Houston N-400 Filers

[bonhomme 22]

13 hours ago, murfie said:

I will be in the ceremony as you, April 3rd. Very excited to be at the end of this journey!

Same here! Although I'm naturalizing through marriage after 3 years (though the process took like 4.5 years) this whole immigration thing has taken me 28 years. Finally, there's an end in sight! 

 

 

[Ava2019 0]

Hi all,

 

this forum is so helpful to keep track of the N-400 process.

 

My Priority Date is May 31st, 2018. Hoping to get a notification change for an interview this month. 

 

 

[natvyas 21]

38 minutes ago, Ava2019 said:

Hi all,

 

this forum is so helpful to keep track of the N-400 process.

 

My Priority Date is May 31st, 2018. Hoping to get a notification change for an interview this month. 

 

 

I THINK you should have something the week of 22nd April if not sooner

 

Keep us posted. Good Luck !

 

Edited April 2, 2019 by natvyas

[Henry357 70]

I filed my N-400 yesterday online and it claims "Estimated case completion time" of 24 month.  Is this Accurate?

 

My local office is Houston. 

[natvyas 21]

2 hours ago, Henry357 said:

I filed my N-400 yesterday online and it claims "Estimated case completion time" of 24 month.  Is this Accurate?

 

My local office is Houston. 

Per the current trend, Notice Interview Notice in about 11-12 months from filing and Oath ceremony 12-13 months from filing

 

You can see the trend here that I'm talking about;

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JaGrvtrBcjYZoG3WJ3Qp3QqOipnvz2lF-9x8t7xfeE8/edit#gid=0

 

Edited April 3, 2019 by natvyas

[silvermoon 7]

23 hours ago, natvyas said:

Per the current trend, Notice Interview Notice in about 11-12 months from filing and Oath ceremony 12-13 months from filing

 

You can see the trend here that I'm talking about;

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JaGrvtrBcjYZoG3WJ3Qp3QqOipnvz2lF-9x8t7xfeE8/edit#gid=0

 

This is correct. I naturalized yesterday, 13 months after submitting the application. My estimated processing time was Feb 2020.

 

Naturalization ceremony was awesome! 2263 people naturalizing from 132 different countries. There are no restrictions on how many people you can bring to the Houston ceremony since M.O. Campbell Center is huge, so there were tons of people. 

 

Pro tip for the Houston ceremony... parking is INSANE. Get there as close to 7am (or earlier) as possible. We arrived at 7:15 (two kids under two to get ready!) and the east parking lot was already full. Yikes.

 

Best of luck for anyone still waiting! I don't know what to do with myself now that for the first time in a decade I don't have to worry about immigration!

[Adrianmai16 0]

My Application is May 22. 2018, got an interview schedule today for May 8

[ArchieD 16]

Looks like Houston is speeding up on N400. Good sign ;). Good luck guys. 

[HTOWNLim 2]

Hello Everyone! 

 

Thank you all for your updates, it has been very helpful. I just got my interview notice today, i filed May 22nd of last year. How long does it take for me to get the actual interview day?

 

Thanks in Advance.

 

[Lemon23 400]

1 hour ago, HTOWNLim said:

Hello Everyone! 

 

Thank you all for your updates, it has been very helpful. I just got my interview notice today, i filed May 22nd of last year. How long does it take for me to get the actual interview day?

 

Thanks in Advance.

 

Usually 4 to 5 weeks before the actual interview day from the day they sent you the notice, your interview notice will be available online under the tab documents if you have an online account, you will receive a regular letter as well from USCIS.

 

[tbecky876 0]

Hello everyone,

 

I’m new here and just wanted to share my experience thus far.

 

I got my interview notification on 4/4/2019. My interview date is 5/10/2019 and my priority date is 5/28/2018.

 

Does anyone know the timeframe between the interview and the oath ceremony? I have an international trip scheduled for 5/31 and I’ll be out of the country for about a week.

[natvyas 21]

5 hours ago, tbecky876 said:

Hello everyone,

 

I’m new here and just wanted to share my experience thus far.

