N-400 January 2015 Filers

[PDNK 5]

Some post offices act as receiving facilities for passport applications. They then send the applications to a State Department office to be processes. The same goes for some court houses and libraries which can also accept passport applications.

Passport agencies on the other hand are State Department offices that can process passport applications and produce passport cards on site. There are only a handful of these around the country. They usually require appointments and sometimes require a reason why your application needs to be expedited.

At a receiving facility you have the choice of filing a standard application or paying extra for an expedited application. At a passport agency, you will have to pay for the expedited application.

Fees are described here: $120 for a standard application plus $60 for an expedited application. Additional fees if you want a passport card or if you want overnight delivery.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/fees.html

Thanks JimmyHou !

[jimmypesto 1]

Would I be mistaken.

You can only apply for your first passport, at a passport office and not the post office ?

[simaexpress 2]

so we are in the same page, when is your interview please?

My interview was today at 1.45PM at the Newark Office. I arrive in front of the building exactly at 12.50PM and went through the security process(Hated that i had to remove my shoes and all lol). Anyway i went straight to the 15th Floor where they asked me to check in at the Window 1, which i did, they took my interview letter and asked me to be seated and wait for my name to be called. 5 mins after that i saw some of the officers talking to each other like something is going on...In my head i was like something isn't right. Then i heard someone said " THE SYSTEM IS DOWN". Then a Lady came to the second window and asked all the people that had their interview already to form a line. She told them that the system is down, so the oath ceremony will not be today. Then gave them a piece of paper and told them to go home, they will receive a letter in the mail with a date to come for the Oath Ceremony. So at that point i knew already that even if i pass my interview, i will not take the Oath today, so i already knew what to expect.

Back to my interview, After i waited 30 minutes, The interview officer called my name, asked me for my passport to make a copy, asked me to go to Door Number 2 and took me to his office. He asked me to swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Next thing he said was " I went through your documents you've submitted already, this is going to be some formality for you so let's do this very quick....." (I was like OK). He asked for my green card and Driver License , asked if i lived at the same address, verified date of birth and went straight to the Questions :

1- Who wrote the declaration of Independence?

2- Who is the commender in Chief of the Military?

3- Where is the statue of Liberty?

4-What are the two major political party of the United Sates?

5-What is the political party of the president now?

I answered all of them correctly, He asked me to read out loud " who elects the Congress?", and i had to wrote down " The people elect the Congress". From there he said Congratulations you passed your Citizenship interview, gave me a paper saying to expect a letter in the mail for the oath ( Remember system is down so no oath the same day). And THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!! i was done, It took me exactly 5 minutes when i looked at my watch. I came back in the waiting area and my wife was actually shocked that it was this fast.She wasn't expecting me to come back this quick. The officer didn't ask me for my Marriage certificate, Selective service letter, my wife certificate of naturalization, my social, none of that. And all those documents, they asked me to bring them. I took a bunch of other stuff too but he didn't asked for anything. 5 mins.... I couldn't believe it. This got to be the fastest interview i've ever seen lol. Like the officer said, " this is going to be some formality for you so let's do this very quick....." now i see what he meant.

Now i'm waiting to receive my appointment letter for the Oath Ceremony. One more step....Thanks to all the members of VisaJourney. This forum is Awesome. I found all my answers in here, from my green card application to my Citizenship interview today. I will answers any question....

[WELA4000 1]

My interview was today at 1.45PM at the Newark Office. I arrive in front of the building exactly at 12.50PM and went through the security process(Hated that i had to remove my shoes and all lol). Anyway i went straight to the 15th Floor where they asked me to check in at the Window 1, which i did, they took my interview letter and asked me to be seated and wait for my name to be called. 5 mins after that i saw some of the officers talking to each other like something is going on...In my head i was like something isn't right. Then i heard someone said " THE SYSTEM IS DOWN". Then a Lady came to the second window and asked all the people that had their interview already to form a line. She told them that the system is down, so the oath ceremony will not be today. Then gave them a piece of paper and told them to go home, they will receive a letter in the mail with a date to come for the Oath Ceremony. So at that point i knew already that even if i pass my interview, i will not take the Oath today, so i already knew what to expect.

