Bad experience during interview

[na123 2]

Today I went to my interview and the IO made me feel horribly uncomfortable. She wouldn't even look at me while asking me any of the questions. She went straight from asking me my name and DOB to how many amendments are in the constitution? She was looking straight at her computer the whole time. I passed the civics and english portion but I got so nervous that I completely forgot exact addresses of previous employers and exact dates of past travels. She gave me such a nasty look when I couldn't tell her what exact addresses I worked at in previous jobs. I left feeling very worried. She gave me the N-652 and she checked off the "you passed the tests of English and U.S. history and government" section and the "USCIS will send you a written decision about your application" but no check on "Congratulations! Your app has been recommended for approval" or "a decision cannot yet be made".. I am terrified since I couldn't confirm with her exact dates or addresses of employment (even though they were in the N-400 I had previously sent). I left feeling like a worried idiot. I did provide every piece of paper and evidence she requested. I don't know what to expect from this. I just hope I don't have to go through this again. Any ideas as to whether or not they can reject you for not remembering exact dates of travel or employment periods or addresses?

[tish1974 1]

I would not worry at all. I had a similar experience although in my case my IO had to check his answers when he was asking them because he apparently didn't know the answer. How ironic is that. Anyways, not all IO's are fun to deal with some try to intimidate you. I passed my test with no problem and he to did not check the congratulations portion of the form. I was worried for a few days just like you, but I knew I hadn't done or said anything wrong. You not remembering address is not a concern to them. As long as you don't have felonies or owe taxes I think you are good. That was just the personality of the person that interviewed you. My interview was May 2013, I received letter of approval on June 21st for Oath ceremony to take place July 8th. I sometime feel they don't check the box on purpose to keep you on edge, however that depends. I do believe there is fraud and they ask questions for a reason. My sister had a good experience with her interview and she received the checked box, but like I said before.. I truly believe it depends on the IO. No worries. Good Luck

[na123 2]

I would not worry at all. I had a similar experience although in my case my IO had to check his answers when he was asking them because he apparently didn't know the answer. How ironic is that. Anyways, not all IO's are fun to deal with some try to intimidate you. I passed my test with no problem and he to did not check the congratulations portion of the form. I was worried for a few days just like you, but I knew I hadn't done or said anything wrong. You not remembering address is not a concern to them. As long as you don't have felonies or owe taxes I think you are good. That was just the personality of the person that interviewed you. My interview was May 2013, I received letter of approval on June 21st for Oath ceremony to take place July 8th. I sometime feel they don't check the box on purpose to keep you on edge, however that depends. I do believe there is fraud and they ask questions for a reason. My sister had a good experience with her interview and she received the checked box, but like I said before.. I truly believe it depends on the IO. No worries. Good Luck

Tish, thanks so much for your detailed response. It will definitely help me sleep tonight.

[friscoflip 4]

Hi! Just had my interview this morning...we experienced the same thing...i took mine here in san francisco.

The officer was so harsh right from the start...i totally forgot about the dates of when i moved...which is crazy...i just kept on telling her...im sorry coz im super nervous...and she still continued...asking bout my exes...even though i provided the divorce documents...she was now looking for my new wife's marriage certificate...I told her I didn't receive anything that I needed to bring that also. I even asked her if she wanted me to have it faxed...she said no...then she went out i think to photocopy my passports, id and gc. She came back and had 2 documents to sign.

She gave me the same result as on your N-652.... i passed the test and USCIS will send me a written decision about my application.

I am really worried.... she said to wait 2-3 weeks in the mail. Hopefully everything will turn out right with our application.

Today I went to my interview and the IO made me feel horribly uncomfortable. She wouldn't even look at me while asking me any of the questions. She went straight from asking me my name and DOB to how many amendments are in the constitution? She was looking straight at her computer the whole time. I passed the civics and english portion but I got so nervous that I completely forgot exact addresses of previous employers and exact dates of past travels. She gave me such a nasty look when I couldn't tell her what exact addresses I worked at in previous jobs. I left feeling very worried. She gave me the N-652 and she checked off the "you passed the tests of English and U.S. history and government" section and the "USCIS will send you a written decision about your application" but no check on "Congratulations! Your app has been recommended for approval" or "a decision cannot yet be made".. I am terrified since I couldn't confirm with her exact dates or addresses of employment (even though they were in the N-400 I had previously sent). I left feeling like a worried idiot. I did provide every piece of paper and evidence she requested. I don't know what to expect from this. I just hope I don't have to go through this again. Any ideas as to whether or not they can reject you for not remembering exact dates of travel or employment periods or addresses?

