wantmygcnow
Volunteer Moderator
Sorry for the long post. For the lazy bums. I was approved and took Oath same day. For the rest who want to read the details..here it is:
After the false start on Monday. My day came on Tuesday. The day started when I heard my alarm went off on the song "I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night."....very well I said to myself I Hope so.
My Interview was scheduled at 8:30am & I left the house at 6:30 am just to be sure since 66 is usually bad. It took me about an hour to go 15 miles and I got to the Mcdonalds that was close to it in the Panam shopping center. Got myself a cup of coffee and relaxed with the exam. Got to the office at 8:00am sharp checked in & was told to go upstairs. Went upstairs and I saw maybe 20 people in the waiting room. I gave my IL to the secretary in front and was told to wait.
I would see some people being called then come back and were told to wait. Some would just come back and leave. I guessed the people who were made to wait had to get their application approved by a supervisor for oath. Since the officers would come out and give them their Oath letters.
I was sitting next to this guy from Nigeria and he was nervous as hell that he forgot his Interview letter at home. NICE! Plus he was asking me to quiz him on the exam. I am like dude maybe this will make me forget myself
But they still took him in(with his wife who had an interview) and told him to write his name on a piece of paper. That's how nice Fairfax DO is. THey don't turn you around. They even take walk-in interviews if you missed your ID as i found out from my officer.
I heard my name being called out at around 9:00ish. The officer a white lady in her 40s told me that she just got my file from last night & needs some time to review it and she will call me in 10 or so minutes. I said ok take your time. While getting more nervous
She came back in 15 or so minutes and instead of calling me walked up to me and just kinda startled me since I was reading a newspaper...and said "MR XXX, are you ready for your interview?" I said sure and picked up my stuff and followed her. While walking to her office, she apologized that i was turned back a day earlier and how some officers called in sick and they overbooked and the policy of "walk-in" interviews should be changed for people who missed their interviews...etc etc. I noticed that she was a supervisor or a senior officer because as she was walking someone asked her to look at something. She told him in 10 minutes. I was like Yes 10 minutes I will be done
When we got to her office, she told me to stay standing up and we took the Oath. Then first question she asked me was How come I have an American name to which I replied how (named after a U.s President) and she was totally amused! That kinda made me a little less nervous when she said "Oh we all have those weird aunts who like to name other kids"..to which I responded "Yes but I am glad since I don't have to do a name change."
First thing she asked me was to sign my pictures which I did and she put them back in the little ziplock bag. Then she asked me when did i enter the U.S the first time to which I responded and she asked me the port of entry.
Then she went over my application line by line, address, SSN number. My marriage date/wife's name, son's name, DOB. Then we got the travel part. She had never asked for my GC or passport but I put them on the table anyways.
She asked me the last time I went outside the country. I told her in October and before I filed for N400. In one part on the return date, I had left "Check Return Date" next to the date so she asked me if that note is for her or me(the applicant)? I told her I forgot to clear that but I know
that was the return date because I found the copy of the missing stamp. She said ok. She verified my travels with some piece of paper she had...and asked me to tell me the countries I have been to. I did what I could and she was satisfied. She did ask me if I have been to my Country Of Persecution to which I said no.
She then placed a big CHECK on the whole section. She never looked at my passport or travel documents or any stamps which I was assuming she would. She made a note "No Travels over 6 months" and moved on.
We got to the married part and asked me how many times I have been married. Asked a copy of the marriage & birth certificate for my son. She punched them and put them in her file. She then asked me questions like How did you meet your wife? What does she do and what does she do when she gets here...stuff like that..and small talk while she was assembling and looking over the papers. Made me REAL comfortable. I felt not nervous at all because this lady I am telling you she was the nicest officer I could've gotten I swear. Bless her heart!
We got to the YES/NO question. She quickly asked me those questions in bunches and I said no. She asked me if I have been arrested and I said Yes a a Speeding ticket. She asked to see the court disposition and looked to see what it was(reckless driving in 2001). She commented on if I was glad that reckless driving in 2001 wasn't as severe as it is now. And I told her I learned my lesson. She took that and put that in my A-File. While she was doing that she went on other yes/no questions gambling,drugs etc. Then it came to the Child Support question and she asked me if I have any proof of child support I provide to my son overseas.
Thanks to this forum, I had already prepared that.
I had asked my wife to send me Apostilled Signed document that I pay child support regularly and I had also asked her to send me letter with regular signature. She looked at the aposttille seal and made a comment about the German Flag COlors are embedded in. She took both of them and put them in my file and marked "CSOK" next to question 22g. I also gave her 2 recent bank transfers which she put those in the file too.
She asked me about selective service and asked for the evidence. I provided it to her and she also put that in the A-File and marked that section OK and big red check.
Then all of a sudden she started to sign all papers while talking about stuff like German Beer & what part of Germany I love the most..stuff like that. She would sign something and then punch that in my A file and type something on the computer. She then asked me to speak "The People elect the Congress" & asked me to write that on a piece of paper.
