Chicago IL - N-400 Timeline
- Thread starter Bulls-Fan
- Start date
Exactly a month -- 30 days -- has passed and still no oath letters for the unlucky souls who had their interviews on Sept 6! This is the longest that anyone has had to wait for this! Wish I at least knew what the reason was. 
How long should I wait before scheduling another appointment with USCIS to investigate? When should I get worried?
How long should I wait before scheduling another appointment with USCIS to investigate? When should I get worried?
interview
does anyone anything about having the interview before the five years are up?? has anyone had their interveiw successfully before the 5 years were up? please share...
also, for those of you with real fast timelines, was there a problem with your name check because the process moved so quick because i heard that for those whose applications move fast they have to wait at the end for the name check...any info please share, thanks
does anyone anything about having the interview before the five years are up?? has anyone had their interveiw successfully before the 5 years were up? please share...
also, for those of you with real fast timelines, was there a problem with your name check because the process moved so quick because i heard that for those whose applications move fast they have to wait at the end for the name check...any info please share, thanks
tderev1 said:
As far as I know, new regulations stipulate that name check should be passed first before an interview is scheduled.
My hunch is that you won't have a problem with your interview being scheduled before 5 years are up, however the oath will probably have to wait until after 5 years are done.
Where did you hear that if your application moves fast then your name check is left at the end?
tderev1 said:
that may be right ... i called up the 1-800 today and waited through the hold time of 20-30 minutes just to speak to an immigration officer. my application had moved pretty quickly until this stage. basic timeline is as follows:
submitted app around may 25
june 6 received letter for fingerprinting
june 16 fingerprint appointment
july 16 received interview letter
sept 6 interview
the interview was passed successfully; however, at this point i'm waiting on the oath letter. after speaking with an officer today, she said that it seems my app is still waiting on the name check. so i guess u're right in saying that apps that move quickly in the beginning eventually slow down.
i called the fbi afterwards to see what i could find out about fingerprints/name check. the officer couldn't confirm whether or not the fingerprint check was passed but that they had sent the results back to uscis. (i'm assuming nothing was found otherwise i'd probably be sitting in jail writing this on a roll of toilet paper and sending it by messenger pigeon to the nearest internet cafe). as far as the name check, she said that part of the query is forwarded to washington, d.c. ... she further said that as far as she knows, they're currently backlogged, and read me off a statistic from last year saying 3.5 or so million name checks had gone through the d.c. office.
so, that all explains my wait. at least i'm not pissed anymore at this delay, just annoyed.
Because others had speculated about this whole name check business, I specifically asked my USCIS interviewer whether this had been completed for me. He said that one won't even receive an interview letter until this has been done. Also, Chi-Guy, there's been nothing especially fast about your interview progress. It's moved at the average speed for Chicago until the interview and substantially slower than average after that.
It looks like both of us may be going through a second round of name checks, perhaps after they had a chance to collect additional detail about my citations, your arrest, etc. My theory is they don't have much information on this until you actually provide it to them in the interviews. Only then, do they launch some sort of effort to confirm things with local police departments.
Initially, when I was unable to find my old traffic tickets, I had contacted local police departments for records. In some cases, it took over six weeks for them to respond that they did not even retain the information! If the FBI is trying to do the same, it would explain the current long wait.
Incidentally, if traffic citations cause such tremendous delay in the process, this may be another reason not to indicate them on the application. From loking at various discussions, many seem to have speedily and successfully achieved citizenship without declaring them.
It looks like both of us may be going through a second round of name checks, perhaps after they had a chance to collect additional detail about my citations, your arrest, etc. My theory is they don't have much information on this until you actually provide it to them in the interviews. Only then, do they launch some sort of effort to confirm things with local police departments.
Initially, when I was unable to find my old traffic tickets, I had contacted local police departments for records. In some cases, it took over six weeks for them to respond that they did not even retain the information! If the FBI is trying to do the same, it would explain the current long wait.
Incidentally, if traffic citations cause such tremendous delay in the process, this may be another reason not to indicate them on the application. From loking at various discussions, many seem to have speedily and successfully achieved citizenship without declaring them.
swairagade
New Member
Detroit MI timeline
I live in Farmington Hills, MI. Is my time line same as Chicago time line. OR is there a seperate tracker for Michigan?
I will be eligible to apply in a week.
I live in Farmington Hills, MI. Is my time line same as Chicago time line. OR is there a seperate tracker for Michigan?
I will be eligible to apply in a week.
RakishS ...
it's a good thing you asked them, at least that helps to clear something up. Now, see if you agree with me on this:
It took USCIS 1 month from the time I fingerprinted to the time they sent out the interview letter. Is that the month that covers the name check? Because i'm thinking that if it is, we can probably add on 1 month (for the 2nd name check) to the 3-4 weeks the officer told us to wait to receive our oath letters.
