New York City - N-400 Timeline - Naturalization Experiences

Heh same here. Waiting for the case to be transferred, and for an interview! I REALLY hope it will be at Federal Plaza and not Garden City. The Subway is so much easier and cheaper than the LIRR.
 
Heh same here. Waiting for the case to be transferred, and for an interview! I REALLY hope it will be at Federal Plaza and not Garden City. The Subway is so much easier and cheaper than the LIRR.

Since you're from Brooklyn, your interview will most likely be in Garden City.
 
Hey - Did you get your oath letters?

at the beginning of april i got interviewed downtown. everything went well but the officer told me he needed more time to verify my travel dates (i had traveled in and out a lot BUT never exceeded 6 months a year). today i finally got N445 notice of naturalization oath ceremony telling me i am scheduled for the end of may. my status online on uscis has not been updated and still shows as in "testing and interview". is that normal? can there be a mistake? i tried calling uscis and the automated response system still says "your case was moved to a local office for an interview." any advice? thanks.

N400 (3yrs-marriage)
New York, NY
01/22/10 (001): Mailed N-400
01/25/10 (004): Received (by USCIS)
01/29/10 (008): Check Cashed, NOA
01/30/10 (009): NOA in mail
02/01/10 (011): RFE
02/02/10 (012): FP ND
02/05/10 (015): FP in mail
02/17/10 (027): FP
02/17/10 (027): Request to resend RFE (originally mailed on 02/01/2010 but never received on my end)
02/23/10 (033): Non-delivery of RFE notice
03/02/10 (040): Interview Letter
03/04/10 (042): Case moved to local office
04/09/10 (078): Interview with Immigration
05/27/10 (126): Oath ceremony
 
today i finally got N445 notice of naturalization oath ceremony telling me i am scheduled for the end of may. my status online on uscis has not been updated and still shows as in "testing and interview". is that normal? can there be a mistake? i tried calling uscis and the automated response system still says "your case was moved to a local office for an interview." any advice?

Congrats, the waiting time must have been almost too much to bear :) I was lucky and got an immediate decision/approval and same-day oath at my DO.

Pay no attention to the online status, it will stay on this status forever. Once your files are at the local DO, the status is no longer getting updated and hence meaningless. What matters now is what you hold in your hands: the N-445 notice now and by end of month the natz certificate.
 
at the beginning of april i got interviewed downtown. everything went well but the officer told me he needed more time to verify my travel dates (i had traveled in and out a lot BUT never exceeded 6 months a year). today i finally got N445 notice of naturalization oath ceremony telling me i am scheduled for the end of may. my status online on uscis has not been updated and still shows as in "testing and interview". is that normal? can there be a mistake? i tried calling uscis and the automated response system still says "your case was moved to a local office for an interview." any advice? thanks.

Congrats! My mailing date was only 7 days apart from yours and I am still waiting for the IL. Is naturalization based on marriage moved faster? Just curious.
 
Congrats! My mailing date was only 7 days apart from yours and I am still waiting for the IL. Is naturalization based on marriage moved faster? Just curious.

Interviewees whose cases are processed at 26 Federal Plaza usually tend to get ILs quicker than those whose cases are processed at Garden City. If you live in Brooklyn, Queens, or Staten Island, your case will most likely be processed at Garden City. Hence the longer wait.
 
Interviewees whose cases are processed at 26 Federal Plaza usually tend to get ILs quicker than those whose cases are processed at Garden City. If you live in Brooklyn, Queens, or Staten Island, your case will most likely be processed at Garden City. Hence the longer wait.

Even Federal Plaza takes ages though. I live in Queens and was processed through Federal Plaza. As you'll see below, I applied in early October, didn't get an interview letter until end of January for an interview on Feb 25. And then I didn't get my oath letter until April 23. Tomorrow though, my journey as an immigrant comes to an end. GOOD LUCK to you all!! Just remember to be patient. I was very impatient, and the only person who it affected was ME. :(
 
Interviewees whose cases are processed at 26 Federal Plaza usually tend to get ILs quicker than those whose cases are processed at Garden City. If you live in Brooklyn, Queens, or Staten Island, your case will most likely be processed at Garden City. Hence the longer wait.

Thanks, Vorpal. I have given up making senses of all these. As long as it is on the right track, I will just have to wait.

joanne26, congrats to you. Finally it has come to an end for you and you deserve it with all the patience.
 
