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Pathway for citizenship (2016-2020) filed at Washington Field Office (Fairfax, VA) with processing finalized during COVID pandemic
Disclaimer: I am not an immigration lawyer, the information below is to help inform others on the timeline and costs of my husband’s pathway to citizenship as this website (and others) gave us some peace of mind throughout the process. This post answers many of the questions I had throughout our pathway to citizenship. Our application was processed at the Washington Field Office (Fairfax, VA). The entire process cost $3,417.13: application fees for visas/permanent residence/naturalization: $3,095, plus cost of mailing applications (estimated an additional $100) and $222.13 for expedited passport book + mailing costs/fees.
Our starting situation: Married in March 2016, relocated and submitted application once we were at our new address. Husband entered the US on an F-1 student visa in 2013 and was working under OPT when we applied for our marriage license (I was still a student). I am a US citizen (born in US to US parents) and was the petitioner on my husband’s application for Green Card with sponsorship from my mother. We opted for the sponsorship since we were in grad school when we met/married and I was a Peace Corps volunteer before that. Despite having sufficient salary at the time of the application, we were worried that our historical financial situation would cause concerns of our potential reliance on public benefits and delay the process (in other words, we were marginally broke when we applied, but I had a new job starting June 1, 2016 and my husband was funded for PhD for 4 years!). We consulted but did not hire lawyers for the process, but spent countless hours researching information, gathering documentation, and preparing forms.

Permanent residence (aka green card, mail-in application)
5/27/2016: Mailed application for submission, I-130 and check for $420, I-485 and check for $1,070 ($985 application fee, $85 biometrics fee)
6/3/2016: Receipt date of application
6/10/2016: ASC Appointment scheduled (for biometric service)
7/1/2016: Attended biometric appointment
8/22/2016: I-765 – Notice date (Received Employment Authorization Card valid from 8/18/16-8/18/17)
12/12/2016: I-797 – Notice date (Received Permanent Resident Card valid 12/12/18-12/12/18). Note - we received green card with conditions making it eligible for 2 years.

Removal of restriction for Permanent residence (mail in application, can apply 90 days before expiration)
9/10/2018: Mailed application for submission, I-751 and check for $680
9/21/2018: application was rejected because we were missing the A-Number
Resent application (that mistake was our fault, but husband has SSN so we didn’t understand what the A-Number was and our government paperwork skills were a bit out of practice!)
10/1/2018: Receipt date of application
10/20/2018: Notice date of acceptance of application
6/14/2019: ASC Appointment scheduled (for biometric service)
7/3/2019: Attended biometrics appointment
8/5/2019: Notice date approval notice for I-751 Petition to remove conditions on residence (Received Permanent Resident card valid 12/12/16 – 8/5/2029

Application for naturalization (applied at uscis.gov online)
10/11/2019: Receipt and Notice date Receipt of I-797 (paid $725) for N-400
10/18/2019: ASC Appointment scheduled (for biometric service)
11/6/2019: Attended biometric appointment
3/12/2020: Notice date – Appointment scheduled for 4/17/2020
3/31/2020: Appointment cancelled (due to office closure from COVID)
7/21/2020: Notice date – interview scheduled
8/20/2020: Attended interview. Passed English test and the U.S. history and government test, but immigration officer decided not to approve his application on the spot noting “A decision cannot be made yet about your application” on form N-652. Please note: You will be asked 10 questions on the civics exam and you need to get 6 out of 10 correct to pass. If you have updates to documents, bring this with you and see if the immigration officer will accept them during your interview. Our case was delayed due to COVID, but she could have approved it on the spot, but said she didn’t have enough time review his application. This may be the only time you see an immigration officer in person before a decision is made on your case. Use it wisely, be respectful and polite (despite how you are treated) and bring all documentation with you to support your case. We sent in the required documentation for my husband’s application AND passed all test requirements, but was not approved on the spot.
8/21/2020: Request for evidence sent requesting additional information (latest lease, 2019 taxes, bank statements, etc.) Documents that were not available when we applied nearly a year ago, and were outdated due to the COVID delay.
8/27/2020: USCIS received additional information requested (uploaded through online portal)

