New York City - N-400 Timeline - Naturalization Experiences

[rick92]

RE: New Entry Sytem for US Citizens & LPR'S

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/global_entry/

Washington – U.S. Customs and Border Protection today announced the Global EntryTM pilot program, scheduled to launch this summer. Global EntryTM is designed to expedite the screening and processing of low-risk, frequent international “trusted” travelers entering the United States.

Global EntryTM will be available for U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents who are frequent international travelers, provided they have not been found guilty of a criminal offense, charged with a customs or immigration offense, or declared inadmissible to the U.S. under immigration legislation. Biometric fingerprint technology will be used to verify the passenger’s identity and confirm his or her status as a Global EntryTM participant.

“The Global EntryTM pilot program is an important next step in building upon the foundation of CBP’s other trusted traveler programs, such as NEXUS and SENTRI, and extending expedited processing to low-risk, international air travelers,” said CBP Commissioner W. Ralph Basham.

The pilot will be initially conducted at John F. Kennedy International Airport, George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. The program will begin processing applications from the public starting May 12 with operations at the three initial airports scheduled to begin June 10.

Upon returning from international travel, Global EntryTM -enrolled travelers may bypass the regular passport control line and proceed directly to the Global EntryTM kiosk. At the kiosk, the Global Entry™ traveler will activate the system by inserting his or her passport or U.S. permanent resident card into the document reader. The kiosk will direct the traveler to electronically provide his or her fingerprints and will compare that biometric data with the fingerprint biometrics on file. A digital photograph will also be taken of the traveler as part of the transaction record. Finally, the traveler will be prompted to answer several CBP declaration questions posted on the kiosk’s touch-screen. Once the process is successfully completed, the traveler will be issued a transaction receipt which must be presented to the CBP officer as the participant leaves the CBP inspection area.

Applications for enrollment in the Global EntryTM program will be available through the Global On-Line Enrollment System (GOES). ( Travel ) The Global EntryTM application process consists of three steps. First, an applicant must complete and submit an on-line application through GOES and pay a $100 fee through www.Pay.gov. CBP officers will review the applicant’s information and a background investigation will be conducted. Finally, the applicant will undergo an interview with CBP officers at an Enrollment Center at JFK, Houston or Dulles Airport.

CBP is working with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to develop a Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-wide approach to registered traveler programs. Current NEXUS and SENTRI members should watch for additional information on how their membership will allow them to use the Global EntryTM kiosks.

After the Global EntryTM pilot has been evaluated, DHS plans to foster close ties among Global EntryTM and other vetted populations, such as TSA’s Registered Traveler Program, where appropriate.

DHS also envisions the development of reciprocal Global EntryTM programs with other countries. The United States will realize two benefits upon entering into bi-lateral agreements:

expedited entry processing of U.S. citizens traveling to other countries and
additional vetting of foreign nationals performed by their governments based on guidelines agreed to with DHS.

 

[rick92]

RE: FDLE Lawsuit

I hope that none of us have to file a WOM. Keep in mind that there's still that pending class action lawsuit that benefits all NYC applicants. The presiding judge already gave a go ahead to push this case through expeditiously, considering that the plaintiffs are demanding that all backlog applications are processed by September 30, giving the applicants enough time to register to vote in this year's election. I believe the proceedings will begin during the first week of June. I can't wait to see the outcome of this.

Yes, I had forgotten about this one lawsuit. Here is the link:
http://www.prldef.org/civil_rights/naturalization_delays/press/latino.pdf

Let's see what happens on this file ???

 

[Vorpal]

OK, sounds good. Please let us know when you contact her so that we others on the board can also send her a mesage. If enough people flood her Inbox, she might be inclined to look into it and start asking questions.

This is what I was able to find on NYTimes.com. The immigration correspondent is Julia Preston, and she can be reached by clicking the "E-mail Julia Preston" link at the top of the page located at the following link:

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/p/julia_preston/index.html

 

[nyc_newbie]

Hi All. This is my first post in this forum though I've been a regular for a while now. I couldn't post for almost a month as the administrators took a long time to activate my registration.

