Future Southern California Oath Ceremony Dates

[sonia joshi 0]

Yeah I guess that means you haven't been officially scheduled yet. Hope they can still squeeze you into the March 22nd ceremony, but honestly I think you might end up missing it. Might be because your office was Santa Ana versus mine was Los Angeles, local, so I might've been quicker to process.

Good luck though and hang in there! Sounds like at the very latest you'll get scheduled for April, which isn't too bad

[/quote

thank u

Soniaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Congrats yesssssssssssss! your on your way!

yea, i m, can't wait to get done with everything.....(: how abt ur case status?????

[Joker69 10]

OMG i can only imagine the feeling you will verry soon ! I'm happy for you....As for me i think they're trying to hang me jk nah hahahaha my Status still under Testing and Interview! All i can do is wait you know ...

ame='arvinb' timestamp='1331861388' post='5230260']

Yeah I guess that means you haven't been officially scheduled yet. Hope they can still squeeze you into the March 22nd ceremony, but honestly I think you might end up missing it. Might be because your office was Santa Ana versus mine was Los Angeles, local, so I might've been quicker to process.

Good luck though and hang in there! Sounds like at the very latest you'll get scheduled for April, which isn't too bad

[/quote

thank u

yea, i m, can't wait to get done with everything.....(: how abt ur case status?????

Edited March 16, 2012 by Joker69

[jack.k 1]

Hi guys,

Did I understand correctly that one of you have an OFFICAL NOTICE to attend a ceremony on March 22nd at the LA convention center? When I went to my interview in February, the officer advised me all of the ceremonies listed by the US Courts website had been cancelled. I'm still waiting to receive a notice, and today, the status finally changed to Oath ceremony from testing/interview skipping over two steps on the USCIS website.

Edited March 17, 2012 by jack.k

[arvinb 17]

Hi guys,

Did I understand correctly that one of you have an OFFICAL NOTICE to attend a ceremony on March 22nd at the LA convention center? When I went to my interview in February, the officer advised me all of the ceremonies listed by the US Courts website had been cancelled. I'm still waiting to receive a notice, and today, the status finally changed to Oath ceremony from testing/interview skipping over two steps on the USCIS website.

Yes, I received a letter from USCIS saying I should attend the March 22nd ceremony at 12:30pm (not the morning one). This was after I received the email/website status update saying I was scheduled for a ceremony.

[Luv2travel 0]

Yes, I received a letter from USCIS saying I should attend the March 22nd ceremony at 12:30pm (not the morning one). This was after I received the email/website status update saying I was scheduled for a ceremony.

Where will it be held? The LACC still has the naturalization ceremony listed in their events on March 22.

[jack.k 1]

Yes, I received a letter from USCIS saying I should attend the March 22nd ceremony at 12:30pm (not the morning one). This was after I received the email/website status update saying I was scheduled for a ceremony.

Ok, thank you so much for the clarification. Apparently the officer who interviewed me was a complete moron. My status updated today so hopefully I'll receive a letter soon, most likely not in March but there are ceremonies in April.

[sonia joshi 0]

Hi guys,

Did I understand correctly that one of you have an OFFICAL NOTICE to attend a ceremony on March 22nd at the LA convention center? When I went to my interview in February, the officer advised me all of the ceremonies listed by the US Courts website had been cancelled. I'm still waiting to receive a notice, and today, the status finally changed to Oath ceremony from testing/interview skipping over two steps on the USCIS website.

my case status also got changed yesterday, bt mine says they put for scheduling so its still different than oath is scheduled......how abt urs?

[AndyZap 0]

Where will it be held? The LACC still has the naturalization ceremony listed in their events on March 22.

I also have an offical letter to appear at an Oath Ceremony on March 22, 12:30pm at the LA Convention Center.

As for my online status, it changed to "Placed in line for scheduling", then 2 or 3 days later it changed to "We have shceduled your Oath and sent a notice" I got the actual letter a day or two after that.