[Lisa011 6]

Oh no.. Now you got me worried too
I didnt keep a copy of my application to myself as i was in a rush to send it in and was going out of town right after

so i really dont remeber what dates i put down :-(

[tish1974 1]

Hi! Just had my interview this morning...we experienced the same thing...i took mine here in san francisco.

The officer was so harsh right from the start...i totally forgot about the dates of when i moved...which is crazy...i just kept on telling her...im sorry coz im super nervous...and she still continued...asking bout my exes...even though i provided the divorce documents...she was now looking for my new wife's marriage certificate...I told her I didn't receive anything that I needed to bring that also. I even asked her if she wanted me to have it faxed...she said no...then she went out i think to photocopy my passports, id and gc. She came back and had 2 documents to sign.

She gave me the same result as on your N-652.... i passed the test and USCIS will send me a written decision about my application.

I am really worried.... she said to wait 2-3 weeks in the mail. Hopefully everything will turn out right with our application.

I would not worry. They are looking to see if you possibly have committed fraud. If your dates and divorces are legit then you should have nothing to worry about. Again, it is no surprise to know IO's act this way. It is almost as if they are doing you a favor, but not so...they are to do a job. I can see you being a little more interrogated if you have multiple divorces or depending on your situation, but only again because they are questioning any red flags or possible fraud. It is hard not to be nervous... we are human. Heck I lived here all my life and just happened to be born in Mexico and I knew I had nothing to worry about because I had never committed fraud or had any felonies and I was nervous and worried, especially after not getting my CONGRADULATIONS box checked. THe OI was very serious when asking questions, but I never got asked about address or dates, mine was strictly regarding the questionnaire/test. I had a previous marriage as well and never was brought up. Every case is different, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. Look for your approval in a few weeks. Good Luck. Let us know how it goes.

[friscoflip 4]

Thank you tish for the encouragement... ill keep you guys updated...

I would not worry. They are looking to see if you possibly have committed fraud. If your dates and divorces are legit then you should have nothing to worry about. Again, it is no surprise to know IO's act this way. It is almost as if they are doing you a favor, but not so...they are to do a job. I can see you being a little more interrogated if you have multiple divorces or depending on your situation, but only again because they are questioning any red flags or possible fraud. It is hard not to be nervous... we are human. Heck I lived here all my life and just happened to be born in Mexico and I knew I had nothing to worry about because I had never committed fraud or had any felonies and I was nervous and worried, especially after not getting my CONGRADULATIONS box checked. THe OI was very serious when asking questions, but I never got asked about address or dates, mine was strictly regarding the questionnaire/test. I had a previous marriage as well and never was brought up. Every case is different, but I don't think you have anything to worry about. Look for your approval in a few weeks. Good Luck. Let us know how it goes.

[na123 2]

Ugh I hate that they leave you hanging like that. Clearly we have no reason to lie about past jobs or dates we moved or traveled. I felt like I was being tested on my personal life experiences more than US history/government! And when she asked me to sign my passport pictures she clearly marked to sign the back of them so I did and she was like I DID NOT SAY SIGN THERE I SAID SIGN HERE pointing at the front part. I was like... When I left everyone in the room thought I had failed the civics portion of the exam because I was on the verge of tears from the horrible interview. I thought I was going to be happy but I left completely upset. I know we'll get our US citizenship. I didn't do anything wrong, no crimes, passed the test, paid my taxes, was 100% honest in everything. I have no reason to worry yet it's amazing how one moody human being can make one feel so completely unsure of oneself. Today I felt a lot more secure about my application and my interview and I won't let that IO bring me down. On a side note, today at work I listened to other IO stories. One was of a professor who became a citizen a few years ago and had the io roll his eyes at him and claimed he didn't understand his English even though he's completely fluent. The professor left the interview in tears. I honestly don't get why some IOs have to behave like that. It's like we're subhuman.

[friscoflip 4]

Powertripping...they sure know how to abuse their power...what sucks more is...that they are from asian or other racial decscent...

Ugh I hate that they leave you hanging like that. Clearly we have no reason to lie about past jobs or dates we moved or traveled. I felt like I was being tested on my personal life experiences more than US history/government! And when she asked me to sign my passport pictures she clearly marked to sign the back of them so I did and she was like I DID NOT SAY SIGN THERE I SAID SIGN HERE pointing at the front part. I was like... When I left everyone in the room thought I had failed the civics portion of the exam because I was on the verge of tears from the horrible interview. I thought I was going to be happy but I left completely upset. I know we'll get our US citizenship. I didn't do anything wrong, no crimes, passed the test, paid my taxes, was 100% honest in everything. I have no reason to worry yet it's amazing how one moody human being can make one feel so completely unsure of oneself. Today I felt a lot more secure about my application and my interview and I won't let that IO bring me down. On a side note, today at work I listened to other IO stories. One was of a professor who became a citizen a few years ago and had the io roll his eyes at him and claimed he didn't understand his English even though he's completely fluent. The professor left the interview in tears. I honestly don't get why some IOs have to behave like that. It's like we're subhuman.

