citizenship interview tips

Applying for Citizenship with Pending Green Card Application: In today’s, we are going to learn the answer to this question, can somebody apply for naturalization (Citizenship) to become a U.S citizen, even if their application to remove the condition from their green card is still pending?

If you’re somebody that’s a conditional, lawful, permanent resident, you have your conditional green card and you’re waiting for the application to remove the condition from your green card, so that you can become an unconditional green card holder. You’re wondering if you can file your application for naturalization, then this guide will help you out, make sure you read it to the end.

Applying for Citizenship with Pending Green Card Application

In many cases, when somebody gets their green card based on marriage, they first get a 2-year green card and they’re referred to as a conditional lawful permanent resident. They basically have a green card with a 2-year expiration date on it.

Toward the end of that 2-year period, the individual can apply to remove the condition from their green card to become an unconditional lawful permanent resident.

In the context of a marriage-based green card case, the application to remove the condition from the green card is referred to as the Form I-751. The issue is, oftentimes the Form I-751 can take a very long time to process.

While the Form I-751 is still processing, the individual becomes eligible to naturalize, meaning that they are now eligible to technically apply for naturalization to become a citizen of the United States.

In many cases, they’ve satisfied the continuous presence requirements and the physical presence requirements that are required for naturalization purposes, meaning that they have been a green card holder for the minimum required time to apply for naturalization, and they have been physically in the United States for the required minimum amount of time to also apply for naturalization.

But the issue is that their application to remove the condition from their green card is still pending. The question is, can somebody still apply for naturalization in this situation? The answer is yes.

Somebody can still file their form N-400, even if their application to remove the condition from their green card is still pending, assuming they satisfy the naturalization requirements.

Here’s a very important point to note:

USCIS will not approve somebody’s naturalization application until the application to remove the condition from the green card is approved. But you can still file your Form N-400.

What’s interesting is that in some cases, what we’ve seen is that, filing the Form N-400 can at time increase the processing speed of the Form I-751.

It can actually, at times, result in a faster decision of the Form I-751 by initiating the Form N-400. It may not always do that, but it happen at times.

Another important point is that:

Does it always make sense to do this? To file the Form N-400 while the Form I-751 is still pending? The answer is no.

One of the situations that you want to watch out for is if your Form I-751 might be a little bit doubtful. If you do not have a strong application to remove the condition from your green card or there might be something at issue in your case and you’re not confident that the Form I-751 will be approved, then it may not necessarily make a whole lot of sense for you to file your Form N-400 and to spend the money on the filing fee for the N-400 and go through that whole process when you’re not sure that the Form I-751 application to remove conditions will be approved.

That’s one instance where you might want to wait for the I-751 petition to be adjudicated before filing the naturalization application.

Another situation where you might not want to file the Form N-400 naturalization application, is if there’s issues with your naturalization application.

You want to make sure that you clearly satisfy the naturalization requirements before submitting your N-400, because ultimately there’s a big process with filing for naturalization. You have to submit an exhaustive application and you go through a biometrics appointment and a naturalization interview.

There’s a lot of steps to the naturalization process, and you do not want to initiate that process unless you know that you satisfy the requirements. To that end, it can be very beneficial to consult with an experienced immigration lawyer that can guide you through these various considerations.

That’s it about whether it’s possible for somebody to apply for naturalization while their application to remove the conditions from their green card is still pending.

I hope you found this guide about Applying for Citizenship with Pending Green Card Application very helpful.

Source: Ashoori Law

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.

The information presented in this guide does not create an attorney-client relationship nor is it a solicitation to offer legal advice. If you need legal advice, you should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action.

As such, I disclaim all liability with respect to actions taken based on any information presented. Nothing herein is intended to nor constitutes a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter. Every case is different and outcomes will vary depending on the unique facts and legal issues of your case. Thank you.

Can A Green Card Holder Be Deported? Immigrants who have obtained a green card can live and work in the U.S on a permanent basis. Although green cards give immigrants permanent legal status, it does not exempt them from being deported in certain cases.

The word permanent resident mean you are a permanent resident of the United States of America. But it doesn’t mean that you are permanent forever. There are things, if you do, they will take away that permanent residency status and deport you back to your home country.

Before we proceed, let look at some frequently asked questions concerning deportation of U.S green card holder or permanent resident.

