Seattle DO - N-400 timeline

SunnyJ said:
Hey all, new here ( well, not really,, but in terms of citizenship I am). I have couple of questions:
1. I am applied for the N400 1.5 months prior to the 5 year anniversary ( May 2009) and I was oversease for a total of 41 days in between. How does that work in terms of application approvals.. Will the processing or approval be delayed for 41 days?
2. What is the average duration in Seattle area end to end? just curious
3. Some of you are mentioning about the Fingerprint on walk-in basis,, does that mean you did the FP before your scheduled date?

Thanks in Advance..
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome, SunnyJ! To answer your questions:

1. You should be fine with 41 days. USCIS starts to get excited with 6 month or greater length trips.

2. You are welcome to download the spreadsheet for Seattle filers but, in a nutshell, it appears the processing times are getting shorter. They used to be 18 months or more down to about 5 to 6 months, currently.

3. Yes. Simply have your FP notice and take it over to Tukwila before your scheduled date. I did it without issue but it might depend on how busy they are. If you have a reason you can't attend your scheduled date, then go early and not bother with re-scheduling as you may not know when they will send another FP notice.

I hope this helps.
-Rafiq
 
Thanks Rafiq.. appreciate that. To clarify, the 41 days away from US is not a factor that is used to push the approval process? In other words, the processing will move forward as with others without any absense from US in their 5 year period prior to application.. I assume.
 
SunnyJ said:
Thanks Rafiq.. appreciate that. To clarify, the 41 days away from US is not a factor that is used to push the approval process? In other words, the processing will move forward as with others without any absense from US in their 5 year period prior to application.. I assume.
Click to expand...

That is right.
 
Can't believe it is all over! I was very fortunate to not have had any problems throughout the whole process - I certainly appreciate that.
The Oath Ceremony was interesting and once it got underway, took no time at all. The waiting to get through security took over an hour (the time on the appointment was 2pm but the ceremony did not start until 3pm) and many of us were outside for over 45 minutes - thankfully it didn't rain but it was very cold. I remembered to bring a book to read which kept me occupied during the wait. I certainly recommend a jacket/coat in case it is cold or raining and something to read as it you can be outside for quite some time. There were 120 of us from 34 different nations being sworn in. For many it had been a considerable and emotional journey.
I wish everyone here a trouble free and speedy journey to US citizenship.
 
Congrats Joxer... So, I think in Seattle there is no on the spot Oath ceremony? It has to be scheduled one or two weeks after the Interview? Or you had a name change situation?
 
Thanks SunnyJ.
At my interview I was given an appointment for the following week for the oath ceremony - no name change or anything else. This was also the case for Andy99 and Mr Vertigo - see previous page.
Take a look at Rafiq's very useful spreadsheet for timelines - thank you Rafiq for keeping this going.
Good luck with your application.
 
Spreadsheet Update

Congrats Joxer! I hope you will enjoy your new freedom. It's my pleasure to work on the spreadsheet.

Welcome SunnyJ! I have added you to the spreadsheet. Please update us as new developments occur.

-Rafiq
 
just my FP update~~~~~

-----------------------------------------------------------
D/O : Seattle
02/10/09 : N-400 Mailed To Phoenix (street address) by overnight
02/11/09 : N-400 Received (According to FedEx)
02/11/09 : Priority Date
02/18/09 : Cheque Cashed
02/21/09 : I-797C, Notice of Action Received
02/26/09 : Notice Date - Fingerprint Notification
03/02/09 : Received FP Notice
03/23/09 : FP Appt Scheduled & Done ~
 
Well finally I got my Notice of Action yesterday. So the 1 week between Receive date and NOA date is holding true. Lets see whether the Fingerprint notice comes within 2 weeks... :)
 
Interview - Updated File

I had my interview to day and I must say this was a far better experience than I had with the I-485 process...

Since I live in south Everett, I made my there early and arrived at about 11:30 AM which was half an hour before my noon interview. I passed through security quickly and was the only on in line for anything. The receptionist scanned the barcode on my I-797c and told me to proceed to the second floor waiting room. When i got there, there were 3 other people waiting so I sat near them in the third row. At noon, my name was called and I was escorted by a very professional IIO to her office. After oath, she proceeded to review my application. She asked for my green card and driver's license only. I told her that I had a copy of my application and if it was ok to follow along which she said it was fine. She asked my address and if I was married. She didn't make an issue that I was married 3 times. She asked if I was still with the same employer and if there were any changes to my travel. I did mention my trip to Canada which she added to the top. Everything was smooth, affiliations ok and then the dreaded question 16. Since the latest violation - a broken front light was in 2004 - she simply checkmarked it and moved on. She asked the other questions and I answered appropriately. I then was asked to read a sentence and write the response on another sheet. The 6 civics questions were:
What is one promise you make when you become a US citizen?
Who is the governor of the state?
Name 2 national holidays?
Who was the first president?
Where is the statue of liberty?
What did Martin Luther King Jr. do?
She then had me to print my full name 3 times on the application and write my full name on the pictures. She then printed a N-652 stating that I passed and Congratulations. Then a minute later I received an N-445. My Oath is 13 April 2009!!!!

I was with this board from the beginning and was a member of the previous board Mr. Khanna had when I was going through Labor Cert. and to me this has been a great resource for the immigrant community. I simply can't thank Mr. Khanna enough.

More to come.
Rafiq
 
congrats rafiq. thanks for sharing.

-----------------------------------------------------------
D/O : Seattle
02/10/09 : N-400 Mailed To Phoenix (street address) by overnight
02/11/09 : N-400 Received (According to FedEx)
02/11/09 : Priority Date
02/18/09 : Cheque Cashed
02/21/09 : I-797C, Notice of Action Received
02/26/09 : Notice Date - Fingerprint Notification
03/02/09 : Received FP Notice
03/23/09 : FP Appt Scheduled & Done ~
xx/xx/09 : ???
xx/xx/09 : ???
xx/xx/09 : ???
 
Congrats Rafiq. Great news indeed... I guess in Seattle its a week after the interview that the oath gets scheduled. I wonder whether the oath is done by a federal judge or just by their office. Anyone knows?
 
Update:

-----------------------------------------------------------
D/O : Seattle
02/10/09 : N-400 Mailed To Phoenix (street address) by overnight
02/11/09 : N-400 Received (According to FedEx)
02/11/09 : Priority Date
02/18/09 : Cheque Cashed
02/21/09 : I-797C, Notice of Action Received
02/26/09 : Notice Date - Fingerprint Notification
03/02/09 : Received FP Notice
03/23/09 : FP Appt Scheduled & Done ~
04/06/09 : Yellow CFR Notice Dated 04/01/09 Received (Doc Checklist).
xx/xx/09 : ???
xx/xx/09 : ???
 
well...its a bit perplexing but i suppose it has to do with two citations (one for speeding and one for expired tabs) in the last 5 yrs.. both were dismissed. i mentioned them in my N400 app however.

anyway the exact text on this yellow letter is..

"
You indicated in your application that you have been arrested. For these arrests and any other incidents in which you may have been involved, bring originals or certified copies of all arrest records and court dispositions showing how each incident was resolved
"

i was never arrested ...but i guess this might be just standard text in this notice.

i dont have originals/hard copies of both these citations.. but i called the local county court and they send i could print them out at a computer there. so i intend to go this week and get a print out. hopefully that is enough.
 
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