Waited Months, Still No Date for My Naturalization Oath Ceremony – What Should I Do?

Delays of several weeks—and even months—between when U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) conducts the citizenship interview and when the applicant is scheduled for the swearing-in ceremony are frequently an issue, even under normal circumstances.

Unfortunately, we are not living in normal circumstances. The coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of USCIS offices and cancellation of swearing-in ceremonies for many months, and they were still struggling to catch up in mid-2022.

The most likely cause of a delay outside normal processing times would be that either:

• Your name still hasn't been cleared by the FBI, which needs to finish running a security check before USCIS can grant you citizenship. This is especially likely to cause delays if you have a common name, or share a name with a person considered a threat.
• USCIS or the federal courts are backed up in fitting people into their scheduled ceremonies. In some parts of the U.S., only the federal courts conduct these ceremonies; in others, the courts have passed this authority onto USCIS, in which case the scheduling is usually faster (and sometimes same-day). But, for example, if you requested a name change, which only the federal court can do, and you live in a region where most of the oath ceremonies are conducted by USCIS, that might account for the delay.
• Something has gone wrong. USCIS is a big bureaucracy, and mistakes and lost files happen. Also, the letter with your swearing-in notice could have been lost in the mail. (We're assuming you didn't change your address in the days since your interview.)

As for what to do, here are the steps most likely to help:

• Get in touch with USCIS's Contact Center. (But be prepared for a long process of navigating a voice-automated system; you're not likely to reach a live person on the first try, but at best to arrange for a call-back.) If USCIS can't handle the matter from a distance, it might make an appointment for you to visit the nearest USCIS office. Be ready with your green card and copies of your naturalization-related paperwork, in particular any letter of recommended approval that the USCIS officer gave you at the end of your interview.
• Send a letter to the USCIS office that handled your interview. Include your A-number on the letter, and a copy of the recommendation letter given to you by the USCIS officer there.
• Consult an attorney. Following up on delays and lost files is a regular part of every immigration attorney's work. An experienced attorney will know what the typical wait times are in your region and how to make inquiries.

A final note: As you alluded to, you cannot petition for your parents to receive U.S. lawful permanent residence until you yourself are sworn in as a citizen and have received a citizenship certificate as proof of your new status.