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Did naturalization interview end of July 2019, and the last update to case was in June. Wrote to USCIS 2nd week in September, and received a response indicating a document was sent first week in September requesting additional information, and case is suspended pending my response. To date have not received any documents from USCIS since interview letter. Subsequently called USCIS, who sent inquiry to field office, and I was also told during the call my address was updated twice in August, but I have not moved, and have not made any changes to my profile since submitting N-400 application. Customer service also could not find any documents requesting additional information. Field office responded to inquiry sent by USCIS customer service, to say case is still in a pending status, and I should receive a decision or other notice within 180 days, if not I can contact Customer service then. Is this normal?
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This sounds suspicious and worrying to me.
If you were sent an RFE (Request for Evidence) and did not receive it... then you will obviously never respond to it and therefore your case will be gridlocked indefinitely.
It is imperative that someone should get to the bottom of whether a request for information is or is not outstanding.
If an RFE IS pending.. you need to find out what was being requested and ensure that the response is provided.
If an RFE IS NOT pending... then this begs the question... why were you previously informed that an RFE WAS outstanding and is your case stuck in some false gridlock?
This is not a good position for you to be in and I sympathize.
In answer to your question "Is this Normal?"... all I can say is... I certainly hope not!
Sitting waiting for 180 days for non-existent documents to arrive does not sound like a good strategy to me.
Sitting waiting for 180 days to determine that the case was stuck in an incoherent gridlock is also a poor strategy.
If documents ARE being sent and you are NOT receiving them.. you need to know what those documents are and why you are not receiving them.
If documents ARE NOT being sent but you are being informed that they ARE being sent... you need to know why your case is generating false and inaccurate messages.
All I can suggest is that you persist with your inquiries to get these questions answered and hope that someone in USCIS has the gumption to realize that this is not a typical delay in the system. There is inconsistent data in the system and they need to get to the bottom of this for you.
If you do not get satisfactory answers to your questions, the usual complaint procedures include contacting the USCIS Ombudsman to get those answers and/or contacting local politicians.
You need to emphasize to everyone you speak to that you are receiving contradictory information and that you need to find out exactly what is (or is not) pending. This does not sound like a typical "wait and see" delay. There is inconsistency in the system relating to your case.
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Agreed. Most likely the mail carrier misdelivered the RFE. Wait 30 days for a decision in case there was no RFE, and then start inquiring. Consider hiring an attorney.Comment
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Greatly appreciate all the responses! I spoke with USCIS again, and it seems with each call, I get a little more information, and clearer understanding. The last call, the IO made reference to the N-652, which until now I had not paid much attention to. The N-652 does indicate that the Civic portion of the test was completed successfully, but "A decision cannot yet be made about your case"is checked. The IO said the 180 days advisory is usually seen in cases where further investigation is needed, but did not see any such notation on the file to indicate that to be the case. IO advised to count the 120 days from the Interview date, and if I do not hear from the Field Office, then contact the customer care center again for them to make an inquiry, but there is not much they can do in terms of intervening until that time has elapsed. Still nothing explains the address changes logged on the file, and the seemingly conflicting notifications, but I wait, and will update the forum if anything changes. Thanks all!!!Comment
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It still sounds to me that the USCIS support people are not hearing your concern and are giving standard scripted answers.
You are not complaining that this is taking too long.
You are complaining that people are making mistakes with your case and that your case may now be stuck in never-never-land.
As I read your posts I try to imagine what might be happening behind the scenes. Let me give you a possible fictional analysis...
1) Someone whose name is similar to yours or someone whose account number is similar to yours has changed their address.
2) Instead of updating this stranger's account.. USCIS accidentally updated YOUR account.
3) USCIS then realized their mistake and changed your address back to undo the error.
4) This could explain why there might be TWO address changes in August
5) Perhaps the RFE was not related to YOUR case but was related the OTHER person's case.
This is just a story I invented.... but it seems to fit the description you are giving. Whatever is going on... it sounds weird and disconcerting to me.
So this makes me wonder.... is that what really happened? If so... can you be certain that your case is now in a good state or could there be inconsistent confusion in the system because the system thinks that YOU need to reply to an RFE when it is actually the OTHER person who needs to respond. etc. etc. etc.
I think USCIS needs to be made to understand that errors have happened and they need to get someone with experience and gumption to look into your case and the other person's case to make sure that everything is correct and as it should be. Are there still address errors? Is your case stuck in a "waiting for RFE response" or isn't it? etc. etc. etc.
Like I said previously.. make sure that the people you speak to fully hear your concerns and that they fully understand that mistakes may have been made that may have put your case into limbo.
Good Luck
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Update, I received my Oath Ceremony notice this week. Will give another update when process is complete. Thanks again everyone!Comment
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Great news! Did you get to the bottom of the mix up?
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And the conclusion of the matter, I am now officially a Citizen of the United States Of America. It was a lovely ceremony, all the officiants were super friendly, welcoming, and accommodating. The gentleman that lead the ceremony did a superb job. Thank you all for your input!Comment
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