My N-400 case - an FYI

[nobujak]

Just wanting to share my experience with others...this is my ongoing naturalization processing. Apr 8, 2013 was the 5th year anniversary of my permanent residency. I mailed my application for naturalization early May. On May 10, a message was received on my iPhone, confirming receipt of my application.

On May 27, biometrics is taken.
On Aug 5, an interview is held at the Washington DC field office in Fairfax, VA. My application is approved with absolutely no problem.
On Aug 7, my case is updated for "Oath Ceremony."
On Aug 13, I receive a message on my iPhone stating that my oath ceremony has been scheduled and a notification has been sent.

Man, just slightly more than 4 months for the entire process maybe? The process of getting my green card was 100+ times harder than this!

[immihelp]

Congratulations! And thanks for sharing your experience.

[nobujak]

Congratulations! And thanks for sharing your experience.

Thank you. I received a notification this past Saturday. My oath ceremony has been scheduled for the first week of September. So it will be preciously 4 months for the entire process.

Right now, I am very curious to know how my mind will react at the ceremony. Will I feel almost nothing? Or will I truly be excited with joy? Or will I slightly feel sad to lose my original nationality? I'll see...

[nobujak]

All is done today!!!

OK, I attended the oath ceremony today to finally become a US citizen! At a registration table, a USCIS officer did not ask me a question at all and simply stamped on the letter, all against my expectation. This was at the same time a little sad moment as I had to return my hard-earned green card that had stayed at my place only for 5 years.

People who attended the ceremony were from 87 different countries, according to USCIS staff.

After the ceremony was over, I called a couple of local post offices to learn the earliest date available for a passport application. The earliest I could find in my area was on 9/10 - the next Tuesday. Other post offices gave me different answers obviously, like 9/23, 9/16, etc. It seems that nowadays almost all post offices where passport applications are accepted require an appointment. There were some local post offices that allowed walk-ins several years ago. Maybe this change is due to their budget crisis.

USCIS staff advised that we go apply for a passport the first thing after the ceremony, which I followed. Once I get my passport, I will visit a nearby social security office. USCIS staff emphasized importance of this step also, because the social security office will never know the change of your status in the US unless you let them know.