Lawrence, MA - N-400 Timeline

ash29 said:
What was the address of the garage parking? I have found a couple of likely candidates - thanks to Google Maps/Street View:

1) Lawrence Downtown Parking - 2 Lawrence St, Lawrence, MA
2) Buckley Garage - 99 Amesbury St, Lawrence, MA

I think you are talking about the first one? Can you confirm?

My daily commute is on 495 ... there is never any traffic most of the time ... but if there is ever an accident, it can easily delay you by a few hrs. I have a 1 hr (normal commute)... my interview is at 11.00am - I plan to start at 8.00am ... probably reach there nice and early and grab some vanilla chai/hash browns at the Dunkin donuts... :)

Will definitely post my experience ...
Click to expand...
the one I did was Museum parking - there is already one posting above
you may get little delayed near lowell for 2 miles daily because of lane shift which is no big deal most of the time - also there are several(at least 3) exit that can take you to mill street -
 
BostonCool said:
the one I did was Museum parking - there is already one posting above
you may get little delayed near lowell for 2 miles daily because of lane shift which is no big deal most of the time - also there are several(at least 3) exit that can take you to mill street -
Click to expand...

BostonCool, do you remember the numbers for those three exits as mapquest gives, of course, only one? I am coming from Concord, so, yes, will travel North.

Thanks A LOT!!!
 
Mutang/Ash,

Thanks for the info. My ID is on 30th Nov. Please post any information on whether Oath and Interview can be done on the same day at Lawrence.

Appreciate all the help.

Raju
 
BostonCool said:
the one I did was Museum parking - there is already one posting above
you may get little delayed near lowell for 2 miles daily because of lane shift which is no big deal most of the time - also there are several(at least 3) exit that can take you to mill street -
Click to expand...

Sounds good - on Google Street View, I can see the Parking sign as well... the Lawrence Downtown Parking (which appears to be next to the Museum Square apartments) @ 2 Lawrence St, Lawrence, MA.

If you are on 495 North - there appears to be a either Exit 41B (goes thru' downtown) or Exit 44 onto Marston Street that you can take.

I am going to take Exit 44, and when I am on Canal Street, will go past Mill street and take a right on Appleton Street for the parking.

Would recommend folks use maps.google.com (or your favorite maps website) to get yourself familiar...

Cheers
Ash29

*************************************

N-400 details
-------------
- Filing Office - Boston, MA
- 5 years after GC

Timeline
--------
Aug 13th, 2009 - N-400 application sent to Lewisville, TX
Aug 18th, 2009 - Application received by USCIS
Aug 18th, 2009 - Priority date
Aug 21st, 2009 - Check encashed
Aug 24th, 2009 - I797C Notice of Action Received with Case #
Aug 25th, 2009 - Online status changed to "Request for Evidence"
Aug 29th, 2009 - I797C Notice of Action Recd - FP Appointment on Sept 12th
Sep 9th, 2009 - Early walk in FP completed - done in 10 mins
Sep 23rd, 2009 - Online status changed to "Send to local DO for standard interview" for self
Sep 26th, 2009 - Received Interview letter for self
Oct 1st, 2009 - Online status changed to "Send to local DO for standard interview" for wife
Oct 5th, 2009 - Received Interview letter for wife
Nov 4th, 2009 - Interview date for self @ Lawrence, MA office
Nov 12th, 2009 - Interview date for Wife @ Lawrence, MA office
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Beware

Marston street exit was a little pain for me - its does a big loop and there is a sharp left that takes you canal street

my preference

1) 41B - union street = go straight all the way to canal street
2) 42B - Rout 114
3) 45 -- is a big loop and I would avoid that
 
Check Encashed yesterday.

Just a quick question:

Will we be able to predict the Receipt # from the back of the check like we used to do during I-485 sometime ago?

How does the receipt# look like? (like starts with NBC100295xxxx or SRC100295xxxx)


Any information is appreciated
 
Interview experience at Lawrence, MA

I had my citizenship interview - here's my interview experience...

- The Lawrence office is at 2 Mill St, Lawrence, MA - its a nice new building

- I was travelling on 495N ... took Exit 45/Marston Street ... parked in the Garage parking on Appleton Street (2 streets away from Mill St)

- My interview was at 11.00am ... I entered the building @ 10.30am ... following the no more than 30 min early direction on my interview letter (the security guards joked with me that there was a few folks that were here for a 1.00pm interview) ... no point landing up that early... bear in mind, this is citizenship, not the mad rush that happens when you get a F1/H1 or any other initial visa

- The security guards were very polite - did a regular airline type security check-in... empty pockets, remove belts... they let me keep my sneakers. (BTW - I was wearing a formal shirt / jeans / leather jacket / shoes... in other words, kinda business casual ... wearing a tie would be a big overkill)

