N-400 filing online or paper

[Hawthorn tree 1]

Hello, I’m in between filing N-400( under 3 year rule)online or mail filing. 
Those who filed N-400 ( under 3 year rule), which way seemed better?

if possible please share your timeline from I-751 to N-400.

thank you. 
 

[Mike E 11,739]

37 minutes ago, Hawthorn tree said:

Hello, I’m in between filing N-400( under 3 year rule)online or mail filing. 
Those who filed N-400 ( under 3 year rule), which way seemed better?

if possible please share your timeline from I-751 to N-400.

thank you. 
 

An ISO did a Q&A last year on Reddit and said online was better:

 

https://old.reddit.com/r/USCIS/comments/y4xb08/why_is_uscis_so_slow_from_a_former_officers/ish9gsg/

 

USCIS is understaffed. Yes, it is understaffed. You cannot imagine how bad it still is. USCIS is about 85% staffed, and a great deal of the people who left, are leaving, or are trying to be hired are officers. Major FODs struggle to keep ISOs for more than a year or so, and the turnover is horrible.

 

Do you have a sense whether at the national level processing online N-400 cases is faster or slower than paper cases?

 

 faster; N400's are usually very easy with 80+% being easy to approve. Most paper applications are earlier and take longer.

 

Do FOD officers prefer online or paper N-400s?

Depends. Newer ISOs - online digital. Veterans - maybe paper.

Me: so read that last answer together with the statement  about higher turnover. As staff turnover is high, this means that your case is more likely to be assigned to an ISO that prefers online. 
 

I was against online due to countless technical glitches. After this post, I changed my mind. 

[beloved_dingo 1,976]

Filing online is so easy and you get the receipt notice right away. It's worth it just to avoid any potential mailing issues and having to wait for the receipt notice, imo.

 

You also don't have to do the application all at once. You can start working on it at your leisure, and submit when you are ready. We started my husband's application in December, but wanted to file after the holidays, so just worked on it here and there until we were 100% ready to file + pay the fee. (Note - you have 30 days to complete/submit the application once you start, but as long as you log in and work on it before the 30 days is up, it extends for another 30 days). 

 

Other perks of filing online - If you get other notices, such as a biometrics appointment, you'll have access to the notice immediately (you will also still receive hard copies in the mail). You can also add additional evidence after filing, if needed, in the "unsolicited evidence" section. 

[mytruelove18 608]

Online it is better, almost instant receipt after you submit.

[Scandi 4,149]

I filed under the 3 year rule and did it online. So smooth and easy, I felt that the paper form looked a lot more complicated. The online form removes questions that don't apply to you and you can add as many previous addresses and work places as you like, without having to create extra supplements as you would have to with the paper form. Uploading documents was very easy, the payment section was super smooth, never had any issues with glitches etc. Highly recommend filing online. 

[amstel69 4]

Online please. I applied online in November and I had my approval in January. There was also biometric reuse. 

[Loren Y 2,755]

Online N400 is the way to go. Did my wifes under the 3 year rule, 19 days after filing I751 was approved and 10 year green card in the mail, then a few months later we got the interview notice for the N400, will be going to the interview March 16th. So, from filing mid November to I751 approval, to N400 interview in about 4 months only.

[Cheschirecat 176]

It’s the Feds.. everything is archaic.. anything that can be done online should be done online. 

[D-R-J 192]

We did online and had no issues. At this point it feels to me that more could go wrong with paper.

[InspectorGrover 14]

I filled online and like others have said it was so easy and there are many convenient features. I started working on it over a few weeks at my own pace and when my filing day arrived, I just hit submit. You can upload any number of files you want for additional evidence. One of my mail notices got lost in the mail, well no big deal because I can see all the notices I have been mailed in my online portal and I can print a copy of the one that is missing. Another huge perk was I got in the habit of checking once a day to see what my case status was and I saw my interview had been scheduled about 5 days before the letter arrived in the mail. Since there is such a short timeframe between the interview notice going out and the actual interview, those 5 days made a big difference in being able to schedule time off work, etc. If you live far from the USCIS office you will interview at, that additional lead time can be helpful. 

[Rocio0010 5,579]

100% online. To add to what others have stated, filing online gives you the option to add evidence as you please, even after filing.

[Thunderbolt 172]

Hi Guys,

 

We will file our N400 online under the 3 year rule. I assume that all supporting evidence needs to be scanned to submit online. 

What documents have to be scanned right away? Can you start your online application the pause it for day or two (to collect and scan documents)? 

Thank you!

[NorthByNorthwest 328]

34 minutes ago, Thunderbolt said:

Hi Guys,

 

We will file our N400 online under the 3 year rule. I assume that all supporting evidence needs to be scanned to submit online. 

What documents have to be scanned right away? Can you start your online application the pause it for day or two (to collect and scan documents)? 

Thank you!

As others have said, you can start the application and keep working on it pretty much indefinitely as long as you update it at least every 30 days. The system will tell you what supporting evidence to upload, so just follow that guideline, nothing more, nothing less.

[Scandi 4,149]

5 hours ago, Thunderbolt said:

Hi Guys,

 

We will file our N400 online under the 3 year rule. I assume that all supporting evidence needs to be scanned to submit online. 

What documents have to be scanned right away? Can you start your online application the pause it for day or two (to collect and scan documents)? 

Thank you!

I suggest you start the application now, that way you get an idea of what it looks like as compared to the paper form. That way you will also see what they ask for, and what documents you need to upload. There is zero rush, like previous posters have said - you have 30 days before your application gets deleted, and if you need more time you just change something little and save, then you get 30 new days (so technically you can do this for however long you want, just make sure to "update" it every 29th day or so). So start now, fill everything out and by the end of it you will get to the upload section. 

Edited February 21, 2023 by Scandi