Jump to content

Citizenship


RobFTC
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi folks,

 

A few who are Facebook friends know this Canuck had his US naturalization interview AND his oath ceremony today, and so I now have my citizenship certificate.  It's weird - I have been living in the US for 27 years, and felt like this would not change much, or give me The Feels.  I was wrong.

 

I applied last fall when it seemed clear how the election was going to go.  With the election surprise, it feels like I pledged allegiance to a very different country today.  I just needed to do this for my family, so that is what it is, but I know I have had some nerves about it.  The interview was so easy - it felt like, "Yeah, we were wondering if you'd ever do this."  The relief was great.

 

They offered a same-day oath ceremony, at the regional office an hour and a half from home, which meant nobody would be there with me.  I thought I could go and do that as just a no-big-deal paperwork thing, but then it became clear how many people had a partner or even whole families with them to cheer and take pictures.  Nobody was there for me, though I did ask for one of the great staffers to take my picture.  Michelle never worried that much about my status, it was always my thing, but I know she'd have been there and made a fuss.  I missed her.

 

And then there's all of the emotion of seeing where everyone was from - we had 57 people from 22 different countries, and I loved that they made a point of naming each country and asking people from that country to stand up and be applauded.  And that they were careful to say the name of each person, wait for applause and give enough time for photos for each person.  Most USCIS folks I've dealt with are border guards who can be pretty jaded, but these people believed they were doing something great in people's lives and were having fun with it, and were darned proud of what they did.  Federal employees at their best, really.

 

Next stop, passport office!

 

Take care,

Rob T

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

That is very cool, Rob. Congrats!

Here you are becoming an American citizen, while my son (you gave me some helpful advice regarding  him and his move to Canada over two years ago) is looking to become a Canadian citizen. He is still in Vancouver and LOVES it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.