N-400 Seattle (Part 2)

[Crazy Cat 41,982]

1 hour ago, NorthByNorthwest said:

Followup question - the interview notice says to bring all travel documents used to ever enter the US, will they expect (and take away) the old EAD card and 2-year conditional GC as well?

Green Cards are taken away.  Not sure about the other stuff.  I assume they will take them away, too.

[TheLastMile 13]

I had my naturalization appointment today (via 3 year rule, ROC pending). The interview itself was super smooth and I was told I passed and was approved for naturalization but the IO didn’t have the ROC on hand to review and therefore I can’t do the oath same day. He said it will be transferred within 24 hours to the FO and will be scheduled for oath within 1-2 weeks. While disappointing I was relieved to have passed this milestone and now only have the oath remaining. 
 

did anyone else have this situation ? Any idea how long it actually takes to get the path scheduled?

Edited February 16, 2023 by TheLastMile

[NorthByNorthwest 359]

On 2/10/2023 at 12:29 PM, Crazy Cat said:

Green Cards are taken away.  Not sure about the other stuff.  I assume they will take them away, too.

Had my interview last week and was approved in 15 minutes, turns out they never even asked about the conditional GC or EAD card, so those will be mementos. All I showed was home country passport, GC and driver's license, no other paperwork at all (5-year rule).

I did have a few more international trips since filing, but the officer already saw those in the system and added to the application without me having to do anything. That was the lengthiest part of my application, despite COVID I had 70 trips over 24 hours in the past 5 years, but no issues there.

[Ahava 23]

Right before OATH ceremony, USCIS asks applicants to surrender their cards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 21, 2023 by Ahava

[Muru 4]

Filed: 1/28/23 (5 year rule; filed 6 days after completing 5 years)

Received bio notice: 2/4

Bio appointment: 2/22

Current status: since 2/22: Case is being actively reviewed.

Estimated processing time: 10 months

 

Can other Seattle folks confirm how long it took from “case being reviewed” to receiving interview appointment notice? 

[NorthByNorthwest 359]

16 minutes ago, Muru said:

Filed: 1/28/23 (5 year rule; filed 6 days after completing 5 years)

Received bio notice: 2/4

Bio appointment: 2/22

Current status: since 2/22: Case is being actively reviewed.

Estimated processing time: 10 months

 

Can other Seattle folks confirm how long it took from “case being reviewed” to receiving interview appointment notice? 

My recent one took 2.5 months from filing to interview scheduled, and the actual interview was 6 weeks after the notice, also filed under 5-year rule.

[TheLastMile 13]

It’s now been 2 weeks since my N400 (3 year rule with ROC) interview was completed. The officer said everything looked good and will be approving but can’t do same day oath because the ROC file was in another database and needs to be transferred over. He said I should expect an oath in 1-2 weeks. Since that time my USCIS account just reads

 

“Your case status is unavailable at this time. We are working to get you accurate information as soon as possible.”

 

for every case listed 😳. No word from USCIS. does anyone have any similar experiences or knowledge to share ? When should I expect an oath invitation? I tried calling them and they just said to wait for it in the mail. 

[phillyfiler13 19]

36 minutes ago, TheLastMile said:

It’s now been 2 weeks since my N400 (3 year rule with ROC) interview was completed. The officer said everything looked good and will be approving but can’t do same day oath because the ROC file was in another database and needs to be transferred over. He said I should expect an oath in 1-2 weeks. Since that time my USCIS account just reads

 

“Your case status is unavailable at this time. We are working to get you accurate information as soon as possible.”

 

for every case listed 😳. No word from USCIS. does anyone have any similar experiences or knowledge to share ? When should I expect an oath invitation? I tried calling them and they just said to wait for it in the mail. 

Yup, same. It’s been 3 weeks for me.

[TheLastMile 13]

1 hour ago, phillyfiler13 said:

Yup, same. It’s been 3 weeks for me.

Thanks for sharing. I don’t feel so alone now. What expectation for the oath did the officer set for you when you left ?

[phillyfiler13 19]

7 hours ago, TheLastMile said:

Thanks for sharing. I don’t feel so alone now. What expectation for the oath did the officer set for you when you left ?

She didn't say anything about timeline. She did say that I won't receive a 10 year green card because she'll send me an oath ceremony notice instead, but nothing has happened since the interview. My local office is Philly FYI, but this is all across the board, I've seen a bunch of other people in the same boat as well. 

