How long to process n 400 application

Before a judge, you will pledge to:. After taking the Oath of Allegiance, you will turn in your green card and receive your Certificate of Naturalization. You are now a full citizen of the United States of America, with all of the rights, privileges, and opportunities it grants, such as freedom of religion, freedom of speech, the rights to vote and receive a fair trial, as well as the ability to apply for federal employment. Download PDF. Print PDF. Visit AILA. Can't find the answer you're looking for?

Please contact us. We're here to help! How long to have a fingerprint appointment? I filled my N form about 2. I want to know how long will take until I get the letter?

Article Topics But what happens after you submit your N? Receipt of Application Approximately weeks after filing 2. Appointment Notice for Biometrics Approximately weeks after filing 3. Biometrics Appointment Approximately weeks after filing 4. Appointment Notice for Naturalization Interview months after filing 5. Naturalization Interview months after filing 6.

Notice of Oath Ceremony weeks after interview 7. Form N is used to apply for U. Among these are: Access to U. But what happens after you submit your N? The steps following submission of your N can be broken up into three main parts: Biometrics Naturalization Interview Oath of Allegiance Ceremony Although proceedings usually follow these steps, the time it takes for your N to be processed can vary widely depending on the USCIS office where you filed, their caseload, as well as if you properly and accurately prepared the form.

They will either grant, continue, or deny your naturalization application after your interview. Tip: There are numerous free resources to help you prepare for the U. Tip: If you cannot attend your scheduled naturalization ceremony, return the notice, Form N, Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony, to your local USCIS office, along with a letter requesting a new date and explanation why you cannot attend the scheduled naturalization ceremony.

Failing to appear more than once for your naturalization ceremony may lead to a denial of your application. You are not a U. The oath is administered by USCIS at an administrative ceremony or by a judge in a judicial ceremony. After taking the Oath of Allegiance, you will turn in your green card and receive your Certificate of Naturalization. If you properly file Form N, Application for Naturalization , USCIS will initially respond by mailing you a receipt notice that confirms receipt of your application.

Formally known as Form IC, Notice of Action see example below , the receipt notice typically arrives 2 to 3 weeks after filing.

Either will significantly delay your request. Thus, it is vital to prepare the naturalization application package correctly and submit all required supporting documents. Next, you will receive an appointment notice that assigns your biometrics appointment date, time and location. USCIS requires applicants to be fingerprinted for the purpose of conducting a security clearance and criminal background check. Tip: If you are 75 years old or older at the time of filing, the biometric service fee will be waived.

However, you will be required to attend a biometrics appointment regardless of age. This is not an interview. Try to attend the appointment as scheduled. Rescheduling the biometrics will affect the N processing time. Tip: If you think you might have a criminal record even a DUI , contact an immigration lawyer before going to a biometrics appointment.

Some crimes will make you ineligible for immigration benefits. An applicant does not officially become a United States citizen until after he or she is sworn in at the Oath Ceremony. In some cases, the USCIS officer will not be able to make a decision on the application for naturalization on the day of your interview.

This may include a request for you to provide additional evidence or require a second interview. Read about the most common reasons N applications are continued or denied. This will add time to your case as you correct the problem. If your interview was successful, you will soon receive a notice to take the Oath of Allegiance N, Notice of Naturalization Oath Ceremony.

The notice will include a request to answer some additional questions that will be submitted at the actual oath ceremony. After filing Form N, Application for Naturalization, and related forms, your N processing time can take anywhere from 8 to 12 months.

Note: In either case, your green card will show the rolled-back date, so you'll still need to count five years from that date. Spouses of U. And battered spouses who got their green cards based on marriage to a U. For example, those who have served honorably for one year and got an honorable discharge can apply to naturalize without waiting beyond the date they get their green card—but must apply within six months of discharge.

And people who served in certain conflicts including all the major wars in the last century can apply for U. You must have lived in the United States for at least half of your five years of permanent residence. Or, if an exception allows you to apply to naturalize in less time, you must have lived in the U. You'll need to have not only lived and been "physically present" in the United States for a certain number of years, but not have broken up your residency with any long absences. An absence of six months or more will raise a presumption that you've broken your continuous presence by living in another country.

In the worst case, U. Three months is the minimum time in which you need to have lived in a particular state within the United States, or particular USCIS service district, before submitting an application to naturalize.

That's because, although your application is initially sent to a central processing center, it will ultimately be reviewed by the nearest USCIS U. Citizenship and Immigration Services office to you, and you'll attend your interview there. If you move to a new state that's close to where you lived before, you might find that you get lucky and remain within the same "service district" over which one USCIS office has jurisdiction.

Virgin Islands, or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands CNMI , those fall within the definition of a "state" for purposes of this naturalization requirement.

Because USCIS tends to be quite delayed, you're allowed to submit the application up to 90 days before you've actually reached your five years or fewer years, if you fall into an exception. There's no upper limit on how long you can wait to submit Form N Many permanent residents live in the U.

This can vary by region and depending on the number of people who apply at the same time.