Markip1

Received the certificate of naturalization back via USPS on 5/15. Envelope was unbent but the certificate inside was still less than pristine. Let's just say that they don't exactly treat it carefully!

Once you are a US citizen you will need to use a US passport to leave and enter the United States. I believe you can request a super-expedited passport if you have travel plans booked and confirmed in the very near future, but I don't know how long that takes or what the costs involved are. More information available here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/get-fast.html I applied recently for the normal expedited passport, and that process looked like this: Passport application received 3/28/23 - passport approved and shipped 4/12/2023. 15 days. I believe that is very much the outlier though as I was told it would be 7 weeks plus.

Passport was actually held at the local post office for me to collect. I picked it up on Friday, all present and correct. Just waiting for the return of my naturalization certificate now. Immigration complete!

I know, can't believe it! The tracker has gone back to 'In process' again now though, despite the USPS website showing that the passport is in fact currently out for delivery in Brooklyn 🤣 Not sure the Dept. of State IT systems are up to much!

Tracking number sorted itself out overnight. Passport is scheduled for delivery today. Passport application received 3/28/23 - passport approved and shipped 4/12/2023. 15 days, not the seven to nine weeks expedited timeline advised.

Received an update today that my passport had shipped on 4/12/2023 (application date was 3/28/2023). The strange thing is 1) this is much faster than I expected and 2) the tracking number they provided links to a package which was delivered to an address in California (I'm in New York) on 19th March 2022... Guess I'll check the status later and see if anything changes...

3/28- Check cashed and status changed to “In Process”. Locator number is 35 (not sure where that is). Status update says expedited passports now take 7-9 weeks.

3/22 - Applied for expedited passport at Brooklyn Public Library Passport Acceptance Facility (USPS passport appointments in the city appeared to be fully booked for weeks out). 3/27 - As of today check is uncashed and application status not available (as expected!)

So, I'm a citizen! I attended my ceremony yesterday at Federal Plaza (Brooklyn office - Floor 8 ). It was a 10am start and we were out of the building by around 11:30am. Big shout out to the security staff at the front of the building, who were as ever sparkling in their insolent effrontery and rudeness. I assume it must be in their training that if someone doesn't speak English too well, screaming what you are trying to say to them louder and louder directly in their face will help them to understand what you mean. Never having to deal with these goons again was a large motivation for applying for citizenship to be honest, and I am glad to see the back of them. The ceremony experience was all very straightforward, and somewhat anti-climactic to be honest. The ceremony was basically conducted in a waiting room. If you've been to the USCIS office at Federal Plaza before and waited in a hall with a ticket in your hand watching the TV screens to announce your number, then it's basically that room. There were no videos to watch, no speeches were given, no anthem was played, there wasn't even a US flag in sight. I felt overdressed in trousers, shirt and tie, as most people were dressed very casually. There were probably between 50 and 75 other people there, and interestingly it appeared that they were doing same day interview/oath ceremonies for some people in attendance, although they were taken to another room for their oath and were not involved in our ceremony beyond having their documents checked in the main room. The process went something like this: Everyone had line up to have their form checked, confirm a few questions about anything that had occurred since their interview, and hand in their Green Card (they also took my EAD/AP card but they didn't seem to bothered about those). They then had you check your naturalization certificate for any errors. If there was an error they would correct it on the spot at no cost for you, but if you left without requesting the change then you were on the hook for the full cost of a replacement at a later date. They took the certificate back once I had confirmed all the details, and they handed me two envelopes - one was a welcome letter from the President, the other contained information about what to do next as a US Citizen, a passport application form, and a copy of the constitution. They also gave me a small American flag. After you had been up to the window to do the above you were told to sit back down again. It took a while to check everyone in, but we were allowed to use phones or read a book so the time passed pretty quickly. Once everyone was checked in, an officer stood at the front, read the oath for us to recite, then told us to sit back down again. Officer said she had information available if we wanted it about applying for jobs at USCIS now that we were citizens, which got a few wry laughs from the crowd. She then called us up one by one to the window to collect our certificates and we were free to go. If anyone has any questions about the day feel free to ask. Before the event, I was mainly curious about what people would wear, and if they would allow family in to see the ceremony, and the answers to those questions were 1) wear pretty much whatever you like and 2) yes, my wife was allowed in no questions asked at all. I was also interested in the actual process of the ceremony, but now I realize there was very little to wonder about. It was all very straightforward and easy to navigate, but it had all the excitement and romance of the easiest trip to the DMV you've ever had. I'm over the moon to be at the end of this process, and can now fully embrace life in the US, but it would have been nice to have experienced a little bit of pageantry and occasion while taking the final step. That might just be the British person in me talking though. We love a drawn out ceremony. The rest of the day was lovely though, my wife and I had lunch, and then wandered around Manhattan in the sleet and snow. Our wedding day was beset by awful weather so it felt like completing the circle for the naturalization day to bring more of the same. I think it'll take a few days to sink in that we are done with all the admin and fees and intrusion, but already it feels great to know that life here will now be much more straightforward, and that I can now become fully involved in all the rights and responsibilities that come with being a citizen. Thanks to anyone who has offered help and guidance over the years, it's genuinely appreciated. Good luck all.