Back to my interview, After i waited 30 minutes, The interview officer called my name, asked me for my passport to make a copy, asked me to go to Door Number 2 and took me to his office. He asked me to swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Next thing he said was " I went through your documents you've submitted already, this is going to be some formality for you so let's do this very quick....." (I was like OK). He asked for my green card and Driver License , asked if i lived at the same address, verified date of birth and went straight to the Questions :

1- Who wrote the declaration of Independence?

2- Who is the commender in Chief of the Military?

3- Where is the statue of Liberty?

4-What are the two major political party of the United Sates?

5-What is the political party of the president now?

I answered all of them correctly, He asked me to read out loud " who elects the Congress?", and i had to wrote down " The people elect the Congress". From there he said Congratulations you passed your Citizenship interview, gave me a paper saying to expect a letter in the mail for the oath ( Remember system is down so no oath the same day). And THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!! i was done, It took me exactly 5 minutes when i looked at my watch. I came back in the waiting area and my wife was actually shocked that it was this fast.She wasn't expecting me to come back this quick. The officer didn't ask me for my Marriage certificate, Selective service letter, my wife certificate of naturalization, my social, none of that. And all those documents, they asked me to bring them. I took a bunch of other stuff too but he didn't asked for anything. 5 mins.... I couldn't believe it. This got to be the fastest interview i've ever seen lol. Like the officer said, " this is going to be some formality for you so let's do this very quick....." now i see what he meant.

Now i'm waiting to receive my appointment letter for the Oath Ceremony. One more step....Thanks to all the members of VisaJourney. This forum is Awesome. I found all my answers in here, from my green card application to my Citizenship interview today. I will answers any question....

CONGRATULATIONS ! Simaexpress... i hope you got your letter for ceremony so fast .....just have a question for you please ....the officer didn't ask for any of your marriage evidence or where is your wife? or any questions like that because you applied based on marriage and me too? also please if you could remember how many persons was as you citizenship interview so i can get a picture they are really busy or they just delayed our cases ...thanks a lot...

[simaexpress 2]

CONGRATULATIONS ! Simaexpress... i hope you got your letter for ceremony so fast .....just have a question for you please ....the officer didn't ask for any of your marriage evidence or where is your wife? or any questions like that because you applied based on marriage and me too? also please if you could remember how many persons was as you citizenship interview so i can get a picture they are really busy or they just delayed our cases ...thanks a lot...

In the waiting area there wasn't many people at all. may be 40 people at most. Lot of empty chairs. So it wasn't packed at all. My interview was scheduled for 1.45pm, i was actually called around that exact time, 1.45PM. so i waited only 30 mins ( note that they called me on time), but i got there early thinking they might be many people waiting, that wasn't the case. Also, they don't go by first come first serve. You have a designated officer who handle your case, it's going to depend on him. So some people were there before me, but they called me first....And yes my case was based on a 3 years marriage, but the officer didn't ask me for any other documents, beside my green card and driver's license. I was shocked too coz i was expecting the officer to ask me about other stuff, like my marriage certificate, my wife certificate of citizenship, where i'm working currently, the selective service letter ....None. He didn't ask me for any of this. that's why i was in and out this fast.

[KASH2011 382]

My interview was today at 1.45PM at the Newark Office. I arrive in front of the building exactly at 12.50PM and went through the security process(Hated that i had to remove my shoes and all lol). Anyway i went straight to the 15th Floor where they asked me to check in at the Window 1, which i did, they took my interview letter and asked me to be seated and wait for my name to be called. 5 mins after that i saw some of the officers talking to each other like something is going on...In my head i was like something isn't right. Then i heard someone said " THE SYSTEM IS DOWN". Then a Lady came to the second window and asked all the people that had their interview already to form a line. She told them that the system is down, so the oath ceremony will not be today. Then gave them a piece of paper and told them to go home, they will receive a letter in the mail with a date to come for the Oath Ceremony. So at that point i knew already that even if i pass my interview, i will not take the Oath today, so i already knew what to expect.

