Newark, NJ - N-400 Timeline

Congratulations desi999! 5 hours is a small price to pay for freedom! :) Think of all the people who walk out of there with a "decision cannot be made" form. You made it out of there as a citizen, something we all are working towards and praying for! :)

Good luck to you.
 
Also, did you guys apply for expediated passport or regular?

Desi999, are you planning to apply for entry visa/OCI?
 
6/11/2010 mailed
6/16/2010 recived
7/1/2010 fpl
7/22/2010 fp done
8/15/2010 yl
9/10/2010 il
10/18/2010 id uscis will sent a written decision in the mail
oath letter **/**/2010
oath date **/**/2010
my case still pending as of 11/07/2010
150 days as of today since i sent n 400
 
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I had mine few days ago.
first the IO asked me to read a sentence and write one.
then she went over the "Have you ever and support US" questions and then the 6 questions
when do you register for selective service?
why does the flag have 13 strips?
What ocean is on the east coast?
What ocean is on the west coast?
When was the constitution written?
Name one state that border Canada?
How many US senators are there?
What is freedom of religion?
How old citizens have to be to vote for president?
When was the constitution written?
What is the name of US National Anthem?

I will update this post with few more questions that were asked to my family members.- updated
The interview was scheduled for around 9:30 and we were called around 11:45

we parked in the rear of the building and paid $14 for the parking.

Good Luck to every one! :) applying for US Citizenship!
 
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I had my interview today. Actual interview part was very nice. I had tons of documentation along with me, but the IO did not ask anything from me. I had a Intl trip (9 days to India) after filing N-400 and I mentioned about it to IO & asked if he wants updated page. He said its OK and didnt even take a note of it.

Civics Qns:
1. Who wrote declaration of Independance: Thomas Jefferson
2. Name a state bordering mexico.
3. Name 3 state from original 13 colonies.
4. Who is commander in chief.
5. To which party president belongs.
6. What are 2 major political parties...

The painful part was wait time..It took 2 1/2hrs before they called me for interview and as a result I missed 12:30 oath and had to wait till 2:30 oath...I am glad that finally its all over....

All the best to everyone....
 
n-400 for wife

N400
07/01/10 - application sent
07/06/10 - priority date
08/25/10 - FP done (eLIZABETH)
09/28/10 - YL received
10/07/10 - IL received
11/12/10 - ID (Newark) PASSED; CITIZEN
 
hi arjundutta - can you post your wife's experience at the interview and also the basis for the application (5 year / 3 year)? Thanks in advance.
 
complexity said:
hi arjundutta - can you post your wife's experience at the interview and also the basis for the application (5 year / 3 year)? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

N-400 after 5 years GC
Interview was very smooth; she was there at 8.30 for a 900 interview. Called in after 40 mins. No out of the ordianry stuff (my wife doesn't even have traffic tickets after 11 years in US). I have plenty for the 2 of us.
I do not remeber the questions perse but were from the book. Took oath at 12 and was back home by 1.00 pm. Applied PP and got it on the 5th of Dec.
She is doing SC, OCI now:)

Best
Arjun
 
Hi All,

I sent N-400s for me and my wife on October 2nd and received a finger printing notice last week of October. We walked in for fingerprinting on November 2nd because we needed to travel (the appointment dates were November 15th and 21st).

I noticed that the online status on both cases says "RFE Sent" on October 18th. We only received a finger printing notice in the last week of October and did not receive any RFEs. Is there any chance that the RFE was about the finger printing notice?

Also, the status did not update since October 18th even though it's been more than a month since we walked in for finger printing. Is that normal?

Thanks in advance for your help!
 
RFE status refers to the FP notice which you already received. The online status won't change and it is the wrong baseline to pay attention to.

There is nothing normal about USCIS, so don't have any notion of normalcy for USCIS.
 
A Proud American.

The advice, help and support on this site is bountiful! I have been a regular visitor of this site. I believe that my Journey is over and now it’s time to pass on the torch of hope to the millions of people who visit this site for hope, support, sanity... or whatsoever it may be.

A bit of my background -
I-485 PR acquired through marriage to USC - Oct 2005
I-751 Conditions removed with waiver of joint filing - Approved w/out interview Jan 2008
N-400 Approved - USC Dec 6 2010

Timeline for N-400 - Newark DO
07/26/2010 (D-00): N-400
07/29/2010 (D-03): PD date
08/03/2010 (D-08): NOA mailed Date N-797C
08/06/2010 (D-11): NOA Rec.
08/16/2010 (D-21): RFE Date
08/18/2010 (D-23): RFE LUD
08/21/2010 (D-26): Rec. FP letter;
09/03/2010 (D-39): FP Scheduled
09/03/2010 (D-39): FP done
10/29/2010 (D-95): Transferred to office
11/05/2010 (D-102): Interview Letter
12/06/2010 (D-133): Interview Date
12/06/2010 (D-133): Oath Date
12/06/2010 (D-133): USC Date

My interview was at 8:40 AM. I arrived there at 7:50am, was let in at about 8:10am. Went through security to the 15th floor. Turned in the interview letter at window # 1. The place was pretty empty, but started to get filled up quickly. Not sure if it’s just me, but the place is a bit intimidating.