So, I'm a citizen! I attended my ceremony yesterday at Federal Plaza (Brooklyn office - Floor 8 ). It was a 10am start and we were out of the building by around 11:30am. Big shout out to the security staff at the front of the building, who were as ever sparkling in their insolent effrontery and rudeness. I assume it must be in their training that if someone doesn't speak English too well, screaming what you are trying to say to them louder and louder directly in their face will help them to understand what you mean. Never having to deal with these goons again was a large motivation for applying for citizenship to be honest, and I am glad to see the back of them. The ceremony experience was all very straightforward, and somewhat anti-climactic to be honest. The ceremony was basically conducted in a waiting room. If you've been to the USCIS office at Federal Plaza before and waited in a hall with a ticket in your hand watching the TV screens to announce your number, then it's basically that room. There were no videos to watch, no speeches were given, no anthem was played, there wasn't even a US flag in sight. I felt overdressed in trousers, shirt and tie, as most people were dressed very casually. There were probably between 50 and 75 other people there, and interestingly it appeared that they were doing same day interview/oath ceremonies for some people in attendance, although they were taken to another room for their oath and were not involved in our ceremony beyond having their documents checked in the main room. The process went something like this: Everyone had line up to have their form checked, confirm a few questions about anything that had occurred since their interview, and hand in their Green Card (they also took my EAD/AP card but they didn't seem to bothered about those). They then had you check your naturalization certificate for any errors. If there was an error they would correct it on the spot at no cost for you, but if you left without requesting the change then you were on the hook for the full cost of a replacement at a later date. They took the certificate back once I had confirmed all the details, and they handed me two envelopes - one was a welcome letter from the President, the other contained information about what to do next as a US Citizen, a passport application form, and a copy of the constitution. They also gave me a small American flag. After you had been up to the window to do the above you were told to sit back down again. It took a while to check everyone in, but we were allowed to use phones or read a book so the time passed pretty quickly. Once everyone was checked in, an officer stood at the front, read the oath for us to recite, then told us to sit back down again. Officer said she had information available if we wanted it about applying for jobs at USCIS now that we were citizens, which got a few wry laughs from the crowd. She then called us up one by one to the window to collect our certificates and we were free to go. If anyone has any questions about the day feel free to ask. Before the event, I was mainly curious about what people would wear, and if they would allow family in to see the ceremony, and the answers to those questions were 1) wear pretty much whatever you like and 2) yes, my wife was allowed in no questions asked at all. I was also interested in the actual process of the ceremony, but now I realize there was very little to wonder about. It was all very straightforward and easy to navigate, but it had all the excitement and romance of the easiest trip to the DMV you've ever had. I'm over the moon to be at the end of this process, and can now fully embrace life in the US, but it would have been nice to have experienced a little bit of pageantry and occasion while taking the final step. That might just be the British person in me talking though. We love a drawn out ceremony. The rest of the day was lovely though, my wife and I had lunch, and then wandered around Manhattan in the sleet and snow. Our wedding day was beset by awful weather so it felt like completing the circle for the naturalization day to bring more of the same. I think it'll take a few days to sink in that we are done with all the admin and fees and intrusion, but already it feels great to know that life here will now be much more straightforward, and that I can now become fully involved in all the rights and responsibilities that come with being a citizen. Thanks to anyone who has offered help and guidance over the years, it's genuinely appreciated. Good luck all.

I would try to not get too worried just yet. For comparison, I also applied through the Brooklyn office, application was submitted on 9/6/2022, and received notification on 12/15/2022 that my interview was scheduled for 1/25/2023. - making it a little over three months to receive the notification and four months for the actual interview. My oath ceremony is next Tuesday, so that came nearly seven weeks after the interview. So, for the whole thing it was six months-ish from application to ceremony. Not bad considering my ROC was in limbo and only got approved after my N-400 interview. Obviously each case is unique, but if your case is on a similar pace to mine then your interview notification would come in later this month, and your interview would be April/May with an oath ceremony June/July.

