San Antonio, Texas Timeline

[GR_Citizen]

N-400 San Antonio, Texas Timeline

Howdy,

Last week I had my naturalization ceremony in San Antonio (YEEE-HAW). Throughout the application process, this website and its members provided invaluable information lifting the fog that these processes typically entail and removing the associated uncertainty. As such, I wanted to give back and at least share the timeline associated with the San Antonio USCIS office. Here it is:

08-MAY-06:Sent complete N-400
11-MAY-06: N-400 arrives at USCIS
08-JUN-06: Fingerprinting notification arrives
15-JUN-06: Fingerprinting takes place
21-JUL-06: Interview appointment notification arrives
13-SEP-06: Interview appointment takes place
16-SEP-06: Naturalization appointment notification arrives
29-SEP-06: Naturalization ceremony takes place

The interview was very short (about 15 minutes). The officer went through my application and verified the information on it by asking me some questions. The ones that resonate the most are "how long did you stay with your employer after becoming a permanent resident" and "what is your status with the selective service." Then he proceeded to (without warning) ask me 6 civics and history questions. That's the minimum you have to answer correctly. I guess I got them all right.

There were the questions:
1. Who was the first president. (George Washington)
2. Who takes over if the president should die. (Vice-president)
3. Who is the Vice-president. (Dick Cheney)
4. How many states in the union. (50)
5. Who is the governor of Texas. (Rick Perry)
6. What's the minimum voting age. (18)

English question:
Write the following: "She wants to live with her brother."

He then marked "Approved" in about three places, asked me to sign the certificate (which was not filled out and showed no date) and handed me Form N-652 which indicated I had passed the civics, history, and English exam. I was concerned because the officer checked the option that read:

"A decision cannot yet be made about your application." Of course, I did not notice this until I had left and thus could not ask him what the reason was.

However, the ceremony appointment letter arrived shortly thereafter, which indicated that there were no problems with my application or name check.

I hope this information helps. I wish you all success in the process and hope to see you become a part of this wonderful family and nation.

Yours,
GR_Citizen

 

[zgadiwan]

Congrataulations!!
Can you share what was your answer to : "what is your status with the selective service."?

Also, did you register with the SS or get a waiver from them?

Cheers!

Howdy,

Last week I had my naturalization ceremony in San Antonio (YEEE-HAW). Throughout the application process, this website and its members provided invaluable information lifting the fog that these processes typically entail and removing the associated uncertainty. As such, I wanted to give back and at least share the timeline associated with the San Antonio USCIS office. Here it is:

08-MAY-06:Sent complete N-400
11-MAY-06: N-400 arrives at USCIS
08-JUN-06: Fingerprinting notification arrives
15-JUN-06: Fingerprinting takes place
21-JUL-06: Interview appointment notification arrives
13-SEP-06: Interview appointment takes place
16-SEP-06: Naturalization appointment notification arrives
29-SEP-06: Naturalization ceremony takes place

The interview was very short (about 15 minutes). The officer went through my application and verified the information on it by asking me some questions. The ones that resonate the most are "how long did you stay with your employer after becoming a permanent resident" and "what is your status with the selective service." Then he proceeded to (without warning) ask me 6 civics and history questions. That's the minimum you have to answer correctly. I guess I got them all right.

There were the questions:
1. Who was the first president. (George Washington)
2. Who takes over if the president should die. (Vice-president)
3. Who is the Vice-president. (Dick Cheney)
4. How many states in the union. (50)
5. Who is the governor of Texas. (Rick Perry)
6. What's the minimum voting age. (18)

English question:
Write the following: "She wants to live with her brother."

He then marked "Approved" in about three places, asked me to sign the certificate (which was not filled out and showed no date) and handed me Form N-652 which indicated I had passed the civics, history, and English exam. I was concerned because the officer checked the option that read:

"A decision cannot yet be made about your application." Of course, I did not notice this until I had left and thus could not ask him what the reason was.

However, the ceremony appointment letter arrived shortly thereafter, which indicated that there were no problems with my application or name check.

I hope this information helps. I wish you all success in the process and hope to see you become a part of this wonderful family and nation.

Yours,
GR_Citizen

 

[GR_Citizen]

Congrataulations!!
Can you share what was your answer to : "what is your status with the selective service."?

Also, did you register with the SS or get a waiver from them?

Cheers!

When the officer asked about it, I stated that I was granted PR three months after my 26th birthday and as such was not required to register with SS. That was sufficient for him. I did have with me a letter from the service stating that given the information I had provided, I was in fact not required to register. You should have an official letter from them with you. Apparently it depends on the officer (and his/her mood) whether they ask to see it or not. You should expect 2 to 3 weeks to receive the letter from SS, assuming the documentation is sufficient.

 

[zgadiwan]

Thanks for the info!
Can you share what needs to be done to get the official letter from SS?
Did you have to write to them/email them/call them?
Did you submit copies of your GC to prove your exemption? What documents does the SS require to issue the official letter?

Cheers!

When the officer asked about it, I stated that I was granted PR three months after my 26th birthday and as such was not required to register with SS. That was sufficient for him. I did have with me a letter from the service stating that given the information I had provided, I was in fact not required to register. You should have an official letter from them with you. Apparently it depends on the officer (and his/her mood) whether they ask to see it or not. You should expect 2 to 3 weeks to receive the letter from SS, assuming the documentation is sufficient.

 

[GR_Citizen]

Thanks for the info!
Can you share what needs to be done to get the official letter from SS?
Did you have to write to them/email them/call them?
Did you submit copies of your GC to prove your exemption? What documents does the SS require to issue the official letter?

Cheers!

No problem. Just follow the directions from this site:

http://www.sss.gov/instructions.html

I sent in the following documentation:

1. Fotocopies of my passport with stamps associated to first entry after obtaining H1-B.
2. Notices of action for the H1-B granting the visa for the period for which I would have had to register if I had not been under that status.
3. A letter from my employer stating that I was working under H1-B status during the time I was under 26 years of age.

I did call them a couple of times as they had some questions. Everytime they were very polite, efficient, and were able to quickly pull my file to verify status and fulfillment of information.

Yours,
GR_Citizen