About Lawyer

[Sand 5]

Hi, i would like to take a lawyer with me to my interview, i have nothing to be worried about but the thing is i get a lil bit nervousm so my question is, i can file for myself with no problem i can fill all the N-400 application and send it to USCIS . without a lawyer but is there any attorney can go to the interview just like this i mean to hire him/her just to go sit with u ??? and how much he /she will charge and what if i want to hire him/her to file for me ? how much will charge ???

Thanx alot,

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

No.

It might help, however, if you try to improve on your English skills, and even more so if you leave the "Allah's the Greatest" button at home when going to the interview.

Edited December 15, 2009 by Just Bob

[Sand 5]

No.

It might help, however, if you try to improve on your English skills, and even more so if you leave the "Allah's the Greatest" button at home when going to the interview.

and if u live the curiosity u will be better, and this is non of ur business. just take care of urself and leave people alone.

[Inky 1,110]

You could probably find a lawyer that would go and sit there if thats all you wanted them to do? Personally I wouldnt spend the money on that, they might charge a hefty price! Only way to know is to call around to a few lawyers in your area and ask them really.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Please watch the less than helpful comments that don't answer the OP's question.

Moderator hat off now

Yes, you can file the N-400 application by yourself. It is not difficult. A lawyer isn't really necessary for the Citizenship interview either, and to be honest, I am not sure if they would allow one in for the interview. The lawyer cannot answer any questions or make any statements for you during the interview so all they would be doing is providing 'moral support'. This is very expensive moral support - especially if you get to the interview and they tell you the lawyer is not allowed in.

The interview is very straight-forward. You and the Officer meet in the Officer's office. He/she will ask you to stand and swear that all of the information is accurate. He/she will then sit at their desk and you will sit in a chair across from them. They have your whole immigration file in front of them. They will go through your application and check that it is complete. They have a checklist that they use. They will ask you the questions that are listed on the form and you answer yes or no -whatever the answer is. They will check your identification and your green card. They will then ask you to read a sentence on a piece of paper that has 3 different sentences listed. All of these sentences are from the Civics Exam questions so you will already know them. They will then ask you to write down what he/she says. It will probably be the answer to the question that you read aloud. The officer will then ask you questions from the Civics exam. They can ask up to 10. You need to get 6 of them right. If you get the first 6 right they usually don't ask you anymore. They will ask you if all of the information is correct. If you need to correct anything or change anything (you are allowed to change your name if you want) you can do it at the interview. They will ask you to sign your signature along the side of one of your photographs. This is all there is to it. There really is nothing that a lawyer can do to help you during the interview.

When you do file the N-400, you will receive an appointment to take your fingerprints. When you go for your fingerprints you will be given a booklet that has a CD in it. This booklet has all of the questions and answers you need to know for the test questions so you have several weeks you can study before your interview.

I hope this information helps you. I really would suggest that you save your money and don't worry about using a lawyer for the citizenship part of the application.

[Sand 5]

Please watch the less than helpful comments that don't answer the OP's question.

Moderator hat off now

Yes, you can file the N-400 application by yourself. It is not difficult. A lawyer isn't really necessary for the Citizenship interview either, and to be honest, I am not sure if they would allow one in for the interview. The lawyer cannot answer any questions or make any statements for you during the interview so all they would be doing is providing 'moral support'. This is very expensive moral support - especially if you get to the interview and they tell you the lawyer is not allowed in.

The interview is very straight-forward. You and the Officer meet in the Officer's office. He/she will ask you to stand and swear that all of the information is accurate. He/she will then sit at their desk and you will sit in a chair across from them. They have your whole immigration file in front of them. They will go through your application and check that it is complete. They have a checklist that they use. They will ask you the questions that are listed on the form and you answer yes or no -whatever the answer is. They will check your identification and your green card. They will then ask you to read a sentence on a piece of paper that has 3 different sentences listed. All of these sentences are from the Civics Exam questions so you will already know them. They will then ask you to write down what he/she says. It will probably be the answer to the question that you read aloud. The officer will then ask you questions from the Civics exam. They can ask up to 10. You need to get 6 of them right. If you get the first 6 right they usually don't ask you anymore. They will ask you if all of the information is correct. If you need to correct anything or change anything (you are allowed to change your name if you want) you can do it at the interview. They will ask you to sign your signature along the side of one of your photographs. This is all there is to it. There really is nothing that a lawyer can do to help you during the interview.

When you do file the N-400, you will receive an appointment to take your fingerprints. When you go for your fingerprints you will be given a booklet that has a CD in it. This booklet has all of the questions and answers you need to know for the test questions so you have several weeks you can study before your interview.

I hope this information helps you. I really would suggest that you save your money and don't worry about using a lawyer for the citizenship part of the application.

Thank you so much Kathryn41 that was helpful, i really dont need lawyer but as i said i get nervous.

[lissa04 3]

Why are you so mean to people all the time? I hate to break it to you, but your English skills are not the greatest either. You have some grammatical errors in your post. I take it English isn't your first language. Second off people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. If this gentleman wants to have "Allah's the Greatest" tattooed all over his posts, that is his choice and not yours! Read the first amendment. Grow up this isn't elementary school anymore.

[quote name='Just Bob' date='Dec 14 2009, 11:18 PM' post='3565575

No.

It might help, however, if you try to improve on your English skills, and even more so if you leave the "Allah's the Greatest" button at home when going to the interview.

[Sand 5]

Thank you so much Lissa, but seems he was mean with me i did nothing to him, seems he just wanted to be mean. i was wondering if he know how to answer the first amendment question .

[lissa04 3]

Thank you so much Lissa, but seems he was mean with me i did nothing to him, seems he just wanted to be mean. i was wondering if he know how to answer the first amendment question .