-OR- (worse case scenario)
If the name check is not conducted during the fingerprint check, but rather the timing for that starts when our application is received by USCIS, I would think I'd have to add on an additional 6-7 weeks to the 3-4 weeks the officer already indicated.
If either of these situations are applicable, and if the timing holds true as it has for other users of this forum (i.e. oath letter within 1 week of interviewing), this would be the first week for us to start expecting our letters. (if we're not looking at the worse case scenario above).
it's a good thing you asked them, at least that helps to clear something up. Now, see if you agree with me on this:
It took USCIS 1 month from the time I fingerprinted to the time they sent out the interview letter. Is that the month that covers the name check? Because i'm thinking that if it is, we can probably add on 1 month (for the 2nd name check) to the 3-4 weeks the officer told us to wait to receive our oath letters.
-OR- (worse case scenario)
If the name check is not conducted during the fingerprint check, but rather the timing for that starts when our application is received by USCIS, I would think I'd have to add on an additional 6-7 weeks to the 3-4 weeks the officer already indicated.
If either of these situations are applicable, and if the timing holds true as it has for other users of this forum (i.e. oath letter within 1 week of interviewing), this would be the first week for us to start expecting our letters. (if we're not looking at the worse case scenario above).
Chi-Guy - Both the scenarios that you propose are very thoughtful speculation, but I would not be unhappy to see the letter arrive sooner.
Although it is infuriating that our oath letters are taking so long -- the longest of anyone on this board -- it has been reassuring that both of us are in the same boat. I would have been even more anxious if I were in this situation alone.
Just for kicks, I am going to look at these records when they become available 15 years from now under the Freedom-of-Information Act. If there was any process stupidity involved, I will sue for damages!
Although it is infuriating that our oath letters are taking so long -- the longest of anyone on this board -- it has been reassuring that both of us are in the same boat. I would have been even more anxious if I were in this situation alone.
Just for kicks, I am going to look at these records when they become available 15 years from now under the Freedom-of-Information Act. If there was any process stupidity involved, I will sue for damages!
You're right ... I would love to see the letter waiting for me on Tuesday morning (we can discount Monday as it's an "official" holiday). And it is certainly more bearable considering I'm not the only one in this situation. Every time I read that yet another person has already received their naturalization certificate, it makes me extremely angry (although I am happy for that individual, but just completely disgusted at my own (and yours) current situation).
As far as suing for damages, I would also be inclined to do that now that you mention it; at this point, this forsaken letter is keeping me apart from my fiancee in India, and this separation is beyond monetary compensation. We're getting married (official Hindu ceremony) in December of this year and the sooner that I get this letter, the sooner I can go there and do a court wedding, at which point I can sponsor her via I-130. So basically, this letter is keeping me from my love and my life's progressions. God save a soul if it's due to simple negligence.
Welcome to America - Now please file your lawsuits in an orderly fashion
As far as suing for damages, I would also be inclined to do that now that you mention it; at this point, this forsaken letter is keeping me apart from my fiancee in India, and this separation is beyond monetary compensation. We're getting married (official Hindu ceremony) in December of this year and the sooner that I get this letter, the sooner I can go there and do a court wedding, at which point I can sponsor her via I-130. So basically, this letter is keeping me from my love and my life's progressions. God save a soul if it's due to simple negligence.
Welcome to America - Now please file your lawsuits in an orderly fashion
Swairagade - There is no "timeline" as such and certainly not one that the USCIS tries to adhere to. People participating in this thread have posted their personal progress for citizenship applications within the jurisdiction of the Chicago USCIS office. Looking at processing times, one can hypothesize patterns but you should always be prepared for surprises -- anything from holidays to officers on leave to backlogs at other departments can randomly impact the progress of your application -- in a anxiety-causing and headache-ridden way.
swairagade said:
Congratulations on your wedding plans, Chi-Guy! It's a happy moment that shouldn't have been marred by the frustration of USCIS paper fumbling. This agency has no respect for future Americans and their families.
If we get our oaths on the same day, we'll have to go get a big celebratory round of drinks -- maybe even during the hours I understand that pass between signing-in for the oath and the actual administration of it.
It's a happy moment that shouldn't have been marred by the frustration of USCIS paper fumbling. This agency has no respect for future Americans and their families. If we get our oaths on the same day, we'll have to go get a big celebratory round of drinks -- maybe even during the hours I understand that pass between signing-in for the oath and the actual administration of it.
scarlethawk
Registered Users (C)
My case number has disappeared from status web site (finally!). Interesting thing is that three numbers before me are still there. Doesn't seem to be any pattern. Oh well, hopefully my IV letter is on it's way.
scarlethawk
Registered Users (C)
Very similar to yours, but a smaller number.
scarlethawk said:
I will keep my checking of course but there is certainly no trend. tderev1 and inseattle06 have had their case numbers disappear as well and they have a later PD than you. I fingerprinted on the same date as tderev1 but have not yet heard anything. I am keeping my fingers crossed!