After waiting some time, we began to grow weary. My husband needs to travel to complete research for his doctoral degree asap, and the country border opened October 1st, 2020 so that he could do field research. The online portal said that his application would be resolved by Nov/Dec 2020. We were not sure if this meant Oath Ceremony scheduled AND finalized or only processing time to approve N-400.
We spoke to a lawyer (a very kind free consultation) who advised us to physically mail in the response to the 'Request for evidence' after his interview. The lawyer stated he does not apply for anything online, as USCIS employees receiving paper documents must scan upon receipt, and therefore may process these documents quicker. Again, this is not direct professional legal advice, but you may consider trying this if you are trying to make this process faster. Our lawyer also advised us to mail using FED EX, but we sent certified by US mail (requires signature on receipt). We spent a lot of money sending each application Priority Mail Express (~$30/application), but certified should arrive within 1-3 business days and cost us ~$7 (however due to the election, it took about 5 days to arrive and we thought FED EX would have been better given the circumstances and delays at the time with the post office).
On 10/26/2020, we requested expedited processing as I am pregnant, and my husband needs to travel before his funding runs out for research. I will travel with him when he does research and give birth in his home country. We sent in an expedited request with letters of support from my doctor (stating the last safe date for travel during pregnancy) and his university (stating his funding will be finished in May 2021). Our justification was that we could experience severe financial loss due to any further delays in the process (invested 4 years in program, could have made 3-4x more by working). From research we found that financial loss expedited requests are NOT likely to make a difference in your case, unless paired with another extreme circumstance (e.g. life threatening or medical issue).

11/2/2020: Expedited request was received by USCIS.
11/3/2020: Online portal noted that they are actively reviewing our form N-400 on the online portal (we are not sure if the mailed in physical documents or the expediated request helped). Also note the date is election day in the US.
11/4/2020: Recommended that form N-400 was approved, husband was put in line for oath ceremony scheduling.
When checking the Case Status Online: https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do the portal said “We placed you in line for your oath ceremony and will send you a notice for <receipt #>, with the date, time, and location of your oath ceremony. You should receive your notice within 30 days of its mailing date. Please follow the instructions in the notice.” It was not clear if that meant we could receive an invitation in December, and still need to wait an additional month or more for the Oath Ceremony due to the terms of receiving “notice within 30 days of its mailing date”. Also, it turns out that would have been PAST the Oath Ceremony.

11/11/2020: We also contacted our congressman for assistance, who requested more info (11/13/2020) about our case to reach out to USCIS.
11/17/2020: Oath ceremony scheduled (note: this was posted on the online portal first, then we received the notice a week later in the mail, and again we do not know if contacting our congressman helped, but it is part of your representatives job!)
12/4/2020: Husband attended Oath Ceremony at Washington Field Office in Fairfax, VA. He was requested to come alone due to COVID, no more than 30 minutes before the appointment. The ceremony lasted 15 minutes with about 20 people present. Applicants were not able to apply for passports in person at the ceremony, but received a packet with information to do so afterwards.
We immediately went to the Post Office to apply for a passport. For first time passport application (DS-11), cost a total of $187.13 to US Dept. of State: passport book is $110, expedited $60 and expedited shipping was $17.13. An additional $35 fee for processing goes to the Post Office. We had to mail the certification of naturalization, so we only had it for about 20 minutes before having to send it out. Passport will be sent in 4-6 weeks (expedited) and original certification of naturalization in a separate letter.
We are finally done (albeit still hoping the passport comes in time for our 1/8/21 flight)! This process can be incredibly frustrating, filled with uncertainty, waiting and seemingly endless paperwork, but you will get through it! If I can make any recommendations, it would be to consult with an immigration lawyer if you have any questions about the forms you are filling out and can afford it (or can find free or reduced cost services), use certified mail from US Post to mail in applications or FED EX/UPS (as long as it ensures signature upon receipt), use the online application portal (when applicable) so you can monitor the progress of your application (it was only applicable for N-400 when we applied) and to avoid incessant monitoring of your mailbox and wondering whether your important documents were lost in the mail! You will get through this and you are valued in this country, please do not let this process discourage you! *Good luck!*
All Replies (3)
Second interview, please help
Hi guys ,
I had my interview since 5 months on September 6th . I passed the exam but the IO officer told me decision can’t be made and they need 4-6 weeks to make a decision.but until this moment I didn’t hear from them .
I tried all the ways by phone and electronic request and even sent them a letter without getting a reply . I never been in jail or had any security or illegal issue . They also didn’t ask me for any further evidence .
Anyone in same situation or knows what to do next .

Update:
I received the letter, and it says that I have an interview next week. It doesn't mention that this is a second interview. Also, it says I should prepare for a language and history test.
Is this normal? Can they redo the exams if you passed them? 