I just feel that anyone should be able to come on this board, and ask a question freely without being ridiculed. We are all in the same boat, and no one is better than anyone else.

[Sand 5]

Thank you so much Lissa, but seems he was mean with me i did nothing to him, seems he just wanted to be mean. i was wondering if he know how to answer the first amendment question .

I just feel that anyone should be able to come on this board, and ask a question freely without being ridiculed. We are all in the same boat, and no one is better than anyone else.

Well Lissa u said it, we here in the same boat, and we here to study and learn from each other, once we finish maybe we will never see each other again, who knows. so the best thing to do is. to be nice to each other, and treat each other fairly as a human begin

Good Luck Lissa,

[Sand 5]

Oh by the way Lissa, i was looking at ur Timeline i noticed something and really makes me worried sometimes. here what u have in ur time line. 11/30/09 Spoke with Gloria at the elections office in town just to make sure my name hadn't been put on any voting list. It hadn't!!!! so i should to call too to make sure my name isnt there. and also i want to call DMV too just in case lol.

Edited December 15, 2009 by Sand

[lissa04 3]

Oh by the way Lissa, i was looking at ur Timeline i noticed something and really makes me worried sometimes. here what u have in ur time line. 11/30/09 Spoke with Gloria at the elections office in town just to make sure my name hadn't been put on any voting list. It hadn't!!!! so i should to call too to make sure my name isnt there. and also i want to call DMV too just in case lol.

I received something in the mail last year regarding registering to vote for local elections, and I threw it out. I called up the local elections office just for piece of mind.

[Sand 5]

I did too i called but i asked about the local election and they found no name for me . plus i never received any letter like urs. but i am going to call again because there's Local, Mayor, and President vote. so i want to make sure that i dint sign in any of them . because i go sometimes to the market or the stores and i see some people standing there, asking people to sign a petition for lowering gas price or school district act. so thats makes me worried i am not going to sign anything lol.. plus i noticed that u can call FBI to check if they recieved ur FP. is that true and how it work?

Thank you.

[lissa04 3]

I did too i called but i asked about the local election and they found no name for me . plus i never received any letter like urs. but i am going to call again because there's Local, Mayor, and President vote. so i want to make sure that i dint sign in any of them . because i go sometimes to the market or the stores and i see some people standing there, asking people to sign a petition for lowering gas price or school district act. so thats makes me worried i am not going to sign anything lol.. plus i noticed that u can call FBI to check if they recieved ur FP. is that true and how it work?

Thank you.

Once you send in your application, you will receive a letter to go for fingerprinting. After your prints are taken you can call the FBI to see if they returned the prints to USCIS. In my case that was done the same day.

[NickD 202]

I felt an obligation to help my wife as much as possible with the immigration process since she agreed to come to my country. We wanted to be together and her country was an option as well. I would be dead lost in her country. But did meet new friends in the process where the sponsoring USC husband figured if his wife wanted to come here, she can handle all these forms. It's not only knowing the English language but the language of the USCIS as well, and they do not use proper syntax, grammar, and some of their questions are nebulous to say the least.

Did call my attorney, but we are also friends so he helped me over the phone. Said for the number of days my wife was out of the country, put that actual number of days in, because that is what they are asking for five years, not how long your spouse was a LPR the way the question should be asked. But my wife's IO didn't like that answer, wife replied, that is exactly what that question asks, how many days were you out of the country for the last five years, it does not ask how many days you were out of the country as a LPR.

Another nebulous question is on those fund raising organizations, can be read as strictly anti-American organizations, but wife was doing volunteer work for several IRS approved tax deductible fund raising organizations, he said to list them all, we did with no problems. Wife couldn't work when she came here until she got her EAD, so kept herself busy while I was working.

Then how many times I was married, but not even sure why they wanted to know about me, would not let me go anywhere the interview room, I believe the same holds true if you did hire an attorney, strictly you and your IO in that room. He said to include my present wife as the total number of times.

With all those armed guards at our field office, wife was completely brain dead at our AOS and the first biometrics, brain dead because of fear. Could only ask myself if how I would feel if experienced the same thing in her home country, but well aware we have idiots running this country so even asked dumb questions like do you want me to take off my pants or are you concerned that terrorists would steal that portrait of GWB. Said that with a laugh and got a laugh back from those guards, what a boring job that must be. That helped to break the ice for my wife.

She gained a much better understanding of the USCIS especially during our lifting of conditions phase, her first job was in patient assistance where she had to constantly deal with government employees and couldn't help but notice that 14 days out of the year, none of them were around for paid holidays nobody else seems to get. And there inability to answer simple questions, this changed her attitude and wasn't the least bit nervous at her interview.

She is not a board person (like me) but talked to her friends that were ahead of us. She wanted to become a USC as quickly as possible mainly due to the frustration the USCIS caused us so we started our application about two months before we could send it in. We debated every question on the N-400, in particular, bearing arms for this country, so she knew it well, helped in gathering all the evidence, I typed out the N-400 and she inspected carefully, and we went over those hundred test questions twice in our drive over, doubt if she would have done as well if we did that even 24 hours in advance, all the questions and answers were fresh in her mind.

She was even brave enough to ask for the same day oath ceremony and question her IO as to why other USCIS field offices and St. Paul did not, it's just their policy, so much for USCIS standardization, but did get a firm commitment when she could expect her oath letter. That was good, because it gave us a weapon when that commitment was not honored.

She has learned, in this country, you have to speak up for your rights, she likes that. So Sand, don't be nervous, be prepared, and professional at your interview. Wife really dressed up like a professional woman, that gives her confidence.