[JimmyHou 611]

Today I went to my interview and the IO made me feel horribly uncomfortable. She wouldn't even look at me while asking me any of the questions. She went straight from asking me my name and DOB to how many amendments are in the constitution? She was looking straight at her computer the whole time. I passed the civics and english portion but I got so nervous that I completely forgot exact addresses of previous employers and exact dates of past travels. She gave me such a nasty look when I couldn't tell her what exact addresses I worked at in previous jobs. I left feeling very worried. She gave me the N-652 and she checked off the "you passed the tests of English and U.S. history and government" section and the "USCIS will send you a written decision about your application" but no check on "Congratulations! Your app has been recommended for approval" or "a decision cannot yet be made".. I am terrified since I couldn't confirm with her exact dates or addresses of employment (even though they were in the N-400 I had previously sent). I left feeling like a worried idiot. I did provide every piece of paper and evidence she requested. I don't know what to expect from this. I just hope I don't have to go through this again. Any ideas as to whether or not they can reject you for not remembering exact dates of travel or employment periods or addresses?

You are the one who went through this experience and you're the one who knows how unpleasant it was, so I'm not going to presume to second guess you, but let me try to offer a "glass half-full" perspective. Your interview was unpleasant, but was it really "bad"?

You know how they say "any landing you can walk away from is a good landing"?

Maybe it's the same with interviews! There are people who walk away from their interviews with that piece of paper marked "denied". There are others who never walk away from their interviews because they are arrested before they leave the USCIS office. I'd say those are bad interviews.

So maybe any interview you can walk away from is a good one. :-)

Now, there's probably a reason that your paper wasn't marked "a decision cannot be made" and that's probably because they don't have any official reason to doubt your eligibility. Offices usually require a supervisor to review cases before final approval... that's why the form says "recommended for approval" and not "approved". But several people on VJ have said that their interviewers told them that in some offices, the supervisor is required to review all applications (or sometimes applications reviewed by junior interviewers) before even a recommendation is made. So I hope that this is just a formality and I want you to realize that you may have received the same result even if you had a perfectly pleasant interviewer and if you had remembered all your dates.

Hopefully you'll be getting some good news in the next couple of weeks.

[na123 2]

The interview certainly didn't feel "good". Like I said, I left very upset and almost crying. I went in being my normal happy self and left feeling pretty crappy. I left feeling like I had done something horribly wrong. People who do WRONG things get arrested. People who don't study for the civics portion of the exam get denied (if failing a second time, I believe). I know I didn't do anything wrong AND I passed the exam. So why was I made to feel as if I had done something horribly wrong? Forgetting a few dates and addresses is human. And to be treated like a moron because of that ESPECIALLY during a stressful moment, I have to say, leaves you feeling pretty awful. I understand about the box not being checked. I am no longer preoccupied about that. I am mostly annoyed by the treatment I received that day and the more stories I hear about fellow foreign people, the more annoyed I get. I simply do not understand what they will accomplish by treating people this way. When I looked at the video on the USCIS website it showed a very pleasant well-dressed man interviewing a woman. When I went in, the IO was wearing jeans, wouldn't even look at me and was acting as if I was an alien from another planet (not another country). I have never gotten an interview like that (for any job, ever) and to me this is way more important. I should've left that building jumping up and down knowing that I will become a U.S. citizen pretty soon but I left SO upset. My husband who was waiting for me outside was way happier than I was. JimmyHou, this was NOT a good experience. I am a good person and did not deserve to be treated like that. I never committed a crime, I always paid my taxes, I am and have always been honest in every aspect of my life. Thanks for your "glass half-full" perspective. If I had ACTUALLY done something wrong it would've made me feel better.

You are the one who went through this experience and you're the one who knows how unpleasant it was, so I'm not going to presume to second guess you, but let me try to offer a "glass half-full" perspective. Your interview was unpleasant, but was it really "bad"?

You know how they say "any landing you can walk away from is a good landing"?

Maybe it's the same with interviews! There are people who walk away from their interviews with that piece of paper marked "denied". There are others who never walk away from their interviews because they are arrested before they leave the USCIS office. I'd say those are bad interviews.