Then she asked me the 6 questions
1. Who wrote Declration of Independence? I said Jefferson..she said First name? I said Thomas Jefferson...She said I am glad you didn't say T.J
2. State that borders mexico: Arizona
3. Who is the commander in chief of the military? The U.S President
4. 3 original states of the 13? MD, VA, Delaware
5. Two major parties: Republican & Democratic
6. Presidents Party: Democractic
Then she stopped and marked that I have passed the exam & told me to hold on to that. Then she said If I support the constitution and etc etc that is in the last page of the N400 to which I said yes ofcourse.
She asked me to sign the form and print my name to which i did. Then she tried to print something and her printer wont print. I was like NICE only with me! She had to restart her printer..while waiting she asked me if I am excited! I was like yes and she asked if I have any pics of my wife/son to which I showed to her on my phone.
Finally the printer worked & the approval letter came out...and then she took the big red stamp and marked APPROVED at 2 or 3 places and put some piece of paper in the a file. WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOo!!!! I wanted to scream like a little girl but didn't cuz didn't know about the Oath.
She told me to hold on while she comes back. She came back and said "I wont make you drive back here one more day..How about today at 2pm?" I was like OFCOURSE!! YES!!
She then gave me the Oath letter with the Oath date and check in time at 1pm. I went to find my new friend the Nigerian guy and he was still testing himself on the questions. I told him to not worry and relax..
Came back at 1pm for the Oath. Formed a line and turned in our GC's and got to see the most beautiful thing on this planet other than my wife...THE CERTIFICATE!! What a beauty! Signed a copy of it and then went upstairs.
The head of the district office went over the steps etc. He said that If I see that someone is not reciting the oath, I am going to pull them out of ceremony and "we will have a 1-to-1" so everyone was screaming from the top of their lungs....We also did the pledge to the flag. Then we listened to OUR president and were called to get our Certificates. Special moment! Lots of people were crying.
Once everyone left, I went over to the head-guy and took some pics with him and the certificate. He was very nice, courteous and genuine in thanking each and every one individual. There was one blind man and he also couldn't walk. When his name was called, his interpreter went to get it but he told him NO.I will walk to him and he walked to him and handed him and took some pics! NICE!!
I am done now!! Tomorrow I try to get a U.S passport in a day and see if I can travel to see my wife/son this new years eve. NICE!!
I got back to my car and screamed the top of my lungs..YESSSSSSSSS! And did turn the CD to black eyed peas "I have a feeling that tonight's gonna be a good tonight". YES SIR IT IS GONNA BE AT PF CHANGS!!!!!!!!
After the false start on Monday. My day came on Tuesday. The day started when I heard my alarm went off on the song "I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night."....very well I said to myself I Hope so.
My Interview was scheduled at 8:30am & I left the house at 6:30 am just to be sure since 66 is usually bad. It took me about an hour to go 15 miles and I got to the Mcdonalds that was close to it in the Panam shopping center. Got myself a cup of coffee and relaxed with the exam. Got to the office at 8:00am sharp checked in & was told to go upstairs. Went upstairs and I saw maybe 20 people in the waiting room. I gave my IL to the secretary in front and was told to wait.
I would see some people being called then come back and were told to wait. Some would just come back and leave. I guessed the people who were made to wait had to get their application approved by a supervisor for oath. Since the officers would come out and give them their Oath letters.
I was sitting next to this guy from Nigeria and he was nervous as hell that he forgot his Interview letter at home. NICE! Plus he was asking me to quiz him on the exam. I am like dude maybe this will make me forget myself
But they still took him in(with his wife who had an interview) and told him to write his name on a piece of paper. That's how nice Fairfax DO is. THey don't turn you around. They even take walk-in interviews if you missed your ID as i found out from my officer.
I heard my name being called out at around 9:00ish. The officer a white lady in her 40s told me that she just got my file from last night & needs some time to review it and she will call me in 10 or so minutes. I said ok take your time. While getting more nervous
She came back in 15 or so minutes and instead of calling me walked up to me and just kinda startled me since I was reading a newspaper...and said "MR XXX, are you ready for your interview?" I said sure and picked up my stuff and followed her. While walking to her office, she apologized that i was turned back a day earlier and how some officers called in sick and they overbooked and the policy of "walk-in" interviews should be changed for people who missed their interviews...etc etc. I noticed that she was a supervisor or a senior officer because as she was walking someone asked her to look at something. She told him in 10 minutes. I was like Yes 10 minutes I will be done
When we got to her office, she told me to stay standing up and we took the Oath. Then first question she asked me was How come I have an American name to which I replied how (named after a U.s President) and she was totally amused! That kinda made me a little less nervous when she said "Oh we all have those weird aunts who like to name other kids"..to which I responded "Yes but I am glad since I don't have to do a name change."
First thing she asked me was to sign my pictures which I did and she put them back in the little ziplock bag. Then she asked me when did i enter the U.S the first time to which I responded and she asked me the port of entry.
