N400la

Hi everybody,

My N400 has receipt date of October 30 2003 and I filed
it in Los Angeles. I had my fingerprints done in December. I filed based
on 5 years residency.

I know somebody who filed her N400 November 9 and
she already had an interview on March 26 (her application was based on
marriage). So here is my question: does BCIS process applications out of
order or do different applications have different priorities? (for
example 5 years vs 3 years with marriage).

If you take into
consideration the time between interview letter and interview (which I
heard is usually two months), it looks like I'm more than three months
behind even though I filed earlier :(

Anybody know about these things?


Many thanks in advance...

Croesx

Originally posted by n400la
    > Hi everybody,
    >
    > My N400
has receipt date of October 30 2003 and I filed it in Los Angeles. I had
my fingerprints done in December. I filed based on 5 years residency.

    > I know somebody who filed her N400 November 9 and she already had an
interview on March 26 (her application was based on marriage). So here
is my question: does BCIS process applications out of order or do
different applications have different priorities? (for example 5 years
vs 3 years with marriage).
    >
    > If you take into consideration the time
between interview letter and interview (which I heard is usually two
months), it looks like I'm more than three months behind even though I
filed earlier :(
    >
    > Anybody know about these things?
    >
    > Many thanks
in advance...

Hey fellow Nat/L.A. applicant:

I don't know
too much about whether the various grounds on which one applies decide
your timeline but since I also applied on grounds of 5 year lawful
permanent residency and to give you a timeline of someone in Los
Angeles, here goes:

mailed out N-400: 09/26/03
check cashed by CIS:
10/01/03
Notice of Action received
with priority date 09/29/03:
10/11/03
2nd Notice of Action received with Fingerprinting date for
11/15/03: 10/24/03.
Did my Finger printing: 11/15/03 at 10am
Next step
is interview...

update: (I obsessively looked at immigrationportal.com
and britishexpats regarding anything that had to do with naturalization
process, I also checked my status all the time.)

Status disappeared
from USCIS case status online on 02/26/04.
Received Notice of Action
with Interview Appointment for April 20, 2004 on 02/27/04.

N400la

Originally posted by croesx
    > Hey fellow Nat/L.A.
applicant:
    >
    > I don't know too much about whether the various grounds
on which one applies decide your timeline but since I also applied on
grounds of 5 year lawful permanent residency and to give you a timeline
of someone in Los Angeles, here goes:
    >
    > mailed out N-400: 09/26/03
check cashed by CIS: 10/01/03
    > Notice of Action received
    > with
priority date 09/29/03: 10/11/03
    > 2nd Notice of Action received with
Fingerprinting date for 11/15/03: 10/24/03.
    > Did my Finger printing:
11/15/03 at 10am
    > Next step is interview...
    >
    > update: (I
obsessively looked at immigrationportal.com and britishexpats regarding
anything that had to do with naturalization process, I also checked my
status all the time.)
    >
    > Status disappeared from USCIS case status
online on 02/26/04.
    > Received Notice of Action with Interview
Appointment for April 20, 2004 on 02/27/04.

Thank you for
your reply!

Well, my status didn't disappear yet from USCIS site...
Judging by your experience, I should have gotten my NOA for interview by
now.

I called CIS and they said if I don't hear anything in 30 days
they will make an inquiry. I still hope that my processing wouldn't be
unnecessarily delayed. I think I am at the point where I could say that
I do follow all this naturalization stuff quite obsessively...

Croesx

Originally posted by n400la
    > Thank you for your reply!

    > Well, my status didn't disappear yet from USCIS site... Judging by
your experience, I should have gotten my NOA for interview by now.
    >
I called CIS and they said if I don't hear anything in 30 days they will
make an inquiry. I still hope that my processing wouldn't be
unnecessarily delayed. I think I am at the point where I could say that
I do follow all this naturalization stuff quite obsessively...


mailed out N-400: 09/26/03
check cashed by CIS: 10/01/03
Notice of
Action received
with priority date 09/29/03: 10/11/03
2nd Notice of
Action received with Fingerprinting date for 11/15/03: 10/24/03.
Did my
Finger printing: 11/15/03 at 10am
Next step is interview...

update:


Status disappeared from USCIS case status online on 02/26/04.

Received Notice of Action with Interview Appointment for April 20, 2004
on 02/27/04.

April 20, 2004: I had my naturalization interview today
at the Santa Ana Office. The officer was supernice and I believe that he
really tried to make me feel comfortable. He told me that the interview
would consist of three parts, the English test, the civics test and some
questions from my completed N-400 application.

The English test
consisted of writing a dictated sentence: They have horses on their
farm.

The Civics test was:

What is the color of the stars on the
flags?
Who was our first commander in chief?
Who were our enemies in
WWII?
Who did we fight for our independence?
What is the legislative
body?
What color are the stripes on the flag?
What do the stripes on
the flag stand for?
Who is the Vice President?
Who would be president
should the president die?
Who selects the Supreme Court judges?

After
that a couple of questions from the N-400. I had tickets, but he didn't
care about those.

After the interview he congratulated me and gave me
a notice that I have been approved and to expect a notice for my
interview at one of three Southern California locations. He also gave me
a packet for a US passport application which I would complete and give
to the appropriate people at the oath ceremony.

N400la

Congratulations on the successful interview!

Please keep us posted
about the rest of the process...

Thanks!

Chris Guo

I had an interview for citizenship today. It was quite easy. The CIS officer
asked me the questions when he reviewed my N-400 application. For English
test and US history, he asked me five questions, which were covered in the
100 US citizenship exam:
1) What is the capital of your state?
2) Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
3) What is the national anthem of the United States? 4) Which President is
called the "Father of our country"?
5) What is the date of Independence Day?

There were two writing questions, the officer asked me to write down when he
read them:
1) There are three branches of our government
2) The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France

And one reading question had already printed on the test sheet.
After 20 minutes interview, he told me I passed the test, and recommended
approve for citizenship.
I waited for another twenty miniutes, his supervisor handed me an oath
ceremomy letter scheduled two weeks later.

The timeline for N-400 application was:
N-400 application sent to Texas INS center on March 12, 2002
Fingerprint taken on October 16, 2003
Interview and English test on April 27, 2004
Oath scheduled on May 11, 2004

Good luck for everyone in this group!

N400la

Yesterday I finally received appointment letter - my interview is
scheduled for June 11.

Case status online didn't disappear or change -
the date of the last update is the same...

Croesx

Originally posted by n400la
    > Yesterday I finally
received appointment letter - my interview is scheduled for June 11.

    > Case status online didn't disappear or change - the date of the last
update is the same...


good for you!!!! Where is your
interview? Do not worry, it's a breeze, and the officers all seemed
very nice.

Good luck and study those "difficult" questions.

Croes

N400la

Originally posted by croesx
    > good for you!!!! Where is
your interview? Do not worry, it's a breeze, and the officers all
seemed very nice.
    >
    > Good luck and study those "difficult" questions.

    >
    > Croes
Thanks!

My interview is in LA office in downtown.
Only one question is in my category of difficult - 13 original states :)
I just learned that questions could include other than 100 typical?
That's not a good surprise...

Croesx

Originally posted by n400la
    > Thanks!
    >
    > My interview
is in LA office in downtown. Only one question is in my category of
difficult - 13 original states :) I just learned that questions could
include other than 100 typical? That's not a good surprise...



I don't think you have anything to worry about. Every experience
I've read and from my own experience indicates that you will get
questions from the 100 questions.