Chicago IL - N-400 Timeline

Went for an InfoPass

Today I went for an InfoPass at Chicago DO. Nothing more than I already knew. Except that now I know it takes 7 minutes to walk to Clark Street from Union Stn at Jackson Blvd Exit, and another 3 mintues from Clark Street/Jackson Blvd to Clark/Congress Parkway (total 10 minutes one way).

Spent 1/2 day to find out absolutely nothing. All they could tell that they are waiting on FBI to complete security clearance, and to check back in 6 months from now, and if still no response from FBI, then wait even more
 
NoJob said:
Today I went for an InfoPass at Chicago DO. Nothing more than I already knew. Except that now I know it takes 7 minutes to walk to Clark Street from Union Stn at Jackson Blvd Exit, and another 3 mintues from Clark Street/Jackson Blvd to Clark/Congress Parkway (total 10 minutes one way).

Spent 1/2 day to find out absolutely nothing. All they could tell that they are waiting on FBI to complete security clearance, and to check back in 6 months from now, and if still no response from FBI, then wait even more
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When did you first find out your name check was pending? Or rather, when did you start to feel something is wrong?
 
go see a senator's office

If I were you, I would have stopped by one of the Senator's offices which are right behind the USCIS, in the federal bldng.

If they enquire about your file, you'll not only get the proper response but USCIS has to regularly report back on your file.

good luck!
 
eo23, I heard they pull your GC file from their records and send it to the D.O. I was told the Interviewer has it with him for the interview. Make sure there're no delays with that.
 
globeseer said:
eo23, I heard they pull your GC file from their records and send it to the D.O. I was told the Interviewer has it with him for the interview. Make sure there're no delays with that.
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How can I make sure there are no delays with that? I am giving it a few more weeks and expecting my case to disappear any day.

In the meantime what else could I do?
 
That's right, DO has the entire file

I confirmed with DO person, and they said that my entire file is with them. USCIS Nebraska only does the clerical work.

eo23, did you check with USCIS 1-800 number to see if your case is pending name check? I found out when I called them on 8/31/06, and since then I've been pending :(

Globeseer, I think I'll go to Senetor Durbin's office in three months time from now, so that I can say it's - yes, it's been over 6 months. Because CIS thinks it normal processing when within 6 months. And they might pull up the "Current processing dates" and say I should wait a bit longer. I cannot use the fact that my spouse got oath lot soon than I did. This has no validity.
 
I don't remember the exact telephone-tree sequence but I think it was as follows:

1 - English language
2 - Bypass introduction
1 - Application / petition has been approved / denied
2 - Calling about an approved case
3 - Haven't received notice that one would normally expect
2 - "Otherwise" option
2 - Can't find receipt

After that it was a one hour wait for a customer service representative, even though the on-hold message kept reassuring that current wait time was 25 minutes. :(

turqo_cycle said:
Hi there,

May I ask which option you chose to be able to talk to somebody? When I call, and enter my A#, I am told (message) to call the Chicago Office, and they dont tell much from there..

Cheers..
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NoJob said:
I confirmed with DO person, and they said that my entire file is with them. USCIS Nebraska only does the clerical work.

eo23, did you check with USCIS 1-800 number to see if your case is pending name check? I found out when I called them on 8/31/06, and since then I've been pending :(

Globeseer, I think I'll go to Senetor Durbin's office in three months time from now, so that I can say it's - yes, it's been over 6 months. Because CIS thinks it normal processing when within 6 months. And they might pull up the "Current processing dates" and say I should wait a bit longer. I cannot use the fact that my spouse got oath lot soon than I did. This has no validity.
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NoJob,

They do not disclose whether your name check is pending on the phone, I am surprised they gave you such information - infact the USCIS person probably didn't know what they were talking about.

The only way to find out is to schedule an infopass appointment. Based on the average timelines here, I should not expect anything in the mail for atleast 2 more weeks but either way I will schedule an infopass appointment to confirm whether there are any name check issues.

Its been barely a month since my FP and 7 weeks since my PD, based on the averages I calculated, most people get their IL 9-12 weeks after PD.
 