Anyway, I had my interview at 26 federal plaza on April 15 and I still can't figure out what to make of it or what to expect. I thought I had everything in order until the IO asked about the arrest/citation question which I had answered YES in the N400 application. I had three speeding tickets which were all paid and I had court dispositions attached. But I've never seen anybody make three speeding tickets in 5 years look so ugly! The IO spent almost 3/4 of the interview asking me about the tickets! Unfortunately I did not have any payment receipts and when she asked about the receipts, I said I didn't think they were required and didn't therefore bring them with me to the interview (as per N400 instructions).

The IO went ahead and finished the interview making me sign all the relevant sections of the N400 and then gave me the civic test which I passed without a problem. Then gave me the results saying that I passed the civics test, and also checked the box that says "uscis will mail you a written decision".

The IO didn't ask me to take any reciepts or any additional evidence but the problem is, I've been waiting for a letter since then and I've not received anything. I'm beginning to get really worried because I can't seem to figure out why it's taking so long to give me a decision. I made an infopass appointment and went there last week but I was told the status of my case is still showing "Pending" and that the IO has 120 days to decide my case. That I should just wait!

I have to say all this caught me by surprise because I didn't think the IO would make 3 tickets look like such a big deal! I would appreciate any experience or knowledge of the uscis process to help me make sense out of this situation because I'm worried and confused as well.

 

[NYCN400-2008]

Congratulations, NYCN400-2008! Would you mind sharing some details about your interview and oath experiences?

.

Dear nyc_naturalizer,

Thank you & I wish you good luck.

My Interview exp. is following:

I was scheduled for a 2 pm appt. but I was 1/2 hr late because my lawyer was late. We were still let in. But I guess because our app was the last one in on that day so I waited until 5:30 for my name to be called. I was the last person in the hall. They have two doors on each side of the hall and they will call your name for either of the doors. IO officer was very polite. She greeted us at the door and took us to her office.

Asked me to sit on the chair closer to her and asked the lawyer to sit on the other chair. The size of my file in front of her was HUGE - almost 6 inches thick. Probably because I have been in the USA since 1990 on various non-immig visas including 4x F-1s and 2x H-1s and 2x practical trainings etc.

She asked me if any thing has changed from the time i filed the app. I told her about my two trips abroad. She updated her file and made small-talk/jokes about my trips.

Then she went over the YES/NO questions on the N400 form. I had a minor "incident" 10 years ago (hence I had a lawyer for this interview). she asked questions about it and saw proof - since it was minor and more than 5 yrs ago so she said its not a problem - but as a procedure she has to get approval from her supervisor. But she said its just a formality.

She gave me the oral,written and civics tests. The civics test was 10 questions from the list of questions on the USCIS website. You have to realize that those IOs are not expert on US history or constitution or civics (no offense to them) so they stick with the list of question on USCIS website. She later asked me to write a simple sentence "America is my new home" and to read a simple English paragraph.

I was doing a name change too. She gave me the form and explained the procedure to my lawyer.

Then she asked me to sign my two pics and sign the N400 form.

Then she said that their computer system was down so it will be put on record once the computer system was up.

She gave me a form indicating that my application has been approved - conditional to review by supervisor - and told me that I will get oath taking appt. letter 3-6 weeks. then she walked us to the main door. She was very very professional and nice. All in all the entire process took 20 minutes.

PS: I received the oath appt. letter on May 28, 2008 and my oath taking appt. is on June 27, 2008 and I will share the info.

I need to travel overseas asap (within 10 days after the ceremony) can anyone please let me know the fastest way to get US passport after the oath.

Thanks

 

[Vik Pal]

As per to Vorpal's request in another thread here is my time line:

VSC (New York City - Manhattan DO)
N-400 mailed - 9/24/2007
PD - 9/26/2007
NOA Rec'd - 12/14/2007 - Dated 12/10/07
FP Notice Rec'd - 12/15/2007 - Dated 12/11/07
FP Date - 01/04/2008
Interview Notice - 02/18/2008 - Dated 2/13/08
Interview Date - 04/17/2008
Rfe Rec'd - 5/13/08 - Dated 5/09/08
Rfe submitted - 5/14/08
Oath Notice -
Oath Date -

What was the RFE for?