Thanks
All Replies (1)
Finally I got my naturalization Certificate
Finally I took my Oath of allegiance and got my naturalization Certificate yesterday at the Montgomery Alabama field office. My timeline below

Applied online 03/15/2020

Biometric reuse 08/11/2020

Interview scheduled 09/17/2020

Interview date 10/26/2020

Oath ceremony 12/04/2020

Thank y'all for your support, advice and comments. To all those who are still in the process, I wish y'all the very best.
All Replies (2)
Naturalization Interview Rescheduling
I would appreciate any insights into how long USCIS takes to reschedule a naturalization interview in Houston. I missed my first interview back in September because I had to be out of the country due to family emergency. I called USCIS to explain my situation and luckily was granted a second chance. On the email notification that I received, I was told that an interview will be rescheduled within 120 days starting on Oct 6th(the day a rescheduling request was granted). I was wondering if USCIS is pretty good with rescheduling an interview within that time frame or does it take longer than 120 days in actuality?

Any input is very much appreciated.
All Replies (0)
Dallas- November 2020 N400
Did anyone in Dallas area submitted N400 recently and receive the biometrics letter?
All Replies (1)
Citizenship
I have a query on N400 application for cittizenship. We have applied for naturalisation in September 2020. We have receieved the receipt notice and are waiting for the Biometrics appointment letter. Our timeline on the USCIS website says January 2020 for the application to be completed. However my Indian passport expires In August 2020. Is it ideal for me to renew my indian passport without taking any chances or what are the other options for me.
All Replies (4)
N-400 November 2019 Filer
Good morning everyone,

I Checked my case status today and got update:

December 3, 2020
Interview Was Scheduled
On December 3, 2020, we scheduled an interview for your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, Receipt Number IOEXxxxxxxxxxx. We will mail you an interview notice. Please follow any instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

Does any one know how long will it take to get the paper notice and how soon would the interview be? Thanks
All Replies (9)
Finally Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled - my timeline
Hi all,

Just wanted to share my timeline. Location: NYC

December 2, 2020

Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled

We placed you in line for your oath ceremony and will send you a notice for Receipt Number IOExxxxxxxxxx, with the date, time, and location of your oath ceremony. You should receive your notice within 30 days of its mailing date. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

December 2, 2020 Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled
December 2, 2020 We recommended that your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, be approved. Your case was submitted for quality review.
October 14, 2020 We scheduled an interview for your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.
October 1, 2019 We are actively reviewing your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. Our records showed nothing is outstanding at this time.
September 21, 2019 We scheduled you for a biometrics appointment
September 18, 2019 We received your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, and mailed you a receipt notice. It is being processed at our Integrated Operating Env location.
All Replies (6)
N-400 oath ceremony cancelled- Miami field office
Hi Everyone,

Hope you can help. I am extremely frustrated and in the dark. I have no idea why they called me for the oath ceremony on November 20th and then cancelled on November 9th. 3 weeks later, I am still waiting and there is no update from them. Could it because I was out of the country for 7 months due to Covid? I did inform USCIS in September that I was out of the country so when they reviewed my case in October, their records should have shown that I have been out for more than 6 months. Please see below the timeline of events and share with me any experience you might have. Is it common for USCIS to cancel oath ceremonies? I know on the said date they did have an oath ceremony. Thank you so much in advance for the advise and support.

November 9, 2020 Oath Ceremony Cancelled
October 27, 2020 We scheduled you for an oath ceremony for your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.
October 19, 2020 We recommended that your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, be approved. Your case was submitted for quality review.
October 19, 2020 Your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, was placed in line for oath ceremony scheduling.
October 19, 2020 We are actively reviewing your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. Our records showed nothing is outstanding at this time.
October 5, 2020 We received your response for Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.
August 5, 2020 We sent a request for initial evidence for your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.
August 4, 2020 We have cancelled the request for additional evidence for your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.
August 27, 2019 We scheduled an interview for your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.
October 19, 2020 We are actively reviewing your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. Our records showed nothing is outstanding at this time.
June 8, 2019 We scheduled you for a biometrics appointment.
June 3, 2019 We received your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, and mailed you a receipt notice. It is being processed at our Integrated Operating Env location.
All Replies (3)
N400
I need advice please.My i751 was transferred to NBC in October for interview and nothing after.I want to apply for N400 ,is it advisable or will it delay my interview?I’m in Chicago .Advice please
All Replies (2)

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