N-400 January 2023 Filers

[Lightbird 17]

4 minutes ago, OldUser said:

They ask not because they don't know. They ask because they're testing your good moral character. If you lie, that's a big problem.

Well good thing there is nothing to lie about haha. My wife will drive there and I still going to ask about the i751, I mean it's kinda important.

Maybe in the Omaha field offices they don't do emails!

[SanjaAlex 248]

1 hour ago, Lightbird said:

Man this sucks, I have my interview tomorrow and never gotten any indication for a combo interview. Still going to bring the wife with me but dang.

We're in the same boat here. Interview is tomorrow, never got anything about it being a combo but still hoping and taking all the I751 papers, and hubby will be going with me. Fingers crossed and good luck!

FO is Kendall, FL 

Edited March 8, 2023 by SanjaAlex

[Lightbird 17]

Just now, SanjaAlex said:

We're in the same boat here. Interview is tomorrow, never got anything about it being a combo but still hoping and taking all the I751 papers, and hubby will be going with me. Fingers crossed and good luck!

FO is Kendall, FL 

Good luck to you too!

I am just bringing updated stuff for the last year like my bank accounts as far as updated proof of marriage goes. (Maybe I will print a couple utility bills too).

It's not like anything has changed the past year haha.

[OldUser 6,473]

39 minutes ago, Lightbird said:

(Maybe I will print a couple utility bills too).

It's not like anything has changed the past year haha.

Please do. Bring as much as you can and organize it well. It will likely put some pressure on IO to approve your case. It's easier for them to be indecisive if you only bring a thin file.

[Lightbird 17]

20 minutes ago, OldUser said:

Please do. Bring as much as you can and organize it well. It will likely put some pressure on IO to approve your case. It's easier for them to be indecisive if you only bring a thin file.

For sure. My initial I-751 was kinda thick since I front loaded stuff (3 bank accounts, credit cards, utilities, insurance, you name it). This time around I just trimmed it a bit for the N400 but still will be kinda thick, hell 15 months of our main bank account is already thick! But yeah I get what you're saying, don't want the IO to think to much on it just sing the papers and send me on my way!

[kiwirst 39]

Great to see some January filers getting movement on their applications!

[SanjaAlex 248]

4 hours ago, Lightbird said:

Good luck to you too!

I am just bringing updated stuff for the last year like my bank accounts as far as updated proof of marriage goes. (Maybe I will print a couple utility bills too).

It's not like anything has changed the past year haha.

Yea, I'm bringing new bank statements, 2022 tax transcripts, some pictures and trips receipts, and some other stuff that we got in the meantime,or that I forgot to include in the initial package (401k, car insurance, cellphone plan...) I mean my first package was loaded and only so many things can happen in a year. I'm not taking year worth of bank statements for sure, I would need a backpack for all of our accounts lol can't make up evidence either, I feel like what we have shows very well our marriage is legit.

[Sarge2155 4,584]

Since the filing overlap for the I-751 and the N-400 is so close (1 year apart) we are going to take the entire 751 package, items after the filing of the 751 (these will also suffice as items for the N-400). The N-400  interview NOA states that if you submitted copies when you filed the N-400 online that you should bring the originals to the interview.

 

@Crazy Cat stated that the IO they had for their combo interview specifically asked for items from the date of filing the ROC to the combo interview, so that's pretty cut and dry there and how we made our decision on what to take. Our local office is the same as Crazy Cats so we were tuned into that statement Crazy Cat made! Items we are taking to the N400 interview :

 

Copy of the entire I-751 package (never know what USCIS has done with your original and it's better to have it and not need it, than to not have it and need it.) This is all in anticipation of having the Combo interview, also there are items inside the I-751 package we can use for the N400 interview too.

 

Copy of the entire N-400 package submitted online (ALL Originals as requested)  The N-400 items will also serve as items from ROC filing to N-400 interview. I know its very confusing and a mountain of paperwork, but if its a Combo interview I will be there to help the wife navigate the ROC portion (which is the largest of the packages). The N-400 portion she will be able to manage by herself as it is a much smaller package.

 

Might be overkill some will say, but this is OUR personal choice as I have learned to be prepared with USCIS throughout the years. We started this journey with the kitchen sink with the K1, no need to stop now as we might as well go out with the kitchen sink too! Since this will be our FIRST interview together, if it's a combo, (AOS was waived) we have little to no idea what to expect thus we are going to go armed to the teeth so to speak! Just sharing with you all what we are going to do, we understand to each is own so please respect that as we do!!!

[Sarge2155 4,584]

8 hours ago, OldUser said:

Please do. Bring as much as you can and organize it well. It will likely put some pressure on IO to approve your case. It's easier for them to be indecisive if you only bring a thin file.

Wait till they see our information and documents either we will get approved for fear of looking through all the items, or turned away due to fear of looking through all the items 😁

[Lightbird 17]

6 hours ago, Sarge2155 said:

Since the filing overlap for the I-751 and the N-400 is so close (1 year apart) we are going to take the entire 751 package, items after the filing of the 751 (these will also suffice as items for the N-400). The N-400  interview NOA states that if you submitted copies when you filed the N-400 online that you should bring the originals to the interview.

