N-400 September 2023 Filers

[MunnoTheCat 68]

My Interview is scheduled for March 12. Excited alhum du lillha. More details to follow

[MT2021 66]

6 minutes ago, MunnoTheCat said:

My Interview is scheduled for March 12. Excited alhum du lillha. More details to follow

Congratulations 

[mark08 16]

There you go @MunnoTheCat !!! Glad to see things finally speeding up for you as well.

 

Interesting how we filed around the same time and had the same field office and got completely different timelines. I guess it often varies on case by case basis. 

 

Either way - I found a few people on the FB N-400 group that said they waited around 2-3months for their oath after being interviewed at the Holtsville office. And it is the same in my case. So it may also be the same in your case. But at least its moving forward.

 

Good luck!!

[MunnoTheCat 68]

20 minutes ago, mark08 said:

There you go @MunnoTheCat !!! Glad to see things finally speeding up for you as well.

 

Interesting how we filed around the same time and had the same field office and got completely different timelines. I guess it often varies on case by case basis. 

 

Either way - I found a few people on the FB N-400 group that said they waited around 2-3months for their oath after being interviewed at the Holtsville office. And it is the same in my case. So it may also be the same in your case. But at least its moving forward.

 

Good luck!!

 

 

Thanks Mark. . you are right it varies case to case. I don't wanna jinx it but i really want this process speed up a little bit and bring me to OATH stage faster lol. I want to know how long was your Interview?, was it crazy busy? any do's and don'ts. best place to read about civic test qestions?

 

[mark08 16]

My interview was around 15minutes. Came with my wife as I still had a pending I-751 ROC, but the IO only asked her like 2 simple questions.

 

No problems or issues at all. All positive and professional. I was approved on the spot and the IO told me it may take around 6 weeks to get scheduled for oath. Now I know it took nearly 8 weeks. The IO said its just all system-based, not manual, so I think once there's a large enough group, the system schedules them all together. So depending on when your interview is, you may wait longer for more people or wait short if they already have a large group. But that's just my guess based on what I was told. 

 

As for civics prep - I learned from the official mobile app (USCIS: Civics Test Study Tools) on iOS. I just kept taking a few quizzes daily for a week or two before the interview.

 

As for English prep - I only reviewed some vocabulary for writing test (mainly spelling check) from here https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/guides/M-1122.pdf 

 

Good luck!

[LEXUSdRIVER2908 20]

Congrats @MunnoTheCat !! Turn up 🔥💥

[MunnoTheCat 68]

6 hours ago, LEXUSdRIVER2908 said:

Congrats @MunnoTheCat !! Turn up 🔥💥

 

 

Thanks Lexus!!!!

[Lynkali 163]

My husband had his citizenship interview today and passed! Five-year rule at the San Diego office, and same-day oath so we are all done with USCIS!

 

However, the interview was VERY stressful - the worst interview of our whole immigration process. The interview lasted almost a full hour! The problem mostly stemmed from a name mix-up in the background check, which we had no advance knowledge of: apparently there's some guy with the same name as my husband working in a neighboring city in the Martial Arts field, and the interviewing officer spent a long time trying to trick my husband (who does not work at all) that he was that guy, or that he was trained in military/martial arts. That led to lots of probing questions about our finances (which are very normal and nothing out of the ordinary) and some attempts to sort-of bully or trick my husband regarding his lack of martial arts training! In the end, it all worked out - and in retrospect is kind of funny, once we googled the guy with the same name and figured out who they thought my husband was - but during the interview itself, my husband felt really stressed-out ... because how do you prove you're not that guy?

 

Other than that issue, the civics test was easy (although they did ask one of the harder questions, who was President during WWI) - but my husband answered all six correctly so no problems there, and of course English test no issues. 

 

My advice to anyone with a slightly common foreign name is to Google your name thoroughly - if my husband had known in advance that he had a doppelganger in a military-adjacent area, he would have been able to explain/answer much more easily and been more relaxed. Other than that, no complaints and we're REALLY glad to be done with the process!

[Moxman 54]

Hello VisaJourney Community,

I hope this message finds everyone well. I realized that amidst the whirlwind of joy and relief, I forgot to update you all on the conclusion of our journey—a journey that this incredible community has been a part of since its beginning in early 2019.

 

 

A little over four years ago, we embarked on this complex, sometimes daunting, immigration process. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions, paperwork, waiting, and more waiting. But today, I'm overjoyed to share that our journey has reached a beautiful conclusion.

My wife recently had her interview, which, to our pleasant surprise, turned out to be a combo interview for both the I-751 (Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence) and the N-400 (Application for Naturalization). The interview went incredibly well, and what happened next was something we hadn't dared to hope for—they approved her on the spot and conducted her oath ceremony just 30 minutes later!

 

 

To say we are happy would be an understatement. It's a mix of relief, joy, and a profound sense of gratitude. This moment marks the end of a chapter that started in early 2019, filled with paperwork, deadlines, and the anxiety that accompanies the unknown.

I cannot express enough how grateful we are for the VisaJourney community. Your advice, shared experiences, and words of encouragement have been a beacon of hope and a source of invaluable information throughout this process. Knowing we weren't alone, reading about others' experiences, and receiving direct support made all the difference.

 

 

As we celebrate this milestone, our hearts are full of gratitude for each of you who've been part of our journey. We wanted to share this joy with you and say a heartfelt thank you. Your kindness and generosity in sharing knowledge and support have truly made an impact on our lives.

To those still navigating your journey, please hang in there. The process can be long and challenging, but the outcome—this profound sense of accomplishment and relief—is worth every step. We wish you all the best of luck and hope that you too will soon share your success stories.