• What are the things where a permanent resident can be subjected to deportation?
• Can a permanent green card holder be deported?
• How can a green card holder be deported?
• When can a green card holder be deported?
• Can a green card holder be deported for a felony?
• Can a green card holder be deported for domestic violence?

This guide will help you understand why green card holders can be deported and how you can protect your legal rights in immigration courts.

Note: There are difference between a green card holder and a U.S citizen because a green card holder or permanent resident can be deported back to their home country while a U.S citizen cannot be deported.

Deportation and Immigration Law

Like all citizens, green card holders must abide by U.S laws. But for these residents, legal violations can lead to deportation depending on the circumstances of each case.

According to U.S law, any non-citizen may be subject to removal. In some cases, green card holders applying for U.S citizenship can face deportation as a result of discoveries made during background checks.

But non-citizens are more commonly deported due to criminal activities including the violation of immigration laws.

Crimes That Lead to Deportation for Green Card Holders

• Crimes of moral turpitude.

There are certain crimes can be severe, higher magnitude, which can lead you to deportation. For example:

• Felonies, you become a felon, aggravated felonies, you will be deported.
• Someone doing theft is subject to deportation.
• Someone doing fraud, you are subject to deportation.
• Destruction of properties of someone or government building, you might be subject to deportation.

As green card holder, you have to look what type of things you are going to do, you are working on the eggshell, you are permanent, yes, but some things can lead to your deportation.

Other things which can be going to make you be deported:

• Domestic abuse or domestic violence, can be one among the reasons people can be able to be deported.
• If they do the background check and they found out you have done some of these things, you’ll be into trouble.
• Driving under influence (DUI), that is subject to be deported or jailed.

Also, let’s say you have a car, maybe you had your beer and it’s half of the bottle, you put the container back and that bottle is still in your car.

But maybe the next day or two days later, one week later, you are not drunk even a sip of alcohol, but you get caught with the alcohol bottle already opened, even if you put it back, but it’s already drunk. It’s called open bottle.

You’ll be considered like almost similar to someone with driving under influence.

• If you commit sexual abuse, if you commit especially sexual abuse against the minors
• If you perjury, you go to the court and you start lying on the court.
• You do human trafficking,
• You do murder,
• You do money laundering,
• You do illegal drugs

You have to understand that by being given and labeled as permanent resident it doesn’t mean permanent, it is just a status which allows you to stay there without the status of applying for the visa all the time or asking for the work permit, or after ten years you’ll be renewing.

If you want to be fully enjoying everything, you have to become a U.S citizen. Because if you are a U.S citizen, naturalized, even if you commit any of these crimes mentioned above, they’re not going to do anything to you of the issue of deportation. Rather, you’ll be prosecuted, jailed, whatever it is like any other American.

In Summary

In most cases, deportation proceedings are levied against immigrants who have committed crimes of moral turpitude or those classified as aggravated felonies.

There are additional criminal violations that may also lead to the deportation of green card holders.

Crimes of moral turpitude consist of the intent to harm other individuals or their property, theft, fraud, and larceny. Domestic abuse and driving under the influence may also fall under this classification.

In order for green card holders to be deported, crimes of moral turpitude must have been committed within the 5-year period following their admission into the U.S.

Committing two or more criminal acts of moral turpitude at any time after a non-citizen has been admitted into the U.S. may also lead to removal proceedings for green card holders.

Aggravated felonies include drug trafficking, murder, rape, money laundering, sexual abuse against minors, perjury, and other crimes.

Conviction of an aggravated felony will result in deportation. More importantly, convicted non-citizens won’t be allowed to re-enter the United States.

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. The information presented in this guide does not create an attorney-client relationship nor is it a solicitation to offer legal advice.

If you need legal advice, you may contact an attorney. You should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action.

As such, I disclaim all liability with respect to actions taken based on any information presented. Nothing herein is intended to nor constitutes a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.

Every case is different and outcomes will vary depending on the unique facts and legal issues of your case. Thank you.

In this guide, you will learn some possible H4 visa interview questions and example answers to help you pass this test.

What is H4 Visa?

H4 Visa is a United States (U.S) visa. It is issued to a dependent family member of H1B, H1B1, H2A, H2B, H3 visa holders. It allows you to travel to the USA with the primary visa holder. A dependent must be a spouse or children below 21 years.

