JohnnyCash
Volunteer Moderator
I've merged here some old postings on interview and oath experiences from NY district office so that people could be benefited with those experiences
This is the interview experience of old-timer member Yahoo_2005
Last week I and my wife had our interviews at Garden City office. The interview letter asked me to bring my GC and passport. After reading this forum, I took my last year's tax return with me. My interview time was at 11:30AM and I was asked not to come more than 30 mins earlier than that time.
I reached INS office exactly at 11:00. Easy to reach the place and plenty of parking. After security check, the guy in the first floor stapled our interview letter and we were asked to wait in the second floor. Garden City office is huge with lot of chairs and not an intimidating atmosphere. We saw atleast 80 people waiting before us. Some of them came 3 or 4 hours earlier than their interview time.
We waited and waited and waited and finally my name was called at 2:00. I was lucky to get a very courteous officer. She was extremly polite, never seen an INS officer like that. She asked me to show my GC and passport. Verified the arrival/departure date. She found I put a wrong date in N-400 and corrected it. Asked me 10 questions from the standard 100. When she asked me "Whom did we fight against during revolutionary war?", I started ranting Japan, Germany, Italy. She reminded me "I asked revolutionay war", I immediately corrected my answer.
Then she asked me to write 3 sentences. Asked me whether I have my tax returns. I said I have it for the last year and was about it take it out from my bag. She said no need. After that she read N-400 questions in less than one minute. She apologized before asking questions like have you ever smuggled drugs, were you ever a prostitute etc., (from N-400).
Then she asked me to wait in the first floor and said if another officer approves my interview, I'll get my oath letter. The entire interview was over in exactly 16 mins including name change and address change. I waited in the first floor for 15 mins and someone called our names and gave our oath letters. Oath date is 2 weeks from interview date.
Overall it was an uneventful interview. We read the 100 questions 2 days before the interview since my friend told me there was no need to read anything else for history/civics. I have other problems with my oath and travelling out of the country which I rather not talk about. Thanks hm11 and others for your valuable input.
This is interview experience of another old-timer (choyty)
I was scheduled for interview yesterday 9:55 A.M at Garden City, NY. I wanted to take LIRR from Flatbush/Atlantic Avenue station. As I went there to catch 7:50 train to Hemstead, I found that the station was closed due to heavy smoke at the track. All services were temporarily suspended to and from this station until further notice. As the clock was ticking, my heart bit started to up as well. I was hoping to catch the next train which leaves at 8:36 A.M and reaches to Hempstead at 9:26 A.M. At about 8:20 all services were resumed from the station, and I arrived at Hempstead station around 9:35. I took a cab from there, and I was at the immigration office in less than 10 minutes. After security check when I handed in my letter, the time stamp they put was exactly 9:55 A.M. I was relived for not being late. I was told to go up stair, there I handed in my letter, and then I was told to wait. There were about 30/40 people waiting, some of them were very nervous memorizing the sample 100 Q/A.
I was called for the interview around 12:00. I was interviewed by a Chinese woman who was extremely rude. She was interviewing me, and at the same time she was discussing with her colleague from her desk about a couple who didn’t bring enough paper, and she suspects that they came up to this far submitting fake docs bla…bla… I was interviewed in a big room where there were no cubicles, officers were sitting face to face, and could share their personal view about cases. No privacy was maintained. The first question she asked me was if I was arrested? I said no, then she asked me why I checked yes to the question “ If you were cited, arrested…. ? “ Then I said to her that I was summoned for speeding ticket. She asked me for receipt of the payment. I didn’t have the receipt with me, but I took driver’s abstract with me, and gave that to her. She replied back saying speeding ticket has nothing to do with this question, you made my job harder, now I have to go to my supervisor to approve your case bla.. bla...bla.. I told her that the dictionary meaning of citation was “an official summons to appear (as before a court) “. She then said to me no one would catch this if I didn’t mention this. I replied her back saying I didn’t want to give any false information. She then gave 10 printed questions. I was asked to read them, and answer them verbally. I didn’t have any problem answering them. She then dictated me to write three sentences, and I wrote them too. She then went through my application. I mentioned her that I answered question 33 wrongly, said no instead of yes. She asked me how old I was when I got my GC, I replied over 30. She also verified that with my date of birth, and said I don’t have to worry about this question since I was over 30. To my understanding, she even didn’t understand what the question was asking. Anyway, I reminded her that the question was asking something else. She didn’t pay any attention to me, but proceeded to next questions. She even didn’t give me the chance to give my affidavit that I took with me. She then asked me for my 5 years Tax return, and took them all. After this she asked me if I wanted to get the oath for next Friday, and if I was interested to take the letter with me or by mail. This was the only sweet conversation we had during our 30 min interview. I gladly told her that I would like to take the letter with me. She then ordered me, yes she ordered me ( that’s how she was sounded to me ) to wait down stairs to pick up the oath letter. While I was waiting to pick up my oath letter, it seemed to me that oath letter was given to almost everyone. At about 2:30 I got my oath letter, and headed back to home.
