Philadelphia PA - N-400 Timeline

All,

I had my interview two days ago in Philly.

Other than the two hours wait it was a pretty painless process.

I was asked in (as I said about 2 hours late), sworn in.
Asked nine questions (how many states, which is the 50th state, who wrote the declaration of independence, who is the current president, who becomes president if the president dies, who was MLK Jr, what rights do US citizens have, who meets in the Capitol, can't remember last one). Got all correct.
We went over the Application form and asked if anything is different.
I had reported a minor traffic citation. So she asked for the copy of the receipt which she kept.
We chitchatted pleasantly about some trivial stuff and then she informed me that she'd be approving my application and asked if I'd want to take the oath in two days.
She gave me an Oath letter. I also signed the sides of my photo.

I took the Oath today. The whole ceremony took 1.5 hours. Friends and Family were allowed and it was a very relaxed atmosphere. We also got a chance to register for voting.

I signed my Naturalization form and turned that in with a completed US Passport form and two pictures at the local Post office.

I plan to apply for the OIC presently. Will keep you posted. My timelines are below.
 
OCI vs PIO

Hi All,

I don't know if this true, but def worth looking into. The fees of PIO is less compared to OCI, so what some ppl are doing is, they apply for PIO and then upgrade to OCI (upgrade fee is 25$). So, if the PIO + 25$ < OCI fees then it def worth looking into.

Apart from the fees itself, it may be route to take, if you want to travel with US born kid. I believe that one CANNOT apply for OCI for the children when the parents hold Indian passport. ONLY when the parents have US passport, then the kids also become eligible for OCI.

Thanks,
Akapoor
 
dekagunda said:
Guys,

I got my OL today 03.22.08 and my Oath is on the 03.26.08 @ 11am @ the Callowhill office. I got my letter 12 days after my interview, which was on 03.14.08

My dad who had his interview on 02.20.08 is still waiting for his OL.

From what it seems, it looks like Philly has an oath ceremony every wednesday? I remember someone posting last week saying there oath was on 03.19.08.

Anyone else from this forum going to be at the ceremony on 03.26.08?
Click to expand...

Hi Dekagunda,

Just curious to know about the oath status of your Dad.
 
gophilly said:
Hi Dekagunda,

Just curious to know about the oath status of your Dad.
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gophilly,

We are still waiting. i've called a few times already and they said they can't open up an inquiry until 90 days have passed from date of interview. So i'll be calling USCIS on the 21st again unless we hear from them before that.

My dad not getting his oath is just prolonging my mom's case. She overstayed her visa waiver. And we can't file for her until my dad gets his nat. cert. and we need to get her's done asap so that she can travel in time for my wedding in india in late jan/early feb 09. We have all the paper work ready for her just waiting for the damn oath so we can send that in right away.
 
dekagunda,

I dont think even calling them helps. My friend who had his interview on March 6th is still waiting for his oath letter. Somehow he managed to convince the information lady to open an inquiry couple of weeks ago and he received a letter from the local DO, saying current status: pending for oath.
 
gophilly,

i had my interview Mar 14th recieved my OL on Mar 22nd and had my oath on Mar 26th.

I truly believe the Philly DO is run by a bunch of incompetant fools.
 
Info about my IL

Hello All,

I called the USCIS to find out about my case status. It turns out that they sent out my IL on May 2nd and I shd recieve it soon. I inquired about the date of interview. It is on July 28th at 10:40 a.m.

Hopefully they should not send the cancellation letter following the IL, as it happened with many of our friends here on the forum.
But this gives hope for our friends whose DO is philly.



Thanks,
Akapoor
 
Last edited by a moderator:
akapoor, this is awesome news from Philadelphia DO. Please let us know when you get the letter. I noticed that your inteview date is almost 3 months away.
Also, how did you manage to talk to an IO? From what I read elsewhere, it is tough or even impossible to get through to an IO. Did you have to pull any 'tricks' like others seem to do i.e. case status not appearing on the status website etc.?

Thanks and regards.
RN
 
Hi RN,

I did not have to "pull" any tricks. To be honest, my case never appeared online ever. Since I wanted to know my case status, I called them and said that I want to know my case status. The representative asked me for the case number and since she also cld not find it, she herself transferred my called to IO w/o me even asking abt it.
The IO (guy) told me that the IL was sent on May 2nd, and I shd have it in a day or so. I already checked the mail today, no letter yet. So, I am hoping it wld be there by t'rrow.

Just an educated guess, by looking at other's (and now mine) that it is taking approx 8 months from your PD to your interview date.