So maybe any interview you can walk away from is a good one. :-)

Now, there's probably a reason that your paper wasn't marked "a decision cannot be made" and that's probably because they don't have any official reason to doubt your eligibility. Offices usually require a supervisor to review cases before final approval... that's why the form says "recommended for approval" and not "approved". But several people on VJ have said that their interviewers told them that in some offices, the supervisor is required to review all applications (or sometimes applications reviewed by junior interviewers) before even a recommendation is made. So I hope that this is just a formality and I want you to realize that you may have received the same result even if you had a perfectly pleasant interviewer and if you had remembered all your dates.

Hopefully you'll be getting some good news in the next couple of weeks.

[JimmyHou 611]

The interview certainly didn't feel "good". Like I said, I left very upset and almost crying. I went in being my normal happy self and left feeling pretty crappy. I left feeling like I had done something horribly wrong. People who do WRONG things get arrested. People who don't study for the civics portion of the exam get denied (if failing a second time, I believe). I know I didn't do anything wrong AND I passed the exam. So why was I made to feel as if I had done something horribly wrong? Forgetting a few dates and addresses is human. And to be treated like a moron because of that ESPECIALLY during a stressful moment, I have to say, leaves you feeling pretty awful. I understand about the box not being checked. I am no longer preoccupied about that. I am mostly annoyed by the treatment I received that day and the more stories I hear about fellow foreign people, the more annoyed I get. I simply do not understand what they will accomplish by treating people this way. When I looked at the video on the USCIS website it showed a very pleasant well-dressed man interviewing a woman. When I went in, the IO was wearing jeans, wouldn't even look at me and was acting as if I was an alien from another planet (not another country). I have never gotten an interview like that (for any job, ever) and to me this is way more important. I should've left that building jumping up and down knowing that I will become a U.S. citizen pretty soon but I left SO upset. My husband who was waiting for me outside was way happier than I was. JimmyHou, this was NOT a good experience. I am a good person and did not deserve to be treated like that. I never committed a crime, I always paid my taxes, I am and have always been honest in every aspect of my life. Thanks for your "glass half-full" perspective. If I had ACTUALLY done something wrong it would've made me feel better.

I'm genuinely sorry that your experience left you so shaken.

I was hoping to make you feel better, but that clearly didn't work.

So I'll just hope that you get your approval soon.

[na123 2]

Thanks, Jimmy.

I'm genuinely sorry that your experience left you so shaken.
I was hoping to make you feel better, but that clearly didn't work.

So I'll just hope that you get your approval soon.

[friscoflip 4]

Thank you na123 for expressing how you felt and it is exactly how I felt before and after the interview. I Was all hyped up and excited, feeling very optimistic though a little bit nervous before the interview. But then when my IO called me, I knew from there that she was tough. Because IO that called the person infront of me was even smiling and chuckling.

Mine was straight up FOLLOW ME. Then raised her voice most of the time. I was so upset and rattled, that just by stating my own freaking name scares me. Even my freaking birthday sounded so wrong when it came out of my mouth.

I had to tell this to my congresswoman's office when I updated them after the interview. It was very unnecessary and she had irrelevant questions that weren't even in the application.

Thinking about my ordeal yesterday still upsets me and makes me feel like #######. I don't know...these 2-3 weeks of waiting game will definitely affect anyone who went through that kind of interview.

Let's just hope for a good decision in the mail....

The interview certainly didn't feel "good". Like I said, I left very upset and almost crying. I went in being my normal happy self and left feeling pretty crappy. I left feeling like I had done something horribly wrong. People who do WRONG things get arrested. People who don't study for the civics portion of the exam get denied (if failing a second time, I believe). I know I didn't do anything wrong AND I passed the exam. So why was I made to feel as if I had done something horribly wrong? Forgetting a few dates and addresses is human. And to be treated like a moron because of that ESPECIALLY during a stressful moment, I have to say, leaves you feeling pretty awful. I understand about the box not being checked. I am no longer preoccupied about that. I am mostly annoyed by the treatment I received that day and the more stories I hear about fellow foreign people, the more annoyed I get. I simply do not understand what they will accomplish by treating people this way. When I looked at the video on the USCIS website it showed a very pleasant well-dressed man interviewing a woman. When I went in, the IO was wearing jeans, wouldn't even look at me and was acting as if I was an alien from another planet (not another country). I have never gotten an interview like that (for any job, ever) and to me this is way more important. I should've left that building jumping up and down knowing that I will become a U.S. citizen pretty soon but I left SO upset. My husband who was waiting for me outside was way happier than I was. JimmyHou, this was NOT a good experience. I am a good person and did not deserve to be treated like that. I never committed a crime, I always paid my taxes, I am and have always been honest in every aspect of my life. Thanks for your "glass half-full" perspective. If I had ACTUALLY done something wrong it would've made me feel better.