 

I got my interview notification on 4/4/2019. My interview date is 5/10/2019 and my priority date is 5/28/2018.

 

Does anyone know the timeframe between the interview and the oath ceremony? I have an international trip scheduled for 5/31 and I’ll be out of the country for about a week.

awesome ...good luck..keep us posted

 

30-60 days ...its a big range...given no of applicants in houston...but this is a timeframe exceptions do occur

[bonhomme 22]

I naturalized on April 3rd. This was my experience.

 

The letter said the Oath Ceremony began at 7AM, and to get there at least 30 minutes early. (Same-sex couple here) So my husband and I both took the day off and woke up super early to get there around 6:30AM. USCIS officers were outside MO Educational Center to look at our letters, they'd tell us which entrance we needed to go to. I was "Section 3," so I needed to go to the other entrance.

 

We were made to wait outside for 30 minutes. Entering was kind of confusing. You were supposed to be in line, but you couldn't tell which line was what. So that was kind of blah. Inside there were small tables set up, each with a sign above them that said what section they were. You check in and give them your letter and your green card. Then they handed you a colored slip. After that, you could go in the auditorium. Then they start the announcements.

 

Well, ladies and gentleman, this is where my husband and I find out that while the letter said the ceremony begins at 7, it truly doesn't begin until 10 AM! The reason, the announcer said, is so that they can get everyone in before the ceremony starts. He also mentioned that some letters said different times, which makes me think they do that to come in staggered times so that they don't all come at once. This also is the reason they give the slips.

 

The announcer says that we could do the following (that day) once we naturalize: Register to vote, update our Social Security Card, and Apply for our Passport. I was all ready. I’d read on VisaJourney that they have reps from the SSA and the USPS so I filled my application online and brought my checkbook and photos. An hour before the ceremony starts, he tells us the reps from SSA and USPS didn't show up.

We saw all kinds of different people streaming. A young guy even came with a USA flag suit, very flashy. The letter says not to wear jeans, but I actually saw a lot of people wearing jeans... I didn't know how to feel about that. Anyways, we waited in our seats until 10 finally came around. They had food and beverage, but they only took cash. I'd only brought my card and checkbook. It finally started around 10:15. A few people gave some speeches. They recognized the people from the Army that were naturalizing. It was ceremonial and beautiful to see everyone so happy. I caught a few people crying. They sang the "Star Spangled Banner" and "My Country 'Tis of Thee."  I think the whole ceremony part took like 20 minutes. Finally, you could go pick up your certificate. This is where the slips came in. Colors corresponded to how early you arrived. Green was first, then Pink (Me), then Yellow…and I didn’t hear the rest. After this, you could go home.

 

They set up a "picture station" where people lined up to take selfies. I think this took the longest, and had the SSA and USPS people been there, I don't know if I would have done it. Most people were considerate. They took 3-5 picture pictures of each other before they went about their day, except this one lady who went back like 3 times, cutting in front of others and took like 1000 pictures. It was very rude and people from the back yelled at her to leave.

So my hopes of not having to take more time off deflated because of the no-show reps. Oh well. But, being as impatient as I am, I booked an appointment after the ceremony at the Houston Public Library near my apartment to get my passport.

That was my experience.

Edited April 7, 2019 by bonhomme

[lovemywife85 33]

35 minutes ago, bonhomme said:

I naturalized on April 3rd. This was my experience.

 

The letter said the Oath Ceremony began at 7AM, and to get there at least 30 minutes early. (Same-sex couple here) So my husband and I both took the day off and woke up super early to get there around 6:30AM. USCIS officers were outside MO Educational Center to look at our letters, they'd tell us which entrance we needed to go to. I was "Section 3," so I needed to go to the other entrance.

 

We were made to wait outside for 30 minutes. Entering was kind of confusing. You were supposed to be in line, but you couldn't tell which line was what. So that was kind of blah. Inside there were small tables set up, each with a sign above them that said what section they were. You check in and give them your letter and your green card. Then they handed you a colored slip. After that, you could go in the auditorium. Then they start the announcements.

