kins

Brit In TN

And there we go! Swore/mumbled my oaths, got my certificate and I'm now 'muhrican. Only had to travel to Chattanooga this time ( a mere 200 mile round trip), so I'm taking that as a 'Welcome To America' gift from the government.
The whole process only took about 7 months. (Not including the 20 years or so of procrastination on my part.)

Pulaski

Congratulations!

Steerpike

Same here - 25+ years after I arrived, I got around to it. I did it purely for practical reasons; never had issues with work, but since I'm likely to be here for the rest of my life, I figured it would be better to take away the 'uncertainty' associated with 'green card' living.

For me it was a tedious process and the ceremony (thousands, it would seem, at the Nob Hill Masonic Center) was a bit of a hassle, but - I will say it was uplifting to see all those people who really 'cared' about becoming citizens, as you say Nutmegger - for many, this is a major step in the progression of their family.

I ended up paying an attorney to walk me through the whole process, not because it's 'hard' but because I could never get around to it on my own; I kept downloading the application forms, starting to fill them out, then getting hung up on some question or other and losing steam. I did a ton of international travel back then, all over the place, and you have to document each and every trip outside the country ... this alone was a big research project! I had to dig up old speeding tickets, deal with the fact I'd been married/divorced, etc etc.

markonline1

Yeeee haaaaw!!!! Congrats .

Steve_

I did my naturalization ceremony at Lake Minnewanka, so that put all the staff there in a really good mood because it's up by Banff and they apparently only do it there once or twice a year (CIC asked me if I wanted to do it there, mainly because I was the first one out of the test hall during the citizenship test).

So there were 50 of us + family in a tent. It felt like I was getting married tbh and they'd put on rather marriage-like festivities with cakes and performers, I think it was more of an excuse for a jolly for the immigration people than anything else.

There were various VIPs there too which I assume is unusual, the Mayor of Banff gave a speech and the head of the western division of Parks Canada gave a speech too: ("I'm sorry my French stinks, but we're going to find out just how bad yours stinks in a moment").

There was a very marriage-like C&W band, we got bags and bags of swag, you name it, posters, flags, lapel pins, Park Canada passes, stickers, refrigerator magnets, pens, water bottles, etc.

There was some theatrical performance about how the grey bear and the black bear co-exist in the forest.

And finally... we got to the oath...

Je jure
Que je serai fidele
Et porterai sincere allégiance
á Sa Majestié la Reine Elizabeth Deux
Reine du Canada
A ses hériters et successeurs
Que j'oberverai fidelement les lois du Canada
Et que je remplirai loyalement mes obligations
de citoyen canadien.

Then we did it in English (which was a bit odd for those of us from Commonwealth countries).

Then I went up on the stage to receive my certificate (I was last, because of leaving the test hall first months ago and being tagged on at the end).

And then we got to sing the bilingual version of the national anthem.

And I'm hear to tell you after that palaver I'm about as Canadian as it gets.

Just think, if I hadn't taken 90 seconds to do my citizenship test I would have had to do it in the classroom at the federal building.

sir_eccles

A fairly typical timescale.

I just want to point out that for those erring on the side of should I/shouldn't I, if you want to vote in the upcoming primaries and general election there are deadlines for registration (check your State for details). Don't miss out!

scrubbedexpat091

US seems far more efficient then Canada.... I haven't applied yet, but CIC website says 24 to 36 months to process and complete citizenship applications.

Apparently the backlog should be gone by 2015/2016.

kevntrace

Similar for me too. The greencard was coming to the end of its 10 year life, and I thought might as well pay once for citizenship rather than keep paying for greencard renewals.

I was also doing a fair amount of international travel over the period (and we always go back to the UK for our annual hols), so it was a bit daunting to go back and try and document it all. Did it though without an attorney.

Ceremony was in a theatre in downtown Oakland, must have been 400 - 500 people. As they announced each nationality, they asked you to stand up so everyone could see.

I have to say, the whole citizenship process was far more straightforward and less stressful than either the H1B stuff of the greencard stuff, which was a bit of a pleasant surprise.

Despite the fact we got our citizenships the "hard" way, there was no particular emotional attachment to the ceremony for me. I had to do the ceremony separately from my wife because on the initial date offered I was already booked for travel via a work engagement - my wife was able to go and get her citizenship. I had to turn down the second offered date for the same reason. Finally managed to make it the 3rd time around.

Cardienscarf

Congratulations!

Pulaski

Even Mr Folinsky agrees that the difference is that, after going through the prior immigration visa and green card processes, the US government actually wants you to become citizen.

Redwing

[QUOTE=Brit In TN;11652810Only had to travel to Chattanooga this time ( a mere 200 mile round trip), so I'm taking that as a 'Welcome To America' gift from the government.
[/QUOTE]
Congratulations. I had my interview in Chattanooga, but the naturalization ceremony was held in Knoxville. Mind you that was 30 years ago.

Steve_

What? And I thought it was bad when I did it! That was around 15 months as I recall.

Anyway the reason why it's faster in the US is because after 9/11 there was a massive surge in people applying for citizenship which led to USCIS having to get their act together. Also, USCIS operates on full-cost recovery so they have more direct control over their staff.

At CIC they're always trying to put out fires and moving people around all over the place. Which is how INS used to work, until they let some terrorists in on F-1. Strangely after the deaths of nearly 3,000 people they were required to pay closer attention.

Steve_

This is the problem in Canada, they're only valid for 5 years. It's basically impossible to get citizenship processed before your card expires so you are compelled to renew your card even though you may already have applied for citizenship.

It's total madness. If they made them 10 years validity, then there would be less cards being renewed and those staff could process citizenship applications.

Hotscot

We filled the Staples Centre in downtown LA. Thousands.

And they bloody got the wrong gender on my certificate. Morons!