What to Expect at the Naturalization Oath Ceremony

[JimmyHou 611]

I will like to use "affirm" and not "swear". Can there be a modification of such?

Yes. Just tell your interviewer. He will make a note and ask you to change the words as you repeat the oath during your ceremony. That's a simple chsnge.

[JimmyHou 611]

I will like to use "affirm" and not "swear". Can there be a modification of such?

Here's what the law states:

Title 8, Section 1337.1(b) provides:

When a petitioner or applicant for naturalization, by reason of religious training and belief (or individual interpretation thereof), or for other reasons of good conscience, cannot take the oath prescribed in paragraph (a) of this section with the words “on oath” and “so help me God” included, the words “and solemnly affirm” shall be substituted for the words “on oath,” the words “so help me God” shall be deleted, and the oath shall be taken in such modified form.

And here's what the USCIS policy manual states:

USCIS grants this modification solely upon the applicant’s request. The applicant is not required to establish that the request is based solely on his or her religious training and belief. Applicants are not required to provide any documentary evidence or testimony to support a request to substitute the words “on oath” or “so help me God.” ​

​USCIS must not require the applicant to recite the deleted portions of the Oath of Allegiance at the ceremony. The officer informs the applicant that he or she is not required to recite the deleted portions and that the applicant may take the oath in the modified form.​

[carmenJohnson 0]

sorry wrong forum

Edited March 3, 2015 by carmenJohnson

[JimmyHou 611]

I thought I'd share this; it's from an older version of the document referenced on the first post of this thread. I've read and heard a lot of naturalization ceremony speeches (you can find several transcripts or videos online), but this is my favorite. Of course it's a little idealistic, but I think the day of our naturalization ceremonies is good time to be idealistic for a day. Every few months someone will start a new thread asking people's views on why they want to become citizens... there are so many practical answers that are always given (passports, sponsoring relatives, voting, etc.) but this speech is always the first thing that jumps into my head.

It was given by Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz at a naturalization ceremony on November 17, 1994 in Chicago, Illinois.

"From our beginning as a nation, we have admitted to our country and to citizenship, immigrants from the diverse lands of the world. We had faith that thereby we would best serve ourselves and mankind. This faith has been justified. The United States has grown great. The immigrants and their immediate descendants have proved themselves both loyal and great citizens of the country. Liberty has knit us closely together as Americans. From this very assembly today, we may note the common devotion to our country.

"America has believed that each race, each ethnic group, each religion, each person has something of peculiar value which they can contribute to the attainment of those ideals for which they are striving. America has believed that we must not only give to the immigrant the best that we have, but must preserve for America the good that is in the immigrant, and develop in him and her the best of which they are capable of doing. America has believed that in differentiation, not in uniformity, lies the fate of progress.

"My friends, you know better than I the blessings of liberty and freedom. Some of you have been the personal victims of oppression and discrimination. You can appreciate, without any prodding from me, the importance of the heritage and challenge you have today embraced. I welcome you all as citizens of America. As of today, you are equal citizens entitled to the same rights and privileges, and subject to the same obligations, as Americans, whose fathers and grandfathers, and great-grandfathers were born in this land. I thank you, from the depths of my heart, for choosing our beloved country in which to work and live. May God bless you and guide you."

Edited March 16, 2015 by JimmyHou

[AbuFlaan 2]

So it seems like common practice for them to name the countries of origin and ask each person to stand up when their country is called. In my case, the US doesn't recognize Palestine, so what are they going to call out for me?

[JimmyHou 611]

So it seems like common practice for them to name the countries of origin and ask each person to stand up when their country is called. In my case, the US doesn't recognize Palestine, so what are they going to call out for me?

First of all, they only call out the names of countries of origins in certain ceremonies. In ceremonies where there are a few dozen or even one or 200 applicants being naturalized, they usually call out the names of the countries. But in ceremonies where there are several thousand people being naturalized, they usually skip the step.

Secondly, USCIS usually just goes by the nationality that you put down on your N400 application. This is a really good question in your case And I'm afraid I don't know the answer! I do know that the State Department has its own rules for the place of birth listed on a passport. For Palestinians, they have a complicated set of rules. If you're born in Gaza, they will list Gaza. If you're born in the West Bank, they will list West Bank. if you are born in pre-1967 Israel, then they will list Israel. If you were born anywhere in Palestine prior to 1948, they will list Palestine. In any of those cases, you can request to have your city of birth listed instead of the country or region. Having said all that, there are always exceptions, and there was someone who got a passport last year who was born in the West Bank in the 1980s but had Palestine listed as place of birth So it's not very consistent.

But that's all about the State Department USCIS which falls under the Department of Homeland Security will have slightly different rules. What's more important is what they print on your naturalization certificate. Homeland security tends to be a little more strict about this then the State Department what is more important is the country of birth on your passport in my opinion so make sure that you get the passport office to put down what you want, as long as it's in compliance with the rules.

[AbuFlaan 2]

Thanks, that's helpful.

I was also wondering about the wording of the oath. I understand that the US allows dual citizenship, but the oath is worded in a way that seems to imply the renunciation of, if not of your citizenship, at least of your allegiance to your first nationality.

And one other question: I've noticed a couple of mistakes in the application and want to add a trip outside of the US after I filed the n-400. Is that problematic? The mistakes are simple typos on dates and in one case a missing zip code on the 4th time my address is listed.

[JimmyHou 611]

Thanks, that's helpful.

I was also wondering about the wording of the oath. I understand that the US allows dual citizenship, but the oath is worded in a way that seems to imply the renunciation of, if not of your citizenship, at least of your allegiance to your first nationality.

And one other question: I've noticed a couple of mistakes in the application and want to add a trip outside of the US after I filed the n-400. Is that problematic? The mistakes are simple typos on dates and in one case a missing zip code on the 4th time my address is listed.