Edited March 3, 2023 by phillyfiler13

[1022Lap0G 10]

On 1/25/2023 at 8:11 PM, 1022Lap0G said:

Glad news, interview scheduled for 07/March/2023 at 12:10 PM for me & 12:50 PM for my wife. This forum and this thread has been a great guide for many of us. Thank you so much.

 

Question: Given the time, is same day oath possible for both of us? 

Applied on 5/Nov/2022

Got notice on 17/Jan/2023

Interview and oath ceremony on 7/March/2023

 

My wife, my minor kid & I became citizens on 7/March/2023. Here are some of my experience worth sharing,

 

1. I read in the forums we assemble outside the building 15 minutes before our scheduled time. But my experience was different. We showed our interview letters 15 minutes before my scheduled time and we all were let in. My wife 30 minutes after my appointment was also allowed to go in.

2. I was given a numbered appointment chit immediately. But my wife had to wait for a few minutes to get one. But Biometrics for both of us were done together right after we checked in.

3. My advice: Even if your interview (& your family members interview) are scheduled apart, go together. There is high likeliness that you all get in together. Also from my experience, getting in even 30 minutes earlier was a possibility. In fact the guy who checked-in us into the interview line suggested the same view.

4. We all would go to the first floor for interview. If you take the stairs, it ends in first floor. The waiting area there  is for citizenship interviewees. Interviewers come from one of the many locked doors either escorting interviewees with whom they just had a chat with or calling out the number from chit. They will escort you inside to their room.

5. There was a tablet to read and write. Stylus pen was provided to write a sentence.

6. Once done, a printout paper mentioning I passed, was provided. Then you come out into the waiting area. I preferred to wait for my wife to complete her interview so that we all could go for oath together. That took another 45 minutes or so. We went down to the auditorium for taking oath. It was 1:30ish by then. 

7. Green card for adults were no longer required and taken away. My kid's green card was left alone for us to submit during passport application as a proof of legal residence. Both of us got a package each. There was a passport application, instruction on how to register to vote, message from the US President, a flag and few other brochures. We were told the interview will start at the top of the hour.

8. Roughly less than 100 people were in the auditorium. Relatives & friends were also allowed. Only Oath takers stood up and repeated the oath loud as the officer articulated it. 

9. Then a message from the President was played. Then citizenship certificate was handed over by the officer. 

10. People took pictures at the dais. 

 

We wish all applicants all the best. Thanks.

[TheLastMile 13]

On 3/2/2023 at 7:41 PM, phillyfiler13 said:

Yup, same. It’s been 3 weeks for me.

Hit my 3 weeks today. Nothing yet. Any luck anyone else?

[phillyfiler13 19]

1 hour ago, TheLastMile said:

Hit my 3 weeks today. Nothing yet. Any luck anyone else?

It's been 30 days for me, and no updates. At this point, I think my I-751 might get approved on its own first as it's been pending for 18 months, separate from the fact I already had my n400 interview and the officer did a makeshift I-751 interview. 

[TBoneTX 45,572]

A hijack post, duplicated elsewhere, has been removed.  Please post just once on a topic.

[BJM9918 0]

Sharing my less-than-ideal interview experience: 

 

My interview was scheduled for 1:30, I arrived about 30 minutes before and was let in. After airport-style security check and waiting in the check-in line for about 5min, I was assigned a number. 

 

When I got to the waiting area, I noticed there were about 30 numbers ahead of me. The queue was moving pretty quickly imo. They were progressing about 10 numbers every 15-20 minutes or so. After sitting in the waiting area for about 45 minutes, numbers close to mine began to be called. However, after about 1.5 hours, everyone who came in around the same time as me has been called and they progressed to numbers after me but I was still waiting. I grew anxious. Another 30 minutes went by, my number was still not called and I have been sitting there for 2 hours at that point. I checked with one of the officers and was told it's not uncommon.

 

I was finally called in around 3:20pm. The officer was very friendly but seemed very new to the job. She apologized for the wait and explained there was a hiccup during the interview before mine. 

 

The interview itself was extremely easy. She didn't ask for anything I brought. However, after answering 2-3 civic questions, the officer encountered some issues with her computer. I suspect she either accidentally closed the program or it crashed. As a result I had to answer 6 new civic questions. Not a big deal but it did consume more time. When we wrapped up the interview, she told me I had passed but she had to send my result to a senior officer for final approval - which took another 10-15min. I was also told a same-day oath ceremony was not possible because it was too late and I would be notified within a few weeks. 

 

It's a bummer that I have to wait for a few more weeks but I suppose it's a minor inconvenience in the grand scheme of the entire journey.