Interview Experiences

W

wannabe_citizen

Registered Users (C)
Hi,

Have you been to the citizenship interview? If so, can you share your experience so it would help others who are about to go to one?

* Which center was the interview at?
* What docs did the IO ask for?
* What questions did the IO ask?
* Did you get to pick the Oath date or were you handed an oath letter?
* Any suggestion you'd like to give based on your experience?

Thanks!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Experiences tend to be District Office specific (the interviews in some DOs last 10-15 minutes, in other DOs they are typically over a half-hour I'm told).

Try searching through the "timeline" thread for your district office to see what people have experienced. You can find a posting about my experiences in the Dallas thread last November.
 
Thank you 'almostacitizen', rrrrrrrr Citizen. Thanks for sharing your experience. Hope you enjoy your citizenship. I'm looking forward to mine soon.
 
Hi ,
My interview was in Ohio in May .
Plan to Reach around 30 mts prior.
I initially was asked to stand and was placed under oath .
IO asked to see my GC as identification , then went throught the N400 application that I had filled - very simple - just making sure that I did not want any further changes from what I had filled in the application .Questions like "do you want to change your name , marriage , kids , was I arrested etc.

Then she asked me to write a sentence on the form and asked me 6-7 questions from the booklet they give you when you go for FP.
AND THAT WAS IT ! Took not more than 5 mts .I actually replaced my photographs with better ones ( hopefully ) and even had time for a change of address , --which by the way might delay your oath ceremony appointment as the details of your file would have to be transferred from one to another center.And no , I was not given an option to pick a date - she said that it would be mailed to me.
For those who are not visual learners-I would reccomend listening to theimmigration CD ( which you receive with the free booklet) in your car when you are travelling / going to work everyday - really helps .
 
thanks for your interview experience feedback.
What is the CD you mention and how can one obtain that?
thanks.

newestuser said:
Hi ,
.......For those who are not visual learners-I would reccomend listening to theimmigration CD ( which you receive with the free booklet) in your car when you are travelling / going to work everyday - really helps .
Click to expand...
 
Interview passed

Hi all,

* Which center was the interview at: Oakland

* What docs did the IO ask for: Passport and GC. I took tax docs, utility bills etc. but he did not ask for any such docs.

* What questions did the IO ask:
he asked me if I owe any taxes. He also asked me where I'm staying now and the previous address. He asked me where I'm working and my recent work history. If I traveled after I submitted the N-400 and noted down the dates. If I have been out of the country for more than 6 months and verified info on N-400. He also asked me the questions from the N-400 such as if I have ever been a member of a terrorist organization.

* Did you get to pick the Oath date or were you handed an oath letter?
I was told the oath will be in July and was asked to wait to pick up the letter and go. I asked for an earlier oath date but IO said that they were all booked.

* Any suggestion you'd like to give based on your experience?
Be cool and honest. Answer to the point. There's no need to say less or more.

Best wishes to all!
 
I've posted my interview experience on the Denver thread, but will answer here too, in a little more detail:

* Which center was the interview at?
Denver

* What docs did the IO ask for?
Although I came prepared with tax docs, passports, birth certificates, etc., the only docs asked for were my GC and my driver's license.

Also, he first did the test part of the interview with me. After that he asked me to stand and take the truth oath, and then proceeded to go through the N400 form.

* What questions did the IO ask?
He went through the N400 and asked my name, birthday, address, SS #, etc. He asked about my current employment status (unemployed). He asked about my last trip outside of the US (only one trip since entering in '97.) He asked a little about my spouse, and the names of my children. Then he asked me many of the questions from section 10.A. He asked whether I had ever been arrested/cited/detained for any reason. He asked me one of the deportation questions, and also whether I had ever been to immigration court.

Finally, he asked me to answer all the questions in section 10.H., which is the Oath Requirements section.

* Did you get to pick the Oath date or were you handed an oath letter?
No, he said I would get the Oath info in the mail, and it would probably be a few months down the road. He did ask about whether my husband was also applying for citizenship. When I told him he was, and that we had applied together he found it odd that my husband had not yet received his interview info. He then looked up my husband's info for me, but could only guess that they're still waiting for background info to come back. He said that if my husband gets his interview info in time they can try get us into the same Oath Ceremony.

* Any suggestion you'd like to give based on your experience?
Be honest. Answer what's asked of you, be short and to the point... the IO is not "out to get you" but he/she is not wanting to be your best friend either. I was incredibly nervous, but a few minutes into the interview I calmed down and the interview was actually quite pleasant.

Good luck!
 
When you go for fingerprinting , they hand you the booklet of civic questions with the CD VERSION IN IT .Listen only to the mini version ( questions and answers ) and not the details , because thats all you need.
 
thanks for this information newestuser.
Interestingly I don't recall anyone else mentioning this.


newestuser said:
When you go for fingerprinting , they hand you the booklet of civic questions with the CD VERSION IN IT .Listen only to the mini version ( questions and answers ) and not the details , because thats all you need.
Click to expand...
 
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