Few suggestions:
Never under estimate these officers. Not all of them are nice and courteous. You may meet someone like me, so don’t be surprised. Have lots of patience even if the officer gives you a dirty look, because you will never have to meet the interviewer again. Take all the relevant documents with you and produce them only when you are asked.
I have benefited a lot from this forum, and thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. Good luck to everyone.
Here is my time line:
PD-------------------------------------6/18/03
FP-------------------------------------8/8/03
2nd FP---------------------------------11/30/04
Intv. Letter received----------------1/21/05
Intv.-----------------------------------3/22/05
Oath is in Garden City-------------3/31/05
-----Choyty------
This is from another old-timer member- Shaky
i went in at 1 pm for 1.30 pm app. there are two waiting areas. i went to first one and gave my letter at window and i was advised to seated and wait to be called.i waited about 25 mins there and my name was called and i thaught wow thats fast, i that it was my interview call but it wasnt. i went upstairs and there was another waiting area . ok i found a seat and started waiting. I started chatting to the lady sitting next to me she was from Pakistan. and her english wasnt that good.
I noticed some ppl who came after me were called in before me( same thing is going to happen to me in getting my oath letter, I assume ) well the lady sitting next to me was called before me , after 10 mins she came back and sat next to me , i asked her what happened, she said my officer says there is some problem. well i asked her in detail IN ** Urdu** ( langauge spoken in pakistan ) then she said '' she went in and officer asked her to raise hand and to tell the truth and she replaied *** I CAN ** AND OFFICER REPLIED SAME QUESTION COUPLE OF TIMES and she answered ** I can ** thinking that **i do ** and **i can ** mean same . so officer got upset and failed her right there before even interview. so she got another date and left.
well about 3:30 pm my name was called . it was aged officer in his 50's i belive. and he didnt look like other officer who joked around and smiled. ok we went in he asked to rais hand and normal stuff, he scaned barcode on my file and asked my name . and then he asked for my green card and I;D. and then he asked if i was still married i said yes.then he went through my file he checked every single paper which was in my file. ( i guess he was looking to what documents to ask for ) then he asked me for my 2001 and 2002 tax returns and i handed him my tax returnsi had made copies of my tax returns which he mentioned that was nice of me, and he smiled for 1st time.
he kept the copies and gave me back originals. then he asked me proof of residence, i showed him my recent phone bills. then he did something on computer and asked me for marriage certificate , which i gave him original and a copy. he kept the copy. and he said, Thanx for making his JOB easier.then he picked up my N 400 application and asked me my age and some questions from N 400 like was i ever arrested and stuff. and then he asked me if i wanted to change my name and i said yes. he said ok what part of name u wanna change and the reason. i told him i wanted to change my first name only and the reason is i like that name . he said OK. then he asked me about selective services and i gave him my registration card . Then he signed application and asked me to sign it with my name NOT the new name . and then he printed a paper with my old name and new name and he had me signed them too,
When i submitted my application i had forgotten to include my photographs, so i mentioned to him , then he said yes there was a note on application and he asked if i have them now i said yes. then he made me sign on my photos. and then came the question part. he asked me i think seven questions i dont remember all of them now . and they were easy ones from the list. i answered all of them correct.
Then he handed me the paper and told me to read the line which was like *** I am sitting in Garden City naturalization office ** i had no problem reading that offcourse . then he asked me to write a sentence on line on that paper ** I live in new york state **, and then he handed me the paper which said i passed the test and he tick marked the box that my application is recommended for approval and i will get notice in mail to attend oath ceremony . I asked him how long is that wait for oath and he said he has no idea.he stoof up and he walked me out of that hallway. i thanked him and walked out of building smiling.
Well i was very happy that I did it. But now looking at the facts that ppl who are interviewed after me are getting oath letters BUT not me, is making me worry and putting alot of thaughts in my mind , like, maybe something is wrong now or maybe i have missed the oath letter and thaughts go on.
Can anyone tell me what would YOU do if u were in my position. Wait for oath letter in mail for 2 or 4 months more OR go to 26 federal plaza in NYC and inquire about my case
Or maybe there is a dely in my case because i had chosen to change my name. Is it the fact that ppl who ask to change their names wait longer for oath for those who do not change their names? any Idea.??????
