Olia Z
Oct 26, 2023
Decision can't be made after I-751/N-400 interview
I had my combo interview yesterday morning in San Francisco office. It lasted 25 minutes or less. We were invited by an officer in time, no delays. At first, she went through our I-751 form asking questions about everything that we put there, no additional questions about our relationship. She also didn't ask for any documents. At the end of the application she told us that we signed it wrong. I originally signed it as a petitioner and my husband signed it as a spouse but she said it's not the right away and gave us a red pen to resign it next to our original signatures and put a new date on it. Then, she asked for my husband to leave and started a citizenship interview which I passed. She let me sign docs on a tablet regarding how my information is going to be displayed on a naturalization certificate. At the end though she said Congratulations, and gave me a paper saying that 'Decision can't be made' instead of 'Recommended for approval'. She said it's because of I-751, and that next steps will probably be scheduling an Oath ceremony.
I'm a little confused because I double checked after the interview and it looks like we originally signed it correctly, that I am a petitioner for I-751. Or did I get it wrong? I'm a little nervous because of 'Decision can't be made' thing, especially given that she didn't ask me to provide any docs out of a 10-pounder that I printed and brought with me. My statuses still show "Interview was scheduled" for both N-400 and I-751.
Do you guys think it's something to worry about?
#i-751 #n400 #combo #interview
ADVERTISEMENT
Jer GOct 26, 2023
You signed it correctly. I-751 is the exception of an application where you are signing as the Petitioner , and the U.S. citizen signs as the Spouse. Your interviewer was wrong about that, and likely were thinking of the I-130 when they told you you signed wrong. Very strange that she had you switch those. You are the petitioner because you are the one applying to remove the conditions. But it is easy for her to get those mixed up especially if she mostly does AOS applications and is used to it being the Petitioner being the U.S. citizen signing.
I-751, when filed jointly, you are the petitioner with the help of your spouse. Even the instruction form explains this.
I personally think her own error about the I-751 signature will not have much impact. But it may if someone else reviews and wants that corrected back to original as the original was the right way to do it. Otherwise, they may be able to initial next to it explaining it was their own mistake.
In any case, you are likely fine except for that signature thing. It sounds like both interviews themselvesces went fine. I would only be worried about if that thing needs correction again somehow. But I think you should be fine.
Olia ZOct 26, 2023
@Jer G Thank you so much for your response! I really hope that her error is not going to delay my case even further. I know I’m only on a day two of waiting post interview but this entire process has been so exhausting that I’m starting to feel desperate 😅I filed I-751 in November 2021, so I really hope she didn’t screw me over for another eternity of waiting.
Alina liOct 26, 2023
You will get your oat notice soon! 😍
Jer GOct 27, 2023
@Olia Z Oh, no worries I completely understand. Much of the time it is applicants whom make a mistake, but it is not unheard of for USCIS officers to make mistakes such as this. And in this case it is their mistake. And I can imagine so many scenarios where the officer gets it wrong because they are thinking of something else. I wouldn’t be surprised if it is a common mistake.
I’m glad i could reassure you that you were right in the beginning. Also praying for you that it is a non-factor in their decision for the I-751. As it is their mistake, hopefully it goes through . Yes, it is way early to worry, but you caught something important and so I understand worrying about it. And I know the wait for I-751 in general is literally forever , so worrying about it makes much sense! Let us know how it goes, Like @Alina li said, you should get your oath notice soon if all goes smoothly. Congratulations in advance B) . That’s how much I think the I-751 will be a non-issue…
green bookOct 27, 2023
hope you get your I-751 approved soon. how long did it take for you to get your interview after filing n-400? I will be in a similar situation next year.
Olia ZOct 27, 2023
@Jer G @Alina li Your support means a lot, guys! I truly appreciate it ❤️ I’ll let you know if I hear something in the next 3-4 weeks.
@green book I filed N-400 early February this year and just had my interview on October 25th. I think it depends on your local office. I’ve noticed that Northern California offices (San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose) prioritize scheduling those who file under 5 year rule or those 3 year ones who have their I-751 approved before filing N-400.
hd sfOct 29, 2023
I think, it’s a good development and it's over, first of all. I hope it will be concluded as soon as possible. I have a few questions for you? First of all, was there any information in the interview letter that your spouse had to be present? How long after the letter arrived was the interview? Do you remember any of the N400 questions? How did you prepare? Do you have any suggestions?
Olia ZOct 29, 2023
@Ata sf Hey! Yes, I received two interview notices for I-751 and N-400 separately. The one for I-751 stated that if filed jointly the spouse must be present. My interview was 5 weeks after it was scheduled. Some of the questions were about current vice president, what is a supreme law of the land, for how many years we elect the president. I don’t remember the others unfortunately as we went though them within less than a minute. I watched some YouTube videos to prepare to help memorize the answers.
hd sfOct 29, 2023
Thank you very much for your information, I hope everything will be as you wish.
green bookOct 29, 2023
@Olia Z did you file under the 3 year rule then? I will be filing N-400 under the 5 year rule next year at SF. Looks like my I-751 will be pending then as well. I was hoping to get a combo interview since I heard the officer could approve the I-751 along with N-400. Did your officer say any reason for not approving your I-751 in your combo interview? Your I-751 signature issue could have been easily solved before an approval on the spot.
Olia ZOct 29, 2023
@green book Yes, I filed under 3 year rule. My I-751 has been pending for 2 years at this point. Unfortunately, she didn’t tell me a reason and it drives be crazy after such a long wait. I also have no idea why I couldn’t be approved on a spot because my case is very straightforward: we have a kid together who is almost 4, 4 years of joint taxes, joint car loans, leases, insurances, bank accounts etc. you name it 🤪She just said “Congratulations, you passed the test. Decision can’t be made at this point because of I-751, next steps will probably be scheduling an oath ceremony“. I also posted about my experience on Reddit, and coincidentally bumped into another couple who had their combo interview same day as me in San Francisco office. They were also given the same sheet as me with decision can’t be made but their status changed next day to Approved. They had a different officer though. Maybe I was just unlucky in terms of who interviewed us.
green bookOct 30, 2023
@Olia Z hope you get your status changed to approved soon, like that other couple. It is insane to wait again after the interview.
Olia ZNov 2, 2023
My I-751 status changed to "Interview was cancelled" yesterday, and this morning Oath ceremony was scheduled for November 15th. Finally!
Jer GNov 2, 2023
Very great. Told you so! Congratulations ! @Olia Z
Madale MadideNov 6, 2023
After my interview N-400 the officer cannot make a decision about my application, am waiting since 10/23/23, how long it gonna take to get a decision? Or somebody got same then a decision
Iniabasi ItuenNov 8, 2023
I was scheduled for a combo interview i751 and N400 today 11/072023 in San Francisco. However, the interview officer called me in with my spouse for the ROC interview which went fine. After the interview he gave me a note stating decision cannot be made at this time. I asked the officer about the N400 interview since I was scheduled for a combo and he told me sorry there was a mix up about the scheduling and they would scheduled me on a later date. Has anyone experienced this before?
green bookNov 19, 2023
congratulations @Olia Z 👏🎉
green bookNov 19, 2023
@Iniabasi Ituen : that’s a unique experience. did you get your I-751 approved after that interview then?
José Mario David SuazoNov 23, 2023
how long You be waiting for i751 to be aproved Ian waiting for 7 yeas José Mario David
or
