New York City - N-400 Timeline - Naturalization Experiences

Cafe, I have a question for you because my situation is slightly similar to yours and my interview is coming up at the end of the month. I left the US last Sept to study abroad on a one year course. Since Sept, I've been back to NY twice. Once in Dec for two weeks holiday and then at the end of Jan to do my fingerprinting. And now due back end of this month for the actual interview.
Before these few long absences, I'd never really been out of the country for more than 2 or 3 weeks for the entire year. But still, I'm wondering the fact that I'm studying abroad right now will be a problem or not.
What sort of proofs did you take with you? Here's what I am planning on taking:

-US cell phone bills (still keep it activated)
-Health insurance statements (I still pay for mine since if I drop it, they won't sign me up again when I come back)
-apt deed (I own my own place that I have rented out while away)
-rental agreement to show I've only rented it out till Sept 2011, when my course ends and I plan on coming back
-letter from my university to show this is a one year course that ends in Sept 2011
-proof of application to US programs also and the rejection letters :(
-bank and cc statements (but these go to a PO Box at the moment)
-letter from employer to show I still work for them (work is of nature that it can be done anywhere but on file, I am still employed in NY and get paid in my NY bank a/c)

Do you think these are enough?
 
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justfiled, your study abroad was nowhere close to the amout I spent abroad, so you should be fine, especially since you have an apartment here (what about a car?). Take your tax transcripts too, but honestly, if you explain your situation, I can't see a reason for you to get denied for studying abroad for a short time.
 
cafeconleche said:
justfiled, your study abroad was nowhere close to the amout I spent abroad, so you should be fine, especially since you have an apartment here (what about a car?). Take your tax transcripts too, but honestly, if you explain your situation, I can't see a reason for you to get denied for studying abroad for a short time.
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Thanks. Makes me feel a little better. I know my travel overseas in the last 5 years is barely 300 days or so in total but it makes me nervous that I'm still doing the course at the moment and it won't end till Sept 2011. You never know what may happen if I get a tough officer. I've had one before when I got the GC. She was a @#$@$.

I'm wondering....is there a chance that this study abroad may not even come up? I mean, the officer will only ask me what I'm doing going out of the US so much since last fall, if she thinks there's something fishy about my travel dates, right? So if she thinks the travel dates are fine, she may not even question it and in that case, do I need to bring it up even? As of the interview date, I'd have accrued 3 back to back trips: Sept-Dec, Dec-Jan, Jan-March, with a gap of a week or two in NY between each trip.
 
hey justfiled,

we have very similar time lines both for GC and N400 and our Resident Since Dates are only one week apart. I still have not received my Interview Letter, but I received my Yellow Letter almost 1 month ago. I made an infopass and also called the 800 # and I learned that my finger print was already clear and everything looks fine in my case.

Can you please tell me whether your interview is at 26 Federal Plaza or Garden City? My only explanation I haven't received mine yet is due to I will prob get a Garden City interview because of my Zip Code and I know their are a lot smaller than 26 Fed and can handle a smaller capacity of cases.

Also, your updates and alerts? I haven't any e-mails since the Request of evidence for my fingerprint on 1/12/11.

Below is my timeline:

1 12/31/2010 N-400 Sent
5 1/4/2011 RD & PD
6 1/5/2011 ND
13 1/12/2011 FP ND
15 1/14/2011 FP Notice Received (Appt 2/7/2011)
25 1/24/2011 FP Done (Walk-In)
54 2/22/2011 YL ND

Thanks.
 
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jdawg9 said:
hey justfiled,

we have very similar time lines both for GC and N400 and our Resident Since Dates are only one week apart. I still have not received my Interview Letter, but I received my Yellow Letter almost 1 month ago. I made an infopass and also called the 800 # and I learned that my finger print was already clear and everything looks fine in my case.

Can you please tell me whether your interview is at 26 Federal Plaza or Garden City? My only explanation I haven't received mine yet is due to I will prob get a Garden City interview because of my Zip Code and I know their are a lot smaller than 26 Fed and can handle a smaller capacity of cases.

Also, your updates and alerts? I haven't any e-mails since the Request of evidence for my fingerprint on 1/12/11.

Below is my timeline:

1 12/31/2010 N-400 Sent
5 1/4/2011 RD & PD
6 1/5/2011 ND
13 1/12/2011 FP ND
15 1/14/2011 FP Notice Received (Appt 2/7/2011)
25 1/24/2011 FP Done (Walk-In)
54 2/22/2011 YL ND

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm at 26 Federal Plaza. The next update you should have is 'case transferred'. Once you get that, you will receive your interview letter shortly after that. Our timelines are quite similar so I think you'll just have to be patient a little while longer, probably you're getting held up for lack of space in Garden City. I had my GC interview there, i remember. God that feels like a long time ago!
 