Anyway, I waited for about an hour and 10 mins say about 9:50 and was called in by a real nice lady, she was to the point and really didn’t waste any time... :) I think my interview was done in about 8-10 mins. She asked for my passport, GC, and DL and made a photocopy. As soon as we reached her office, she asked me to stand and swear that I will tell the truth. Then she jumped right into the civics questions and had me write a sentence and read a sentence, VERY BASIC. She asked me how many times I had been married. = 1 Have I paid all my taxes? - Yes. Then she went over the yes/no questions from the N-400. Honestly, she flew through the entire N-400 in less than 10 mins. I had a traffic ticket, I didn’t disclose, she never asked about any traffic violations. Never mentioned anything about SSS as my interview letter specifically asked for a 'status letter'. (I was out of status while I was a student (F-1) and was required to register for SSS). So folks, if you were required to register and didn’t and are over 31, don't bother getting the status letter, I don’t think they really care once your outside the 5 year period and/or over 31. After that she had me sign in a few different spots and that was it, she handed me a sheet with boxes checked - passed civics and English tests and congratulations-you have been recommended for approval. Along with that she handed me the Oath letter and she had me verify my info that would go on the naturalization certificate! All set!

Now the wait began... for 2 long hours of wait... finally was called to the counter at about NOON, had me sign the oath certificate and was asked to go to the Oath hall. They played the video, have you take the Oath and they hand you your certificate and you are done. Honestly guys, the Oath could have been a little livelier, this is a life changing event for many...but nevertheless, it was definitely emotional and you feel like a dream has come true.

Questions:
What is the Ocean on east coast?
When was the constitution written?
When do men have to register for selective service?
What is one right that every citizen has?
Name three original colonies?
Name one state that borders Canada?

Write:
We pay taxes

Read:
What do we pay to the government?

In life, there are many things that are note worthy; this is one of them that will be remembered for ever. I'm happy and thankful and very proud to be an American.

Good luck to all of you who are waiting. Keep faith. Remember, believing makes miracles happen.

God be with ya'll.
 
I have a friend who has a green card via H1-B, under normal circumstances he is eligible to file next year March I think and he has been travelling outside the country for about 2 to 3 weeks every year for the past 5 years. Does anyone have an idea how this affects his time to apply? Is he still eligible to apply 90 days prior to the 5-yr wait? I'm in DC and this does not apply to me but for a friend's case in NJ.
 
Assuming your friend has not taken any trips of more than 6 months in the last five years, he should be fine. Although, I would recommend waiting close to the full five years on GC before he applies just in case things move fast and his interview comes before the five year mark, in which case they will not approve the application and send a written decision post the five year mark (which is usually a pain to follow up on).
 
complexity said:
Assuming your friend has not taken any trips of more than 6 months in the last five years, he should be fine. Although, I would recommend waiting close to the full five years on GC before he applies just in case things move fast and his interview comes before the five year mark, in which case they will not approve the application and send a written decision post the five year mark (which is usually a pain to follow up on).
Click to expand...

Thanx, I will relay the message. He did not think it will be a problem either.
 
Hello,
My husband has applied for US citizenship on Dec 14, 2010. I am a US citizen since Jan 2007. He had gotten his greencard in Feb, 2008 based on marriage. I have two questions related to this:
1.) Since he got his greencard through marriage to a US citizen and has subsequently applied for citizenship, do I (spouse) need to be present for his citizenship interview? I maybe out of country for quite sometime next year and if his interview comes during that time will I be required to be present at the interview?

2.) We are still waiting for his fingerprint notice. However, I checked the case status online and it indicates RFE sent. What does this indicate? Does the RFE refer to the fingerprint notice?

Thanks for your help.
 
RFE is most likely his fingerprint notice. For citizenship application, the spouse does not need to be present. I just did mine and I went alone. In fact even if you go with him he will be called "alone" to go with the interviewer. This is what happened with those who had spouses, siblings, etc with them except your attorney (who needs that anyway?). In any case, its a simple process, nothing outside your application and test, so relax.
 
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Anyone with interview experience in Newark lately? This thread seemed to have a lot of activity in October / November but does not seem to be getting much traction lately. My interview is coming up pretty soon and any experiences would be helpful.
 
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