To get an H4 visa, you need to pass an interview test. Accordingly, schedule an appointment for biometrics and visa interviews.

The H4 visa interview takes place at the US Embassy or Consulate. The interview takes place to evaluate the credibility of your marriage since H4 is a marriage-based visa.

Types of H4 Visa Interview Questions

The H4 visa interview questions and answers are divided into 4 categories. These include questions and answers about –

• You
• Your marriage
• H4 visa
• Your spouse

H4 Visa Interview Questions and Answers

Below are common H4 dependent visa interview questions under these categories listed.

Questions and Answers About You

1. Where will you live in America?

Hint: Provide the name of the town or city you will be residing in the US

2. What are your plans to do in the USA?

Hint: Here, an immigration officer seeks an honest answer. Hence, provide a short yet truthful answer.

3. Do you have family members besides your spouse in America?

Hint: If yes, provide a detailed brief about your family members.

4. Do you wish to work in America?

Hint: The U.S administration withdrew the restriction on the work permit of the H4 visa holder. It means that individuals can work against meeting prescribed eligibility criteria. Therefore, answer this accordingly.

5. Whom do you live with presently?

Hint: Answer honestly. For instance, you live with your in-laws or parents.

6. What is your residential town or city in your native country?

Hint: Mention your current residential city or town.

7. With whom will you reside in the United States?

Hint: Mention that you will be living with your spouse.

8. Who is going to support you financially in the United States?

Hint: State that your spouse will be supporting you financially to stay in the United States.

Questions and Answers About Your Marriage

9. Is there any photograph or legal document proof of your marriage?

Hint: Carry important documents like a marriage certificate and a wedding photograph as document proof of your marriage.

10. What was the date of your marriage? For how many years have you been married to your spouse?

Hint: Answer this question directly and appropriately.

11. Was your marriage arranged or love? If arranged, who arranged it?

Hint: If anyone arranged your marriage, provide his or her details. It can be your parents, cousins or friends.

12. What was the location of your marriage?

Hint: Here you need to provide a detailed answer, stating the city, state and country’s name.

13. Was there any engagement before you got married to your spouse?

Hint: In case of engagement before marriage, you need to showcase proof of the same.

14. What was the total expenditure of your marriage? Who financed it?

Hint: Furnish the details with relevant information or documents, if any.

15. When and where did you meet your spouse for the first time?

Hint: If you cannot remember the exact date, mention the year or month.

Questions and Answers About H4 Visa

16. Which visa are you applying for?

Hint: Provide a direct answer that you are applying for an H4 visa.

17. Why do you want an H4 visa?

Hint: You need an H4 visa because you want to visit the United States along with your spouse (H1B visa holder).

18. Have you scheduled an appointment by yourself?

Hint: Don’t hesitate to answer if you didn’t make an appointment by yourself. Mention if anyone else has scheduled it for you. Also, state a legitimate reason why you could not schedule an appointment.

19. When did your spouse receive approval for an H1B visa?

Hint: Provide the accurate approval date, month and year for an H1B visa.

20. How did you collect all necessary documents for this interview?

Hint: Give an appropriate answer as per the requirement.

21. Why did you not attend the H4 visa interview with your spouse?

Hint: Provide an honest reason for why you did not attend this interview with your spouse.

Questions and Answers About Your Spouse

22. From which University did your spouse graduate? What is the highest educational degree of your spouse?

Hint: Provide the University’s name and year of graduation of your spouse. For the second question, mention the highest educational degree your spouse completed.

23. When is your spouse’s birthday?

Hint: Answer the exact date, month and year of birth of your spouse.

24. What is the name of the organisation your spouse is currently working in? Where is its location?

Hint: Mention the name of the organisation where your spouse is currently working. In the case of the second question, mention the location details of the organisation.

25. How long has the current company employed your spouse?

Hint: Provide the accurate month, year and date for which your spouse has been associated with the current company.

26. What is the profession of your spouse?

Hint: Provide the details of your spouse’s profession and the associate job description.

27. What is the annual income of your spouse?

Hint: You need to submit proof to verify your answer. Hence, your answer must be honest.

28. Do you have your spouse’s bank statement?

Hint: Submit your spouse’s bank statement and receipts to the immigration officer.

