Let our deep legal expertise and technology-enabled processes guide you in your U.S. immigration journey
The interview is one of the most important steps in the overall immigration process. In this guide about citizenship interviews we’ll explore how to apply for one with the N-400, what documents to bring to your interview, and a list of possible naturalization interview questions. The naturalization process that leads to U.S. citizenship involves many steps including form completion, biometric screening, naturalization interview, oath taking and certificate collection. Each of these steps must be approached with the best clarity of thought to avoid delays or denials. Before starting your naturalization process, you must be sure that you meet these requirements to become a U.S. citizen. Having ascertained your eligibility for naturalization, then you can begin the process as follows.
The first step to take in your citizenship process is to obtain an Application for Naturalization. You must fill the form according to the instructions and ensure that you do not leave out any part. Below is an outline of each section’s fields to complete. We always recommend having an experienced immigration attorney handle your case to ensure it is accurate and handled according to the legal guidelines.
Part 1: Information about Your Eligibility
In the first section, you will be asked about your 9-digit A-Number and if you have been a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. for at least 5 years; 3 years, are a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. and the spouse of a U.S. citizen and your U.S. citizen spouse is engaged in employment abroad; are applying on the basis of qualifying military service or another reason.
Part 2: Information About You
In part 2, fill out your current legal name. If it is different on your permanent resident card or if you have used any other names since birth, write those out in lines 2 and 3. For those who would like to legally change their name, refer to line 4. Lines 5-11 ask for your Social Security Number (if you have one), USCIS online account number, gender, date of birth, the date you became a lawful permanent resident, country of birth and country of citizenship or nationality. If you have a physical or mental impairment that affects your ability to understand English, indicate that in line 12. For those who are exempted from the English language test due to age, see line 13.
Part 3: Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities and/or Impairments
Those with physical disabilities should complete this section.
Part 4: Information to Contact You
This section is dedicated to listing telephone number(s) and email address so USCIS officials may contact you if necessary.
Part 5: Information About Your Residence
Where have you lived in the last 5 years? Include the addresses in this section.
Part 6: Information About Your Parents
If neither one of your parents is in the U.S. then you can skip part 6 and go directly to part 7.
Part 7: Biographic Information
USCIS requires you to indicate your ethnicity, race, height, eye color, weight, and hair color in order to conduct your background check.
Part 8: Information About Your Employment and Schools You Attended
Be sure to include employer/school names and dates you attended or were employed.
Part 9: Time Outside the United States
Be sure to include your A Number and the total days spent outside of the United States in the last 5 years and the number of trips.
Part 10: Information About Your Marital History
What is your current marital status? This section asks questions similar to this in addition to your current spouses name if you have one.
Part 11: Information About Your Children
List information pertaining to your children.
Part 12: Additional Information About You
There are a series of yes or no questions related to any crime convictions, taxes due, criminal activity, etc.
Part 13: Applicant’s Statement, Certification, and Signature
In this section you will need to certify and sign that you reviewed and provided all the necessary information in the application, understood all the information contained in and submitted with the application and that all the information is accurate to the best of your knowledge.
Part 14: Interpreters’ Contact Information, Certification and Signature
Include the contact information of the interpreter and they will need to certify under penalty of perjury that they are fluent in English and the language they are translating and that they have read the application and understood all questions.
Part 15: Contact information, declaration and signature of the person preparing the application, if other than the applicant
If a preparer was used in completing the form, they will need to include their legal name, mailing address, contact information and sign it under penalty of perjury that it was completed at the request of the applicant.
Part 16. Signature at Interview
In part 16, you swear under penalty of perjury (by signing) that the information contained within Form N-400 is correct and the evidence you have submitted in true and correct.
Part 17: Renunciation of Foreign Titles
This is for those who have ever had a hereditary title or an order of nobility in another foreign country and are renouncing it.
The N400 experience is best handled alongside a qualified immigration professional.
Before the interview, you must have received an appointment from the USCIS giving you the date and the venue for your interview. The notice is sent only once, for that reason, you must ensure you are checking your mailbox regularly to avoid missing out on the schedule.
After receiving the notice, you can start preparing for the interview. However, if you cannot make it for the interview at the date given by the USCIS, you have the liberty to reschedule another appointment. It must, however, be noted that while the USCIS will grant your request for rescheduling, that may further prolong your naturalization process for several months, so it is always better to endeavor you make it there at the first schedule.
Find out how to apply for Dual Citizenship in the U.S.
Having made up your mind to attend the interview, it is advisable that you start preparing yourself for the interview right from the onset. For proper preparation, you have to get yourself familiar with the likely scenarios to face at the center, documents to take along, and the kind of interview questions you are going to answer.