Your work/study history should show that you are both studying and working. Or, you can just list your work history and leave study out, because it says list study if you are NOT working. But then, if you are asked why you are traveling back to back so much, you will have to tell them. The fact that you are working for a US company and studying at the same time shows you have not broken ties to the US. Take something to show the nature of your work, and something to show that this study is temporary, if you can. Yes, there's a chance you won't be asked about these trips, but you should be prepared just in case because you don't want to have to send in additional documents or come in for a second interview to show the documents.
 
Hi, i am new to this forum but have been browsing for a couple of days now. I had my interview today at 26 Federal Plaza for citizenship interview was for 10:amwas called in about 11:20am. The IO was very nice throughout the whole process which made me very calm. I filed based on 5yr rule. At the begining of the interview The IO asked to swear in gave me the reading and writing exam and then the civic test
I only was asked 6 questions and got the all right

1. Why did colonists came to Americca?
2. What was the US concern during the cold war?
3. there are four amendments to the constitution about who can vote describe one?
4. if the president can no longer serve who become president?
5. what is one right of freedom from the first amendment?
6. Who is incharge of the executive branch?

he then me if i wanted to change my name and i told him yes, as I recently got married in feb of this yr he asked If i had the document thats support my name change and I handed my divorce from my prior marriage and gave him my new marriage certificate. He then congratulated on my marriage. He then went through my entire application and asked all the questions from it but through out the whole process he was very pleasant, smiled and and kept on saying "everything looks good" He than asked me to sign the pictures that i sumbmiited wit hthe application andi also had brough new photos so i asked if he needed those he said that i can keep those and use them for my passport cause my natz cert will more or likely have the pic i took when i did my biometrics, but they always ask for my as backup in case they need it. After the interview once again said everything looks good, but he just has to look over the new informationi gave him and i will get the oath letter in about a week, he then said to me since you live in the bronx you may be coming back here to swear in and the swear in should be about 2 weeks after you receive the oath letter and also mentions that oath ceremonies at 26 Federal plaza are held on fridays. He asked if i had any other questions for him and i said "you say in about a week i will get an oath letter he said correct" We walked to the printer he photocopied a piece of paperand gave it to me and then he said so "are you going work today or you took the day off" so i said I'm going to school @ 3pm he asked how much longer i have in school while we were at the printer and i told him a month and a half and he responded. "good thats not very long, congrats to you i wish you the best" After i walked out and look at the paper he gave me i realize that three things are checked.

"you passed the tests of english, and u.s hostory and government"
"uscis will send you a written decision about your application"
and "a decision cannot yet be made about your application".

I was shocked. Should i be worried? I thought he would have check "Recommended for approval" since he menthioned all that info about oath and passport.
 
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if you look on the N-652(the interview result) they gave you the IO name should be there.
 
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he was a young man, heavy set. i think he was hispanic his office all the way in back on right very small office, and front of his officer had woman officer in it.
 
he looked about in his late 30's, heavy set, looked caucasian his office was in the back on the right very small (more like a cubicle). i heard a woman officer close by but she wasnt infrom of his office, her office was behind where his was i couldnt see her but i heard her voice and she kinds have an accent. He even spoke to me about two weeks after i get the oath letter will be the ceremony and told me i could keep the new pics i brought for my pp. I made sure i understod what he said so said to him "you say in about a week i will get the oath letter" he said yes. Since 3 weeks has passed for you did you try contacting him by mail? cause on the letter state that you can write to the officer.
 
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justfiled,

Just came back. All went well. I got 6 of 6 right on the civics and the written was easy.

How did yours go?
 
Picked up my passport yesterday. Got the 52 page book, which is nice. The photo is really red, though, and it is on a tilt haha. But the lady said it was fine. I'm not sure. I might go back on Monday or something and have them fix it. Easy peasy, though. produced in 1.5 hours.

So, the oath ceremony:

I got to the courthouse around 8:20, went through security, left my phone and camera with the guy, and went to the first floor where there was a short queue. They asked to see our GCs and oath letters, and we were directed to follow the directions of the woman inside, who seated us in a very decorated ceremonial courtroom with high ceilings, pictures of past judges or something on the walls, and murals along the rear top. There were around 203 people.

It all felt very clinical and to the point. A nice old man was talking about registering to vote and handing out registration cards. I filled mine out immediately and held on to it, as someone was going to collect them later. The seating went on until 9 or so. While this was happening, someone was talking about what we need to do after we become citizens, like updating our SS status, petitioning for relatives, and addressing children under 18 who would become citizens too. An interesting thing she said about the N600 was that it was needed for a child under 18 residing with you with a GC. The child would then be interviewed in a way, and then take an oath. Is this true? I thought kids could just apply for a passport. Then we were allowed to go to the bathroom. By the way, family members went up to the third floor cafeteria and watched the goings on on TV.

