waiting for 2.5 years

[krisj]

My boyfriend sent in his N-400 in summer 2005, he said he got the case number/application number after a couple weeks.

Then until Novermber 2007, he received the first letter saying that it's in process (it might due to his inqury summer 2007), let him get ready for the exam, and they will inform him the date of the exam.

Feb 2008, he received another letter, saying it's in process, and local office will inform him to come in the take the exam and interview... and it can take up to 730 days.

We checked the local office process time, they are processing/completing case filed Feb 2007 now. So do they consider him as filed summer 2005 or filed Feb 2008? Since it's abnormally longer than most of the process I saw here, will it be able to complain about it? Or push them a bit about it? Is it finding a lawyer will help? Is it very important to us since we are getting marry and after 1.5 years done with school and OPT, I have to leave the country if he hasn't got his citizenship.

Any input will be very appreciated.

[Marie]

Have you guys moved?

I posted on your other thread too.

[krisj]

We posted in both sides, hope that the expert in N400 might can give some input about the process. Thank you!

[mouse7r]

I honestly dont know why your N-400 is taking so long, mine only took 6 months start to finish.. the longest anyone I know who has filed a N-400 (thats 6 people close to me) took a year. Have you made any changes to the application? Have you called them? With my mothers application, she called them a bunch and they had 'mis-laid' her file, but they found it and got the process moving again.

[krisj]

No, he only sent them a status check request last year, and got back kinda automatic answer: in process. It's very fraustrated. So you think he should call the local office to check?

Thank you!

[discoviking]

Why do you have to wait until he is a citizen before you get married? He can sponsor you as a permanent resident too. You can get started now, and upgrade the petitions once your boyfriends N-400 get straightened out.

That's a long time for an N-400, though. Mine only took 8 months or so. Sounds like something has been misplaced, unfortunately.

[krisj]

He finally got the notice to give fingerprint, but it's kinda wield that I saw in this forum, giving fingerprint and taking exam is the same day. Is it?

But at least progressing slowly.

[Marie]

where is he from?

[discoviking]

Fingerprinting and the exam is not on the same day. Fingerprints are for the FBI background check.

[krisj]

So do you know how long he need to wait for interview after taking fingerprint?

It's the first time he can see a real person, do you think it's possible to talk to them and tell them he is waiting for 2.5years, and see if they can process faster for his case? Or the staff works on fingerprint has nothing to do with process?

Thanks

[discoviking]

Sorry, I don't know how long it will take for your boyfriend after the fingerprinting. I had my fingerprints taken in June 07, and the interview was Feb 08, but that does not mean you boyfriend is lookin at the same timeline.

I don't think the people at the fingerprint appointment will be of much help either, but it can't hurt to ask.

[discoviking]

But I still don't understand why you have to wait for your boyfriend to become a citizen before you marry him. There is no reason why he can not sponsor you as a permanent resident so you can get the process started now.

[angel_eyes]

Fingerprinting and the exam is not on the same day. Fingerprints are for the FBI background check.

fingerprinting and the exam can be taken on the same day... i took my exam immediately after fingerprinting... the lady asked me if i wanted to take the exam that day and i said yes... so it can be taken on the same day... but i don't think they do it often though coz most of my friends took their fingerprinting and the exam at different dates

[discoviking]

Ok, I'll admit it when I'm wrong. Was that just the exam you took, or the full interview? I guess the procedures are different depending on which center you are being processed through.

[angel_eyes]

it was just the history and english exam...the interview was months later

[krisj]

So is it after fingerprint, then next step is exam, then next step is Interview, then next step is ceremony? Is it the interview and ceremony are in the same day?

Also can you help me to define the filed date? Since we can check USCIS website that the process time of each local office, By Feb 15th, they have finished process May 09, 2007. But my boyfriend filed Summer 2005. However, he received the letter in January this year, that the local office said they received his file on Jan 22, 08 (Of course, he got the receipt from Taxes office 2005). So do they count him filed Jan 22, 08?

Thank you for your advice, we are going to find a attoney to consult if it's better that he sponsor me when he is still a LPR, or we better wait.

Thank you guys.

[discoviking]

So he moved from Texas to somewhere else? That would explain the delay. Back in the day when I was waiting for my green card, I moved from NY to NJ and ended up in limbo for over a year, too. It took a while for the file to be transferred.

Since he got his fingerprint appointment now, it sounds like his application has come alive again, though.

The process is different from office to office from what I understand, but this is basically what will happen next: Your boyfriend will go and get his fingerprints taken. Depending on the where that is, he may or may not be able to take the test. The test is only the civics and english test. It does not really matter if he is able to take the test at the fingerprint office, or waits until the interview. He will not be approved until he passes his interview, anyway.

Once the fingerprints are taken, the will be sent to the FBI, who runs a bacground check. After that, he will be scheduled for his interview. This will most likely be a few months from now. It took 7 months from my fingerprints to my interview. It may take longer or shorter for your boyfriend, depending on which office he is going through.

At the interview, they will approve or deny citizenship. If approved, he will be scheduled for the oath ceremony. Mine was on the same day, in other offices it may be a different day. It should not be more than a couple of weeks later at the most. He will not be a citizen until he has had his oath ceremony and receives his naturalization certificate.

I agree with your decision to talk to a lawyer, but make sure the lawer is qualified in immigration law. If you are on a student visa now and it will expire soon, you need to find out what your options are so you don't do anything that will cause problems later in the process. I don't see how it can hurt anything to get a I-129 and/or I-130 petition started now, though. But I'm not a lawyer.

