New York City - N-400 Timeline - Naturalization Experiences

I just had my interview done at Garden City today. Hope my experience can help you a little. When I went to the IO's office, he asked me for my GC and my passport; then he did ask me to sign my 2 photos. I certainly signed off a lot of papers. After all the questions and English tests; the IO congrad me for the approval of the application, and gave me a paper stating that my application is recommended for approval. The OL will mailed to me later.
 
I want to let you all know that I had my interview in NYC Federal Plaza today.
The interview went super smooth (almost). Mine was marriage based case.
The officer was extremely polite and nice. She told me that I have already send everything that she needs. I had sent three yrs tax transcript, my home mortgage (joint) and vangaurd statement showing my wife as the beneficiary. She asked me for 2007 tax returns since she did not have that with the original application.
Everything was going well and at the end I mentioned I had a parking ticket and showed her the proof that I had paid it off.
She took the receipt and said that this is no big deal but would need her supervisor to review. At that point I asked her if she could do it now. She said it was a busy day but I insisted and requested her again. She asked me to wait outside in the waiting room . After 5-10mins my name was called again and she said my wish is granted and gave me the letter of approval and asked me to wait in room 7-108 for oath letter and this was at 12pm. I waited and waited till 4:30pm to receive oath letter and my oath date is Jan 7th.

I don't know if it is just me or have INS people suddenly become super nice.

Thanks for all your help and answer my sometimes silly questions.

Good Luck to everyone and my advice is that send all the documents with the original application and you will be fine.
 
Finally done

Hi Guys,

Today I took the Oath in Brooklyn Eastern Court and become the proud Citizen. It was exhausting but very special moment. I shall not bore you with the details as I went through the same drill as described by others many times on this forum. My reporting time was 8:30 Am and we were done around 2 PM.

I thank all the members of this forum for their generous help and support. This forum is indeed very informative and helpful. Good luck to all waiting for the end.

________________________
VSC/NYC DO

11/19/2007 N-400 Applied
1/23/2008 Finger print
3/23/2008 Name check cleared:)
9/24/2008 Interview (Request more evidence):mad:
11/17/2008 2nd Interview (Approved). (Garden City)
11/26/2008 Oath letter Received
12/11/2008 Oath (Proud Citizen):D
XX/XX/2008 Passport Applied
 
ImmiPortalUser said:
Question please: Are oath ceremonies held at Fed Plaza? Are kids allowed? Thanks!
Click to expand...

I had mine at the court on 500 Pearl St, and there were a couple of kids. The actual ceremony starts at 11:30 am at the earliest even though you have to report by 9 am, and the entire process takes at least three to four hours. Needless to say, the kids were bored and restless though their parents seemed to be doing their best to entertain the kids. Guests can come anytime before the actual ceremony starts, so if you have another guest beside kids, it may be a good idea to have your guest bring the kids right before the ceremony starts.


I think Fed Plaza also holds oath ceremonies, and heard that it takes less than the ones held at 500 Pearl. I am guessing kids are also allowed there, but can't be sure.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Finally Done!

Finally done!

I had my oath at the Westchester Court House in White Plains today, and I am now officially a U.S. Citizen...

The ceremony was pretty straightforward, so I will not repeat details that have been discussed in other postings, but since there do not seem to be that many summaries of the White Plains ceremony, here are a few details:

The ceremony is performed in the Jury Room just to the left of security. The room is set up like an auditorium and seems to hold several hundred people. Today, 119 people were naturalized, and the oath takers were mixed with lots of guests throughout the auditorium. Most of the proceedings seemed pretty standard relative to other previous postings. There were several speeches, but no video. The ceremony was scheduled to start at 1.00 pm, and was over by about 3.00 pm, most of which was taken up by the administrative process. People could get their picture taken with the certificate and the County Clerk at the end, which will be mailed to anyone free who provided their address on a special blue card. Most apparently filled out the card.

Whoever was done could go next door to apply for a passport, which I did after taking a digital picture of the certificate. Because of the staggered nature of the County Clerk picture taking, the line for the passport applications was fairly short. Incredibly, one official, who stood by the door and described himself as "the boss" told me that there was no such thing as changing the status with the Social Security Administration, and there was also nobody from that agency available. I guess that is another chore to be performed once I have the passport and certificate back...

Thanks again to all the contributors to this board! Your postings have provided invaluable information for making the process a little less arbitrary.
 
lala817 said:
I had mine at the court on 500 Pearl St, and there were a couple of kids. The actual ceremony starts at 11:30 am at the earliest even though you have to report by 9 am, and the entire process takes at least three to four hours. Needless to day, the kids were bored and restless though their parents seemed to be doing their best to entertain the kids. Guests can come anytime before the actual ceremony starts, so if you have another guest beside kids, it may be a good idea to have your guest to bring the kids right before the ceremony starts.


I think Fed Plaza also holds oath ceremonies, and heard that it takes less than the ones held at 500 Pearl. I am guessing kids are also allowed there, but can't be sure.
Click to expand...
Thanks lala817... looks like kids are allowed at oath ceremony.
 
lala817 said:
I think Fed Plaza also holds oath ceremonies, and heard that it takes less than the ones held at 500 Pearl. I am guessing kids are also allowed there, but can't be sure.
Click to expand...

That's correct. I know someone who took their oath at Fed Plaza. He was in and out in 1 hour, unlike the extremely lengthy court ceremonies that can take up to 6 hours.
 