Yes, my Interview date is 3 months away(July 28th). I shd now start collecting the documents required for IL.

Can some one please share as to what documents did they look for in Philly DO?
Also any questions asked, if you can share, wld be very helpful.

Thanks and good luck to all,
Akapoor
 
Hi All,

I had recieved speeding ticket which was around 120$ about 3 years ago.

I paid the ticket, but unfortunately I dont have any receipt of the payment.
What shd I do in such circumstance? Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Akapoor
 
akapoor said:
Hi All,

I had recieved speeding ticket which was around 120$ about 3 years ago.

I paid the ticket, but unfortunately I dont have any receipt of the payment.
What shd I do in such circumstance? Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Akapoor
Click to expand...

You can go to the court that issued the ticket and ask for a receipt or any other details which prove that the matter is paid and closed. Ask for some sort of disposition letter from the ticket issuing authorities.

Also, obtain your PA DMV driver's history for safe measure.

Regards.

RN
 
Is the online status up o date compared with calling USCIS? Mine still says pending online.


akapoor said:
Hello All,

I called the USCIS to find out about my case status. It turns out that they sent out my IL on May 2nd and I shd recieve it soon. I inquired about the date of interview. It is on July 28th at 10:40 a.m.

Hopefully they should not send the cancellation letter following the IL, as it happened with many of our friends here on the forum.
But this gives hope for our friends whose DO is philly.

GOPhilly: You shd probably call USCIS also. Btw, what is your PD?

Thanks,
Akapoor
Click to expand...
 
Yes and No

It depends on who you talk to. The rep who picks up the phone initially has the same level of access to information as we do, in that sense the info online is "up-to-date"; however, if you can convince him/her to transfer you to an IO, you may receive some real updates.

The online status system is a joke. The entry is not created automatically when the cases are received but rather created manually (and thus often showing the wrong priority dates), nor is it always updated when actions have been taken on a case, as many applicants still find their case status showing "pending" long after they have become citizens.

au071 said:
Is the online status up o date compared with calling USCIS? Mine still says pending online.
Click to expand...
 
Please call the UsCIS and asked them to let you speak with IO. Call in the afternoon time frame. May be they have less calls during that time of the day.

It might be sheer coincidence, but I was connected immediately w/o any wait to speak with IO.

No harm in trying.

Goodluck,
Akapoor
 
The problem is I have no evidence of this ticket. I made the payment using my credit card. I only remember the day I got my ticket. Especially because it was the day of my new house house warming. I went to get the priest and was speeding a little, since it was getting late for the Muhurat. Well, it cost me a ticket.
It was a strange way, actually how I got the ticket. I was taking exit when I was stopped by the police car. I was NOT speeding then. The officer told me that I was speeding earlier. I dont know how this guy was informed or anything. But I didnt want to contest, so I agreed. Took the ticket. Paid it the next day.
But this is about 3 years ago(it was july LWE of 2005). But I dont know what court to approach now. I will try to get my DMV records.
Can someone provide me a link where I can request these records?

Thanks,
Akapoor






realnewbie said:
You can go to the court that issued the ticket and ask for a receipt or any other details which prove that the matter is paid and closed. Ask for some sort of disposition letter from the ticket issuing authorities.

Also, obtain your PA DMV driver's history for safe measure.

Regards.

RN
Click to expand...
 
akapoor said:
The problem is I have no evidence of this ticket. I made the payment using my credit card. I only remember the day I got my ticket. Especially because it was the day of my new house house warming. I went to get the priest and was speeding a little, since it was getting late for the Muhurat. Well, it cost me a ticket.
It was a strange way, actually how I got the ticket. I was taking exit when I was stopped by the police car. I was NOT speeding then. The officer told me that I was speeding earlier. I dont know how this guy was informed or anything. But I didnt want to contest, so I agreed. Took the ticket. Paid it the next day.
But this is about 3 years ago(it was july LWE of 2005). But I dont know what court to approach now. I will try to get my DMV records.
Can someone provide me a link where I can request these records?

Thanks,
Akapoor
Click to expand...

That's exactly why you need to contact the court - because you don't have evidence of payment or other details. I assume you remember the exact place were you were fined. Was it a PA State trooper, or a local town patrol officer that fined you? You can Google/Yahoo the location of the incident and get the name and location of the relevant court. It should not be a big deal. It might take a couple of phone calls and a daytime trip to the court. You'll be fine.

The link to get your PA driving record is:

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/centers/OnlineServicesCenter.shtml

Hope this helps.
 
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