Even Federal Plaza takes ages though. I live in Queens and was processed through Federal Plaza. As you'll see below, I applied in early October, didn't get an interview letter until end of January for an interview on Feb 25. And then I didn't get my oath letter until April 23. Tomorrow though, my journey as an immigrant comes to an end. GOOD LUCK to you all!! Just remember to be patient. I was very impatient, and the only person who it affected was ME. :(

4 months from application to IL is not exactly taking ages. Your case fits squarely into the 6 month processing timeline. Sure, some DOs process cases in 3 months, but consider how many applicants a DO like NYC has. Be thankful that you didn't apply during Summer 2007. It took 3 months just to get a receipt and another 6 or so months to get an IL afterwards.

By the way, this is a lighthearted comment and I intend no offense by it. Congratulations and good luck on your oath tomorrow!
 
I'll wait with you, buddy. Hehe. What's annoying is that I'm moving on June 1 (I don't have a place lined up- anyone here renting out a room?) so I'm not sure when to send in my address change. Should I just do a change of address with the post office until my IL is redirected to my new place and THEN change my address with CIS? I don't want things to get delayed.
 
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I'll wait with you, buddy. Hehe. What's annoying is that I'm moving on June 1 (I don't have a place lined up- anyone here renting out a room?) so I'm not sure when to send in my address change. Should I just do a change of address with the post office until my IL is redirected to my new place and THEN change my address with CIS? I don't want things to get delayed.

If you change the address with USPS, they will not forward mail from USCIS. USCIS requests return service for all mail that they send out.
 
So, my only choice is to change my address directly with CIS? Will it delay the issuance of my IL? Will they be able to incorporate my new address into the processing of the current application? Has anyone had to change their address in the middle of their N400 processing? I'd like to know if it had any perceived negative effects.
 
Heh same here. Waiting for the case to be transferred, and for an interview! I REALLY hope it will be at Federal Plaza and not Garden City. The Subway is so much easier and cheaper than the LIRR.

One can reach to Garden City USCIS office by paying the same fare that s/he would pay to go to Federal Plaza office by using subway. Get a subway metrocard and take F train to Hillside ave in Jamaica and then take a bus from there with a transfer on a metrocard which will drop you off right in front of the office in Garden City or close by.

Yes, it will take 2-3 hours altogether in worst-to-worst scenario but one will not be paying extra than what they will pay to going to Federal Plaza office by using subway. Besides, most officers are reported to be very tough in Federal plaza than in Garden city office.

The only advantage I could see in going to Federal Plaza office is that getting to that office is more convinent timing-wise and hassle free. That's it.

Good luck....
 
Even Federal Plaza takes ages though. I live in Queens and was processed through Federal Plaza. As you'll see below, I applied in early October, didn't get an interview letter until end of January for an interview on Feb 25. And then I didn't get my oath letter until April 23. Tomorrow though, my journey as an immigrant comes to an end. GOOD LUCK to you all!! Just remember to be patient. I was very impatient, and the only person who it affected was ME. :(

Congrats.

I agree with Vorpal. Your case falls in normal processing time (for NYC). There used to be post(s) with user data, and you can compare your timing with others. Mine is following:

I applied in July, 2009 & was interviewed on 10 Dec. -- Approx 5 months
Oath in 08 Jan, 2010 (got OL same day as Interview) - Approx 6 month

Anyway, I had to postpone my Oath due to travel plans. Finally, I completed process on Apr 30 in Cadman Plaza, Brooklyn.
 
I found out from InfoPass lady that I am under FBI background check, probably name check, because FP was done beginning of last January. So it's been roughly 5 months. Actually my interview cancelled last March as well. Anyone had same or similar experience in New York or somewhere else? How long to wait? I did not waited for FBI stuff when I got GC. I got GC in like 3 months back then. What would be the reason?
 
Hi USNYCYS,

What is the process of postponing the oath . I need to travel for a few months right after my interview. My DO is NY city Fed plaza. Did they give yoiu a same day oath letter?
 
Hi USNYCYS,

What is the process of postponing the oath . I need to travel for a few months right after my interview. My DO is NY city Fed plaza. Did they give yoiu a same day oath letter?

I wrote a letter to Federal Plaza in first week of Jan requesting to postpone till Mar. When I came back from my trip (in end of Feb), I had another letter for Oath (in second of Feb, and that I missed too). I wrote a letter again in March, requesting Oath reschedule. Finally I got dates for April 30.

Following were sent along with letter to reschedule:
Cover letter with brief explanation
Oath letter
 
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