 

[scoomara]

The letter said I had an Oder of Protection against me at this time, which wasn't true. See my previous posts from other threads.

 

[sh1996]

Interview

So, I had my interview today. Will go into the details below, but the upshot is I got a receipt that said I passed the English and US history/government tests and that USCIS will send me a WRITTEN DECISION ABOUT YOUR APPLICATION. WTF open ended waiting...again.

My interview time was 10:50 am at 26 Federal Plaza. I got there over an hour early and waited for almost 2 hours past my appointment time in the waiting room on the 7th floor (i.e., 3 hours in total). There was an Southeast Asian security woman who told everyone to turn their cell phones off (no texting either) and no food or drinks other than water in the waiting room. Waiting room was packed on the interview side. You turn in your receipt and they call your name over the loud speaker and direct you to one of two doors. (iPods no good to pass the time.) They were also calling people by ticket number for something (Infopass?). Lots of people were pretty casually dressed and came with family.

My name was called by the immigration officer who interviewed me, a young Chinese woman. She administered the "tell the truth only oath" before I sat down. She asked my for my passport and GC and told me to put them on the desk. Initially while she was flipping through my application, the phone kept ringing and some other guy would come into answer it. She said she was using this other guy's office. I asked her if she was one of the new hires, she said no. At USCIS the more senior officers don't have offices because they don't regularly interview.... She wasn't chatty at all.

She administered the civics test, 10 questions. I got all of them right. The ones I remember:
- Color of stripes on the flag
- Who declares war
- Constitution was written when
- US fought who in WWII
- Capital of New York
- Highest executive in state government
- 49th state (this one was the only one I hesitated on because wasn't sure if it was Alaska or Hawaii, but guessed right)
- Location of the White House

She had me write a sentence "I'll be a good citizen" and had me read off about five simple sentences. One had a typo in it and I corrected the paper. I signed all three sheets.

Then she started flipping through my application and putting check marks confirming information. I gave her my revised addendums for new job and additional trips out of the country. She fixated on my employment overseas for a US company. I gave her my original offer letter which stated it was a temporary assignment. She made a copy. She asked for my marriage certificate even though I'm not married to an American. I gave her my copy. All the while she was scribbling things on a post-it. I also gave her a copy of my 2007 tax return and she made a copy of my social security card. Then she ran though the questions at the end of the application rapid fire (all "no" answers) and had me sign the application and my two photos (in pen on the right side of the photo itself).

Interview itself lasted about 30 minutes and during most of it she was flipping through the application while I sat silently. She hole punched and put the additional materials I gave her in the file, stuck her post-it scribbles on top, gave me a receipt and checked off two boxes on it: "You passed the tests of English and U.S. history and government" and "USCIS will send you a written decision about your application". I asked her if that was unusual (there was also an opinion for "Congratulation! Your application has been recommended for approval"....). She said no. I asked how long to get a decision. She said 2-3 months but they have up to 120 days to get back. I asked what happened next with the application. (I thought she might say a supervisor reviews it or something.) She said "nothing"...she had everything she needed from me but would contact me if she needed anything else.

Was frustrating. I did have additional supporting documents but thought best not to volunteer information when I wasn't specifically asked. The wait goes on.

 

[nyc_newbie]

So, I had my interview today. Will go into the details below, but the upshot is I got a receipt that said I passed the English and US history/government tests and that USCIS will send me a WRITTEN DECISION ABOUT YOUR APPLICATION. WTF open ended waiting...again.

