No its not. It's a 3-step process with only one in person interview involved. I've helped 2 people go through that process in the last 2 years.
1) Submit an application and fee. Along with additional documentation (if any). Then wait for biometrics appointment notification.
2) Go to appointed date for biometrics. (Finger printing, photos). Takes about 30 minutes. No different than appointment for TSA Pre-check or Global entry.
3) Go for naturalization interview. If accepted, then usually interviewer will let the person know that they've been approved for naturalization. They'll receive an email/letter indicating date , time and location of the naturalization ceremony/oath.
Of course, depending on the area of the country you live in , the time between the above 3 steps varies. From 90 days to upwards of a year or more. Also, the above is for most people. But there could be some complicated cases where a person has to make multiple in-person visits. But regarding interview, there is only one.
Nice! One suggestion - please add AM4 socket boards. With current memory prices, AM5 with DDR5 is becoming unattainable for some. DDR4 prices are rising as well. But not nearly as bad as DDR5.
So you're specifically considering the people that would have gone AM5 but are now looking at AM4 at the end of 2025 and into 2026?
Is that a significant number of people? I kind of expect almost everyone that waited this long to sit tight on their current builds and keep waiting until RAM goes back down.
Yes, due to DDR5 prices going up after a period of people upgrading to AM5. There is currently a lot of second hand AM4 DDR4 stock, making the value particularly good.
FWIW I recently upgraded and ended up getting something else, but mostly due to lack of availability of ITX AM4 motherboards. I got one with a soldered high end laptop CPU, it was much cheaper.
> Has the value improved in the last year and a half?
I'd say yes, my reasoning being:
1. DDR5 got more expensive;
2. 16 cores AM4 CPUs are cheaper, partially due to the release of the 5900XT (16C/32T CPU, basically a rebranded 5950X with 100mhz lower single-core boost clock);
3. Lots of gamers selling their used AM4 kits for good prices as they migrate to the 9800X3D.
If I needed a new build right now, it would most likely be AM4. Going for the latest gen would just be out of my price point, whereas AM4 still has plenty of good chips and motherboards out there.
> my home internet goes, currently the devices disconnect from each other.
You might be able to solve this by hosting your own control plane such as Headscale. Instead of having Tailscale manage/coordinate all the nodes on tailnet.
I just wish they had Apple level inventory on hand. Sometimes I’ve waited months for product or component to be back in stock. Then gone in matter of hours. Currently waiting on the G4 pro doorbell. (WiFi version).
by the way - You can use Global Entry ID# for precheck during domestic travel. My precheck was expiring and I had called specifically for a question. Their support person told me that since I recently signed up for global entry, I didn't need to get precheck. So even if you don't travel internationally often, but might - then its worth it to get Global entry. Of course if you don't plan on ever travelling outside of the U.S ,then yeah no reason to get it.
Whats the most common reason they’ve harnessed you over? Just wondering if they’re going based on prior issue on file? I’m of Indian descent , born and raised in the U.S - I must be the lucky one. Because I’ve never had any issues. Entering back in the country has been trouble free so far.
Have you thought about signing up for global entry. Recently signed up for it myself and now I just skip talking to a human (and waiting in line)
Is this even reversible without crashing the housing market? Considering that most Americans that already own homes treat it as part of their retirement nest egg. Also the cost of building new homes has gone up due to increases in material cost and land.
The thing is if you don't crash the market, you're looking at the Japanese experience of a long slide where prices slowly drop relative to inflation over 20+ years which means some generation is going to miss out and not own a home and potentially forgo raising a family.
If we can remove all the factors that force up prices on new builds (and don't care if the market for existing homes crashes) then it may be reversed.
Material cost should be reversible if you don't expect the house to look like you live at a resort. And we have to ensure supply like incentivising new plantations to eliminate timber shortages.
Fixing zoning restrictions will take political will. Stripped local councils of their zoning powers should mean any nimby-isms around building higher density housing, allowing smaller blocks could be ignored.
Land release is also fixable by taxing undeveloped land that is zoned residential. More land available should lower prices.
Stop doing Government incentives to buy houses. Giving first-home buyers grants simply drives up prices everywhere.
Eliminate tax write-offs for "investment" properties: Owning a house should have never been like owning a business. This had the effect of reducing available rentals (and increasing prices) as many were happy to take the growth and the write-off and avoid the maintenance and depreciation that comes with renting the property out. For the renters the price hike made saving for buying a home much more difficult.
No answer to the question, but you raise a good point: Americans consider homes an investment.
Years ago when I was doing public policy analysis and advocacy full time, I spent some time thinking about home ownership, being financially and otherwise prepared, understanding the realities of home ownership, and acknowledging ownership is not the only game in town.
Either Fannie or Freddie published a paper about "appropriate" housing options for a person's stage in life. Nothing set in stone, but patterns and priorities.
The paper made the point that not everyone wants the responsibility of owning. These folks have other priorities and don't consider themselves failures by renting. Similarly, families may choose to live with other generations. Some older folks move to rentals, smaller owned homes, or assisted living.
The bee in my bonnet has always been the "I want I should have" mindset. When it comes to housing, it goes like "I want to die in my house." Great if you can afford it - meaning affording maintenance, modifications (ramps, lefts, etc.), skilled and unskilled help, taxes, etc. The rub comes when people can't afford it. Some jurisdictions offer interest-free loans to add ramps, etc.; loans are paid back upon death.
I'm not indifferent to the struggles of aging. But ignoring it does not make it go away. I feel like with the time and energy we put into trying to address affordable housing, for example, we should also pay attention to our individual (and community?) plans for getting older.
Back to the point: In my policy days, hearing stories about how old folks died in their homes and their kids expected a windfall only to find out that the property had to be sold to pay for X, Y, and Z. The house was great collateral but was not a wealth transfer as may have been expected.
Not sure how to balance, accommodate all the competing interests, but what we are doing now is certainly not working.
Which only works because there's a massive Ponzi scheme supported by fresh buyers.
In New Zealand our demographics would lead to a crash (as seen in some places overseas), but we have a lot of immigration that props demand up.
Most people don't see systems, they make decisions based on the current state they see. And voters don't give politicians any incentive to deal with problems.
No its not. It's a 3-step process with only one in person interview involved. I've helped 2 people go through that process in the last 2 years.
1) Submit an application and fee. Along with additional documentation (if any). Then wait for biometrics appointment notification.
2) Go to appointed date for biometrics. (Finger printing, photos). Takes about 30 minutes. No different than appointment for TSA Pre-check or Global entry.
3) Go for naturalization interview. If accepted, then usually interviewer will let the person know that they've been approved for naturalization. They'll receive an email/letter indicating date , time and location of the naturalization ceremony/oath.
Of course, depending on the area of the country you live in , the time between the above 3 steps varies. From 90 days to upwards of a year or more. Also, the above is for most people. But there could be some complicated cases where a person has to make multiple in-person visits. But regarding interview, there is only one.