Gary and Logan- (guest from Cebu City, FL, Philippines)    •   04/23/2011 22:23:11 PM

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Dear Sir-Madam:I have been reading your info on the I-130 visa on the web.
  I am a U.S.citizen in the Philippines who legally adopted an orphan Daughter 4 years ago( legally here) and she was with me 3 years during the adoption process.She is now 7 and we want to go home to the U.S..
   If I have the documents is the I-130 the way to go?I was told since the Philippines was not Hague approved I must petition on the I-600---------long and drawn out plus expensive with 3 petitions.
                                         Thank You
                                 Gary and Logan

Sultan- (guest from Detroit, MI, US)    •   04/20/2011 22:22:50 PM

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3.1.11 application sent (through the lawyer)
3.25.11 appt for FP sent
4.18.11 FP
waiting for an interview

Vaidy- (guest from Fairfax, VA, USA)    •   03/31/2011 18:20:28 PM

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10/25/10 - N400 mailed to Dallas,TX
11/1/10 - Received by USCIS
11/2/10 - Receipt of payment mailed
11/8/10 - FP notice sent
12/2/10 - FP completed
12/27/10 - Yellow letter received
2/20/11 - Case transferred to USCIS Fairfax,VA
2/22/11 - Interview letter sent by USCIS
3/31/11 - Interview passed, same day Oath ceremony

Interview was much easier that I expected - 6 simple CIVICs questions. The IO asked for proof of the traffic tickets payments so I strongly suggest taking the court dispositions for all tickets. I also volunterily disclosed a couple of old tickets that I have 10 year back and provided the court disposition of payment.

I also took W2s, IRS transcripts, proof of current and prior employments but didn't have to use them.

Also, FYI - I heard from another applicant who interviewed at the same time, that she was asked to provide birth certificates of her daughters, who were <18 years old and they were not US citizens. Since she didn't have it, the case was continued - something to keep in mind if you have similar situation.

Good luck.

Salvador Vitanza- (guest from El Paso, 43, 226)    •   03/17/2011 00:56:30 AM

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My appointment was scheduled at 9:00 AM and I was at the waiting room 20 minutes earlier. My name was called at 8:50 AM (so be there ahead of time). The Immigration Officer was a friendly lady who sped through the whole procedure which was finished in about 9 minutes. I expected more questions and was greatly surprised to realize that it usually takes me longer time standing in line to pay for groceries at WalMart than what it took me to pass the citizenship interview. Overall, I would give high marks to my naturalization process. The only awkward moment was when I said that I wanted to drop my maternal last name for the citizenship certificate, but she insisted that I had to keep it because that was the way my name appeared on my birth certificate. All the USCIS guides on the matter say that the interview is the time when you can change your name, but I was not about to start arguing and proving the Officer wrong at a moment when she had power over my future. I would say that from the moment that I applied for a visa to come to the U.S. to my oath ceremony were fraught with anxiety and uncertainty. But none of the worst-case-scenarios that I used to play in my head came true. Now, that anxiety is over and I feel with the same rights and privileges as the descendants of the Mayflower pilgrims.

sapporo- (guest from COLUMBUS, Ohio, USA)    •   03/04/2011 01:27:11 AM

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N400 application filed on Nov 9th 2010
N400 priority date set on Nov 12th 2010
I-767c letter received on Nov 16th 2010
Fingerprinting notice on Dec 3rd 2010
Biometrics rescheduled on Dec 16th 2010
Biometrics established on Jan 3rd 2011
Interview notification on Jan 6th 2011
Interview completion on Feb 10th 2011
Oath Ceremony notice on Mar 3rd 2011
Naturalization set for Mar 23rd 2011

HSKhan- (guest from Marietta, GA, USA)    •   03/02/2011 23:50:19 PM

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11/17 Mailed package
11/29 Application Received for Applied N400
12/15 Did biometrics
02/04 -still no news on appointment date yet?

Some of my friends got their appointment letter within 3 months of sending application.

I guess as I am muslime male and single that my application process will take longer...