It is very likely that you are going to meet others who are there for the same purpose. You may have to wait for a few minutes before it gets to your turn for the interview. When it is time, you will be called in to meet an official who will conduct the interview. USCIS officials are professionals who are very knowledgeable in their field; they are always ready to welcome you. So, you can be sure of getting first-class customer service at their office.
The USCIS officers are very time-conscious and are always consistent with their duties. So before you are called in, they would have prepared all necessary documents pertaining to your own application status, which will help speed up the process. However, you are required to give the officials maximum cooperation by responding accurately and truthfully to all the questions you are asked in the process, and by getting all the documents you are to take along ready with you. So, bearing any hitches, the session will be quite timely.
The documents you are to take along with you while going for the interview include:
Please note that apart from the above documents, the USCIS may ask you to come with additional documents. Click here for the latest USCIS checklist. If this is required of you, it must have been sent along with your appointment letter. Failure to present any of the required evidence will lead to your application being denied or delayed. So, be very sure you double-check and ascertain that all the items are with you before leaving home for the interview. Get to the interview center at least 30 minutes before the time of your interview.
Having answered the questions in all the categories to the USCIS officer’s satisfaction, the next thing is to receive a decision. You will be given an N-625 form, which will show the information about your interview results based on your performance during the whole process. The decision can be in three ways which could be any of these – “granted”, “continued”, or “denied.”
If your application is to be continued after the interview, this means your case is put on hold, which will prolong the application process. This usually happens when you fail to perform well in the tests or you did not give the USCIS the correct documents as required for your application.
For a denied application, you will be sent a written letter telling you why your application is denied. It must, however, be noted that the denial does not mean the end of the process as you can explore these other options provided by the law to settle citizenship denials and delays cases. The options include requesting a hearing with a new immigration officer, and a district court review request.
This means your interview is successful and you are qualified to take an oath of allegiance to the U.S. Sometimes, you may have the chance of taking the oath immediately after the successful interview. However, if that is not available in your own case, you will be sent a notice to know when and where your oath ceremony will take place.
Congratulations on completing the process and your new status, but while you bask in the euphoria of your newly acquired U.S. citizenship, there are a few steps you have to take further to formalize your new status fully.
It is strongly recommended by the USCIS that you update your social security record soon after your oath-taking ceremony. You should proceed to the social security Administration nearest to you to update your record. You need to update your social security record because, without that, your eligibility for benefits due to you as a citizen will not be established.
Apart from the social security update, another thing you need to get done soon after your oath ceremony is the application for a U.S. passport. Without a passport, you will not be able to travel abroad. So, it is always advised that you apply for and possess your U.S. passport before you plan your next travel abroad after your new status.
Having acquired your citizenship, update your social security records, and in possession of your U.S. passport, you can exercise all the rights as a U.S. citizen.
The interview questions are in three categories:
Find out about 100 Citizenship Test Questions and Answers
These are sets of questions for the USCIS officer to know more about your background and to be sure you are truthful in all the information you provided in your application form. The usual procedures for these are:
Apart from the above questions, the officer may ask you other questions needed to ensure you meet all requirements for eligibility status.
These are questions to test your literacy to determine if you can read, write, and speak the English language at least at the basic level. The steps are:
Reading: You will be given three sentences to read. Out of these three sentences, you must read at least one convincingly in a manner that suggests to the USCIS officer that you understand the meaning of the sentence.
Writing: You will be given three sentences to write out of which you must write one in a manner that will be understandable as written by the USCIS officer.
Speaking: Your ability to speak English is usually determined by how you answer questions during your naturalization eligibility interview on the N-400. In other words, your ability to speak English is being tested and assessed as you communicate with the interviewing officer.
Here you will be given 10 oral questions on histories and general knowledge about the United States. Out of the 10 questions, you must answer at least 6 to achieve a passing score. All 100 questions out of which your 10 questions will be selected can be found here. This is one of your preparation processes. You are expected to have gone through and understand the questions before your interview day. This will help you in answering them faster and better.
Learn how you can gain How to Get Citizenship Through Military.
The USCIS understands the significance of a citizenship certificate, and how costly a mistake in the process can be for an applicant. To this end, they made a provision for legal representation during the interview process. It is imperative that you maximize this advantage and get yourself an immigration expert who can guide you in filing the application and through the entire process.
VisaNation Law Group lawyers are well-grounded in handling citizenship interview cases. Engaging with a VisaNation Law Group attorney will guarantee you a successful interview at the USCIS office. Fill out this contact form to book an appointment.
Related Citizenship Topics