Those who are still waiting, hold tight and you should see some movement soon.

Edited March 19, 2012 by AndyZap

[sonia joshi 0]

I also have an offical letter to appear at an Oath Ceremony on March 22, 12:30pm at the LA Convention Center.

As for my online status, it changed to "Placed in line for scheduling", then 2 or 3 days later it changed to "We have shceduled your Oath and sent a notice" I got the actual letter a day or two after that.

Those who are still waiting, hold tight and you should see some movement soon.

thanks a lot

[sonia joshi 0]

Final status change: oath ceremony is scheduled today, had sent notice with date, time and place..........(:

[Joker69 10]

Wow! yessss yesssss yessssssssssssssss Congrats sonia its offical you on your way...........

Final status change: oath ceremony is scheduled today, had sent notice with date, time and place..........(:

[Luv2travel 0]

Final status change: oath ceremony is scheduled today, had sent notice with date, time and place..........(:

Congratulations! Hope ours change to scheduling too since we got the oath queue the same time...

[jack.k 1]

Hi again guys,

Today I received an official notice to attend the oath ceremony on April 17th at 8am at the LA Convention Center.

I didn't even realize the website status updated, so they're sending this letter out fast.

Wish all of you the best of luck, only we know what a journey we had to take to obtain citizenship.

Cheers!

Jack

P.S. If anyone attended the ceremony today, would be nice if you can post how it was and if any tips are needed. I never been to the LACC, hope it's not confusing where to park, where to go, etc. Looks like a huge place.

Edit: Also do they call you up one by one to receive the certificate? How long was the entire ceremony?

Edited March 23, 2012 by jack.k

[arvinb 17]

Hi again guys,

Today I received an official notice to attend the oath ceremony on April 17th at 8am at the LA Convention Center.

I didn't even realize the website status updated, so they're sending this letter out fast.

Wish all of you the best of luck, only we know what a journey we had to take to obtain citizenship.

Cheers!

Jack

P.S. If anyone attended the ceremony today, would be nice if you can post how it was and if any tips are needed. I never been to the LACC, hope it's not confusing where to park, where to go, etc. Looks like a huge place.

Edit: Also do they call you up one by one to receive the certificate? How long was the entire ceremony?

I was there today, 12:30pm.

Arrived at about 12pm, there is parking at the convention center for 15 dollars; I think it's worth it enough, there are 10 dollar parking across the street but it's outdoors and I think you're double parked so it'll be tougher to get out. I live in LA so I wasn't coming from the freeway; I approached it on Venice Blvd towards Figueroa going east and there was a sign to the parking lot for "citizenship." There are enough signs and unless you are literally the first person there you just need to follow the crowd.

There was a long line to get into the Convention Center but it was moving pretty briskly when I got there, and it looked like I was in the last 3rd of the line. I bought a certificate holder for 5 dollars from a man who approached us in the parking structure; I read on another thread here recommending it. 5 bucks wasn't a big deal, and it becomes 10 the closer you get inside.

When inside they separate guests and applicants almost immediately; you will not see them again until you leave the hall. When you get in they check your letter and then direct you to any of the 50 or so check-in desks, who will take your green card and punch it and staple it to your appointment letter, and tell you which specific desk will have your certificate at the end of the session. Then you are led to the seats in the hall, which they fill up section by section (so it will definitely be first come first served when getting your certificate).

There were 4199 of us; the actual ceremony didn't start until about 1:30; they didn't check security, and while they said to turn off phones it didn't seem to be a problem to use it (I brought notebook paper to do work on). Finally they start by having you stand in the presence of the judge. Then she does a short speech and then you stand up again and do the Oath of Allegiance (I didn't realize til too late that they gave you a booklet with the oath on it to read along to, so I looked over the person next to me).

They did another speech, then introduced two servicemembers also becoming citizens that day. I'm not at all an emotional person but somehow that actually humbled me to hear these people serving the military even before becoming citizens.