Much love and gratitude from us! Your support and guidance have been a guiding light in our journey, and we couldn't have done it without this community. Here's to all of you, to your journeys, and to the bright futures ahead. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

 

With warmest regards and endless gratitude, Moxman.

Edited February 15 by Moxman

[scania 12]

Just had my interview today at Newark. I was scheduled at 11:15 but wasn't called until like 1PM. Interview probably took 10 mins. It was such a breeze. After I took swore, he told me there will be no same day ceremony today due to staff meeting. I said no problem. asked for my passport, GC, and Driver License. Gave it back after confirming everything. anyhow, I cant remember what questions he asked me ( I BLANKED OUT ) LOL but I did ask him to repeat one question which was " what is one right only for United States citizens "  and I was able to answer it correctly. For writing he made me read " Who was the first president " made me write Washington was the first president. After that, just a bunch of yes and no question from the N400. After that, he said congratulations.

Walked me out and thanked him for his service because he was in the military back in the day.  The wait is finally almost over. Just gtta wait for the letter now for when I will take the Oath Ceremony. Maybe it will start to hit me when I do the Oath ceremony. My case just updated too.

 

Oath Ceremony Cancelled	February 21, 2024
Your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, was placed in line for oath ceremony scheduling.	February 21, 2024
We recommended that your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, be approved. Your case was submitted for quality review.	February 21, 2024

 

Edited February 21 by scania
case updated

[MunnoTheCat 68]

1 hour ago, scania said:

Just had my interview today at Newark. I was scheduled at 11:15 but wasn't called until like 1PM. Interview probably took 10 mins. It was such a breeze. After I took swore, he told me there will be no same day ceremony today due to staff meeting. I said no problem. asked for my passport, GC, and Driver License. Gave it back after confirming everything. anyhow, I cant remember what questions he asked me ( I BLANKED OUT ) LOL but I did ask him to repeat one question which was " what is one right only for United States citizens "  and I was able to answer it correctly. For writing he made me read " Who was the first president " made me write Washington was the first president. After that, just a bunch of yes and no question from the N400. After that, he said congratulations.

Walked me out and thanked him for his service because he was in the military back in the day.  The wait is finally almost over. Just gtta wait for the letter now for when I will take the Oath Ceremony. Maybe it will start to hit me when I do the Oath ceremony. My case just updated too.

 

Oath Ceremony Cancelled	February 21, 2024
Your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, was placed in line for oath ceremony scheduling.	February 21, 2024
We recommended that your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, be approved. Your case was submitted for quality review.	February 21, 2024

 

Almost there, hang tight. i am glad things went well for you.

[CxP 22]

Here is our experience.  Our local office is in New York City.

 

We filed online on 9/26/2023, about 3 months before the 3 year anniversary date of entry to US.

 

Interview was scheduled for 1/5/2024.  Interview was fine but the person handling the case had zero experience with people who have multiple names as their first name and could not give much practical advice as we wanted to fix my wife's name format.  For example in Vietnam, a woman's name may be formatted as such: LastName,  1stFirstName 2ndFirstName 3rdFirstName.

 

We wanted to make sure that the format would match how it should be in Vietnam.  Unfortunately, USCIS/State Dept/whoever, in their infinite wisdom only used my wife's 1stFirstName for her First Name, and assigned 2ndFirstName and 3rdFirstName as her middle name when she was given her green card.   This is the typical experience if you're Vietnamese unfortunately.

 

The interviewer suggested a name correction, but a name correction has no paper trail to show that the name was corrected.  Our main concern with this option is that my wife has several accounts and documents that may contain the wrong formatted name, and it would be nice to have paper documentation that the name format was corrected. 

 

Option 2 was to opt to change her name to a more "western" name, which she already uses for work.  Unfortunately, we heard that name changes requires an oath ceremony with a judge and appointments with judge may take longer than an oath with a USCIS officer.  The interviewer said that's not necessarily true but did not tell us how long it would usually take get scheduled an oath ceremony with a judge.  So we opted not to legally change her name, as weren't sure how long it would take and we also wanted to travel in the Spring.

 

Well lo and behold, we were scheduled for an oath ceremony at the Brooklyn Federal District Court with a judge on 1/30/2024, less than 30 days, even though my wife opted to not change anything with her name... so some advice for NYC residents, if you do want to legally change your name, you should consider doing it because you might have to wait for a court oath ceremony anyway.

 

Ceremony day/morning was kind of long.  They take your phones before you enter.

 

They tell you to arrive at 8 AM but people were still strolling in at 9-9:30 AM.  Family had to wait in the third floor cafeteria while my wife and other soon to be US citizens were in the courtroom making sure their paperwork were correct.  No possibility to request name to be changed at this point unfortunately.

 

Family was then permitted to sit in the courtroom to watch the ceremony at around 10:30-11 AM.  Judge arrived and made a speech and we left at around 11:30 AM-12 PM.

 

 

 

[Faizal 27]

I had my interview today. It went smoothly. Passed the interview.

same day oath was not available so waiting to schedule the oath ceremony.

[scania 12]

5 hours ago, Faizal said:

I had my interview today. It went smoothly. Passed the interview.

same day oath was not available so waiting to schedule the oath ceremony.

congrats!!!

UPDATE: case just updated and the schedule has been posted on USCIS account. I start my new jobs a week beforehand and will be in training for the next 10 weeks. I hope they lenient enough to let me skip on a monday to do my oath

[OldUser 6,663]

44 minutes ago, scania said:

congrats!!!

UPDATE: case just updated and the schedule has been posted on USCIS account. I start my new jobs a week beforehand and will be in training for the next 10 weeks. I hope they lenient enough to let me skip on a monday to do my oath

Worst case - call in sick. There will be many jobs, but only one oath ceremony to become a US citizen!