29. Does your spouse currently stay in the United States?

Hint: If the answer is yes, provide an accurate answer on the date, month and year of his or her stay.

30. Is your spouse a U.S citizen? If not, has he or she applied for a green card?

Hint: Provide an appropriate answer, don’t lie, be sincere.

How to Prepare Yourself for an H4 Visa Interview?

Once you know H4 visa questions and answers, prepare yourself by following these 4 tips:

• Be on Time

Reach the venue 30 to 20 minutes before the scheduled time with all the required documents. Arriving early will also allow you to stay calm during the interview process.

• Answer Confidently

Answer H4 visa questions clearly. It is one of the essential factors that determine the given visa approval. Skipping or providing false information can eliminate your chances to get an H4 visa. It is because the immigration officer verifies your answers with relevant documents.

• Keep the Documents Ready

As you can find from the questions mentioned above, you need to provide certain documents to verify your answers. This includes marriage certificates, bank statements and other essential files. It is wise to keep a copy of those documents ready to submit whenever asked.

• Check Your Documents

Review your documents carefully. All details such as name, birthdate and other information in it will be printed on the visa. Hence any potential mistake in data can be a hassle later.

Additionally, when you receive your visa, check it carefully. If you notice any errors, report them the appropriate place immediately.

Make sure to prepare yourself with H4 visa interview questions for quick visa approval.

DISCLAIMER: This post/guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any legal advice, not offering any visa too. If you need legal advice, you should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action.

The information presented in this post/guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

Do and don’ts in U.S visa interview: In this guide, you will learn top 5 mistakes that people do when they appear for visa interview. Are you ready to learn those top mistakes people do inside the interview room and how to avoid them? Let’s get right into the full details.

Many people get their visas denied not because they don’t have good funding or they don’t prove ties to their home country, no, that is not the point. Many people get their visas denied because of some attitude that happened during the interview room.

Your poster, attitude and behavior you take into the interview room can affect your visa approval.

Top 5 Mistakes People do Inside the Visa interview Room and How to avoid them

Below are top 5 Mistakes People do Inside the Visa interview Room and tips on how to avoid them:

1. Fear.

A lot of people enter the interview room with fear. They go inside the interview with a lot of misconceptions and others who have heard so much about the interview process that makes them afraid.

There are some people who become so anxious about the process that all that they are thinking of is getting my visa approved, getting my visa approved. So they go into the interview room with a lot of anxiousness and fear.

One thing fear does is that when you go into the interview room with fear, it affects the way you flow, it affects how you express yourself and ultimately your visa gets denied. Consulares are looking for people who can speak and defend their case with confidence.

So when you go to the interview room, even if you have good story, you must present your good story with confidence, not fear. The best way you can overcome fear is to prepare well for the interview by practicing sample questions and how you answer them.

2. Don’t decide the V.O or Consular you want.

Many people get their visas refused because during the interview they decide the kind of consular they want to go and those they want to avoid.

The fact that a consular is denying people that does not mean when you go, you will be denied. Many people go to the interview room and because in the interview room we can hear what has happened, we can see and hear consulares approving and rejecting people, it affect their focus.

Make sure that inside the interview room you remain focused irrespective of whatever is going on around you, irrespective of whether the consulares are approving people or they are not approving people. Go and perform, and go and present your case.

Also, many people have heard a lot about some consular. Even before they enter the interview room, they are hoping to avoid that consular because one of their friends told them that this consular is wicked, this consular do not get visa approved.

So assuming you go with this mindset and it is that consular that you go to, it will affect you and it will affect your performance and your visa will be refused because you wouldn’t get the confidence and the courage to defend yourself. So avoid that.

Go to the interview room prepared. Irrespective of who will interview you, go to the interview room prepared.

The U.S consulares are trained equally and although they are individuals who have their personal judgment, when you go and prove and establish that you qualify for the visa, your visa will be approved.

Every consular is put there to make sure that they approve visa. They approved qualified people. If you qualify and you meet their satisfaction, you answer your questions so well, your visa will be approved.

3. Don’t Speak Too Much.

Speaking too much is part of the common mistake that people do. Many people visa get rejected because they spoke too much. They don’t answer questions based on what the consular asks them. They try to be impressive. They try to impress the consular by speaking too much.

In the interview room, you don’t give more information than the consular needs. Always understand that the interview is detected by your response. The response you give to the consular may require a follow-up.

