMile 13]

3 hours ago, Gaps0214 said:

Hello everyone,

 

 

I just came out of an N-400 interview (Seattle,WA) with a pending I-751(LIN processing center).

 

I brought my husband to the N-400 interview in case they wanted to do a combo adjudication.

 

When it was my turn to be called in, my husband was told to stay in the waiting area.

 

I told the IO while we were walking to her office that I brought my husband because of a pending I-751, and she said that some other IOs would require the spouse to be present in cases of a pending I-751 but for her, she said she will process my N-400, and if I pass it, she will review the I-751 and approve the I-751 without the need for another interview.

 

The interview went well, citizenship questions, yes and no answers, confirmation of personal information, and then I got a paper that I have passed the naturalization exams and I am approved for naturalization, however the oath taking will have to be scheduled because she needs to approve the A-file for the I-751 first.

 

She said to watch for the mail on the oath-taking ceremony.

 

Almost there.

 

Cheers,

G&A

Is this happening to everyone with a pending I-751 or just a subset ? Any idea why some would have this experience and others get naturalized the same day ?

[Gaps0214 67]

On 8/10/2022 at 1:47 PM, Some_one said:

Hi,

 

i had my interview today (8/10). My appointment was at 8:45 am and I got there 25 mins before. They did let me in and after security took a picture and index finger prints from both hands. 

 

After that they asked me to go to the second floor. I first sat on the right side of the waiting area but then moved to the other side as they were calling out numbers from this side. 

 

My interview was virtual and they ask us to take out our passports, green card and drivers license. The headset is not the best but one can make do for the 20 min conversation. 

 

The officer was pleasant and accommodating. She mentioned to ask her to repeat things if I couldn’t understand her before answering. 

 

she asked me to show the drivers license and green card and please it close to the camera for her to take a screen shot. to confirm my identity she asked for my name and birthdate. 

 

Then she started the interview and asked me to confirm my identity which I found repetitive. Any way she asked me the civics questions first

 

A. Who is the Chief Justice?

B. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

C. Name two holidays

D. Who is in charge of the executive?

E. Who did USA fight against in Ww2?

F. When is Independence Day?

 

For the English test she asked me to read

Who is George Washington?

 

She asked me to write

George Washington was the first president. 

 

After which she asked details from the  application.  One question that was interesting to me was why did I leave the employer that had sponsored my green card?

 

After the personal questions there were the national security ones which are a series of yes /no questions. 

 

Then she mentioned that I’m completed all the evaluations necessary for citizenship and have passed them all. However she cannot approve my application because she doesn’t have my file. It is in transit and might take up to 90 days.  So she asked me to go home and wait for a decision. She mentioned I should open an info pass appointment if I have not heard back in 90 days. 

 

I had got my green card 9 years ago so they had a much older picture of me and hence she asked me to retake the picture before I left. 

 

I hope others were able to get their oath today however whilst I was waiting I didn’t see anyone hanging around the waiting area for the oath ceremony. The auditorium area downstairs also was empty. 

 

Hi,

 

So my N-400 experience mirrored yours, and I just wanted to reach out with 2 questions:

 

1. Have you heard from them? Taken your oath? 

2. If not, I wanted to know if your N-652 (the form they gave you after the N-400 interview) was checked at Box B (says "A decision cannot be made"), mine was unchecked. And the only checks I had were for box A (says "Congratulations your application has been recommended for approval") and the one about passing the English test and US history/government test (at the top of the page)

 

Hope you still get to read this and come back for a response.

 

Cheers,

G&A