Q4 (OCT-DEC) 2008 N400 Filers Tracker
- Thread starter chicagonatur
- Start date
My on-line message got changed to "Validation Error"
paulclarke1
Registered Users (C)
My wife has her IL and her status is still pending.
Here is my interview experience:
My appointment was at 9:05. I was called in at 9:25 and the interview lasted for about 15-20 minutes.
The IO was friendly/funny which made the process very relaxing. The IO started with the test and stopped after I got the first 6 questions right. Then I was asked to read a simple sentce and write "The President lives in the White House". After passing the test the IO asked for my passport, green card and drivers license and started reviewing the application.The IO also asked whether I was still married to the same person and reviewed all the tax docs and joint bills I had submitted with the application. The IO couldn't find a copy of my birth certificate in my AOS case and asked to see my birth certificate.
I didn't report my traffic tickets so I asked the IO whether I should have reported them in the application. The officer said that is not necessary, but when people do report them and they have recent tickets < 3 months old she is obligated to ask for proof of payment.The IO had only been doing this for 6 months and was able to approve my application on the spot.After that I just waited for the receptionist to give me the oath letter which took another 15 minutes.
I am looking forward to the oath in 2 weeks. Thanks to everyone for your support and advice.
My appointment was at 9:05. I was called in at 9:25 and the interview lasted for about 15-20 minutes.
The IO was friendly/funny which made the process very relaxing. The IO started with the test and stopped after I got the first 6 questions right. Then I was asked to read a simple sentce and write "The President lives in the White House". After passing the test the IO asked for my passport, green card and drivers license and started reviewing the application.The IO also asked whether I was still married to the same person and reviewed all the tax docs and joint bills I had submitted with the application. The IO couldn't find a copy of my birth certificate in my AOS case and asked to see my birth certificate.
I didn't report my traffic tickets so I asked the IO whether I should have reported them in the application. The officer said that is not necessary, but when people do report them and they have recent tickets < 3 months old she is obligated to ask for proof of payment.The IO had only been doing this for 6 months and was able to approve my application on the spot.After that I just waited for the receptionist to give me the oath letter which took another 15 minutes.
I am looking forward to the oath in 2 weeks. Thanks to everyone for your support and advice.
Milwaukee Oath Experience
Here is my experience of the Oath ceremony in Milwaukee
Parking: There is a small parking lot across from the Federal courthouse on Wisconsin Ave. The parking rate increases gradually with a max of $8/day. The parking spaces are very small. If this lot is full, you can keep going along the alley way and there is another parking lot on your left before you reach Mason St. At this place the rate went up to $10/day
I entered the court house using the public entrance on Wisconsin Ave. We had to go through a security. Cameras, cell phones are allowed. Exiting the elevator on the 3rd floor we saw that a line was forming. There were about 20 people ahead of us including visitors. About 15 minutes before the time mentioned on the oath letter, two IO’s from the DO asked us to form to get our OL, Green card and WI drivers license (or WI state id) out. The oath letter does mention WI driver's license or State id but the officers were very particular about it. One person got pulled out from the line since they had a driving license from a neighboring state. I did not see them take their oath.
An officer goes through the questions on the back of the oath letter. If you did not fill the form out, he circles the yes/no depending on your answers and asks you fill the remaining portion out. Then we stood in another line where a person at a desk took your oath letter and green card and cross checked the information with a list. She kept the green card and gave me an envelope with a document on how to sign your naturalization cert, a text of the oath you are going to take and a copy of the constitution. I was wary of handing over my green card before getting my naturalization certificate.
Then we were led to a courtroom set-up with folding chairs. Guests were asked to go to the visitors’ area in the back. The IO’s finished processing all the applicants about 1/2 and hour past the time on the oath letter. We just sat around in the courtroom making idle chit chat and admiring the wood work in the court room. There were around 50 people being naturalized. Some time later two women from the Milwaukee League of Women Voters came in and sat in the jury box.
Exactly 1 hour past the time in the oath letter, the door to the court room was shut and an assistant to the judge asked us to turn the power off to all cell phones. She insisted the power to the phone be completely off (not just on vibrate). She also warned that people with small children should make sure the children are quiet or risk getting kicked out from the courtroom.
The judge arrived in a couple of minutes and explained the two parts to the oath (renouncing loyalty to your former country followed by pledging allegiance to the US). The women from the league of women voters were there to hand out information about registering to vote. One of the IO’s placed a motion before the judge to grant citizenship to the people present. The judge granted the motion, asked us to stand and raise our right hand and repeat the pledge.
After the pledge, we were asked to exit the court room one at a time. The IO’s took the completed oath form and handed out our naturalization certificates as we left the courtroom. If you are in a hurry to leave make sure you get a seat near the entrance to the courtroom. That way you will be the first to get your naturalization certificate.
