Finally - AFTER 28 MONTHS from PD!

T

tabaliya

Registered Users (C)
Yo all,

I went to my INFOPASS apppointment this AM and was told that I have been scheduled (FINALLY) for an oath on April 15 at the St Paul District Courthouse. I'm yet to receive the oath letter but it should come anytime now. From the PD to finish this would be 28.5 months - bloody long and the most agonizing wait I have ever endured and wouldn't wish upon anyone.

My fiancee and I plan to get married soon so I can start her AOS proceedings. My question to you all is:

If we were to get married before the oath ceremony, would the marriage slow down any part of the naturalization? I suspect not, since my N400 is not based on marriage. I see that you are supposed to update the N445 with information about your marriage.

Or would it be better to wait until the oath is done and then get married?

AP
 
Just wait. Become a USC first - just a few more weeks. That way, your fiancee would be married to a USC with no reference to being ever married to an LPR.

I have been following your case for some time. I am very glad that you're scheduled for oath. I had a feeling it would be soon.
 
One of the questions on oath letter is if your marital status has changed during interview. Not that this would prevent you from obtaining citizenship, but it may lead to additional questions at oath.
 
tabaliya said:
Yo all,

I went to my INFOPASS apppointment this AM and was told that I have been scheduled (FINALLY) for an oath on April 15 at the St Paul District Courthouse. I'm yet to receive the oath letter but it should come anytime now. From the PD to finish this would be 28.5 months - bloody long and the most agonizing wait I have ever endured and wouldn't wish upon anyone.

My fiancee and I plan to get married soon so I can start her AOS proceedings. My question to you all is:

If we were to get married before the oath ceremony, would the marriage slow down any part of the naturalization? I suspect not, since my N400 is not based on marriage. I see that you are supposed to update the N445 with information about your marriage.

Or would it be better to wait until the oath is done and then get married?

AP
Click to expand...

why did it take so long for the oath?
 
david_austin said:
why did it take so long for the oath?
Click to expand...

It is anyone's guess!
Here's my best guess at this:

USCIS built up a huge backlog of unprocessed cases in 2007 and 2008 due to: pending name checks and the deluge of cases that were filed just prior to July 2007 when the fees shot up.

Last Fall they started clearing the N400 interview queue with a fury, presumably with an eye on the elections and incoming lawsuits over long delayed cases. This rapidly built up a huge backlog of oaths.

MN only has judicial oath ceremony - so all depends on the courts' calendars and the size of the room where the oath is scheduled. From time to time they do schedule oaths in huge spaces (like the Mpls Convention Center) but for the most part it is in courtrooms and spaces with room for about 70-150 people.

So it is simple queueing theory in my opinion: lots of cases getting cleared from the interview queue end up in the oath queue and the oath service rate in MN is rather slow (due to the reasons mentioned above).

While 4 months is long, it is not unusual; I have heard from many with longer delays than this. This absolutely sucks, I know, but that's how it seems to be in MN these days. On the other hand, several people who were intervewed AFTER me got their oaths done in no time at all. So go figure!

My interview was on Nov 18 and on March 18 (tomorrow) it would have been 4 calendar months (the 120 day limit was reached yesterday. So they have decided to issue the letter just on the eve of this deadline. Maybe pursuing the case aggressively closer to the 120 day deadline pushed things along - again who the bloody hell knows! One is completely at their mercy!

Anyway, glad to report what I found. I still have the physical process of the oath to go through so it ain't over until the fat lady has sung I guess! :) I look forward to April 15 to put this all behind me.

Based on the suggestions here I suppose I'll wait until after the oath to get married in court. This way the marriage record will be from a fresh slate.

Thanks all for chiming in with your suggestions and comments.

Cheers.

AP
;)
 
You have waited this long. A few more weeks of wait before the Shehnai will not kill you :)
Congrats in advance, on both fronts!!!


tabaliya said:
Based on the suggestions here I suppose I'll wait until after the oath to get married in court. This way the marriage record will be from a fresh slate.
Click to expand...
 
Triple Citizen said:
You have waited this long. A few more weeks of wait before the Shehnai will not kill you :)
Congrats in advance, on both fronts!!!
Click to expand...

The Shehnai might be illegal inside a courthouse :), 'cos that's where the
ceremony will likely be, given the constraints of time and the practical realities.

Thanks for the kind words. This has been the bloodiest long wait ever (the N400 I mean) :D

Cheers.

AP
 
I got married while standing in the foyer of the city clerk's office in a small town called Watertown, NY :)
Geography really does not matter!!!

tabaliya said:
The Shehnai might be illegal inside a courthouse :), 'cos that's where the
ceremony will likely be, given the constraints of time and the practical realities.
Click to expand...
 
Congratulations my friend. I know you have been waiting for a while. I hope her AOS won't take as long. I started AOS process for my better half in January after becoming USC and already got her interview for May 2009.

I wish you all the best.
 
haraputta said:
Congratulations my friend. I know you have been waiting for a while. I hope her AOS won't take as long. I started AOS process for my better half in January after becoming USC and already got her interview for May 2009.

I wish you all the best.
Click to expand...

Maybe you can PM me about the attorney/firm who is handling your case. I'm currently "shopping" for attorneys in this area as my current attorney is quoting quite a price.

AP
 
Bobsmyth said:
One of the questions on oath letter is if your marital status has changed during interview. Not that this would prevent you from obtaining citizenship, but it may lead to additional questions at oath.
Click to expand...

Another question related to this:

I was planning to apply for a passport on the day of the oath but noticed it asks for marital status. Since my marital status will likely change days after the oath (I'm working on the date for that :D), should I wait until I'm married, in order to apply for the passport. Otherwise, if I apply for a passport right after oath but get married later, do I have to update my passport with this information?

AP

... getting there was no fun (N400 :mad:) ...
 
tabaliya said:
Another question related to this:

I was planning to apply for a passport on the day of the oath but noticed it asks for marital status. Since my marital status will likely change days after the oath (I'm working on the date for that :D), should I wait until I'm married, in order to apply for the passport. Otherwise, if I apply for a passport right after oath but get married later, do I have to update my passport with this information?

AP

... getting there was no fun (N400 :mad:) ...
Click to expand...


I don't think it matters since marital status is not indicated anywhere in the passport. The only time you need to update your info is when your name changes after marriage.
 
tabaliya said:
Maybe you can PM me about the attorney/firm who is handling your case. I'm currently "shopping" for attorneys in this area as my current attorney is quoting quite a price.

AP
Click to expand...

Why do you think you will need an attorney to file I-130/I-485?
 
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