Just Jenney

We're trying to plan a trip to the UK. It's been nearly 5 years since we've seen Mark's family, and due to a small inheritance he's just received, it's finally financially possible. We're still trying to work out when to go, but for various reasons we might go as early as the first week in March -- about 4.5 months from now.

However, with Mark's N-400 application currently flapping in the wind, we're very nervous about the timing of everything. Here's his N-400 timeline so far:

March 23 -- Mailed N-400 packet to VSC
March 27 -- VSC received application
April 13 -- Mark received I-797C Notice of Action from VSC, dated April 9th
April 16 -- Mark received biometrics appointment from Norfolk ASC for Wed 4/25
April 20 -- Mark mailed rescheduling request for biometrics appointment
April 30 -- Mark received new biometrics appointment for Wed 5/16
May 16 -- Biometrics appointment at ASC in Norfolk
Since May 16 -- Nothing, zip, nada, zilch...

According to the Norfolk ASC page on the USCIS Case Processing site, Norfolk is currently taking 7 months to process N-400 applications. Of course, it's said "7 months" for about two months now. It's not that we're getting impatient, just very anxious about planning this trip with his N-400 still up in the air.

So I have a few questions about what happens next in Mark's N-400 odyssey:

1) Does the 7 months start from when VSC received Mark's N-400 application on March 27th? Or does it start sometime in mid-April, when Norfolk sent us his first biometrics appointment letter?

2) Once he has his interview, how long does it take for Norfolk to set up the oath ceremony? A couple of weeks? A few months??

3) Am I correct in thinking that Mark can apply for his US passport at his oath ceremony? If so, does that shave off any time in getting his passport?

4) Given all of these dates -- past, present, and anticipated future -- do you think it's too optimistic for us to try to travel in early March?

I know there aren't too many people with direct experience with Norfolk, especially with the N-400, but any and all feedback would be appreciated.

fatbrit

Never heard of passport applications @ oath ceremonies, although at mine they had voter registration in the hallway straight after you came out of the court. He can certainly apply straight after, the same day if anyone's still open. Main places are post offices (but you often have to book and/or have a narrow window to apply (e.g. only certain days of the week or certain time slots) or commonly the clerk of your county trial court. Some town halls also do it round our neck of the woods. You'll have to go to the State Dept site and see what happens for your area.

BTW, you send of your natz certificate with your passport application, so he'll have no proof of citizenship till he gets it back in the same envelope as his passport.

To speed it up, you can pay for "premium processing". Or if all is at a loss, you can go to one of the few passport offices with your ticket and get it over the counter. Having seen the number of people on here who've fallen into this issue, you're right to be worried. However, reports seem to say that as USCIS have "pre-approved" you and your credentials already, natz folks get their passports quite quickly.

Unfortunately, with the vagaries of the unaccountable system, even the best laid plans go amiss. Perhaps see what you can do about making the ticket time flexible before buying?

meauxna

From my observations, it's '7 months' from your received date, aka your 'priority date' on the NOA. Remember that these things are not calculated with a fine point.. you are splitting hairs of days on one side or another.

No idea for N-folk. I simply stopped into my District Office one day when I was downtown and asked them how it works since we were having out of town guests for the ceremony and I wanted to know if a same-day oath was possible. At that time, I asked if DAH's namechecks were back in and they went and looked it up for me & said everything was back in and clear, so IF he got an 'early' appointment, before 12pm or whatever the cutoff was, and he passed, he'd be clear for a same day. My office is awesome, YMMV.

I don't think leaving in March is overly optimistic--it looks totally do-able. Based on his fiing date, you're looking at hitting "7 months" any day now. Had you been watching *past* performance for the office? Was the timeline a lot longer, or about the same (6 months is I think the shortest posted date they'll put up).

Even if he had to wait a couple of months for a ceremony, you'd still have time to get it all wrapped up for a March departure.