Plz reply...
Thank you .. and good Luck
This is the interview experience of old-timer member Yahoo_2005
Last week I and my wife had our interviews at Garden City office. The interview letter asked me to bring my GC and passport. After reading this forum, I took my last year's tax return with me. My interview time was at 11:30AM and I was asked not to come more than 30 mins earlier than that time.
I reached INS office exactly at 11:00. Easy to reach the place and plenty of parking. After security check, the guy in the first floor stapled our interview letter and we were asked to wait in the second floor. Garden City office is huge with lot of chairs and not an intimidating atmosphere. We saw atleast 80 people waiting before us. Some of them came 3 or 4 hours earlier than their interview time.
We waited and waited and waited and finally my name was called at 2:00. I was lucky to get a very courteous officer. She was extremly polite, never seen an INS officer like that. She asked me to show my GC and passport. Verified the arrival/departure date. She found I put a wrong date in N-400 and corrected it. Asked me 10 questions from the standard 100. When she asked me "Whom did we fight against during revolutionary war?", I started ranting Japan, Germany, Italy. She reminded me "I asked revolutionay war", I immediately corrected my answer.
Then she asked me to write 3 sentences. Asked me whether I have my tax returns. I said I have it for the last year and was about it take it out from my bag. She said no need. After that she read N-400 questions in less than one minute. She apologized before asking questions like have you ever smuggled drugs, were you ever a prostitute etc., (from N-400).
Then she asked me to wait in the first floor and said if another officer approves my interview, I'll get my oath letter. The entire interview was over in exactly 16 mins including name change and address change. I waited in the first floor for 15 mins and someone called our names and gave our oath letters. Oath date is 2 weeks from interview date.
Overall it was an uneventful interview. We read the 100 questions 2 days before the interview since my friend told me there was no need to read anything else for history/civics. I have other problems with my oath and travelling out of the country which I rather not talk about. Thanks hm11 and others for your valuable input.
This is interview experience of another old-timer (choyty)
I was scheduled for interview yesterday 9:55 A.M at Garden City, NY. I wanted to take LIRR from Flatbush/Atlantic Avenue station. As I went there to catch 7:50 train to Hemstead, I found that the station was closed due to heavy smoke at the track. All services were temporarily suspended to and from this station until further notice. As the clock was ticking, my heart bit started to up as well. I was hoping to catch the next train which leaves at 8:36 A.M and reaches to Hempstead at 9:26 A.M. At about 8:20 all services were resumed from the station, and I arrived at Hempstead station around 9:35. I took a cab from there, and I was at the immigration office in less than 10 minutes. After security check when I handed in my letter, the time stamp they put was exactly 9:55 A.M. I was relived for not being late. I was told to go up stair, there I handed in my letter, and then I was told to wait. There were about 30/40 people waiting, some of them were very nervous memorizing the sample 100 Q/A.
I was called for the interview around 12:00. I was interviewed by a Chinese woman who was extremely rude. She was interviewing me, and at the same time she was discussing with her colleague from her desk about a couple who didn’t bring enough paper, and she suspects that they came up to this far submitting fake docs bla…bla… I was interviewed in a big room where there were no cubicles, officers were sitting face to face, and could share their personal view about cases. No privacy was maintained. The first question she asked me was if I was arrested? I said no, then she asked me why I checked yes to the question “ If you were cited, arrested…. ? “ Then I said to her that I was summoned for speeding ticket. She asked me for receipt of the payment. I didn’t have the receipt with me, but I took driver’s abstract with me, and gave that to her. She replied back saying speeding ticket has nothing to do with this question, you made my job harder, now I have to go to my supervisor to approve your case bla.. bla...bla.. I told her that the dictionary meaning of citation was “an official summons to appear (as before a court) “. She then said to me no one would catch this if I didn’t mention this. I replied her back saying I didn’t want to give any false information. She then gave 10 printed questions. I was asked to read them, and answer them verbally. I didn’t have any problem answering them. She then dictated me to write three sentences, and I wrote them too. She then went through my application. I mentioned her that I answered question 33 wrongly, said no instead of yes. She asked me how old I was when I got my GC, I replied over 30. She also verified that with my date of birth, and said I don’t have to worry about this question since I was over 30. To my understanding, she even didn’t understand what the question was asking. Anyway, I reminded her that the question was asking something else. She didn’t pay any attention to me, but proceeded to next questions. She even didn’t give me the chance to give my affidavit that I took with me. She then asked me for my 5 years Tax return, and took them all. After this she asked me if I wanted to get the oath for next Friday, and if I was interested to take the letter with me or by mail. This was the only sweet conversation we had during our 30 min interview. I gladly told her that I would like to take the letter with me. She then ordered me, yes she ordered me ( that’s how she was sounded to me ) to wait down stairs to pick up the oath letter. While I was waiting to pick up my oath letter, it seemed to me that oath letter was given to almost everyone. At about 2:30 I got my oath letter, and headed back to home.