[krisj]

Thanks for your advice, that is very useful, and through this forum, I learnt alot. I'm on student visa, and graduating in May, so after May I have one year OPT, till July 2009, I will be legally stay in the US. The thing bothers me is that some employers don't want to consider me even I told them I don't need their sponsorship and I will get my status done within a year, big company doesn't take promise. So it really narrow my opportunity, but at least I already secure one job which is in my filed and ok with my status, but just their pay is not meet my expectation. Need to be patient. Hopefully my boyfriend's fingerprint today will be good and he got the chance to talk to people.

I just want to clearify that he didn't move from Taxes, he always live in Miami. Isn't it he send all his package to one of the 3 service center (so Taxes is responsible for FL), after they process, they will send back to local office for fingerprint, exam, interview...? That's what we understand.

[discoviking]

That is correct. The local office will handle his case from here on. Something happened to his file in the Texas 'service' center, but I doubt you will ever get a straight answer to what that was.

[discoviking]

If your deadline is July 2009, I would get a petition for you started now. When are you planning to get married?

[krisj]

I don't want to get marry so early, since we gotta have enough money to have a princess wedding. But because of the status, we can get marry anytime, and just finished the paper for marriage, and have the wedding later.

He went to fingerprint today, and they said he passed the background check (very quick, I thought he need to wait for the result). But people there don't know much of other part, told him usually took 6-8 weeks to come in and take exam. Do you know when will be the oath ceremony? I heard that only few times per year. Different office different?

[discoviking]

Sorry, I don't know what the procedure is in Florida, since I am in New Jersey. But I don't think it will take very long between the interview and the Oath ceremony. They may even do it on the same day. Maybe somebody who went through the process in Florida can give you more details.

[krisj]

Thank you for all your help discoviking! Just hope that everything is going to be done fast. I'll keep you posted.

[lizzie9984]

wow your case is weird ... i filed my n400 last year in may i got the fingerprints in july last year and i have the interview coming up in april after the interview they will send the oath ceremony appointmen at least couple weeks later i live in cali though dont know how florida works. thats a long time to wait though.

[krisj]

Things seem going in a good direction. My boyfriend got the letter today for interview on April 12th, I haven't seen the letter yet, but why he has interview before he takes exam? Or is it the exam same date as interview?

[discoviking]

The exam is part of the interview. They review his application to make sure everything is ok, and they give him the exam. If everything is in order, he will be approved at the interview, and scheduled for an oath ceremony. The oath ceremony can be the same day, or a couple of weeks later, depending on the procedures of the office interviewing him.

Sounds like his application got moving pretty fast again once they got it out of wherever it was stuck.

[krisj]

But you know what, my boyfriend's brother summited the application the same day 2.5 years ago, and he hasn't even got his fingerprint yet. How these USCIS people work?

[krisj]

Update!!!!!
My boyfriend (actually is fiance) went to the interview last Saturday. The interviewer told him that he passed, but didn't give him any paper or anything, and just let him to wait for the letter for ceremony. Since he said the interviewer was very rude, so I just wanted to ask is it normal that you don't get your date of oath right after interview? And also the interviewer was very picky, in the letter informing him to interview didn't require him to bring 2 photos, but she asked for them, so he had to go out and took it within 30 mins.

How long you think he need to wait for the ceremony? Anyway we can find out what date is the upcoming one?

Thank you!

[Salsa2]

My friend just got her citizenship. She was interviewed in Denver. They sent the ceremony date to her in the mail. The ceremony was about a month or so after the test.

Congrats to your fiance on passing the test!

[Marie]

Congrats!! :yay2:

[mouse7r]

My ceremony was a month after my interview! Congrats :)

[krisj]

My fiance is going to the oath ceremony on May 29th. Finally going to be done on his side and going to start on my part. I just wonder when he patition me or me apply for green card, do we need his US passport? Or just the nutralization certificate? Will he get any certificate when he goes to ceremony?

[discoviking]

At the ceremony he will have to hand in his green card, and they will give him his naturalization certificate after he takes the oath.

While the naturalization certificate is proof of his citizenship, I would reccomend that he gets a US passport as soon as possible afterwards. For an extra $20 he can also apply for the new credit card sized US passport card at the same time he applies for his regular passport.

He should also register to vote as soon as he becomes a citizen. That is not a requirement of course, but he would want to have a say in who gets elected president in November, right?

[krisj]

My fiance is going to oath ceremony tomorrow, just wonder what is the proper attire?

[krisj]

The end:

My Fiance went to the ceremony this morning, and got his naturalization certificate! It completes a almost 3 years N-400 journey.

[eau_xplain]

krisj, you can get married and your (soon to be) spouse can file the I-130 while his naturalization is still pending. But, you are right in that you cannot adjust status while staying in the US until he becomes a USC.

[iagarcia2004]

Congrats to your boyfriend!!!!! It must be such a relief for it to be over for him!

[artsolis]

That happen to us too the issue was the FBI, My wife had 3 diferent names before(last names) and that was the reason why took so long in our case
we apply Nov 2005
3 weeks later she had the interview and test she pass
6 months later they ask for more paperwork
3 weeks later they sad the FBI didnt clear her yet.
2 year later we call the NATIONAL CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER AT 1800-375-5283
we ask why was taking so long , the officer put a not in the system on our case been
"outside normal processing times"
a month later the FBI clear all her names

good luck