Back to my interview, After i waited 30 minutes, The interview officer called my name, asked me for my passport to make a copy, asked me to go to Door Number 2 and took me to his office. He asked me to swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Next thing he said was " I went through your documents you've submitted already, this is going to be some formality for you so let's do this very quick....." (I was like OK). He asked for my green card and Driver License , asked if i lived at the same address, verified date of birth and went straight to the Questions :

1- Who wrote the declaration of Independence?

2- Who is the commender in Chief of the Military?

3- Where is the statue of Liberty?

4-What are the two major political party of the United Sates?

5-What is the political party of the president now?

I answered all of them correctly, He asked me to read out loud " who elects the Congress?", and i had to wrote down " The people elect the Congress". From there he said Congratulations you passed your Citizenship interview, gave me a paper saying to expect a letter in the mail for the oath ( Remember system is down so no oath the same day). And THAT'S IT!!!!!!!!! i was done, It took me exactly 5 minutes when i looked at my watch. I came back in the waiting area and my wife was actually shocked that it was this fast.She wasn't expecting me to come back this quick. The officer didn't ask me for my Marriage certificate, Selective service letter, my wife certificate of naturalization, my social, none of that. And all those documents, they asked me to bring them. I took a bunch of other stuff too but he didn't asked for anything. 5 mins.... I couldn't believe it. This got to be the fastest interview i've ever seen lol. Like the officer said, " this is going to be some formality for you so let's do this very quick....." now i see what he meant.

Now i'm waiting to receive my appointment letter for the Oath Ceremony. One more step....Thanks to all the members of VisaJourney. This forum is Awesome. I found all my answers in here, from my green card application to my Citizenship interview today. I will answers any question....

Congrats!

[WELA4000 1]

In the waiting area there wasn't many people at all. may be 40 people at most. Lot of empty chairs. So it wasn't packed at all. My interview was scheduled for 1.45pm, i was actually called around that exact time, 1.45PM. so i waited only 30 mins ( note that they called me on time), but i got there early thinking they might be many people waiting, that wasn't the case. Also, they don't go by first come first serve. You have a designated officer who handle your case, it's going to depend on him. So some people were there before me, but they called me first....And yes my case was based on a 3 years marriage, but the officer didn't ask me for any other documents, beside my green card and driver's license. I was shocked too coz i was expecting the officer to ask me about other stuff, like my marriage certificate, my wife certificate of citizenship, where i'm working currently, the selective service letter ....None. He didn't ask me for any of this. that's why i was in and out this fast.

congrats again and hope you get your letter for ceremony soon....and i hope to get my interview letter soon too next week i will be 4 months since i filed my application and still nothing...good luck for all of us.

[olna83 20]

In the waiting area there wasn't many people at all. may be 40 people at most. Lot of empty chairs. So it wasn't packed at all. My interview was scheduled for 1.45pm, i was actually called around that exact time, 1.45PM. so i waited only 30 mins ( note that they called me on time), but i got there early thinking they might be many people waiting, that wasn't the case. Also, they don't go by first come first serve. You have a designated officer who handle your case, it's going to depend on him. So some people were there before me, but they called me first....And yes my case was based on a 3 years marriage, but the officer didn't ask me for any other documents, beside my green card and driver's license. I was shocked too coz i was expecting the officer to ask me about other stuff, like my marriage certificate, my wife certificate of citizenship, where i'm working currently, the selective service letter ....None. He didn't ask me for any of this. that's why i was in and out this fast.

What raises a question on my end is why would they make an oath ceremony on a different day if Newark office is actually known for doing interview and oath on the same day. All who I know who recently went through the interview in Newark all had their oath ceremonies on the same day. Very strange they changed the process quickly...

[simaexpress 2]

What raises a question on my end is why would they make an oath ceremony on a different day if Newark office is actually known for doing interview and oath on the same day. All who I know who recently went through the interview in Newark all had their oath ceremonies on the same day. Very strange they changed the process quickly...