Good luck.
Here is my experience of the Oath ceremony in Milwaukee
Parking: There is a small parking lot across from the Federal courthouse on Wisconsin Ave. The parking rate increases gradually with a max of $8/day. The parking spaces are very small. If this lot is full, you can keep going along the alley way and there is another parking lot on your left before you reach Mason St. At this place the rate went up to $10/day
I entered the court house using the public entrance on Wisconsin Ave. We had to go through a security. Cameras, cell phones are allowed. Exiting the elevator on the 3rd floor we saw that a line was forming. There were about 20 people ahead of us including visitors. About 15 minutes before the time mentioned on the oath letter, two IO’s from the DO asked us to form to get our OL, Green card and WI drivers license (or WI state id) out. The oath letter does mention WI driver's license or State id but the officers were very particular about it. One person got pulled out from the line since they had a driving license from a neighboring state. I did not see them take their oath.
An officer goes through the questions on the back of the oath letter. If you did not fill the form out, he circles the yes/no depending on your answers and asks you fill the remaining portion out. Then we stood in another line where a person at a desk took your oath letter and green card and cross checked the information with a list. She kept the green card and gave me an envelope with a document on how to sign your naturalization cert, a text of the oath you are going to take and a copy of the constitution. I was wary of handing over my green card before getting my naturalization certificate.
Then we were led to a courtroom set-up with folding chairs. Guests were asked to go to the visitors’ area in the back. The IO’s finished processing all the applicants about 1/2 and hour past the time on the oath letter. We just sat around in the courtroom making idle chit chat and admiring the wood work in the court room. There were around 50 people being naturalized. Some time later two women from the Milwaukee League of Women Voters came in and sat in the jury box.
Exactly 1 hour past the time in the oath letter, the door to the court room was shut and an assistant to the judge asked us to turn the power off to all cell phones. She insisted the power to the phone be completely off (not just on vibrate). She also warned that people with small children should make sure the children are quiet or risk getting kicked out from the courtroom.
The judge arrived in a couple of minutes and explained the two parts to the oath (renouncing loyalty to your former country followed by pledging allegiance to the US). The women from the league of women voters were there to hand out information about registering to vote. One of the IO’s placed a motion before the judge to grant citizenship to the people present. The judge granted the motion, asked us to stand and raise our right hand and repeat the pledge.
After the pledge, we were asked to exit the court room one at a time. The IO’s took the completed oath form and handed out our naturalization certificates as we left the courtroom. If you are in a hurry to leave make sure you get a seat near the entrance to the courtroom. That way you will be the first to get your naturalization certificate.
Good luck.
Here is my interview experience:
My appt was at 1:20pm, and after waiting for a bit, I was called in at about 1:30 by a nice lady. After we went to her office, she made me take the oath to tell the truth. And then went about checking things on my application. One thing to note, make sure you carry passports which cover the time from when you got your green card. She checked my travel dates, and confirmed them from the passport.
Since I applied for the citizenship under the 3yr rule, she wanted some additional proof wrt the marriage (she did not need the marriage cert etc since they were in the file, but I gave her the recent tax returns that we had filed jointly, our car and home insurance which are in both our names, and the grant deed of our house).
Then the "test" part of the interview started. As far as I can remember, my 10 qns were:
How many in house of reps
Who is the Chief Justice of Supreme Court
Which month is the election for the president
Who is the father of the nation
Name an American Indian tribe
Name a couple of freedoms we enjoy
What in the preamble refers to self govt
I dont remember the other 3, but they were straight out of the list of 100 questions on the website
The English reading test was to read out "Who is George Washington". And the writing test was to write out the answer of this question.
After that I told the lady that I am planning on traveling out of the country starting late Apr, so she noted the dates, & put a post-it on my file asking for the oath date to be either before or after the vacation dates.
She also gave me a letter which said something to the effect that I am going to be recommended for citizenship and an oath letter will be sent after final review.
And the latest status is that I got my oath letter today, and the Oath date is Apr 23rd
My appt was at 1:20pm, and after waiting for a bit, I was called in at about 1:30 by a nice lady. After we went to her office, she made me take the oath to tell the truth. And then went about checking things on my application. One thing to note, make sure you carry passports which cover the time from when you got your green card. She checked my travel dates, and confirmed them from the passport.
Since I applied for the citizenship under the 3yr rule, she wanted some additional proof wrt the marriage (she did not need the marriage cert etc since they were in the file, but I gave her the recent tax returns that we had filed jointly, our car and home insurance which are in both our names, and the grant deed of our house).