Angela Maloney- (guest from Milton, FL, )    •   03/02/2011 10:58:58 AM

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First filed N 400 Nov 23,2010
Rejected Dec 03, due to insufficient funds (raised the price $5 the day app was mailed!)
filed again Dec 3, 2010
received receipt Dec 15
FP app Jan 12, 2011
Interview Feb 23, 2011 (passed)
now I'm waiting

API- (guest from , Florida, USA)    •   02/03/2011 16:56:28 PM

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I just naturalized today in a court ceremony in Tampa, Florida and it was an excellent and fairly smooth experience. Here is my timeline and a few things I worried about that fortunately didn't become major issues:

05/04/2010 - Mailed N400 to Dallas,TX via FedEx
(08/03/2005 - Date I Received GC) - applied based on 90 day rule.
05/06/2010 - Received by USCIS per receipt. I was worried because I calculated 3 months prior to 5 years and not 90 days. Fortunately, I selected FedEx 2nd Day and not overnight and so it got there exactly 89 days before the 5 year anniversary. Was not even an issue on the interview.
7/21/2010 - Biometrics - took 10 mins.
9/8/2010 - Interview. Was very simple and was asked 6 questions, asked about name change, asked about marriage and provided marriage certificate, asked about baby born after application, provided birth certificate. Passed everything with flying colors. Was mainly concerned about 90 day rule, which turned out to be a non-issue.
2/3/2011 - Oath ceremony in Tampa, Florida. Wonderful court oath ceremony. Everything went off smooth. I was concerned about 86 days of overseas travel between the interview and the oath, but the law is clear that you have to spend 30 months outside the US to be considered ineligible for naturalization and I had 16. Took a copy of the relevant section and logs of all travels outside US with me in case it came down to that. Non-issue and naturalized as planned.

My suggestions:
1. If you're a male under 26 and have any intention of ever residing in the US permanently, register for the selective service. I had no idea about this, and got really worried when I discovered that it was a requirement. Through some luck it seems like I had registered while in college and I was saved. Just plain luck. I don't even remember when I registered.

2. Count (very precisely) the 89th day prior to your 5 or 3 year anniversary, and maybe wait another day or two. I can confirm that it is the date they RECEIVE the N-400 that counts and not the postmark date or date you send or sign it. I was concerned and spent hours doing research on this.

3. Keep a spreadsheet, probably in Google Docs, that will allow you to track ALL your overseas travel from the time you get your green card, as re-constructing this information is very difficult.

4. Ensure that you are very careful in the days leading up to your naturalization not to get any tickets or other issues on your record.

Sammy- (guest)    •   12/21/2010 20:34:31 PM

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Interviewed in Charlotte, NC, DEC 2010.

Had criminal history -receiving stolen property in 1992 and DUI in 1991. Also had a lot of traffic charges between 1990 and 1994. Was questioned about all of these during the interview; especially, the receiving stolen property. This almost created a problem but at the end of the day, the officer granted my application based on the fact that he believed I have rehabilitated.

Advise - Use a lawyer if you have criminal history. Lawyer not needed if no criminal history. The presence of my lawyer made all the difference, I probably would have been denied. I also prayed and fasted 3 days before the interview. I believe this helped tremendously.

I got sweared in today after 22 years on this thing. I cried after the swearing-in ceremony because of the long journey to victory. In anycase, I say God bless America, what a great country this is!

sol v- (guest from las vegas, nv, usa)    •   12/13/2010 19:00:42 PM

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2010-06-sent in application (after 6yrs of continued residence)
2010-07-check cashed
2010-08-biometrics/fingerprinting
2010-10-interview
2010-12-oath ceremony

NOTE:
If you are a male and you received your greencard between the ages of 18-26; please confirm that you have been registered for Selective Service as this may affect your application. You can verify online at www.sss.gov

b)I've read in previous posts that the interview officer was 'courteous'/kind/nice, etc. Don't expect that! My interview officer was very strict and did not crack a smile. I recall being told to "not move the chair" as I inched closer to his desk to sign some papers. So please, just go into the interview prepared to answer the basic questions; don't assume the officers are going to be your friends.