If you know you are giving a response that you cannot back it up with a follow up question, avoid it. Make sure that you speak briefly and give only the information the consular needs. Don’t try to impress by speaking too much, talking too much, speaking too much grammar and trying to be somebody you are not.

4. Don’t show documents until you’re asked

When you enter the visa interview room, don’t show documents when you have not been asked to.

For example, there are some people, when the consular asks them who is funding you? They will say is their uncle, aunty or they give a lot of good explanation and they say this is the document, no, that is wrong.

Always allow the console to ask for documents before you show it. Because when the consular is convinced or not convinced and he/she needs a document, he/she will ask you. So be brief and don’t talk too much.

5. Lack of clear communication.

A lot of people get rejected not because they don’t have good stories, not because they don’t have good details, good scholarship, or they didn’t improve ties to their home country, they get rejected because the consular did not hear anything they said.

The consular did not hear any of the answer they gave. They were not able to communicate clearly to the consular.

Make sure that when you are communicating or you are speaking, you speak clear English that the consular will understand. Take your time and speak slowly but clearly for the consular to hear what you are saying, to hear the story you are telling, to hear the point you are making. That is one of the most common mistakes that you can do.

Somebody comes out of the interview, the person gives you his/her transcript and you can see that nothing is wrong with the transcript and according to the transcript the person really spoke with but the problem is the person did not speak for the consular to hear.

The consular did not hear anything that the person said. Also, there are some people, when the consular asks them questions, they don’t hear the question, but they are afraid and they fail to ask the consular to politely repeat their question.

So if you go for the Visa interview and the consular asks you a question you didn’t hear, politely asking to repeat, don’t just assume and speak or answer a question you didn’t hear clearly. This is another mistake that affects a lot of Visa approval.

I hope that this information is useful to you. Thanks.

DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

In this guide, we will learn the answers to some civics test questions. The civics test is an oral test which USCIS Officer will ask the applicant seeking for U.S citizenship or naturalization.

The USCIS officer will ask the applicant up to 10 of the 100 civics questions. An applicant must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the naturalization test.

On the naturalization test, some answers may change because of elections or appointments. As you study for the test, make sure that you know the most current answers to these questions.

Once you attend your naturalization interview, the USCIS officer will ask you up to ten civics questions in random order. In other to pass the interview, you need to give correct answers to the questions.

The naturalization interview and test are critical steps in the naturalization process. Depending on the USCIS office that you’re in, you might take the test at an information desk in the waiting room. The most important thing for you to remember is to be prepared for your interview and test.

The purpose of the guide is to help applicants for naturalization prepare for the naturalization interview and test. This guide pertains to most applicants who are eligible for naturalization, but not pertain to all applicants.

The administration of the interview and test may also vary depending on the circumstances. The physical interview and test settings may vary based on each field office’s use of the space and processes.

This guide is only an example of what an applicant may experience at an actual naturalization interview. The questions in the guide are just sample questions and may or may not be asked in your interview. Any tests in this guide are just samples and may or may not be given at your interview.

Difference Between Naturalization and Citizenship Certificate

A U.S. Certificate of Citizenship is granted to a person who acquires or derives citizenship from his or her birth to U.S. parents.  A naturalization certificate, on the other hand, is granted to a person who becomes a citizen through the naturalization process.

Naturalization is the process to become a U.S. citizen if you were born outside of the United States.

Civics Test Questions and Answers (Naturalization Interview and Test)

Below are civics (history and government) questions and answers for the naturalization test:

Question: In what month do we vote for President of the United States?

Answer: November.

Question: Who is the father of our country?

Answer: George Washington.

Question: When was the Constitution written?

Answer: September 17, 1787

Question: Who signs bills to become laws?

Answer: The President.

Question: What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

Answer: The Bill of Rights.

Question: What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?

Answer:

▪ Checks and balances

▪ Separation of powers

Question: Who is in charge of the executive branch?

Answer: The President

Question: Who makes federal laws?

Answer:

▪ Congress

▪ Senate and House (of Representatives)

▪ (U.S. or national) legislature

Question: What are the two parts of the U.S. Congress?*

Answer: The Senate and House (of Representatives)

Question: How many U.S. Senators are there?

Answer: One hundred (100)

Question: How many members do we have in the House of Representatives?