I have heard that they will have passport apps at some ceremonies but I was never clear on whether they can accept them there. Regardless, you can D/L the passport app and complete it beforehand, get the photos and everything else required ready and walk from the ceremony to a photocopy machine (please keep a copy of the certificate for yourselves before mailing it away!) and submit it immediately if you like. There is also the extra $$ premium rush service from the passport authority.
Or, you can be like us. We had a trip already booked when the interview date came in. The timing gave us a WEEK from oath to travel. We made an appointment for the Passport Authority in Seattle and drove the 3 hours up for a day trip and got the passport the same day. You MUST be traveling within 2 weeks to get one of these appointments. I *think* but am not sure, that DAH got a non-chipped passport because of this, so they still can't track him by sattelite.
Someone else did that Passport Authority thingie to San Fran last year because he had the same issue... only he flew from AZ(?) because that was less $$ than driving <g>.

Cute new pic!

Just Jenney

Thank you both for your feedback. We're just a bit anxious because 1) this is the first time since Mark immigrated here in May 2003 that we're planning an international trip; and 2) this is our last immigration hurdle and we don't want to screw anything up. We've made it this far, you know?

I'm pretty sure same-day oath ceremonies aren't available at Norfolk. In 4+ years, I've yet to read about anyone having one, which is why I'm curious about how long it takes from interview notice letter to interview to oath ceremony. Unfortunately, since Norfolk is a 90-minute drive from here, it's not really feasible for us to pop in and ask about this stuff. However, I could always write them a letter -- I've done that before and got a written response within 2 weeks. (Of course, that was 3 years ago!)

Right now, though, our travel dates are completely up in the air. We're waiting to hear from Mark's brother (who is really crap at responding to email, and impossible to get on the phone) about his plans to go to Oz in the spring. We obviously don't want to plan our UK trip when Neil won't even be there! Plus, a couple of my coworkers suggested that we try to go mid-May instead of March, as that's a good time work-wise for me to be out of the office. So, this may all end up being a little bit of stress for nothing!

Anyway, thanks for your gentle feedback. I know I tend to be a card-carrying member of the AR Club.

~ Jenney

ps. Thanks for complimenting my new photo. As much as I love my dog, I was getting tired of seeing her cute little face. Now I can look at my own cute little face! LOL

sdmansour

Hi Jenney,

My husband was recently naturalized through Norfolk. To answer your questions:

1) Don't know about the timeline but he applied in Jan. 2007, had his interview in July 2007 and had his oath ceremony in Norfolk Sept. 2007.

2) Answered above.

3) There was nothing at the ceremony to apply for a passport. He went to the post office right after the ceremony (once he was back in Richmond) and got the form (the orange one), filled it out and returned the following day to submit it for expedited processing. He got the passport back in about 2 weeks. The naturalization certificate was sent a couple of days later under separate cover. The cost was around $150.

4) If your timeline is similar to ours then, it looks like it would be ok. If you decided to go in May, I think you would be just fine.

Also, he went to DMV to get the form to register to vote, filled it out and then mailed it off the following day. He got his voter registration card within a week.

He is very proud of his brand new, shiny blue passport!

Debbie

Just Jenney

Hey Debbie -- thanks for your post. Please tell your husband that we said, "Congratulations!!" I keep forgetting you live in Richmond. Aren't you over in the Huguenot Rd/Robius Rd area? I work at UR, which isn't too far from there...

It's really great -- and reassuring -- to read someone's recent experience in Norfolk. Your timeline basically matches the processing times that are posted on the USCIS website -- 7 months from receipt date to interview. So assuming they're still on track, Mark should be getting his interview notice any day now.

As it turns out, we've settled on traveling in May due to family schedule conflicts in March. But I have to admit that pushing it back a bit will make me feel more relaxed about getting it all done in time (KNOCK WOOD!).

Could you tell me where in Norfolk your husband's oath ceremony was held? Was it at the district office, or a courthouse or something like that? I'm hoping it's just at the DO, because we're not familiar with Norfolk and at least we know where that is!

Also, what did he bring with him to his interview? I'm going to have to start reorganizing our paperwork (it's in a binder but I need to sort through it a bit -- and HE won't do it, that's for sure!) so if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears!