My interview time was 10:50 am at 26 Federal Plaza. I got there over an hour early and waited for almost 2 hours past my appointment time in the waiting room on the 7th floor (i.e., 3 hours in total). There was an Southeast Asian security woman who told everyone to turn their cell phones off (no texting either) and no food or drinks other than water in the waiting room. Waiting room was packed on the interview side. You turn in your receipt and they call your name over the loud speaker and direct you to one of two doors. (iPods no good to pass the time.) They were also calling people by ticket number for something (Infopass?). Lots of people were pretty casually dressed and came with family.

My name was called by the immigration officer who interviewed me, a young Chinese woman. She administered the "tell the truth only oath" before I sat down. She asked my for my passport and GC and told me to put them on the desk. Initially while she was flipping through my application, the phone kept ringing and some other guy would come into answer it. She said she was using this other guy's office. I asked her if she was one of the new hires, she said no. At USCIS the more senior officers don't have offices because they don't regularly interview.... She wasn't chatty at all.

She administered the civics test, 10 questions. I got all of them right. The ones I remember:
- Color of stripes on the flag
- Who declares war
- Constitution was written when
- US fought who in WWII
- Capital of New York
- Highest executive in state government
- 49th state (this one was the only one I hesitated on because wasn't sure if it was Alaska or Hawaii, but guessed right)
- Location of the White House

She had me write a sentence "I'll be a good citizen" and had me read off about five simple sentences. One had a typo in it and I corrected the paper. I signed all three sheets.

Then she started flipping through my application and putting check marks confirming information. I gave her my revised addendums for new job and additional trips out of the country. She fixated on my employment overseas for a US company. I gave her my original offer letter which stated it was a temporary assignment. She made a copy. She asked for my marriage certificate even though I'm not married to an American. I gave her my copy. All the while she was scribbling things on a post-it. I also gave her a copy of my 2007 tax return and she made a copy of my social security card. Then she ran though the questions at the end of the application rapid fire (all "no" answers) and had me sign the application and my two photos (in pen on the right side of the photo itself).

Interview itself lasted about 30 minutes and during most of it she was flipping through the application while I sat silently. She hole punched and put the additional materials I gave her in the file, stuck her post-it scribbles on top, gave me a receipt and checked off two boxes on it: "You passed the tests of English and U.S. history and government" and "USCIS will send you a written decision about your application". I asked her if that was unusual (there was also an opinion for "Congratulation! Your application has been recommended for approval"....). She said no. I asked how long to get a decision. She said 2-3 months but they have up to 120 days to get back. I asked what happened next with the application. (I thought she might say a supervisor reviews it or something.) She said "nothing"...she had everything she needed from me but would contact me if she needed anything else.

Was frustrating. I did have additional supporting documents but thought best not to volunteer information when I wasn't specifically asked. The wait goes on.

As someone told me earlier on this thread, congratulations on having gotten this far...we still got folks waiting for ILs since last year.
I also had an interview in April and I was put through a similar experience, only that mine involved 3 traffic tickets. In my case, I thought the IO was either simply prejudiced or she had never met anyone who had been given a speeding ticket before (hard to believe!). She grilled me about the tickets for almost the entire length of the interview! Although she did not ask for any additional documents, she still didn't give me a decision and I've been waiting for almost 2 months now and still haven't heard a word from uscis. I'm planning to make an infopass in about 2 weeks and see whether I can learn anything new.
I think we have a bunch of inexperienced IOs who are partly to blame for all these unnecessary delays which end up affecting everyone including those waiting for ILs.
Anyway, I hope your case gets resolved quickly. You might be surprised to get an oath letter sooner than you think.

 

[Vorpal]

For those who are considering a WOM in NYC

Those of us who are considering filing a WOM lawsuit against the USCIS will find the information at the following link to be extremely beneficial:

http://www1.nysd.uscourts.gov/forms.php

This provides all necessary forms to file a Pro Se (self-representing) civil lawsuit in Federal Court. The manual is a bit lengthy (158 pages), but I suggest reading it to familiarize yourselves with the process.

 

[N400Process]

interview

I went for my citizenship interview today. It was scheduled for 8:20 am but I was there by 7:40 am.