Few suggestions:
Never under estimate these officers. Not all of them are nice and courteous. You may meet someone like me, so don’t be surprised. Have lots of patience even if the officer gives you a dirty look, because you will never have to meet the interviewer again. Take all the relevant documents with you and produce them only when you are asked.
I have benefited a lot from this forum, and thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. Good luck to everyone.
Here is my time line:
PD-------------------------------------6/18/03
FP-------------------------------------8/8/03
2nd FP---------------------------------11/30/04
Intv. Letter received----------------1/21/05
Intv.-----------------------------------3/22/05
Oath is in Garden City-------------3/31/05
-----Choyty------
This is from another old-timer member- Shaky
i went in at 1 pm for 1.30 pm app. there are two waiting areas. i went to first one and gave my letter at window and i was advised to seated and wait to be called.i waited about 25 mins there and my name was called and i thaught wow thats fast, i that it was my interview call but it wasnt. i went upstairs and there was another waiting area . ok i found a seat and started waiting. I started chatting to the lady sitting next to me she was from Pakistan. and her english wasnt that good.
I noticed some ppl who came after me were called in before me( same thing is going to happen to me in getting my oath letter, I assume ) well the lady sitting next to me was called before me , after 10 mins she came back and sat next to me , i asked her what happened, she said my officer says there is some problem. well i asked her in detail IN ** Urdu** ( langauge spoken in pakistan ) then she said '' she went in and officer asked her to raise hand and to tell the truth and she replaied *** I CAN ** AND OFFICER REPLIED SAME QUESTION COUPLE OF TIMES and she answered ** I can ** thinking that **i do ** and **i can ** mean same . so officer got upset and failed her right there before even interview. so she got another date and left.
well about 3:30 pm my name was called . it was aged officer in his 50's i belive. and he didnt look like other officer who joked around and smiled. ok we went in he asked to rais hand and normal stuff, he scaned barcode on my file and asked my name . and then he asked for my green card and I;D. and then he asked if i was still married i said yes.then he went through my file he checked every single paper which was in my file. ( i guess he was looking to what documents to ask for ) then he asked me for my 2001 and 2002 tax returns and i handed him my tax returnsi had made copies of my tax returns which he mentioned that was nice of me, and he smiled for 1st time.
he kept the copies and gave me back originals. then he asked me proof of residence, i showed him my recent phone bills. then he did something on computer and asked me for marriage certificate , which i gave him original and a copy. he kept the copy. and he said, Thanx for making his JOB easier.then he picked up my N 400 application and asked me my age and some questions from N 400 like was i ever arrested and stuff. and then he asked me if i wanted to change my name and i said yes. he said ok what part of name u wanna change and the reason. i told him i wanted to change my first name only and the reason is i like that name . he said OK. then he asked me about selective services and i gave him my registration card . Then he signed application and asked me to sign it with my name NOT the new name . and then he printed a paper with my old name and new name and he had me signed them too,
When i submitted my application i had forgotten to include my photographs, so i mentioned to him , then he said yes there was a note on application and he asked if i have them now i said yes. then he made me sign on my photos. and then came the question part. he asked me i think seven questions i dont remember all of them now . and they were easy ones from the list. i answered all of them correct.
Then he handed me the paper and told me to read the line which was like *** I am sitting in Garden City naturalization office ** i had no problem reading that offcourse . then he asked me to write a sentence on line on that paper ** I live in new york state **, and then he handed me the paper which said i passed the test and he tick marked the box that my application is recommended for approval and i will get notice in mail to attend oath ceremony . I asked him how long is that wait for oath and he said he has no idea.he stoof up and he walked me out of that hallway. i thanked him and walked out of building smiling.
Well i was very happy that I did it. But now looking at the facts that ppl who are interviewed after me are getting oath letters BUT not me, is making me worry and putting alot of thaughts in my mind , like, maybe something is wrong now or maybe i have missed the oath letter and thaughts go on.
Can anyone tell me what would YOU do if u were in my position. Wait for oath letter in mail for 2 or 4 months more OR go to 26 federal plaza in NYC and inquire about my case
Or maybe there is a dely in my case because i had chosen to change my name. Is it the fact that ppl who ask to change their names wait longer for oath for those who do not change their names? any Idea.??????
Plz reply...
Thank you .. and good Luck