~ Jenney

sdmansour

Hi Jenney,

Yes we do live off Robious Rd. If I remember correctly, Sherif got his interview notice about 3 weeks before the interview date - so it was somewhere around the beginning of July.

The interview and the oath ceremony were at the same place, the office that is on a rounded corner. I know that sounds vague but I only went there with him to the oath ceremony so I am not too knowledgeable about the building name. I do know that he was fingerprinted, etc. at a different location but it was still in the same industrial park.

He brought all of the original documents that we submitted with the N-400. I did not go for the interview but I think I should have because the officer had doubts about our ongoing relationship and requested that he send more documents to show that we still were living together and he made the comment that he was becoming a citizen so quickly (??) - we filed right away when he became eligible for the I-751 and the N-400. We moved in June 2006 to our current home, submitted the N-400 in January 2007 so there was not a long history with our current address at the time of filing. (He was so mad that he had to do this because other than providing an official statement from my employer at the time we filed his initial visa paperwork, everything had been smooth sailing.) He overnighted that same day copies of many things just to show the officer that he was legitimate

The one day delay caused him almost a month in oath ceremony time. He got his oath ceremony letter in late August for an October 2007 ceremony in Richmond but then with about 2 weeks notice, he received another letter re-scheduling his ceremony for Sept. 21, 2007 in Norfolk. We are thankful that this chapter of our lives is complete.

Debbie

Just Jenney

Just a quick update that... we have no update.

It's now been 8.5 months since our priority date, and still nothing. I'm getting really annoyed, especially because I know that the holidays will mean no further progress for at least two weeks.

I'm starting to wonder when it would be appropriate to make an inquiry, get our congressman involved, etc. The USCIS website says that if it has been more than 30 days past the estimated processing time on their website (it currently says 7 months for Norfolk), Mark should call the I-800-misinformation line -- not promising. Since we're right in the middle of the holidays I don't even know if it's worth trying to have our congressman look into it now.

Ugh. I really hate to get stressed out about processing times, but he filed in mid-March and now the end of the year is upon us and we have nothing to show for it.

~ Jenney

ps. This is more of a venting than anything!

Just Jenney

Oops, hang on a second.

I just looked up Mark's case status online, and instead of listing the processing time as "7 months" (which is what it's said for the past 3 months at least), it now says that Norfolk is processing N-400 applications from April 6, 2007! Hmm.

Ok, so now I'm not sure what this means for us. According to his case status online, it says "On March 28, 2007, we received this N400 APPLICATION FOR NATURALIZATION, and mailed you a notice describing how we will process your case." But his online case status was "last updated" on April 12, 2007.

So which date is the one we should be going by? March 28th or April 12th? If it's March 28th, then that means we should be hearing something any day now (fingers crossed). But if it's April 12th, that means we have another 2-3 months to go, probably. Normally I wouldn't care but we can't make any inquiries until it's been 30 days, so when does the 30 days begin?



~ Jenney

Just Jenney

Anyone???

~ Jenney

Dan725

I'd say it's March 28th.

But, I really don't think it'll make that much difference at the stage you're at -too many other variables.

Elvira

Couldn't you just reschedule the swearing-in ceremony if need be?

Just Jenney

Technically, yes. But as most everyone can probably relate, we're nervous to push back anything and risk something getting lost in the shuffle. Our trip isn't until the beginning of May, so as long as his oath ceremony takes places by late February/early March at the latest, I think he'll be ok. That would give enough time to get his US passport.

I just think it's strange that as recently as 6 days ago, the processing times were listed in months instead of specific priority dates. Before, there was a whole long explanation about why they decided to do away with using the priority dates and instead given an average month timespan. Why the change? Seems odd to me...

~ Jenney

Elvira

I think you are worrying unnecessarily!

After all, Jersey and her DH missed their bloody interview date............. and it only proved a minor hick-up...

mickmills

The date you need to go by is listed as the priority date on the I-797 Notice of Action your husband received.

I wouldn't bother following the online processing times. According to the dates posted online, Memphis is processing applications from Feb. I applied at the start of June, & got my interview notice last week.

I hope you hear something soon.

BTW, my on-line status hasn't changed.