Then the "test" part of the interview started. As far as I can remember, my 10 qns were:
How many in house of reps
Who is the Chief Justice of Supreme Court
Which month is the election for the president
Who is the father of the nation
Name an American Indian tribe
Name a couple of freedoms we enjoy
What in the preamble refers to self govt
I dont remember the other 3, but they were straight out of the list of 100 questions on the website
The English reading test was to read out "Who is George Washington". And the writing test was to write out the answer of this question.
After that I told the lady that I am planning on traveling out of the country starting late Apr, so she noted the dates, & put a post-it on my file asking for the oath date to be either before or after the vacation dates.
She also gave me a letter which said something to the effect that I am going to be recommended for citizenship and an oath letter will be sent after final review.
And the latest status is that I got my oath letter today, and the Oath date is Apr 23rd
Updated Timeline
Updated timeline :
__________________
12/30/08 : N-400 Mailed to Nebraska Service Center.
01/02/09 : Forwarded to Phoenix, Arizona Lockbox.
01/05/09 : USPS (mail delivered).
01/10/09 : NOA Received.
01/21/09 : FP Notice Received.
01/29/09 : FP Completed.
02/17/09 : Interview Letter.
04/01/09 : Interview Date (Complete and Approved)
xx/xx/xx : Oath Letter.
xx/xx/xx : Oath Date.
Updated timeline :
__________________
12/30/08 : N-400 Mailed to Nebraska Service Center.
01/02/09 : Forwarded to Phoenix, Arizona Lockbox.
01/05/09 : USPS (mail delivered).
01/10/09 : NOA Received.
01/21/09 : FP Notice Received.
01/29/09 : FP Completed.
02/17/09 : Interview Letter.
04/01/09 : Interview Date (Complete and Approved)
xx/xx/xx : Oath Letter.
xx/xx/xx : Oath Date.
Went for the interview and checked in about 20 minutes early. I was called in exactly at my appointment time. Was asked for my Driver Lic., GC and a copy of my latest tax returns. Answered my 6 questions, wrote and read correctly also. All the information on my application was re-verified. Then I was approved and a paper with my details such as name, DOB, etc. was printed out so that I could verify accuracy. That was it. I have to wait for oath letter to arrive in mail. I think it took about 20 minutes or thereabouts.
tigerinroc
Registered Users (C)
The Oath Letter arrived today for a ceremony on 4/9. By calling the local DO, I found out that my case was approved on 3/16, almost a month after the interview delayed by name check. The people answered the calls at the local office were very nice and even let me choose the time of the ceremony because there will be 2 ceremonies on that day in Rochester, NY.
It looks like I am the last one of those who applied in October 2008 to get the oath letter. But, the journey is almost over.
It looks like I am the last one of those who applied in October 2008 to get the oath letter. But, the journey is almost over.
Hey Sh1996, I am with you. I still don't know what is going on. Though many filers in my district (atlanta) have already received their interview letter.
Look my timeline below. Very similar to yours.
Good luck
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DoxATL did you get fingerprints done or had them on file from another application? If your fingerprints were from another application, tell them you didn't get a fingerprint notice and institute a service request? At least that makes someone look at/for your application...I did this to give me comfort that the application hadn't fallen behind someone's file cabinet.
Also, since it looks like Atlanta is not a slow district office generally, maybe call up customer service again to check in (it's been a month since you were placed in queue)? To get transferred to IO tell them everyone else you know in Atlanta has gotten their notice and that you need to talk to an IO to see if anything is wrong with your application (in name check, need to submit additional docs etc.) -- that excuse worked for me and I got transferred without much back talk this time. The officer I talked to on 3/31 also told me to call back in 2-4 weeks to check back in if I didn't get anything.
Good luck.
DoxATL did you get fingerprints done or had them on file from another application? If your fingerprints were from another application, tell them you didn't get a fingerprint notice and institute a service request? At least that makes someone look at/for your application...I did this to give me comfort that the application hadn't fallen behind someone's file cabinet.
Also, since it looks like Atlanta is not a slow district office generally, maybe call up customer service again to check in (it's been a month since you were placed in queue)? To get transferred to IO tell them everyone else you know in Atlanta has gotten their notice and that you need to talk to an IO to see if anything is wrong with your application (in name check, need to submit additional docs etc.) -- that excuse worked for me and I got transferred without much back talk this time. The officer I talked to on 3/31 also told me to call back in 2-4 weeks to check back in if I didn't get anything.
Good luck.
Lol, Trust me I call the customer service at least twice every week. I know my name check took a little longer, but at the infopass 2 weeks ago, I was told that it has been cleared.
As far fingerprint, I did one in February 2008 (about 1 year old), and once a customer service officer (2nd level) told me I did not need any new fingerprint. SO I am waiting to see.