Just had my oath ceremony notification for Brooklyn - Tuesday March 14th.

Just had my oath ceremony notification for Brooklyn - Tuesday March 14th.

That's certainly my case. Status updated to "Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled" on February 1st, but no movement since. I'd be interested to know if anyone from January has had their oath ceremony scheduled yet.

Status updated to "Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled" this afternoon.

Status updated to "Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled" this afternoon.

Just had an update to my I-751 case saying "Appeal/Motion Was Dismissed". Assume that means my oath ceremony update should come next!

Yep, originally from Ipswich, there doesn't seem to be any shortage of us Brits out here! That's great news on your update, congratulations! I'll keep an eye on my status, I was expecting it to take some time in the classic USCIS fashion, but hopefully I'll get an update soon as well. Maybe I'll even see you at the same oath ceremony! 🤣

I had my interview same day as you, at the same office, (albeit it on the 8th floor at the Brooklyn office). I've been to Federal Plaza several times now and it's always been super quiet, so I was shocked to see what a s***show it was outside at 8am when we arrived. Large crowd outside, and some of the guards were actually getting a bit physical and shoving people around. Managed to get myself and my wife inside through security and eventually got to the waiting room on the 8th floor. Like you, they only wanted to interview me despite having a pending I-751, but they did allow my wife to wait in the waiting room for me at least. My officer was friendly and not at all cranky, but basically I had the same experience as you - I passed all the N-400 tests but was told that the I-751 had to be reviewed over the next few days (she called it 'getting waived') before the N-400 could be approved, and that I should expect to hear about an oath ceremony at some point soon (I assuming this will be weeks though). My I-751 file was on her desk throughout the interview too, but she didn't look at it at all, and I wasn't asked to provide any evidence whatsoever from either my I-751 or N-400 applications other than showing her my Green Card. Honestly, I sat longer in the waiting room than I was in the interview room for. I'm looking at this positively in that the officer was so brief, casual and honestly, quite ambivalent about the whole thing because it's a pretty straightforward case and there's nothing much to worry about. I'll still be glad when my case status updates online though! I'll be glad to be done with USCIS. I don't know if this is a New York thing, but every encounter with them seems to involved a cranky, angry, short tempered individual!

I did. I was able to download it by logging into my online account on my laptop though.

So, my interview was this morning at the Brooklyn office. My wife came with me, they allowed her into the building but kept her in the waiting room as the officer didn’t want to speak with her. I did the N-400 interview alone, passed all tests answered a few very basic questions about my name, DOB, job, travel history. I was then told that as the I-751 was being waived I couldn’t be formally approved on the spot and that they needed to do some work in my case behind the scenes to close it all out. They said I shouldn’t worry as I should expect to hear from USCIS in a few days time to be scheduled for an oath ceremony. I spent ages assembling all our documents and the officer didn’t ask to see anything at all other than my Green Card. It actually took longer to get into the building that it did to be interviewed! Feels very strange to think that this process is very nearly over.

So, my interview was this morning at the Brooklyn office. My wife came with me, they allowed her into the building but kept her in the waiting room as the officer didn’t want to speak with her. I did the N-400 interview alone, passed all tests answered a few very basic questions about my name, DOB, job, travel history. I was then told that as the I-751 was being waived I couldn’t be formally approved on the spot and that they needed to do some work in my case behind the scenes to close it all out. They said I shouldn’t worry as I should expect to hear from USCUS in a few days to be scheduled for an oath ceremony. I spent ages assembling all our documents and the officer didn’t ask to see anything at all other than my Green Card. It actually took longer to get into the building that it did to be interviewed! Feels very strange to think that this process is very nearly over.

Interview scheduled for tomorrow morning. Checked and re-checked our documents a hundred times but still convinced I've forgotten something! I'm sure it'll be fine, I've probably got way too much stuff to be honest but oh well! We have a pending 751 as well as the 400, so I will report back on if they interview for both, what they asked and what evidence they requested.

I have my N-400 interview at the end of January. My ROC is still outstanding. The interview letter I received only mentions an interview for my N-400 application and not the ROC. The letter actually says that due to covid I may not be able to take anyone to the interview with me. My question is, should I plan to have my wife accompany me anyway? My inclination is that she should be there, despite what the letter says. Are they likely to just combine the two separate applications into one interview on the day? Any thoughts? Thanks!

Wow, I just checked my online account as I filed the same month as you, also Brooklyn, and I have have an interview scheduled in January too!