- Went to the reception area, they 'checked me in' ... and asked me to wait in the waiting room - nice big room, was only 20% occupied

- Got myself ready for a 30 min wait... turned out that I got called in 15 mins early at 10.45am

- The immigration officer guided me into her office, asked me to remain standing, raise my right hand, swore me in... and after I said "I Do" ... she asked me to sit down

- First step, she asked me to get out my GC, Drivers license and Passports (Current & Old booklet) ... I had copies of all docs, just in case. (Buy yourself a good file folder from Staples - best $8-$10 that you can invest ... you will find some nice ones in the 'Storage' section)

- She began going thru' my file (about 2 inches thick)... standard questions - "have you been smuggling, communism, terrorist org, etc."... answered no to all. I had to suppress a smile when she said "Do you plan to overthrow the US government?" ... yeah right !! .... :)

- I don't have any speeding tickets (my friends joke that I drive slower than their grandma.. :) ... but my wife did - and she had ticked "No" to the citation question... so I asked her about whether she needed any documentation. She was kind enough to say that if you haven't been to court (maybe like a DUI) - she was not interested. Nonetheless, my wife had a $150 ticket 5 years back, and we went into the DMV and got a printout stating that ticket was paid. Her interview is next week.

Then it was reading, writing, civics test time...
- Reading test - "Who elects the Congress"
- Writing test - "People elect the Congress"
- Civics questions:
1. Who is the commander in chief? ... :)
2. Who wrote the declaration of independence?
3. Name 3 of the 13 original states?
4. What is the party of our current president?
5. What are the two parties in America? ... yep, a couple of softballs
6. Name one state bordering mexico?

Finally, she used a big stamp in red ink that said 'APPROVED' on my file... and said congratulations you passed.

Now, came the big question on same day oath... turns out that unless if you are headed to Iraq or Afghanistan (or something like that)... they won't do a same day oath. She gave me a a standard form... that stated I passed my test and was being recommended for citizenship... I will get my oath letter in the mail.

Was out by 11.00am (in 15 mins) ... and the garage parking charged me $1.50. There is a lot of parking - even if you parking for 4-5 hrs... it wont be more than $5-$6. Remember, this is still the suburbs, not downtown Boston.

All in all - a very painless experience - now to wait for the Oath letter. This is a long post - hope this helps... please let me know if you have any further queries.

Cheers
ash29


**************************************************

N-400 details
-------------
- Filing Office - Boston, MA
- 5 years after GC

Timeline
--------
Aug 13th, 2009 - N-400 application sent to Lewisville, TX
Aug 18th, 2009 - Application received by USCIS
Aug 18th, 2009 - Priority date
Aug 21st, 2009 - Check encashed
Aug 24th, 2009 - I797C Notice of Action Received with Case #
Aug 25th, 2009 - Online status changed to "Request for Evidence"
Aug 29th, 2009 - I797C Notice of Action Recd - FP Appointment on Sept 12th
Sep 9th, 2009 - Early walk in FP completed - done in 10 mins
Sep 23rd, 2009 - Online status changed to "Send to local DO for standard interview" for self
Sep 26th, 2009 - Received Interview letter for self
Oct 1st, 2009 - Online status changed to "Send to local DO for standard interview" for wife
Oct 5th, 2009 - Received Interview letter for wife
Nov 4th, 2009 - Interview date for self @ Lawrence, MA office
Nov 12th, 2009 - Interview date for Wife @ Lawrence, MA office
 
ash29

Congratulations!

Thanks SO much for the detailed post!

Did they tell you when approximately would be your oath day?
 
ash29 said:
I had my citizenship interview - here's my interview experience...

- The Lawrence office is at 2 Mill St, Lawrence, MA - its a nice new building

- I was travelling on 495N ... took Exit 45/Marston Street ... parked in the Garage parking on Appleton Street (2 streets away from Mill St)

- My interview was at 11.00am ... I entered the building @ 10.30am ... following the no more than 30 min early direction on my interview letter (the security guards joked with me that there was a few folks that were here for a 1.00pm interview) ... no point landing up that early... bear in mind, this is citizenship, not the mad rush that happens when you get a F1/H1 or any other initial visa

- The security guards were very polite - did a regular airline type security check-in... empty pockets, remove belts... they let me keep my sneakers. (BTW - I was wearing a formal shirt / jeans / leather jacket / shoes... in other words, kinda business casual ... wearing a tie would be a big overkill)

- Went to the reception area, they 'checked me in' ... and asked me to wait in the waiting room - nice big room, was only 20% occupied

- Got myself ready for a 30 min wait... turned out that I got called in 15 mins early at 10.45am