A little later, they started asking us to go up row by row to hand in our GCs and check our naturalisation certificates. I was in the second to last row, so I was falling asleep. Eventually, I went up, handed my oath letter and GC to one lady (apparently you have to sign your FULL NAME and not signature on your oath letter, so I had to fix that. The woman was curt) and checked my certificate, which was fine, though I got the old style with my photo physically attached, instead of the new one with a digitally printed photo, probably because I was a special case. After that, I sat down, and when everyone was done with that, we were handed our name change certificates. I got one.

Finally, we were told the judge would come soon. By this time it was 11:20 or so. The whole process was EXCRUCIATINGLY slow, especially for just 203 people. While we waited for her, the family members were called down and made to sit in the remaining few seats to the right of the judge's panel, and also stand in the corners. The judge came soon after- Roslynn Mauskopf, a small, mousey woman (hence maus kopf, or mouse head, is quite apt). She took her place, and since we had all risen, she asked us to stay standed for the oath, which was to be administered by the clerk. We took the oath, and the staff were looking for people not saying it, haha. Then, the pledge of allegiance, which was uncalled for, really. We were congratulated, and the judge told her story about how her parents had escaped the Holocaust and that she was now a federal judge- the American Dream.

Once she left, we collected our certificates, and we were OUT of there. That's it. No little flag, no book of patriotic songs, no comedian to warm us up at the beginning, no passport applications either. Don't get me wrong. I was glad this was not cheesy, with videos of the president, terrible songs with Americana visuals, etc. But, the staff could have been nicer, though I'm sure having to deal with a tonne of dimwits four days a week tires them. Some of the people there getting naturalised were so thick they could not understand anything (that didn't have to do with language differences). They really slowed the process down. I went to an oath ceremony in Oakland, CA, and there were more than a thousand people there, yet they were able to get done in the same time!

Oh well, I'm done. I have no pictures from the day, but whatever (I was alone). I don't feel any different except for a slight sense of calm, especially with a passport here in front of me now. I'm dreading jury duty, which might come some day. If I keep moving from state to state, maybe I can avoid it, hehe (I don't believe in juries). I hope to feel more as the days go by, but we shall see. I just think I've been an "American," whatever that is, all along.
 
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CJack, you were imprisoned? For what?? The passport agency gave me no trouble at all. Just follow their guidelines on the website- naturalisation certificate, application, state ID, 1 photo, and $225 (I used AmEx) for book, card and expedite (the big book doesn't cost extra). They did give me the big book, no questions asked. At the information windows downstairs after security, when they verify you have all the documents, they staple a little pink slip saying 52 PAGE BOOK so that whoever makes the passport notices it. If you don't see that, mention you want the 52 page book. Also bring a copy of your naturalisation certificate and state ID if you can, though they can just make a copy for you too. Appointment not necessary if you really need to travel soon, but at 7:30, when they open, they will take those with appointments first. The rest of the day, I don't think they check. Just have proof of travel. Alas, the card machine was broken apparently, so that will come in the post. Hopefully it'll be in good shape when you apply. Good luck.
 
IndoKiddo said:
Jdawg, I am in the same situation as yours. My permanent addess is in Stony Brook.
Where did you give Finger Prints. I gave them in Holtsvile. It has been about 3 weeks and have not heard or seen any update online. What are your timelines?
Click to expand...

I read that Queens, Nassau and Sufolk interview at Holtsville now. My fingerprint was in Bethpage NY (Nassau County). Stony Brook is Suffolk that's why you had your biometrics at Holtsville, which is closer. I heard Garden City and Bethpage will close.

I took me about 2 months from fingerprint date to get an interview letter in the mail. I heard Federal Plaza moves quicker because they are so much larger and can handle a lot more cases.

My timeline below:

01 12/31/2010 N-400 Sent
05 01/04/2011 RD & PD
06 01/05/2011 ND
13 01/12/2011 FP ND
15 01/14/2011 FP Notice Received (Appt 2/7/2011)
25 01/24/2011 FP Done (Walk-In)
54 02/22/2011 YL ND
89 03/30/2011 Online Status - Case Transfered to Local Office (No E-Mail or Txt)
XX 04/01/2011 IL Received (dated 3/29/2011)
XX 05/04/2011 ID (Holtsville, NY)
 
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Got my passport card in the post today. It looks nice. The numbers and letters are all raised, and so is my picture (slightly), in addition to the Great Seal of the United States on the top left corner. The machine readable zone is also raised. So, I will be using it to go to Canada at the end of the month. I hope it works :)
 
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