Newark, NJ - N-400 Timeline

Eslamgamalus - I'm unsure. My status just changed to Interview and Testing and I received an email confirming transfer to local office. Based on prior timelines on this thread, I am expecting interview letter any day and think my interview will most likely be late Jan / early Feb timeframe.

Been reading your posts too. Hope you get your oath letter soon!
 
thanks complexity for you wishes i am still waiting for my oath letter im gonna wait till february 18 2011 and if i didnt recive my oath letter i will sue them
i wish you the best of luck and hopefully you will get your interview letter soon
take care
 
I have an interview in the 2nd week of Feb at Newark. Me and my spouse are both scheduled early in the morning. I wanted to know how the setup of the office is. I have read that there is daily parking available behind the building. Do they have to wait in long lines for your turn to come? Are kids allowed inside the building, IO's office while the interview is going on? thanks for your help.
 
altavista - when is your interview? I have mine coming up in the second week of Feb. If your's is after that, you can wait for my post. I'll put in the details hopefully on the same day. If yours is before that, can you please post your experience as well so I can benefit? :)
 
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1/26

Guys,

My interview is scheduled for 1/26 in Newark. I hope and pray that everything goes well and will definitely post my experience either that day or the next.
 
omg_stfu:
OMG - Best of Luck.
Just check if kids are allowed into the building? And also do they space interviews of spouses across time ... Me and my spouse are scheduled at the same time and I am going to take my 2 kids with me. Hope that should not be a problem. thanks.
 
altavista said:
omg_stfu:
OMG - Best of Luck.
Just check if kids are allowed into the building? And also do they space interviews of spouses across time ... Me and my spouse are scheduled at the same time and I am going to take my 2 kids with me. Hope that should not be a problem. thanks.
Click to expand...


Kids are always welcome, just make sure you bring some toy to occupy them while you are being interviewed. I am certain USCIS officials can accommodate you and spouse schedule, especially if they intend to interview you both at the same time. Alternatively, both of you can split the kids, each parent take one with them, problems solved.
 
I will check and let you know, but I also believe Al Southne is correct, or at least that's what I've seen at my GC interview (also in Newark.)
 
hey guys,
just an important update five days only after i filed my service request cause it has been more than 90 days since my interview,i received a letter today telling my that my case has benn place in line for oath and that i will receive an oath letter soon so yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,
thank god it has been a long way

06/11/2010 priorty date

07/22/2010 fingerprint

10/18/2010 interview done no decision

01/21/2011 letter saying i'm in line for oath
 
omg_stfu - best of luck on your upcoming interview. Keep us posted on your success! :)

altavista - not sure of your inteview date, but best of luck nevertheless. If you are done before me, please post your experience.
 
Hi, I just found this forum and would like to thank people who provided many valuable information here. I will go for my interview on Jan 27 in Newark. I would like to know whether I can carry a cell phone with me. I have read that it was ok and they will ask to turn it off. Also, I believe that after I pass the interview, I will have a chance to participate in an oat ceremony on the same day. Will they allow a friend who will drive me to the Newark office to attend the ceremony with me? Can we bring a camera to take some pictures?
 
One of my coworkers, an attorney, told me that he attended an oath ceremony without being involved in it at all. I didn't ask specifically, but by what he told me, I assumed the ceremony is a public event and can be observed by outsiders, but I may be wrong. As far as cameras are concerned, I am bringing mine to my interview tomorrow and I hope and pray that I will have a good reason to use it.
God bless all of us! :)
 
Please let me know how it goes.

Good luck omg_stfu. I would appreciate if you could let me know how your interview goes and if you will run into a problem with having a camera with you or not.
 
OK, I am all done. What a relief!

First, the answers to the questions above:

1. Kids are welcome with their parents; in fact, some were present today.
2. The two parents won't be called in at the same time, even if their appointment times are exactly the same.
3. Cell phones: To my surprise, we weren't even asked to turn cell phones off in the interview area, we were only asked to put them on vibrate and if we had to take a call to step out in the lobby.
4. Bringing cameras and laptops is not only perfectly fine, we were ENCOURAGED to take pictures in the oath area by the staff.
5. Overall, a very positive experience.

I'll edit this post and add my experience and timeline in a few minutes. Good luck to everyone and God bless!

Edit:

So, today's experience:

My interview was scheduled for 7:40 AM. Arrived @ 7:15 and parked in the adjacent lot. A fair amount of people were already waiting outside (doors didn't open until 7:33 or so). Going through security was fairly quick and I went to the 15th floor. I was the third person in, but the place was getting crowded pretty quickly.

Around 8:00 they started calling people in, and it appeared that they weren't following any particular order. Some people were also called and sent to the 13th floor where another group of officers were interviewing. I tried to relax by watching some drama unfolding between a lady with no proof of address and an IO at the window. :D BTW, the lady was trying to use the year book of her kid's school as a proof that she lived in some town or other. :D

At 9:00 I get called in by a very serious female IO. Asked for my current and expired passports, GC, marriage cert, DL and proof that I paid a traffic ticket which I had disclosed on the N400. Then went over the rest of the app and on to the Civics test -write "The people elect the Congress", name the two parties, President, Author of Declaration of Independance, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, a state that borders Mexico, the party of the President and that was pretty much it. She told me I passed, gave me the two forms and told me to wait outside.