Hey Rakish ... damn you too man ... another person I'm now officially jealous of. I called USCIS yesterday after reading your post and told them "I have an acquaintance who interviewed on the same day and just now is scheduled for an oath ceremony, so I'm wondering if I'm also in that batch." As usual, USCIS responded, "sucker!!!"

heheh.

I then looked at your priority date and my own and I noticed that your date is 3 days prior to mine. So at this point, I'm going to call them back on Monday afternoon and hopefully they'll give me the same good news. Otherwise, I'm going to call the senator's office. I realized that the senator's office may question the whole time-frame issue.

So, I was thinking they might say something to the effect, "Well, technically, your application is still within the processing times." At that point, I'll inform them that when I interviewed, my interviewer told me "you should have your letter for the oath ceremony within 3-4 weeks." To be even more specific, I even CLEARLY ASKED HIM FURTHER, do you think I'll have it sooner than that, to which he responded, "Definitely."

I'll further explain to the senator's office that if that was not in fact the case, they should not have said so, because I had made plans for my future based on that one freeking conversation (minus the freeking). And to push the issue even further, I'll even divulge to the senator's office the name of the officer who interviewed me. At this point, in my eyes, it's me versus a bunch of lazy-ass mofos. I don't care who goes down, as long as it's not me. So god help them if in fact they have exercised prejudice or pure laziness.

To the other people who are waiting on pending name checks/fingerprint issues: refer back to a previous post I've made in this thread. Basically, you will not be scheduled for an interview until both your name check AND your fingerprints have cleared. Fingerprint clearance is basically fail-proof, as long as you fingerprinted at a "digital" office, where the computer verifies each print before proceeding. With the name check, there's bound to be issues, as everyone's name is not unique. When I called the FBI, they told me the name check was passed on to another Washington, D.C., based office and they were backed up by about 6 months. Certain applications take precedence over others so if you're stuck in that rut, that may be the reason.
 
I'm sorry to hear this, Chi-Guy! I was really looking forward to meeting you at the oath ceremonies and having someone to laugh with at the end of this absurd experience. I hope you're right about your analysis about our relative priority dates and get your letter in the next few days.

If your case has not been resolved by the time I complete my oath, my first act as a citizen will be to petition the authorities on your case! :mad:
 
hey rakish ... thanks for your words man ... i, too, was looking forward to meeting up with you and having someone to drink with. now i'll just be another solo drunk :) good luck with everything man ... i'll keep ya posted.
 
globeseer said:
hello e023,

did you receive your interview notice yet ?

i received my FP aapt. yesterday.

thanks
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Hi globeseer,

No I haven't received my IL yet, I am not expecting anything until my 9th week since PD. It will be 8 weeks this coming Friday since I applied and based on the forum statistics I calculated (somewhere in this thread), I should expect the interview notification letter anywhere between 9 and 12 weeks after PD.

I am thinking of scheduling an infopass just to ask a bunch of questions I had and maybe check whether all security checks have been cleared (specifically name check).
 
Timely article in today's New York Times about the speed of the naturalization application including delays being caused by bottlenecks in FBI's name check process. Among other things, specifically says that since May of this year, USCIS no longer schedules interviews without a name check having been completed. Also says that name checks that involve data before 1995 have to be checked against paper records, which is a slow process.

This is the link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/23/nyregion/23citizen.html
 
did anyone got an oath letter for october interview??

filed :07.10
PD:07.10
FP:07.26
IL DATE :10.04
Oath letter :???
Oath date : ????
 
FINALLY! Just talked to USCIS and I'm scheduled for an oath ceremony on November 2 on 219 S Dearborn. I am soooooooooooooo relieved, finally.

For those who have done their ceremonies, how long do they normally take? I'm pretty sure I have an afternoon appointment, and I'm thinking of taking a night flight out of Chicago. Is that a good idea or should I just fly out the next day?

Anyways, thanks to all who've helped through this painstaking wait. Good luck to all of you.
 
FP check

Hi,

How do I check if the FBI cleared my finger prints and sent it back to USCIS ?

I had my FP done today.

Thanks!
 
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