Oath rescheduled to a date i cannot make. Can i reschedule again?

[Reed1812 127]

My Oath was arranged 6 weeks before pre-booked travel on the 1st September not leaving me enough time to get a USA passport (expedited times at the time of oath letter were 6-8 weeks). I notified the USCIS of this and included evidence of pre-booked travel stating I will be back in the country 17th September and will be able to attend any date after that. Shortly after I got a notification saying 'WE CANCELLED YOUR OATH CEREMONY', a few days later I received another notification saying ' PLACED IN LINE FOR OATH CEROMONY'. Great, they got my letter, I thought. 

 

I have just woken up to a USCIS notification saying my Oath has been rescheduled to the 12th September. I plan to call them today (Friday) and ask for tier 2 to see if I can reschedule again. 

Will my first rescheduling count as being absent? I understand that missing the Oath twice results in the case being abandoned, something I obviously do not want to do.

 

My only other option is to move the trip a week sooner to be back in time for the Oath on the 12th, this will come at a great expense but if I get no response from USCIS it leaves me no choice. I do not want to be on vacation wondering if the USCIS have deemed my case abandoned.

 

I am not looking for judgement. I understand how important this is already, I am just looking for advice. 

 

Thanks

 

[MarmiteC 68]

I am confused, why would you have needed a US passport to travel?  Could you not have travelled on your UK passport?

[Dashinka 24,488]

1 hour ago, MarmiteC said:

I am confused, why would you have needed a US passport to travel?  Could you not have travelled on your UK passport?

American citizens are required to leave and re-enter the US on a U.S. passport.

 

To the OP, hopefully you will hear back from USCIS soon.

 

Good Luck!

 

 

Edited August 18, 2023 by Dashinka

[Mike E 11,739]

3 hours ago, Reed1812 said:

Will my first rescheduling count as being absent?

No

 

 

[Reed1812 127]

3 hours ago, Dashinka said:

American citizens are required to leave and re-enter the US on a U.S. passport.

 

To the OP, hopefully you will hear back from USCIS soon.

 

Good Luck!

 

 

Dashinka is correct on the passport. It was the reason for my first reschedule.

 

I do have another trip planned at thanksgiving week so rescheduling again will mean rolling the dice and hoping it is not that date. I am leaning towards moving the vacation, attending the oath and being done with the USCIS forever after this.

 

Thanks for listening to my rant in my OP

[Dashinka 24,488]

23 minutes ago, Reed1812 said:

Dashinka is correct on the passport. It was the reason for my first reschedule.

 

I do have another trip planned at thanksgiving week so rescheduling again will mean rolling the dice and hoping it is not that date. I am leaning towards moving the vacation, attending the oath and being done with the USCIS forever after this.

 

Thanks for listening to my rant in my OP

Investigate an expedited passport appointment at the passport agency.  I know back when my wife naturalized, we were traveling in about two weeks after her oath, and we went to the passport agency and she had her passport in 3 days.  Now that was all pre-covid, so things may be a bit different now, but it is at least researching.

[Reed1812 127]

I called USCIS to enquire about moving the ceremony. Tier 1 was useless. Asked for a Tier 2 rep and was told I will receive a call within 30 days. At that point I realized I am ready to be done with USCIS so I bit the bullet, paid the money and moved the flights so I can make the 12th.

 

Ready to be a US citizen and be done with USCIS. It has been a long road.

 

Good luck to everyone with your cases. 

[Mike E 11,739]

Good decision.

 

I am assured that somewhere in the chain of command of USCIS there is an officer with both authority and critical thinking skills but I have yet to see it.

[Crazy Cat 41,836]

3 hours ago, Reed1812 said:

attending the oath and being done with the USCIS forever after this.

Being free is a wonderful feeling...believe me. 

[carmel34 3,621]

6 hours ago, Dashinka said:

we went to the passport agency and she had her passport in 3 days.  Now that was all pre-covid, so things may be a bit different now

It's nearly impossible to get an "urgent travel" appointment with a passport agency right now.  A few weeks ago, after getting the oath ceremony notice, my husband called the passport agency number hundreds of times over a three day period and could not get through.  He finally gave up and set a regular appointment online for the closest post office.  Even with the expedite fee it will take 3-4 months to get his first US passport, so he's stuck in the US until then, sort of a "new US citizen, but unable to leave limbo" that is a big problem if something urgent comes up.  If his grandmother passes away in the next three months, which is very possible, he will not be able to go to the funeral in Brazil.  There is a life or death emergency option, to get a passport in 3 days, but that also requires making an appointment with a passport agency, and the phone lines are just not able to handle the volume.  The demand is crazy and their current system is not capable of dealing with it.  All the DOS says is something like "unexpectedly high post-COVID demand for travel and passports."

Edited August 18, 2023 by carmel34

[Chancy 6,241]

56 minutes ago, carmel34 said:

If his grandmother passes away in the next three months, which is very possible, he will not be able to go to the funeral in Brazil.

 

For family emergencies like this, there is the emergency passport option from US consulates, assuming the USC's other nationality passport is still valid for travel out of the US.  The consulate staff will be annoyed that the USC left without a US passport, but they will issue the emergency (limited-validity) passport anyway.  Original certificate of naturalization must be presented to the consulate.

 

Edited August 18, 2023 by Chancy
typo

[Reed1812 127]

Had the oath today. I am now done with USCIS. Next step is passport.

 

Good luck in all your cases