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The USCIS publishes processing times for the N-400 Application for Naturalization Form (mirror).

https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/more-info says:

Processing time is the number of months that elapse between the date we receive an application, petition, or request and the date we complete the application, petition, or request (that is, when we approved or denied it) for all cases for a specific form for the latest completed 6 months.

When is an N400 considered approved or denied when the USCIS computes the processing time? Is it when the letter notifying the interview appointment is sent? When the interview takes place? When the oath takes place? Some other time?

Franck Dernoncourt
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  • Why would "approved" mean anything other than approval to you? – littleadv Mar 28 '22 at 20:42
  • @littleadv when is it approved? Before or after the interview? – Franck Dernoncourt Mar 28 '22 at 20:52
  • It is approved when "Notice of Approval" is sent. Generally this is done when all the conditions are met. Specifically for N400 there may be cases where the application may end up being denied even after the notice of approval, but AFAIK this is extremely rare and involves the candidates being caught in lies. – littleadv Mar 28 '22 at 20:59
  • @littleadv thanks, is the Notice of Approval sent before or after the interview? – Franck Dernoncourt Mar 28 '22 at 21:00
  • When all the conditions are met. – littleadv Mar 28 '22 at 21:01
  • @littleadv is passing the interview one of these conditions? – Franck Dernoncourt Mar 28 '22 at 21:02
  • No, interview itself is not a condition. Proficiency in English test, civics test, and resolving any questions the USCIS officer may have - those are. Usually those are all done during the interview, but there's no legal requirement for that to be done in that way. – littleadv Mar 28 '22 at 21:05
  • @littleadv thanks, is it correct to say that in practice in the vast majority of cases, the Notice of Approval sent after the interview? – Franck Dernoncourt Mar 28 '22 at 21:10
  • Yes, it is probably a fair assumption. There may be more than one interview, and some undetermined time would pass between the last interview and the approval, but for N400 it is very likely that there's going to be an interview as part of the process. – littleadv Mar 28 '22 at 21:12

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It is approved when "Notice of Approval" is sent. Generally this is done when all the conditions are met.

There may be multiple steps before an application is approved, some may include in-person interviews, others may include RFEs in writing, before the decision is given.

N400 applications may be denied even after approval, any time up to the naturalization ceremony, if the USCIS determines that the conditions are no longer met by the time of the ceremony (usually it means that either facts changed between the approval and the ceremony or the USCIS learned that the applicant misrepresented facts).

littleadv
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