 

Well, ladies and gentleman, this is where my husband and I find out that while the letter said the ceremony begins at 7, it truly doesn't begin until 10 AM! The reason, the announcer said, is so that they can get everyone in before the ceremony starts. He also mentioned that some letters said different times, which makes me think they do that to come in staggered times so that they don't all come at once. This also is the reason they give the slips.

 

The announcer says that we could do the following (that day) once we naturalize: Register to vote, update our Social Security Card, and Apply for our Passport. I was all ready. I’d read on VisaJourney that they have reps from the SSA and the USPS so I filled my application online and brought my checkbook and photos. An hour before the ceremony starts, he tells us the reps from SSA and USPS didn't show up.

We saw all kinds of different people streaming. A young guy even came with a USA flag suit, very flashy. The letter says not to wear jeans, but I actually saw a lot of people wearing jeans... I didn't know how to feel about that. Anyways, we waited in our seats until 10 finally came around. They had food and beverage, but they only took cash. I'd only brought my card and checkbook. It finally started around 10:15. A few people gave some speeches. They recognized the people from the Army that were naturalizing. It was ceremonial and beautiful to see everyone so happy. I caught a few people crying. They sang the "Star Spangled Banner" and "My Country 'Tis of Thee."  I think the whole ceremony part took like 20 minutes. Finally, you could go pick up your certificate. This is where the slips came in. Colors corresponded to how early you arrived. Green was first, then Pink (Me), then Yellow…and I didn’t hear the rest. After this, you could go home.

 

They set up a "picture station" where people lined up to take selfies. I think this took the longest, and had the SSA and USPS people been there, I don't know if I would have done it. Most people were considerate. They took 3-5 picture pictures of each other before they went about their day, except this one lady who went back like 3 times, cutting in front of others and took like 1000 pictures. It was very rude and people from the back yelled at her to leave.

So my hopes of not having to take more time off deflated because of the no-show reps. Oh well. But, being as impatient as I am, I booked an appointment after the ceremony at the Houston Public Library near my apartment to get my passport.

That was my experience.

How was the interview for citizenship? Thanks and congrats!

[bonhomme 22]

On 2/25/2019 at 7:49 PM, bonhomme said:

My interview was scheduled at 2:10pm. I got to the USCIS center at 1:20. It was too early and my husband and I waited for it to be 1:40 for us to go in.

 

We went through security fairly quickly. I was glad we waited because I noticed at check-in that the guy looked at my interview time and this little cheat sheet with appointment times and the allowable times those can check in at. He gave me back my appointment letter and told us to wait. It was pretty full. There was one side that was mostly empty, so we waited there. 

 

We were a combo interview. So the officer did the 751 first. My IO was a woman. She had us sit down then we did an oath to tell the truth. She asked for our names, address, and shot me a look and asked me my husband's DOB, which I answered pretty quickly. 

 

Then I almost had a panic attack because she asked me for stuff I didn't bring. The tax transcript for 2017 (I'd brought 2016 thinking it was 2017). She asked about a joint bank account, and we told her about Venmo. She asked for our lease, but when we showed her she said it needed to be signed. We explained it was e-signed. But luckily, that didn't hinder us at all. She asked us questions about which one of cooks, how we met, where have we traveled together. Things were more relaxed after that. She even asked if went to Tulum when we went to Cancun.

 

She approved my removal of conditions. She said she needed to get it signed off and then she would do the citizenship interview. She signaled us to the waiting room. After about 20 minutes she called us back. She asked me questions about my application. Then went to the interview.

 

1. Who does a senator represent? All the people in a state
2. Why did the colonists declare independence? For being taxed without representation 
3. What's the capital of the US? Washington DC 
4. What is the Capital of Texas? Austin 
5. What Ocean is on the east coast? Atlantic 
6. What's one right the first amendment gives you? Freedom of speech 

 

 

I got them right. She asked to read, "What do we pay the government?"

I wrote, “We pay taxes"

 

She told me I was approved and that I'd ever have my oath ceremony on March 13 or April 17.

 

That was it!

@lovemywife85