N-400 Seattle (Part 2)

[Seattle2021 10]

PSA: Applying for passport after neutralization is biggest hurdle. Just put a reminder in your calendar a month before your interview and book a slot at USPS website. they open days at 6am PST - a month out

[Seattle2021 10]

On 9/16/2022 at 6:55 AM, Seattle2021 said:

my parents application was filed in Late May and interview is Oct 25th. so yeah things are getting fast. Great to see. best of luck

Update: their interview went great. they were out of USA for 11 months during covid, and they forgave that. Got oath and certificate same day! Great to see quick turnaround on applications these days. My uncle live in dallas and their interview is next month when they applied in September (3 months) --- unreal.

[Gaps0214 67]

On 11/2/2022 at 5:38 PM, 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.

Hi there,

 

Happy to find your post.

 

My N-400 was approved at interview appointment, but... the IO said the oath taking has to wait until she can see my I-751 (pending) A-file so she can approve it first. Only then would an invitation for the oath ceremony will be sent. So I was on a bit of tenterhooks exactly how long the wait would be and I am hopeful based on your N-400 experience that I will hear about an oath ceremony invitation in 6 weeks.

 

I uploaded a scanned copy of my I-751 forms into the unsolicited evidence for the N-400 prior to my interview appointment. I mentioned that to the IO but she said that the A-file should come from LIN processing center where my I-751 has been languishing for 479 days. 
 

Just on your other comment, yes I have met the continuing residency requirements, in fact during the N-400 interview, my travels out of the country was never mentioned, although none of which was longer than 15 days during the qualifying period.

 

Cheers,

G&A

[da95826 387]

27 minutes ago, Gaps0214 said:

the IO said the oath taking has to wait until she can see my I-751 (pending) A-file so she can approve it first. Only then would an invitation for the oath ceremony will be sent. So I was on a bit of tenterhooks exactly how long the wait would be and I am hopeful based on your N-400 experience that I will hear about an oath ceremony invitation in 6 weeks.

Did you have a combo interview?  We did have a combo interview and we were both called in for it, I saw our i751 file on the desk. We did bring updated evidence for both cases so a review of that and the need for s signoff from the IO supervisor caused the delay of approval in our case. 

There is a good chance you will be approved soon without an i751 interview, it took three weeks for our approval of both ROC and naturalization cases.

Good luck.

[TheLastMile 13]

1 hour ago, da95826 said:

Did you have a combo interview?  We did have a combo interview and we were both called in for it, I saw our i751 file on the desk. We did bring updated evidence for both cases so a review of that and the need for s signoff from the IO supervisor caused the delay of approval in our case. 

There is a good chance you will be approved soon without an i751 interview, it took three weeks for our approval of both ROC and naturalization cases.

Good luck.

I have a pending 751 as well. Do you know if this is standard for all such petitions or just some of them ? I’m trying to manage my own expectations so I don’t get too disappointed on the day of the interview. ☺️ 

[da95826 387]

3 minutes ago, TheLastMile said:

I have a pending 751 as well. Do you know if this is standard for all such petitions or just some of them ?

Sadly I don't think USCIS has a standard procedure for an n400 with a pending i751. I do think a combo interview is a most common occurrence for these n400/i751 cases. But it is possible that the ROC i751 file may not be at the office when the n400 interview occurs. It is also possible the IO may approve the i751 without an interview and just does the n400 interview without the need for the spouse.  

 

So your only choice is to go to the interview and be prepared to do both the i751/n400 combo interview with your spouse and bring additional evidence ready as needed.

[Gaps0214 67]

2 hours ago, da95826 said:

Did you have a combo interview?  We did have a combo interview and we were both called in for it, I saw our i751 file on the desk. We did bring updated evidence for both cases so a review of that and the need for s signoff from the IO supervisor caused the delay of approval in our case. 

There is a good chance you will be approved soon without an i751 interview, it took three weeks for our approval of both ROC and naturalization cases.

Good luck.

No, the IO refused to entertain my spouse for a combo interview, she said she will only process the N-400. There was no sign she had my I-751 A-file on her desk. Although I told her that I uploaded a copy of the I-751 paperwork in the N-400 unsolicited documents.

 

She did say after I passed my N-400 interview, that she will look into my I-751 and if my memory serves me well, she said "I just need get your A-file to look it over, I don't expect to see anything that will stop me from approving it, and its likely I will not need to call you back for an I-751 interview, check your mail for your oath taking invitation." 

 

Thanks for writing a comment on your timeline, it helps reassure me that the IO was truly sincere in her statements.