Answer: The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population.

Question: Name the writers of the Federalist Papers.

Answer: The Federalist, commonly referred to as the Federalist Papers, is a series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison between October 1787 and May 1788.

Question: What is freedom of religion?

Answer: You can practice any religion or not practice a religion.

Question: How many amendments does the Constitution have?

Answer: Twenty Seven (27)

Question: What are two rights in the Declaration of Independence?

Answer:

▪ Life

▪ Liberty

▪ Pursuit of happiness

Question: What is the economic system in the United States?

Answer:

▪ Capitalist economy

▪ Market economy

Question: What are the two major political parties in the United States?

Answer: Democratic and Republican.

Question: What major event happened on September 11, 2001 in the United States?

Answer: Terrorists attacked the United States.

Question: What is the name of the national anthem?

Answer: The Star Spangled Banner.

Question: When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

Answer: April 15.

Question: Before he was president, Eisenhower was a general. What war was he in?

Answer: World War II.

Question: What ocean is on the west coast of the United States?

Answer: Pacific Ocean.

Question: Why does the flag have 13 stripes?

Answer:

▪ because there were 13 original colonies

▪ because the stripes represent the original colonies

Question: Why does the flag have 50 stars?

Answer:

▪ because there is one star for each state

▪ because each star represents a state

▪ because there are 50 states

Question: When do we celebrate Independence Day?

Answer: July 4

Question: We elect a President for how many years?

Answer: Four (4)

Question: In what month do we vote for President?

Answer: November

Checkout more of the questions and answers later…..

Note: The American Civics Test (also known as the American Citizenship Test, U.S. Civics Test, U.S Citizenship Test, and U.S. Naturalization Test) is an oral examination that all immigrants must pass to gain United States citizenship.

Disclaimer: This educational guide is for informational purposes only. The use of information contained in this article does not constitute any legal advice. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

Citizenship Interview Tips: At your interview, a USCIS officer will ask you questions based on the N-400 Application for Naturalization you submitted. Familiarize yourself with the most commonly asked naturalization/citizenship interview questions, drawn from your responses on Form N-400 and your A-File. This article will guide you on how to pass your U.S. citizenship naturalization interview.

12 Tips to Pass Your U.S. Citizenship Naturalization Interview

Below are the tips to pass your U.S citizenship naturalization interview

1. Have the exact copies of your completed citizenship application, the form N-400, including the entire packet that you submitted to the USCIS office.

Make sure that you understand and everything and can answer all the questions on the N-400 form.

You need to review your entire citizenship application. The interviewing officer will go through your whole naturalization application form and document, then verify the answers that you have provided them.

2. Study well and master the 100 questions and answers for the U.S history and Civics Test.

You will not know what will be the six questions the USCIS officer will give you out of the 100 civics test questions, so it’s best to master all of the questions and answers for the history and government tests.

You also need to practice both the reading and writing tests where you will write sentences related to the history and civics exams.

3. Be prepared for a short talk with the USCIS officer who will conduct your naturalization interview.

The officer may ask you about the day’s traffic, the weather outside, or whether you had difficulty in finding the USCIS building, and among other things.

Through this short talk, the immigration officer will be able to tell how well you understand English. The USCIS officer will start to evaluate your English speaking skills before the start of the interview.

4. Collect all your important supporting documents in a file bag or waterproof safe expanding document organizer the night before your naturalization interview, and make sure to put them in a place that you will not forget.

Read all the important documents that you are going to bring for your interview. It’s easy to get any document from your file bag when it’s well organized, in case the USCIS officer will see any documents during your interview.

5. You must leave home early for your naturalization interview.

Traffic can make you late, so it’s advisable to be there ahead of time. If you are driving, plan an extra time for rush hour traffic, there might be road construction, and the difficulty finding a parking space that can take time on the scheduled day of your naturalization interview.

Know the exact location in advance to avoid getting lost in finding the right USCIS building.

6. Wear the appropriate outfit for your interview.

Remember that your attire can add confidence during the interview. It’s better to wear clothes that are formal or semi-formal. A clean, well pressed, and appropriate clothes for an important event is an ideal outfit.

A formal or semi-formal attire could also show respect for the USCIS officer who will conduct the U.S Citizenship interview.