 

@Crazy Cat stated that the IO they had for their combo interview specifically asked for items from the date of filing the ROC to the combo interview, so that's pretty cut and dry there and how we made our decision on what to take. Our local office is the same as Crazy Cats so we were tuned into that statement Crazy Cat made! Items we are taking to the N400 interview :

 

Copy of the entire I-751 package (never know what USCIS has done with your original and it's better to have it and not need it, than to not have it and need it.) This is all in anticipation of having the Combo interview, also there are items inside the I-751 package we can use for the N400 interview too.

 

Copy of the entire N-400 package submitted online (ALL Originals as requested)  The N-400 items will also serve as items from ROC filing to N-400 interview. I know its very confusing and a mountain of paperwork, but if its a Combo interview I will be there to help the wife navigate the ROC portion (which is the largest of the packages). The N-400 portion she will be able to manage by herself as it is a much smaller package.

 

Might be overkill some will say, but this is OUR personal choice as I have learned to be prepared with USCIS throughout the years. We started this journey with the kitchen sink with the K1, no need to stop now as we might as well go out with the kitchen sink too! Since this will be our FIRST interview together, if it's a combo, (AOS was waived) we have little to no idea what to expect thus we are going to go armed to the teeth so to speak! Just sharing with you all what we are going to do, we understand to each is own so please respect that as we do!!!

Nothing wrong with being overly safe. Each interview is unique anyway.

I think most people just try to calm others in case they don't have a kitchen sink but just a bowl

 

Good luck to your interview in a bit I am having mine!

[Sarge2155 4,584]

5 minutes ago, Lightbird said:

Nothing wrong with being overly safe. Each interview is unique anyway.

I think most people just try to calm others in case they don't have a kitchen sink but just a bowl

 

Good luck to your interview in a bit I am having mine!

Wishing you all the best, let us know how it went!

[Lightbird 17]

Ok so went to the interview with the wife. They didn't let my wife past security so she waited outside in the car. After 30-40 mins past the appointment date I was called in for the interview. Turned out to be a combo interview and I saw that damn novel of a package I had sent on the table back 2 years ago.

After a light chat about how I-751 is so swamped that basically people are ready for naturalization, the officer proceeded with the I-751 first, didn't call my wife in and just did a solo interview with me. Questions apart from verifying some stuff on the application was about how I met my wife originally, who proposed first, how well I get along with my stepdaughter and how I see my long term plans of my future with my wife. She was checking some paperwork in my package and I did a light joke "damn after this long I had forgotten how big it was" to which she was "Good thing it was big otherwise there would be a good chance for me to ask for more information". (I guess that's a good lesson in frontloading stuff)

N400 went great, we did the civics tests first then went through verifying stuff from my application. In the end I was asked if I wanted to take my oath the same day and a couple hours later after managing to contact my in-laws so they could attend me with other 10 people gathered for the oath and got our papers and instructions on what to do next.

So a happy ending overall and now onwards for the rest of the bureaucracy with SSN/ID/Passport updates (which still surprises me that to get a passport you need to send the original certificate and not like a certified copy or something)!

 

Really happy also with all the help I got along the road and thank you!

[Sarge2155 4,584]

@Lightbird

Great ending and congratulations!

[kiwirst 39]

12 hours ago, Lightbird said:

Ok so went to the interview with the wife. They didn't let my wife past security so she waited outside in the car. After 30-40 mins past the appointment date I was called in for the interview. Turned out to be a combo interview and I saw that damn novel of a package I had sent on the table back 2 years ago.

After a light chat about how I-751 is so swamped that basically people are ready for naturalization, the officer proceeded with the I-751 first, didn't call my wife in and just did a solo interview with me. Questions apart from verifying some stuff on the application was about how I met my wife originally, who proposed first, how well I get along with my stepdaughter and how I see my long term plans of my future with my wife. She was checking some paperwork in my package and I did a light joke "damn after this long I had forgotten how big it was" to which she was "Good thing it was big otherwise there would be a good chance for me to ask for more information". (I guess that's a good lesson in frontloading stuff)

N400 went great, we did the civics tests first then went through verifying stuff from my application. In the end I was asked if I wanted to take my oath the same day and a couple hours later after managing to contact my in-laws so they could attend me with other 10 people gathered for the oath and got our papers and instructions on what to do next.

So a happy ending overall and now onwards for the rest of the bureaucracy with SSN/ID/Passport updates (which still surprises me that to get a passport you need to send the original certificate and not like a certified copy or something)!

 

Really happy also with all the help I got along the road and thank you!

Congratulations! How long from application submission to getting your notice for the interview?

I filed 3days after you so we are pretty close in time.

[Lightbird 17]

3 hours ago, kiwirst said:

Congratulations! How long from application submission to getting your notice for the interview?

I filed 3days after you so we are pretty close in time.

The notice for interview was February 21st. So basically a couple weeks.