- The immigration officer guided me into her office, asked me to remain standing, raise my right hand, swore me in... and after I said "I Do" ... she asked me to sit down

- First step, she asked me to get out my GC, Drivers license and Passports (Current & Old booklet) ... I had copies of all docs, just in case. (Buy yourself a good file folder from Staples - best $8-$10 that you can invest ... you will find some nice ones in the 'Storage' section)

- She began going thru' my file (about 2 inches thick)... standard questions - "have you been smuggling, communism, terrorist org, etc."... answered no to all. I had to suppress a smile when she said "Do you plan to overthrow the US government?" ... yeah right !! .... :)

- I don't have any speeding tickets (my friends joke that I drive slower than their grandma.. :) ... but my wife did - and she had ticked "No" to the citation question... so I asked her about whether she needed any documentation. She was kind enough to say that if you haven't been to court (maybe like a DUI) - she was not interested. Nonetheless, my wife had a $150 ticket 5 years back, and we went into the DMV and got a printout stating that ticket was paid. Her interview is next week.

Then it was reading, writing, civics test time...
- Reading test - "Who elects the Congress"
- Writing test - "People elect the Congress"
- Civics questions:
1. Who is the commander in chief? ... :)
2. Who wrote the declaration of independence?
3. Name 3 of the 13 original states?
4. What is the party of our current president?
5. What are the two parties in America? ... yep, a couple of softballs
6. Name one state bordering mexico?

Finally, she used a big stamp in red ink that said 'APPROVED' on my file... and said congratulations you passed.

Now, came the big question on same day oath... turns out that unless if you are headed to Iraq or Afghanistan (or something like that)... they won't do a same day oath. She gave me a a standard form... that stated I passed my test and was being recommended for citizenship... I will get my oath letter in the mail.

Was out by 11.00am (in 15 mins) ... and the garage parking charged me $1.50. There is a lot of parking - even if you parking for 4-5 hrs... it wont be more than $5-$6. Remember, this is still the suburbs, not downtown Boston.

All in all - a very painless experience - now to wait for the Oath letter. This is a long post - hope this helps... please let me know if you have any further queries.

Cheers
ash29


**************************************************

N-400 details
-------------
- Filing Office - Boston, MA
- 5 years after GC

Timeline
--------
Aug 13th, 2009 - N-400 application sent to Lewisville, TX
Aug 18th, 2009 - Application received by USCIS
Aug 18th, 2009 - Priority date
Aug 21st, 2009 - Check encashed
Aug 24th, 2009 - I797C Notice of Action Received with Case #
Aug 25th, 2009 - Online status changed to "Request for Evidence"
Aug 29th, 2009 - I797C Notice of Action Recd - FP Appointment on Sept 12th
Sep 9th, 2009 - Early walk in FP completed - done in 10 mins
Sep 23rd, 2009 - Online status changed to "Send to local DO for standard interview" for self
Sep 26th, 2009 - Received Interview letter for self
Oct 1st, 2009 - Online status changed to "Send to local DO for standard interview" for wife
Oct 5th, 2009 - Received Interview letter for wife
Nov 4th, 2009 - Interview date for self @ Lawrence, MA office
Nov 12th, 2009 - Interview date for Wife @ Lawrence, MA office
Click to expand...

Congrats and good luck for your wife - please update with the Oath letter and date
 
mara777 said:
ash29

Congratulations!

Thanks SO much for the detailed post!

Did they tell you when approximately would be your oath day?
Click to expand...

They did not give me a date... but my sense is that I should get the letter in the next 2 weeks... though given all the holidays, I wont be surprised if it is in Jan

Will definitely let you know as soon as I get it
 
Interview experience in Lawrence, MA

Hi everybody,

I am back from my interview today. Well, as most of people wrote here, it is a painless experience, I would even say a pleasant one.

Here are some remarks that might me useful:
1. If you have to travel to Lawrence and have never been there before, 495 is great, but if you are as bad with directions as I am, allow yourself extra time. I took a wrong turn on exit 45, and then could not find the garages mentioned in this forum, and parked on the street.
2. Make sure you do not bring any food or drinks, because they sent me back to my car to leave my bottle of water.
3. My main advice: an Interview Day is important for all of us, so try to enjoy it. I wish I was less nervous and was more relaxed. Everybody (the security people, IO officers) were extremely friendly!
4. The civic questions asked:
What is the freedom of religion? (You can practice any religion or not practice a religion)
When all men have to register for selective service?
(At age 18, between 18 and 26)
Name one state that borders Canada? (I said Vermont)
When was the Constitution written ?(1787)
What ocean is on the East Coast of the US? (Atlantic ocean)
How many senators in the Senate? (100)
4. I was asked to read something like (yes, I was nervous and did not read all words, which is more than stupid) "What do we have to pay to the government?" Then I had to write "We pay taxes"
5. The IO said that she was approving my application. I did get my oath letter in ten minutes (it is for January 28 in Lowell, MA). Asked for early December, but that was not possible.