Hey Folks,

I am sure that this has been asked many times in the past, but I am interested in responses based on current data. I received my IL - after a huge ordeal - and the interview takes place in Garden City (I think this is a punitive measure since I live 5 minutes away from 26 Fed). The question is, how long is it taking these days to get an OL after interview? Say my interview is on Feb. 12, when would you estimate that I will be Naturalized?

Any response/conjecture/guesstimate/educated guess, etc. Will be much appreciated.
 
I was very aggressive in soliciting an interview as soon as possible. I opened an inquiry into my case, called almost every 2 weeks, went for an infopass, and sent a letter. My IL came a day after I received a reply to my letter stating that "I just have to wait." As you can see above, I live very close to 26 Federal Plaza. Assigning my case there would be logistically easier and downright appropriate given the geographic location of my place of abode. Also, I have heard that 26 Fed has a quicker turn-around to assign Oaths after the interview. I entertained the notion of sending a letter asking them to change the location of my interview, but I thought that would be pushing it.
 
Congrats, HBSBound.
You are the one I'm tracking my progress after since you are a week ahead of me. As it turns out, we can't never predict how things will turn out with INS.
I will have to submit my additional document next month. Hopefully I will get the oath letter the same date.

At my interview in Nov, I saw a guy went in and was asked to wait for the OL in a few hours.
Not sure why you got ID at Garden City.
 
rockynyus said:
Hello,

I have an interview at Garden City in first week of February 2009. I have one concern about my file.
I filed my citizen application in June 2008. My wife is in India. After i filed my application, my daughter born in India. I did not send update to Vermont service center.

I can make this update on my interview. Does this will delay my approval in case i pass interview? If i will send letter now with updated info to Vermont service center, will help me?

Thanks a lot for any reply!
Click to expand...

First off, congratulations on your newborn daughter!

You're worried over nothing. Childbirth after N-400 filing is a very commonplace occurrence. You'll be able to update your application at the interview. Bring a copy of your daughter's birth certificate, just in case the IO asks to see it. If the birth certificate is not in English, make sure to get a translation. This will not delay your approval or affect your application negatively. Good luck!
 
My timeline

Personal Info: resides in Queens

Priority Date: 2-29-2008 (St Albans, VT)
Fingerprint Date: 3-25-2008 (Jamanica NY)
Interview Letter Recd: 10-23-2008
Interview Date: 12-3-2008 (Garden City) Passed
Oath Letter Notice: 12-17-2008
Oath Ceremony: Wed 1-7-2009 8:30am (Central Islip, NY)

Anyone here going to Central Islip?

US Dist Court Eastern Dist
100 Fed Plaza
Central Islip, NY 11722
US Dist Court Eastern Dist 2nd Flr Gate 1
 
Hi BK,
We almost get the same timeline. I sent in my N400 application on 2/29 to Vermon as well, and my Interview date was Dec 4 at Garden City. I received my OL approximately one week after my Interview date; and my Otah Ceremony date is 12/29, 8:25am at Central Islip.
 
Hi all..I hope someone can help me with this...I was married in 1996 and got divorced in 2005...I never changed my last name back to my maiden name legally so I basically kept the husbands last name on my green card (even though the divorce decree says i can change the last name)..So i applied for my citizenship in March 2008 and asked for a name change on the application (to change it back to my maiden name)..My interview was in Garden City on Dec.11 and the officer told me that there is no reason to request a name change coz my last name is legally my maiden name so he asked me to sign the photos in my maiden name and my naturalization certificate will be my maiden name...

I will go in Europe this week and will marry...I am planning to petition my husband right after the oath. Does anyone know if i need to mention on my oath ceremony that I have married and change my name (took my new husbands name). And will this affect me and can I change my last name on the oath ceremony and get my husbands last name and if not, what can i do to get the passport under my husbands name...

I just want to know if this is a problem and if I will able to petition him right after the oath.

Thanks.
 
miki9mac said:
Hi all..I hope someone can help me with this...I was married in 1996 and got divorced in 2005...I never changed my last name back to my maiden name legally so I basically kept the husbands last name on my green card (even though the divorce decree says i can change the last name)..So i applied for my citizenship in March 2008 and asked for a name change on the application (to change it back to my maiden name)..My interview was in Garden City on Dec.11 and the officer told me that there is no reason to request a name change coz my last name is legally my maiden name so he asked me to sign the photos in my maiden name and my naturalization certificate will be my maiden name...

I will go in Europe this week and will marry...I am planning to petition my husband right after the oath. Does anyone know if i need to mention on my oath ceremony that I have married and change my name (took my new husbands name). And will this affect me and can I change my last name on the oath ceremony and get my husbands last name and if not, what can i do to get the passport under my husbands name...

I just want to know if this is a problem and if I will able to petition him right after the oath.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

You will definitely have to disclose your marriage at the oath ceremony, as well as your new name. I strongly suggest keeping your current last name when you get married. After you take your oath, petition to legally change your last name to your husband's through your local court. If you change your name prior to your oath, you'll most likely be removed from the oath, due to the fact that the USCIS will need to order the FBI to perform a name check on your new name. Needless to say, this will delay your application.
 
ImmiPortalUser said:
Do you need anything else than green card and the appointment letter for the oath ceremony? And how do you sign the oath letter... full signature or the regular one?Thanks!
Click to expand...

If you have any other documents issued by the USCIS (travel documents, re-entry permits, EAD cards, etc.), bring those as well. You can sign the oath letter with your regular signature.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top