Then we pledged the oath of allegiance and then a man came up to sing the national anthem. Again, who woulda thunkit but I actually started getting emotional again; many people complain that the anthem is very oblique and in some ways glorifies war but I find it very poetic (not just cliched declarations of how great a country is; it tells an inspiring story about the country's resilience).

After that was the message from Obama and the Lee Greenwood music video. Then it was basically done, and they tell the audience to get up and exit the hall before they can start handing out the certificates, which I thought was weird (it's because after you get the certificate you're basically done, and if people were allowed to stay inside to wait for their applicants it would've been chaos).

TIP: I had no idea they let you apply for a passport on site! You just needed your passport photos and a way to pay (they take debit, check, or cash). I was wondering why there was a sign for passport photos when you first entered. If you really want your passport fast I suggest you arrive there early and get passport photos ready or have them before you show up. It would've saved me an extra trip to the post office.

They bring you row by row to the check-in desks; again since you are seated as you arrive that means the later you arrive the later you get your certificate; tough but fair. In the meantime they let you fill in your voter registration form and submit it. Another thread here mentioned that they seemed to imply that you HAD to register to vote, and I certainly felt that way. It is NOT required, and you don't need to submit it. I did anyway, then I realized after I handed it in that I didn't date the signature. Who knows if that actually goes through.

Finally you get up to your line and they find you on the folder, take your greencard and hand you your certificate, which has the photo taken of you at biometrics (NOT the passport photos you submitted). They congratulate you, and if you want to do your passport applications, you do that now (remember they take your certificate on the spot, so if you want to make copies first then you can't apply that day). After that you exit the hall where you see a long walkway where your family members have been waiting outside some caution tape waiting for you . This is where you can take photos.

There are also political party volunteers outside trying to get you to register for their party. The walk back to parking was relatively smooth and it wasn't hard to get out, and it was around 3:15pm when we finally did.

Also as a final note they said to NOT contact the SS office until after about 30 days; they claimed if you went sooner they wouldn't have you in their system. I'm so busy nowadays I don't really care (though I gotta make sure not to forget).

If I had to do it again I'd've arrived a little earlier (around 11:30 I think would've been a good balance of not standing around too long waiting and get to leave pretty early). Not sure if I would've applied for passport because didn't want to lose my certificate, but if you're not paranoid this will save you time. Definitely suggest you bring something to read if you get bored easily.

That's it! I've been in the US almost 19 years, an LPR almost 10 years (my GC expires in 2 months), and the entire application in LA took 4 months and 13 days from NOA to oath. I feel so lucky and I can't wait for you guys to get your day!

If you have any other questions let me know and I'll try to answer them

[AndyZap 0]

I too was at the 12:30 ceremony at the LA Convention Center yesterday and I'll second most of what arvinb said.

I came from Orange County though and my tip for anyone going there from OC is to leave extra, extra early!

I set out at 10:30 (a little later than I had planned) and the 5 was backed up all the way past the 710. And them when I got to the Pico Street off-ramp from the 10 it was all backed up and mov-ing extremely slowly. It was like this all the way to the parking structure. Between that and the lines to get in the Convention Center it probably took me an hour to 90 minutes to get from the off-ramp to being checked in and sitting down. Thanks goodness the ceremony did not start right away!

Like arvinb, I am not an emotional person, but I felt a little chocked up when they played the na-tional anthem.

I will also say that it you absolutely do not have to register to vote there. I did not, mainly be-cause I prefer to write on hard, flat surface and there was none there, plus I later noticed that the forms were for the LA County office. I'm not sure what they would do if they receive one from a resident of Orange County.

As for Social Security, they did indeed say to wait 30 days before going there, but I am going to try going today or Monday anyway. The way I see it, your Naturalization Certificate is proof of Citizenship, so they can update your record from that. I guess the people who applied for pass-ports yesterday will have to wait, but I did not, so I still have my certificate.

I'm glad to finally finished this process! Congrats to arvinb and anyone else who naturalized yes-terday and good luck to those still waiting!