Men may wear a long-sleeve shirt and pants, while women may wear a long-sleeve blouse, or sweater with a formal skirt or pants. Wear an outfit appropriately for the naturalization interview, like it is an important event.

Your appearance is also important to the success of your interview. Choose an outfit that will reflect the type of person of who you really are.

When you walk into the interview office, it’s highly recommended that you look neat and professional. You may try to avoid too much makeup. If you like using jewelry, it should be kept at a minimum.

7. Avoid using too much perfume, the officer that will handle the interview might be sensitive to it. Avoid chewing any gum or having any candy inside your mouth, even if you are nervous.

Avoiding these actions will help you start a positive outcome for your naturalization interview.

8. Try to look straight into the eyes of the Immigration Service officer when you speak.

This will show honesty that you are telling the truth with what is being asked of you. Looking away from the officer most of the time during your interview may give a negative impression that you are not confident in your application, or you may be hiding something.

If you keep on looking down or to the side, this could also give a negative impression of too much nervousness or rudeness.

9. Try to sit up straight during your N-400 interview to help you feel more self-assured, since this will also add confidence through your body language.

Sitting up straight will also make you look directly into the USCIS officer’s eyes when speaking. Try to continue constant eye contact and express interest in the success of your citizenship application.

Remember to answer only the questions asked of you. Simply offer short answers to questions directly and honestly.

10. Talk clearly so that the USCIS officer can understand you well. Do not speak so softly or so loud. You also need to avoid speaking too fast or too slow.

If you do not understand any of the questions given, you could say;

“Officer, can you please repeat what you just said?”

“Can you please repeat that in different sets of words?”

“Officer, can you please speak louder?”

“Can you please speak slowly?”

Don’t expect that immigration officers speak the English language fluently without any accent, because some of them have their native language accent too.

If you have a difficult time understanding the immigration officer who is assigned to interview you that day, try to make him or her repeat the question so that you can answer it correctly.

11. Know the Immigration Service officer (ISO) who will conduct your citizenship interview by his or her name and badge number.

Simply ask the officer for his or her name and badge number. For example, sir or Ma’am, may I know your name and badge number?

You can write this down and take it home with you. This will let you follow up with any specific problems or complaints, if there’s any, for your naturalization interview.

12. Try to have a genuine and confident smile during the naturalization interview.

This will help you have a positive energy and will help you relax as well. This will also show that you are being friendly and open for communication about your N-400 application case.

At the end of your U.S citizenship Test interview, you will be asked to read on the digital tablet the correct spelling of your name and more before you sign your naturalization application

The Immigration Service Officer shall give you the form N-652. This form is known as the Notice of Examination Results and this will officially inform you if you have passed or failed the tests, or if for some reason you still need to submit additional documents or your case is still pending.

There are times that the USCIS officer will not be able to make any decision right away because an applicant still needs to provide additional documents.

In case this happens, the Immigration Service Officer will give the applicant the form N-14, explaining what documents the applicant needs to submit, plus when and how to submit them.

If the applicant fails to follow the instructions provided, the USCIS could deny the naturalization application.

If you will pass your naturalization test, you may be able to attend your U.S Citizenship Oath ceremony on the same day, depending on location and availability.

On the other hand, you will officially receive a notice in the mail that will inform you of when and where your American Citizenship Naturalization ceremony will take place if you will not be given the same day of ceremony.

Assuming that you failed the English or Civics test, you shall be tested at a later date, but only on the parts of the test that you had failed. You shall be rescheduled for a second opportunity interview within 60 to 90 days from your first naturalization interview.

If ever you fail the U.S citizenship Examination again during your second chance interview, your application will be denied. Granted that your case is denied, you shall receive an official written notice in the mail explaining why it was denied.

In this case, you may have an option to request an appeal hearing with an Immigration Service Officer. If you request an appeal hearing, you have to fill out the form N-336 “Request for hearing on a decision in naturalization proceedings under section 336 of the INA” and send it with the fee included, within 30 days following the receipt of your denial letter.

You can also decide to re-apply if your case is denied when you meet all the citizenship application requirements.

Therefore, it is important to understand why you have been denied in order to have the best decision for your naturalization application.

Most of the time, re-applying could be better and faster than going through the appeal hearing process. In case you are in this type of situation, it’s advisable to seek advice from an immigration lawyer.

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DISCLAIMER: This post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.