To sum it all for those of you who are still in preparation:
If you drive and listen your CD with civic questions, there is no way you can fail the test! So, please, take it easy and practice!

This forum is extremely helpful! As I said before, most of us went through hell to get our GC or first visas, we are in a different place now, and I think we should be proud of ourselves!
 
mara777 said:
Hi everybody,

I am back from my interview today. Well, as most of people wrote here, it is a painless experience, I would even say a pleasant one.

Here are some remarks that might me useful:
1. If you have to travel to Lawrence and have never been there before, 495 is great, but if you are as bad with directions as I am, allow yourself extra time. I took a wrong turn on exit 45, and then could not find the garages mentioned in this forum, and parked on the street.
2. Make sure you do not bring any food or drinks, because they sent me back to my car to leave my bottle of water.
3. My main advice: an Interview Day is important for all of us, so try to enjoy it. I wish I was less nervous and was more relaxed. Everybody (the security people, IO officers) were extremely friendly!
4. The civic questions asked:
What is the freedom of religion? (You can practice any religion or not practice a religion)
When all men have to register for selective service?
(At age 18, between 18 and 26)
Name one state that borders Canada? (I said Vermont)
When was the Constitution written ?(1787)
What ocean is on the East Coast of the US? (Atlantic ocean)
How many senators in the Senate? (100)
4. I was asked to read something like (yes, I was nervous and did not read all words, which is more than stupid) "What do we have to pay to the government?" Then I had to write "We pay taxes"
5. The IO said that she was approving my application. I did get my oath letter in ten minutes (it is for January 28 in Lowell, MA). Asked for early December, but that was not possible.

To sum it all for those of you who are still in preparation:
If you drive and listen your CD with civic questions, there is no way you can fail the test! So, please, take it easy and practice!

This forum is extremely helpful! As I said before, most of us went through hell to get our GC or first visas, we are in a different place now, and I think we should be proud of ourselves!
Click to expand...



Congratulations Mara777

Did you have any speeding tickets (listed on the N-400)?
Did they ask for status info letter from selective service (even though you are not required to register?)
What else did the IO ask you apart from the Tests? (Can you elaborate more)
How long did the whole interview take you? (waiting time?)

Thanks
 
Here are my answers to Explorer19

Did you have any speeding tickets (listed on the N-400)?
No , I did not.
Did they ask for status info letter from selective service (even though you are not required to register?)
They did not, but I am a female.
What else did the IO ask you apart from the Tests? (Can you elaborate more)
She wanted to see ONLY GC and passport ,did not need any other papers, and even passport she wanted to see only if I had it. May be that is because my GC was employment based. She went through every item in N-400. However, she did not expect me to remember everything I put there, her questions were like: Did you make any other trips besides the ones that you indicated in N-400? Anything changes in marital status, etc.?
How long did the whole interview take you? (waiting time?)
I am not exactly sure but it was not long at all. I came early, and people who came after me but had earlier appointments went before me. Therefore, there is no need to come too early. However, I am sure I was called at the time of my appointment or earlier, definitely not later.The whole interview took may be 20 minutes, then 10 minutes waiting time for the Oath letter.

Good Luck!
 
mara777 said:
Here are my answers to Explorer19

Did you have any speeding tickets (listed on the N-400)?
No , I did not.
Did they ask for status info letter from selective service (even though you are not required to register?)
They did not, but I am a female.
What else did the IO ask you apart from the Tests? (Can you elaborate more)
She wanted to see ONLY GC and passport ,did not need any other papers, and even passport she wanted to see only if I had it. May be that is because my GC was employment based. She went through every item in N-400. However, she did not expect me to remember everything I put there, her questions were like: Did you make any other trips besides the ones that you indicated in N-400? Anything changes in marital status, etc.?
How long did the whole interview take you? (waiting time?)
I am not exactly sure but it was not long at all. I came early, and people who came after me but had earlier appointments went before me. Therefore, there is no need to come too early. However, I am sure I was called at the time of my appointment or earlier, definitely not later.The whole interview took may be 20 minutes, then 10 minutes waiting time for the Oath letter.

Good Luck!
Click to expand...




Thanks mara777 for your viewpoints & info
 
Online Status Change - SMS Text & E-Mail received @ 5 AM EST regarding RFE (FP Notice most probably) mailed on 9 Nov

Details updated in signature
 
LUD Change again today (11/11)
Details updated in Signature

I wonder how come the LUD got changed today as today is Veteran's day and a USCIS Holiday
 
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