Then she went over my application line by line, address, SSN number. My marriage date/wife's name, son's name, DOB. Then we got the travel part. She had never asked for my GC or passport but I put them on the table anyways.
She asked me the last time I went outside the country. I told her in October and before I filed for N400. In one part on the return date, I had left "Check Return Date" next to the date so she asked me if that note is for her or me(the applicant)? I told her I forgot to clear that but I know
that was the return date because I found the copy of the missing stamp. She said ok. She verified my travels with some piece of paper she had...and asked me to tell me the countries I have been to. I did what I could and she was satisfied. She did ask me if I have been to my Country Of Persecution to which I said no.
She then placed a big CHECK on the whole section. She never looked at my passport or travel documents or any stamps which I was assuming she would. She made a note "No Travels over 6 months" and moved on.
We got to the married part and asked me how many times I have been married. Asked a copy of the marriage & birth certificate for my son. She punched them and put them in her file. She then asked me questions like How did you meet your wife? What does she do and what does she do when she gets here...stuff like that..and small talk while she was assembling and looking over the papers. Made me REAL comfortable. I felt not nervous at all because this lady I am telling you she was the nicest officer I could've gotten I swear. Bless her heart!
We got to the YES/NO question. She quickly asked me those questions in bunches and I said no. She asked me if I have been arrested and I said Yes a a Speeding ticket. She asked to see the court disposition and looked to see what it was(reckless driving in 2001). She commented on if I was glad that reckless driving in 2001 wasn't as severe as it is now. And I told her I learned my lesson. She took that and put that in my A-File. While she was doing that she went on other yes/no questions gambling,drugs etc. Then it came to the Child Support question and she asked me if I have any proof of child support I provide to my son overseas.
Thanks to this forum, I had already prepared that.
I had asked my wife to send me Apostilled Signed document that I pay child support regularly and I had also asked her to send me letter with regular signature. She looked at the aposttille seal and made a comment about the German Flag COlors are embedded in. She took both of them and put them in my file and marked "CSOK" next to question 22g. I also gave her 2 recent bank transfers which she put those in the file too.
She asked me about selective service and asked for the evidence. I provided it to her and she also put that in the A-File and marked that section OK and big red check.
Then all of a sudden she started to sign all papers while talking about stuff like German Beer & what part of Germany I love the most..stuff like that. She would sign something and then punch that in my A file and type something on the computer. She then asked me to speak "The People elect the Congress" & asked me to write that on a piece of paper.
Then she asked me the 6 questions
1. Who wrote Declration of Independence? I said Jefferson..she said First name? I said Thomas Jefferson...She said I am glad you didn't say T.J
2. State that borders mexico: Arizona
3. Who is the commander in chief of the military? The U.S President
4. 3 original states of the 13? MD, VA, Delaware
5. Two major parties: Republican & Democratic
6. Presidents Party: Democractic
Then she stopped and marked that I have passed the exam & told me to hold on to that. Then she said If I support the constitution and etc etc that is in the last page of the N400 to which I said yes ofcourse.
She asked me to sign the form and print my name to which i did. Then she tried to print something and her printer wont print. I was like NICE only with me! She had to restart her printer..while waiting she asked me if I am excited! I was like yes and she asked if I have any pics of my wife/son to which I showed to her on my phone.
Finally the printer worked & the approval letter came out...and then she took the big red stamp and marked APPROVED at 2 or 3 places and put some piece of paper in the a file. WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOo!!!! I wanted to scream like a little girl but didn't cuz didn't know about the Oath.
She told me to hold on while she comes back. She came back and said "I wont make you drive back here one more day..How about today at 2pm?" I was like OFCOURSE!! YES!!
She then gave me the Oath letter with the Oath date and check in time at 1pm. I went to find my new friend the Nigerian guy and he was still testing himself on the questions. I told him to not worry and relax..
Came back at 1pm for the Oath. Formed a line and turned in our GC's and got to see the most beautiful thing on this planet other than my wife...THE CERTIFICATE!! What a beauty! Signed a copy of it and then went upstairs.
The head of the district office went over the steps etc. He said that If I see that someone is not reciting the oath, I am going to pull them out of ceremony and "we will have a 1-to-1" so everyone was screaming from the top of their lungs
....We also did the pledge to the flag. Then we listened to OUR president and were called to get our Certificates. Special moment! Lots of people were crying.Once everyone left, I went over to the head-guy and took some pics with him and the certificate. He was very nice, courteous and genuine in thanking each and every one individual. There was one blind man and he also couldn't walk. When his name was called, his interpreter went to get it but he told him NO.I will walk to him and he walked to him and handed him and took some pics! NICE!!
I am done now!! Tomorrow I try to get a U.S passport in a day and see if I can travel to see my wife/son this new years eve. NICE!!
I got back to my car and screamed the top of my lungs..YESSSSSSSSS! And did turn the CD to black eyed peas "I have a feeling that tonight's gonna be a good tonight". YES SIR IT IS GONNA BE AT PF CHANGS!!!!!!!!
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