While waiting for my name to be called, a lady that was sitting next to me got called to the window and she came back really disappointed; they sent her home because her file didn’t come down from upstairs?!! I had no idea what that meant, but she was told that they’d send her another appointment in 2 to 3 weeks. Two other people got called over to the window and it looked like something was wrong with their file, I couldn’t tell for sure. I got worried a little bit since things could still go wrong and I could go home today with no interview.

I got called in at 9:05 am.

I followed the officer to her office where she asked me to swear to tell the truth and I did.

She asked me to tell her my SSN, my address and phone number. Then she asked me if I took any trips outside of the US since I filed. I gave her a piece of paper that listed the three trips that I took - she added that to my file.

She then asked me if I ever voted in the US and I said no. She also asked if I filed taxes and I showed the printouts from the IRS. She added those to the file. It is worth mentioning that she went through the tax returns almost line by line.

My application is based on marriage to US citizen. She asked me if I were still married to my wife and I said yes. Then she asked me for evidence of marriage and I showed her some bank statements which she added to the file too. She asked me if I had more evidence and stupid me didn’t bring extra things – but she said that was fine, the joined tax returns and the bank statements were good enough to let my application through.

After that she quickly went through the Yes/No questions on the application…

Then she asked me 10 questions:


1. What are the colors of our flag?
2. Who can declare war?
3. Name one of the countries that were our enemies in WWII
4. Where is the White House?
5. Who makes laws in US?
6. What is the minimum voting age in the US
7. When was the constitution written
8. What is the head of the State government called
9. What is the state capital of NY
10. What was the 49th State added to the Union


I got them all right. She then asked me to write this sentence: “You drink too much coffee”. I joked about that and said I do indeed; she smiled and said it is not good for you… She also made me read a simple sentence…

At the end, she said that my application was approved and a supervisor needs to sign it. She said that I should hear back from them in 90 days; and before I say anything she added that it should be much sooner but they tell people 90 days. She made a copy of my IDs and gave me a receipt that I’ve passed and that my application has been recommended for approval.

The whole thing took about 20 minutes – the officer was nice and professional.

Wish you all the best.

 

[Vorpal]

I intend to. I got the info. re 1447(b) from you of course.

I'm actually preparing my own WOM right now. Fortunately, you won't need to gather supporting documentation (letters to politicians, etc.). You can file under 1447(b) simply on the basis that your interview was conducted over 120 days ago.

 

[nyc_naturalizer]

hello im from nyc im a november filer 2007 i got the finger prints done and my background is clear and waiting in line for the interview..nothing yet its been a while..do u guys know anything about this new york DO?

Hi nyc_nyc_nyc. Welcome to the club. Several of us here are in precisely the same situation. I will tell you what we know for certain about NYC DO:

1. It is a good sign if an IO has told you if your background and name check are done at that you are in queue for the interview. Try to get a date you were placed in queue if you can. However, be aware that the queuing "order" seems to be based on nothing and to signify nothing.

2. People who applied in the period you did, roughly between late July and early December 2007, are seeing very random timelines. I would say about half of us on this forum who fall into that period have ILs, and the other half not, and in no particular order of priority date.

3. People who applied from late December 2007 to present are generally seeing very fast timelines, sometimes as little as 90 days.

4. From the reports here, with one exception, ILs for NYC have arrived at the same time of month for the last several months: roughly between the 15th and the 23rd.

5. IL to Interview is about 2 months.

6. Interview could be in Garden City or Manhattan. There have been no reports yet of weekend or evening interviews in NYC.

7. There have been reports of several (possibly 22) new Adjudication Officers who recently started in NYC, to deal exclusively with the naturalization backlog. However, it is likely that they won't be done with Basic Training until late July.

8. Interview to oath is about 1-2 months. Some people are getting interview letters the day of the interview, but more are getting them in the mail.

9. Oath could be in Brooklyn or Manhattan, and recently there was a report of Middletown. I won't be surprised if the fed courts in Islip and White Plains also get involved.

10. Official timelines are utterly meaningless.

 

[Vorpal]

vorpal did u have the interview date cuz u were after them or did it just happen to be ur interview date even if u never had any iinfo appt. or contacting them?