 

Cheers,

 

 

 

[TheLastMile 13]

35 minutes ago, da95826 said:

Sadly I don't think USCIS has a standard procedure for an n400 with a pending i751. I do think a combo interview is a most common occurrence for these n400/i751 cases. But it is possible that the ROC i751 file may not be at the office when the n400 interview occurs. It is also possible the IO may approve the i751 without an interview and just does the n400 interview without the need for the spouse.  

 

So your only choice is to go to the interview and be prepared to do both the i751/n400 combo interview with your spouse and bring additional evidence ready as needed.

Sigh. So frustrating. Thanks for the response but at least it’s good to be mentally prepared that this could be one of the possible outcomes. 

[fasolt 0]

What's the process after the N-400 interview? I have a pending I-751 and the officer didn't approve the N-400 application but had interviews for both I-751 and N-400.

 

This was 3 weeks ago. Nothing since then. What's the general timeline for the process like? Thanks!

[TheLastMile 13]

19 hours ago, fasolt said:

What's the process after the N-400 interview? I have a pending I-751 and the officer didn't approve the N-400 application but had interviews for both I-751 and N-400.

 

This was 3 weeks ago. Nothing since then. What's the general timeline for the process like? Thanks!

Sorry to hear it. Did they give you a decision at the end of interview or some other indication ? Were there any complicating factors for you?

 

also if you wouldn’t mind, please share when you filed your N400 and when you received an interview date. 

 

 

[Truth_Seeker 14]

Hello

 

So, we are flying to Seattle from Germany for an appointment on 12 December 2022.  My wife has an appointment at 12:50.  And we have tickets to fly back home to Germany on 20 December 2022.

 

So, a question for those who have Naturalized through the Seattle office already.  Do you think there will be a problem for her getting her oath done on the same day?  

[Hamilton 511]

11 hours ago, Truth_Seeker said:

Hello

 

So, we are flying to Seattle from Germany for an appointment on 12 December 2022.  My wife has an appointment at 12:50.  And we have tickets to fly back home to Germany on 20 December 2022.

 

So, a question for those who have Naturalized through the Seattle office already.  Do you think there will be a problem for her getting her oath done on the same day?  

This is impossible to predict. I would say she has a very good chance of getting the oath on the same day because most people seem to get that, especially when they have appointments before 2pm. But there's always something that can go wrong with bureaucracy, so nothing is guaranteed. 

[forthecookies 4]

Here's the experience my husband and I had on Monday that you may find helpful.

 

My interview was scheduled for 1:30, his for 2:10. I checked in and was in the waiting room by 1:15. They were running horrendously behind, so I only had my interview at 2:30. It took all of 10 minutes. My officer asked if I wanted to wait for my husband to do our oaths together. She said the last oath of the day is always at 3:45. Since I knew he'd be tight, I declined, and just took my oath at the 3:00 ceremony.

 

My husband was only called in for his interview at 3:25. His officer was very supportive and said he'd try to get the interview done in time for the oath. He finished the interview at 3:40 and made it to the 3:45 oath. A couple of people after him made it as well. A very stressful situation, but glad it all worked out at the end.

 

We both had in-person interviews rather than the virtual ones many people had, and felt like our officers were very efficient and really trying to just get things done as soon as possible.

 

Since then, we've already applied for EDLs and urgent passports, and are very glad to be done with the citizenship journey!

[TheLastMile 13]

1 hour ago, forthecookies said:

Here's the experience my husband and I had on Monday that you may find helpful.

 

My interview was scheduled for 1:30, his for 2:10. I checked in and was in the waiting room by 1:15. They were running horrendously behind, so I only had my interview at 2:30. It took all of 10 minutes. My officer asked if I wanted to wait for my husband to do our oaths together. She said the last oath of the day is always at 3:45. Since I knew he'd be tight, I declined, and just took my oath at the 3:00 ceremony.

 

My husband was only called in for his interview at 3:25. His officer was very supportive and said he'd try to get the interview done in time for the oath. He finished the interview at 3:40 and made it to the 3:45 oath. A couple of people after him made it as well. A very stressful situation, but glad it all worked out at the end.

 

We both had in-person interviews rather than the virtual ones many people had, and felt like our officers were very efficient and really trying to just get things done as soon as possible.

 

Since then, we've already applied for EDLs and urgent passports, and are very glad to be done with the citizenship journey!

When applying for urgent passports was it sufficient to have hotel reservations alone as proof of travel ? Congratulations on your naturalization!

Edited December 2, 2022 by TheLastMile

[forthecookies 4]

8 minutes ago, TheLastMile said:

When applying for urgent passports was it sufficient to have hotel reservations alone as proof of travel ? Congratulations on your naturalization!

Yes, for Canada. It will not work for other countries. 

Edited December 2, 2022 by forthecookies