Another 2.5 hours pass and they started calling people to sign the certificates, which takes another 30 minutes or so. Then we are all directed to the Oath room, listen to some good advice and directions for things to do after citizenship, watch two movies and get sworn in, which I have to say was very exciting.
Congratulations, certificates handed to us, pictures, and we're done!

And here's the timeline:

1. Dec 2005 - GC
2. Sep 2010 - N400 filed
3. Oct 2010 - FP letter, FP date - Election Day
4. Nov 2010 - FP done, YL received
5. Dec 2010 - IL
6. Jan 26, 2011 - ID, approaval, Oath and Certificate.

Geez, what a journey this has been... I've been living in the States for almost 12 years and it is only today that this is over!
Thank God for making this happen and everybody here and on the other board for all the help and support!
 
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i finally recived my oath letter for 17th feb 2011 almost 8 month after i filed my application

06/11/2010 priorty date

07/22/2010 fingerprint

10/18/2010 interview done no decision

01/21/2011 letter saying i'm in line for oath

02/17/2011 oath cermony at 10 AM
 
omg_stfu said:
OK, I am all done. What a relief!

First, the answers to the questions above:

1. Kids are welcome with their parents; in fact, some were present today.
2. The two parents won't be called in at the same time, even if their appointment times are exactly the same.
3. Cell phones: To my surprise, we weren't even asked to turn cell phones off in the interview area, we were only asked to put them on vibrate and if we had to take a call to step out in the lobby.
4. Bringing cameras and laptops is not only perfectly fine, we were ENCOURAGED to take pictures in the oath area by the staff.
5. Overall, a very positive experience.

I'll edit this post and add my experience and timeline in a few minutes. Good luck to everyone and God bless!

Edit:

So, today's experience:

My interview was scheduled for 7:40 AM. Arrived @ 7:15 and parked in the adjacent lot. A fair amount of people were already waiting outside (doors didn't open until 7:33 or so). Going through security was fairly quick and I went to the 15th floor. I was the third person in, but the place was getting crowded pretty quickly.

Around 8:00 they started calling people in, and it appeared that they weren't following any particular order. Some people were also called and sent to the 13th floor where another group of officers were interviewing. I tried to relax by watching some drama unfolding between a lady with no proof of address and an IO at the window. :D BTW, the lady was trying to use the year book of her kid's school as a proof that she lived in some town or other. :D

At 9:00 I get called in by a very serious female IO. Asked for my current and expired passports, GC, marriage cert, DL and proof that I paid a traffic ticket which I had disclosed on the N400. Then went over the rest of the app and on to the Civics test -write "The people elect the Congress", name the two parties, President, Author of Declaration of Independance, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, a state that borders Mexico, the party of the President and that was pretty much it. She told me I passed, gave me the two forms and told me to wait outside.

Another 2.5 hours pass and they started calling people to sign the certificates, which takes another 30 minutes or so. Then we are all directed to the Oath room, listen to some good advice and directions for things to do after citizenship, watch two movies and get sworn in, which I have to say was very exciting.
Congratulations, certificates handed to us, pictures, and we're done!

And here's the timeline:

1. Dec 2005 - GC
2. Sep 2010 - N400 filed
3. Oct 2010 - FP letter, FP date - Election Day
4. Nov 2010 - FP done, YL received
5. Dec 2010 - IL
6. Jan 26, 2011 - ID, approaval, Oath and Certificate.

Geez, what a journey this has been... I've been living in the States for almost 12 years and it is only today that this is over!
Thank God for making this happen and everybody here and on the other board for all the help and support!
Click to expand...

Congratulations omg. One quick question - on the passports, did they look through the new and old passport for anything? I can't find my old passport and so wondering if this is going to be a problem. I entered the US for the first time on that passport, got my GC stamped on it a few years later, but then immediately after, renewed it. Now I can't find it and so wondering how important it is to have it.
 
complexity said:
Congratulations omg. One quick question - on the passports, did they look through the new and old passport for anything? I can't find my old passport and so wondering if this is going to be a problem. I entered the US for the first time on that passport, got my GC stamped on it a few years later, but then immediately after, renewed it. Now I can't find it and so wondering how important it is to have it.
Click to expand...

My assumption is this is a remnant from the past when they used to look for trips longer than 6 months this way... Now I guess this doesn't mean much to them as they already have all your travel information already. Don't think it will be a big issue, the two passports that I had on me were my 3rd and 4th since I came to the states (#2 had the GC stamp) and there were no questions about the previous ones.
Don't worry and best of luck!
 
thanks omg - one more question - was your application based on marriage or employment?

And congratulations to you and eslamgamalus! :) Pray that in a few weeks, I too will have a positive experience to share!
 
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