JenIE

My husband had his interview and oath ceremony today and is now officially a US citizen! We waited for 2 hours before he was called in for the interview, which took about 25 minutes. He said they asked him if he traveled often and whether it was for work or personal. He was then told a sentence to write about when we celebrate Columbus Day. Finally, he was asked only 6 questions because he got them all right. They didn't ask to see any documents because we had uploaded everything with his application, which impressed his interviewer. Since we had even uploaded the passport-type photo they didn't need to take a new one of him and just used that on his certificate. By the time he was done it was slightly too late to participate in the ceremony that was just about to happen so he was told to come back in 2 hours for the next one. During the ceremony he and the others received their Naturalization Certificates along with a small American flag, took the oath, and officially completed their Visa Journey! The questions he got asked were: Who is the current Speaker of the House? What is the total number of Senators? Who lived in America before Europeans arrived? Who is the Father of the Nation? What is a promise you make when you become a citizen? Name a war fought by the US in the 1900s? Good luck to everyone else on reaching the end!

Good luck!

That sounds like a great experience! Congratulations on the official end of your journey!

Definitely seems promising! A bunch of us got interviews scheduled within a week of the status changing. Hope it's the same with you!

Hoping you all can also see some progress before the end of the year and maybe even start the new year as a citizen!

Well, it seems you were right! I just got a notification of a case update and we got our interview notice today!! Interview is on Nov 20, just in time for Thanksgiving!

Oh interesting! This was the first time I logged in since submitting so I'm not sure how long it's been at 6 month estimate but we'll see if an interview is in our near future!

So exciting to see a lot of people getting interviews scheduled! Just logged into our account and the estimated timeline says 6 months, no sign of an interview yet but fingers crossed we get some good news soon as well!

Yeah I'm curious about the glitchy comment -- there are definitely other forms that clearly haven't had the code updated since the late 90s but this one was very straightforward and easy and modern feeling. I would bet most people filed online as well.

Wow congratulations on a quick finish with the N-400 and getting the I-751 approved at the same time!

Same! It said 16 months for me too when I completed the submission but as soon as the status changed to "Actively reviewed" (which was almost instant) the time changed to 9 months.

As long as you had to wait for the I-751, I'm glad that the N-400 was so quick for you!!

Yesterday was the first day we were eligible and we just submitted today. Our case pretty much instantly went from "case received" to "Case is Being Actively Reviewed by USCIS". We somehow got our I-751 approved in January (after 5 months) so not too concerned about how long this takes, but hoping it goes smoothly!

Yesterday was the earliest we could file the N-400 and we just submitted today. Given how extensive the visa forms are, this was a relative piece of cake! They give us an estimated time of 9 months but I assume that's just a made up number. Good luck to everyone who is eligible this month and choosing to go ahead with this step of the process!

So frustrating. I'm really glad that the process is finally at an end for you after all the waiting!

It definitely feels like cases submitted recently see movement faster than those from farther back. Does not seem like a fair process!

Yeah based on most people's experiences on here I really wasn't expecting that, it's possible they deemed us low risk and used the risk based approach for evaluating cases, but it's crazy that it seems that it either takes a few months or a few years!

We somehow got our I-751 approved in 5 months but we are planning to apply for citizenship next month. So glad that the N-400 is pretty straightforward compared to all the other forms we've had to fill out!

MSC is National Benefits Center and getting sent to MSC these days doesn't mean you will for sure have an interview. I was also MSC and filed in August and got approved in January without an interview and there were a couple other people around that time as well. It seems like at least MSC might be using a risk-based approach.

I just looked up my old statuses and it went from Jan 21 - We mailed your new card Jan 23 - The Post Office picked up the card (with tracking number) Jan 25 - Card was delivered by the post office (also contained reference to tracking number) Hopefully you will see an update any day now!

Congratulations! As an FYI the case update should include a tracking number (they usually update the site to say it will be mailed and then update the status again with the tracking number) so you can know exactly when you expect it to be delivered.

Oh, interesting! You gotta love the inconsistencies! We got approved in mid-January and a notice came with the card, not separately. But again, the online status went through a couple different approval-type messages about "Case Approved" "Card sent (with tracking #)" etc. So I'd still think that if the status doesn't say anything of that nature it's probably not an approval notice?

They don't send an approval notices, so if you have been approved, you'll just receive the new card. Also, your case status would've updated online to say that the case was approved and also provide a tracking number for the shipment of the new card. If your case doesn't say approved, it's likely either one of the longer extension letters or an announcement of July filing eligibility.

Oh wow, I think that is just an exception -- you got someone who didn't actually do their job properly, though it probably made your travel easier/faster. The extension letter says that it is good for (24 or 48 months) from the expiration date on the card and that the notice, presented with the card, is evidence of your status. The letter alone is not enough proof of your current status because it doesn't say when your green card actually expires on it. My husband only had to travel once on the extension letter before receiving the 10 year card, but they looked at both the card and the letter.

You have had quite the challenge getting to this point -- SO glad to see that you were able to finally get an appointment and get up to date with the process. I hope your husband did something nice for you to make up for the stress of missing that first appointment!