I guess you didn't read my first post where i said that the system was down and they couldn't do the oath ceremony today. That's the only reason. It's not like they changed anything, The process did not change at all. But if the system is down they have no choice but to send you home and give you an appointment for your oath ceremony on a different day.

Edited May 8, 2015 by simaexpress

[olna83 20]

I guess you didn't read my first post where i said that the system was down and they couldn't do the oath ceremony today. That's the only reason. It's not like they changed anything, The process did not change at all. But if the system is down they have no choice but to send you home and give you an appointment for your oath ceremony on a different day.

My bad! Sorry I guess I missed it. Long day.. But that makes absolute sense. Thank you!

[JimmyHou 611]

Would I be mistaken.

You can only apply for your first passport, at a passport office and not the post office ?

You can apply in person at a post office even if it's for your first passport. The only restriction for first time applicants is that they can't apply by mail.

[qasha 1]

On May 8, 2015, we scheduled an interview for your Form N-400, Application for Naturalization , Receipt Number NBC*XXXXXXXXX. We will mail you an interview notice. Please follow any instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.

[Luis Leon 4]

Hi there, Just to congrats everybody that have became citizen. I came back to se how is going on for you guys.

Reading some post I just remember the questions the IO asked me and are the same for aprox 4 people here in diferent cities. that is important I guess for those haven't had their interviews. the questions are

• What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
• What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
• What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
• Where is the Statue of Liberty?
• Name two national U.S. holidays
• Who was the first President?

in diferent order I guess but are the same as others.

I also applied for my passport this Tuesday on the City Hall because they do not require appointment. Today my check was cashed. I applied for an expedite passport.

Greetings to everyone and good luck

[Rho16 1]

Are you in NY Luis Leon? The same questions you were asked,I notice other people who had interviews were asked the same thing. My interview is May 21st at Federal Plaza.

[JimmyHou 611]

Hi there, Just to congrats everybody that have became citizen. I came back to se how is going on for you guys.

Reading some post I just remember the questions the IO asked me and are the same for aprox 4 people here in diferent cities. that is important I guess for those haven't had their interviews. the questions are

• What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen?
• What movement tried to end racial discrimination?
• What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
• Where is the Statue of Liberty?
• Name two national U.S. holidays
• Who was the first President?

in diferent order I guess but are the same as others.

I also applied for my passport this Tuesday on the City Hall because they do not require appointment. Today my check was cashed. I applied for an expedite passport.

Greetings to everyone and good luck

Congratulations and I hope you get your passport soon!

Many people report getting the same questions as others across the country on the same day or sometimes even in the same week. It happens too often for this to be a coincidence. But not everyone interviewed on the same day gets the same questions.

So here's what I think happens (just my theory). USCIS has the questions in groups of ten that are pre-determined. At the beginning of each day or each week, USCIS determines that they will use Groups A, B, and C, each consisting of 10 questions, for that week, or probably even fewer if there's overlap between the three groups... and many people at different offices get the exact same 10 questions.

Another thing I noticed is that these groups of questions cannot be completely randomly generated; this is because some questions get asked very rarely or are perhaps even never asked.

Some questions, like the name of the president, the number of justices on the Supreme Court, the name of the vice president, the oceans to the east and west of the United States, and a few other questions are asked very regularly. However, some questions like naming a Native American tribe are almost never asked. There are two things that could explain this The first is that the questions are usually (but probably not always) selected from a smaller subset of the 100 questions... Or that some of these questions always appear at the end of the group (for example question number 9 or 10 on the test) If this is true then most people would never hear the question because the interviewer stops when they get six right. Either of these reasons might be why no one ever reports being asked some of these questions.

Having said all that, I think the test is pretty easy and that the 100 questions are important parts of this country's history and it's present and anyone who wants to become a citizen should honestly be interested in knowing the answers to these questions. However, I understand that some people who take the test are elderly or have learning problems or language problems.

If there is a higher likelihood (and this is a big if) that some questions will be asked, it might be easier for such applicants to focus on those first, before they move on to the other questions. But I would still encourage everyone to learn the answers to all 100 and to learn a lot more about the history of their new country.

Edited May 9, 2015 by JimmyHou