The Naturalization interview is the final obstacle for permanent residents who have filed Form N-400 to become United States Citizens. Towards the end of your N-400 processing timeline, be sure to check the mail regularly, you will receive a letter from the USCIS with an appointment notice for the naturalization interview and they will only send it once.
What to bring to your Naturalization Interview?
Documents that you must take to your naturalization interview and test include:
Interview appointment notice that you received in the mail
Permanent resident card (aka green card)
Drivers license or other state issued identification card
All current and expired passports and travel documents
Depending on your individual case you may need to bring other documents including:
Evidence of your marital status
Termination of prior marriages
Filing as a spouse of a U.S. Citizen
Tax Returns
Children’s birth certificates
Support for Dependents
Overdue taxes
Selective Service Registration
Trip outside of the U.S.
Arrests/Detainments/Convictions
Filing as a Spouse of a U.S. Citizen Stationed Abroad
Military Membership
To be safe you should bring a copy of the Form N-400 you submitted to refer to during the interview.
Where is the interview conducted?
The Naturalization interview will be held at the office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) serving the region where you live. It is crucial that you arrive at early, but not more than 15 minutes before your appointment time, to ensure enough time for the check in process. Due to Covid-19 precautions, you will not be allowed in the office until 15 minutes prior to your appointment. When you arrive at your appointment you will need to show your appointment notice you received in the mail and pass through a security check.
Who conducts it?
Once you pass through the security check you will wait for your name to be called. After that, a USCIS officer will lead you to their desk to and most likely ask you to sit down. Next you will be asked to stand up and raise your right hand in order to swear to tell the truth during the interview.
Questions asked?
The English Test
The interview usually lasts around 20 minutes, the purpose of this test is to prove to the officer that you can read, write and understand English.
Speaking= the officer will begin by asking you questions in English about the information on your N-400 form that you filled out.
Reading= you will be given three sentences and will need to read one of them aloud to the officer.
Writing= you will be given three sentences and will need to write one of them legibly.
Keep in mind, your ability to speak English will be evaluated from the moment you meet the officer and they will be observing your ability to follow simple instructions like “please remain standing” when you are sworn in and to respond to the questions asked. If you do not understand a question, simply ask the officer to rephrase it because guessing could just complicate matters.
The U.S. Civics and Government Test
This test will consist of the officer asking you a series of questions about U.S. history and government. You will need to answer 60% of the questions correctly.
The total list of questions includes 100 possibilities that the officer can choose from, and you must answer six out of ten correctly in order to pass.
The questions are publicly available through the USCIS website on a page called “The Naturalization Test”.
Questions are subject to change based on the names of elected government officials.
Post Test:
Once you have completed your interview, The USCIS officer will consider all of the documents you’ve provided as well as the interview and test results in order to make a final determination on your case.
You will be given Form N-652, which will tell you the results of your exam.
If you are approved, the officer will schedule a time for you to attend your swearing in ceremony. At the ceremony, you’ll take your oath of allegiance to the U.S. and become an official U.S. citizen.
If you failed one of the tests, don’t worry you will not be denied citizenship on the spot, but will be called back to retake the tests within 90 days. However, the questions on your second test will differ from the first test, so make sure you’re prepared.
If you are not approved, they will provide the reasons for disapproving. You may choose to appeal or file a new application. Prior to submitting a new N-400, it’s important that you take time to understand the reason for the denial and seek counsel from an experienced and knowledgeable immigration attorney, so that you have better chances of success. To schedule a case evaluation call us at 321-325-1125.