I'm a skeptic by nature, so I tend to think that they grabbed another random bunch of cases out of a hat and mine just happened to be among them. However, a couple of forum members think that my letter-writing campaign had something to do with it. JohnnyCash, who happens to be knowledgeable when it comes to this subject, suggested that my letter to the Vice President may have compelled the USCIS to move on my case. I am definitely open to that possibility, so I suggest that everyone stuck in the process should start contacting politicians.

 

[N400Process]

Mine was at Federal Plaza. BTW, my interviewer had a Russian name and Russian accent. I said "spasibo" at the end of the interview in hope that the oath letter comes a bit sooner. It is still to be seen if that is going to help at all

 

[Vorpal]

Nope - I wasn't asked about traffic tickets. I wasn't asked about selective service either.

Same thing happened to one of my coworkers. He had a couple of parking tickets in the past, so I told him to bring his driver abstract to the interview (this was before I spoke to a CSR who told me that minor traffic tickets don't need to be disclosed). Anyway, my coworker told the IO about the tickets and offered a copy of his driver abstract. The IO was not at all concerned about it and didn't even change his answer to the "Have you ever been cited..." question.

 

[Vorpal]

I can't help but hope for the best.
I file based on 3y married to USC. Got GC in 2005 and my name check cleared in a few days back then. Should I expect it to be cleared just as quickly this time around? (After all, it's the same person again)

Also, which recent cases are you referring to? When i read this thread, all I hear is the long delays by many people who posted here. I would be surprised to see any recent case that finished in 6 months or so.

I've heard reports of people getting stuck in name check for natz, even though they cleared their GC name check quickly. My advice would be to schedule an InfoPass a couple of months after you do your FPs and inquire about the status of your case. If you don't want to waste time on InfoPass, you can get the same information by talking to an IO on the phone.

As far as the recent cases go, there are plenty of them. Search for posts by nyker, dnyc, N400Process, sh1996 and frannod. There were a few others as well, I just don't remember all the user names. Also, it appears that NYC has finally cleared the July 2007 hump, so it should be smooth sailing from here on in. My bet is that you'll be done with the process by the end of the year; at the very least, you'll have your interview.

To HBSBound: 540 days is the standard timeframe that's given to all NYC applicants. You can ignore it, as you'll be done with your case way before it, provided you don't become a name check victim.

 

[Vorpal]

Does your letter is labeled as INITIAL INTERVIEW?

They only ask in the IL to bring that letter, green card, passport, selective service card and that is it.

NO state ID required ?

All ILs say "INITIAL INTERVIEW". A state ID (Driver License or a Non-driver ID Card) are definitely required, so make sure you have yours with you. Also, I suggest bringing all (or at least as many as you can find) of the documents that JohnnyCash listed in the "What documents to bring to interview" sticky. I know that it sounds like overkill, but you never know what an IO can ask for. I have a rather hefty binder that I'll be bringing along!

 

[Vorpal]

My ESC No. is ESC*002080XXX.

scoomara and nyc_newbie, were your applications recommended for approval or did you get "decision cannot be made at this time" checked off? scoomara, if you don't receive an oath letter within 120 days of your interview, you can file a WOM under 1447(b). 1447(b) is a legal provision, stating that a decision on a case must be made within 120 days of the interview.

 

[nyc_newbie]

Hi nyc_newbie,

I'm in the same boat as you are but my case is a bit more complicated than yours is. Anyhow our time frame is almost identical and I'm from Manhattan. August 15th 2008 would be 120 days since my interview. I don't know what I could do if I don't get the oath letter after that date. Any suggestions from anybody would be appreciated. Tks.

According to what I have gathered in this forum, it seems like the only way you can get them to act is to file a WOM.
I personally thought my case was quite simple and am surprised it's taking this long. I keep asking myself how long it can possibly take to verify that I paid off my speeding tickets but any way I look at it, I don't think it should take 120 days.

What makes your case complicated if I may ask?