1- You can take a modified oath (see earlier posts on this thread), but none of the modifications pertain to allegiance. Renouncing allegiance to all other countries is a requirement that you can't get around. The US doesn't specifically allow dual citizenship, but it tolerates it, so you do not have to renounce your current citizenship, but the US will only care that you are a US citizen. You can still carry around your current passport. So you're right that you will renounce allegiance (but not citizenship) to your current country of citizenship at the oath ceremony.

2- You can fix these at your interview. Just be upfront and tell the interviewer at the start that you have a couple of minor corrections to make.

[AbuFlaan 2]

Thanks!

[JimmyHou 611]

So many of us are used to complaining about USCIS, so here's something really interesting for a change: USCIS complaining about something! In this case, it's USCIS complaining about the courts making it difficult to schedule judicial oath ceremonies. It's an interesting read and some of if shows that some/many USCIS officers really are trying to help us immigrants through the process.

The issues below are all from this DHS document: http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/cisomb_naturalization_recommendation_2008-12-16.pdf

· Challenges in Scheduling Additional Ceremonies.

o In one of USCIS’ largest districts where the court retains exclusive oath ceremony jurisdiction, the court refused to schedule sufficient additional ceremonies to accommodate the large number of naturalization applicants who had completed processing in Fall 2008, and refused to allow USCIS to administratively naturalize these applicants. As a result, 1,951 individuals did not receive the oath in time to register to vote in the 2008 elections, despite USCIS having completed processing and communicated its willingness to quickly plan additional ceremonies with the court. The District Director approached the court repeatedly requesting additional ceremonies and was told the court had already “done more than its share.”31 When the District Director suggested USCIS be permitted to hold administrative ceremonies the court “vehemently refused,” noting that these persons were not 45 days out from approval; these persons were instead scheduled for court ceremonies in November 2008.

o In one district, a USCIS field office official requested that the court perform an additional oath ceremony to meet the USCIS FY 2008 naturalization goal. The court said it would not naturalize the applicants unless USCIS agreed to pay the rental fee for a scenic historic site at which the media would attend. The USCIS official explained she had limited funds to pay for the venue, and requested the ceremony be held in the court, which had sufficient capacity to handle the applicants. The court and field office engaged in a series of negotiating meetings that continued for a week. In the end, USCIS bore a portion of the cost for the historic venue to ensure the ceremony would take place.

o In one district, the court was asked, but did not agree, to organize sufficient additional ceremonies at larger venues to accommodate the surge in applications. To provide additional judicial ceremonies, local USCIS district officials rented a facility for 12 months, paying approximately $1,200 per month out of local funds, and invited a judge to administer the oath. Yet, the court retained the reimbursement even though no court facilities were used and USCIS paid the rental. The IAA provides that the fees paid by USCIS to the courts are to be used in part, for “Space Rental . . . and other overhead expenses.”

· Inappropriate Religious or Political Remarks. In one judicial ceremony, an official participant of the ceremony made explicit sectarian religious remarks when discussing the origins of freedom;36 in another, the judge utilized his welcoming remarks to make pointed and partisan political comments. Specifically, the judge stated that persons should “get off their dead [posteriors] and oppose the war.”

· Threatening Verbiage. One USCIS district office reported an episode that resulted in a judge threatening to have USCIS officials fired for conducting an administrative naturalization ceremony. These district officials had repeatedly petitioned the court to provide additional administrative ceremonies. The district officials then exercised their authority to oath persons waiting more than 45 days, since approval from the court was no longer required as a matter of law. The administrative oath ceremony got typical press coverage and the judge saw the event on the television news. He phoned a USCIS officer at 9:00 p.m. and threatened to have him and his colleagues fired for ignoring the judge’s decision.

· Customer Service Challenges. In one major USCIS district, the Director requested that the court allow SSA to be present to provide information to newly naturalized citizens. SSA was willing to attend, but the request was denied by the court. However, the Ombudsman noted that multiple vendors were immediately inside the ceremony venue selling certificate folders, passport photos, and other items. The USCIS Director and SSA instead compiled a customer-service tip and contact information sheet that was placed on each applicant’s chair at the time of the oath ceremony.

· Oath ceremonies Conducted in a Foreign Language. In one district with a large Spanish-speaking population, the judge administered the oath ceremony (introductions, directions, speech, artistic presentations, etc.) entirely in Spanish, with the exception of administering the oath itself in English and Spanish. A USCIS official polled the audience, by show of hands, to determine if every applicant present understood Spanish; despite the fact that several persons raised their hands indicating they did not speak Spanish, the presiding judge proceeded in Spanish.41 While certain waivers exist, no person is naturalized who cannot demonstrate an understanding of the English language.

· Solemnity and Dignity of Ceremonies for Armed Services Personnel. In a naturalization ceremony at a combat-readiness military facility where the naturalization applicants were training to be deployed, more than 100 military personnel and their guests, commanders, and trainers were seated at the appointed time that USCIS had arranged with the court. They remained waiting 90 minutes for the judge to arrive. The judge explained that he was delayed because he was waiting at the airport to bring a friend (a political figure), whom the judge wanted to speak at the event.

[AbuFlaan 2]

For those applying for a passport, just beware that even though none of the online information says so, you need a copy (as well as the original) of your naturalization certificate in order to apply for a passport. I'm feeling a little naked, because between the oath ceremony, registering the change at the social security administration and applying for a passport, I essentially have no original evidence of my citizenship or immigration status, since they took the green card at the oath ceremony, took the social security card when I updated my status, and took my certificate of naturalization when I applied for a passport. I'm glad I don't live in one of those "show-me-your-papers" states!

[Yass77 0]

Please, does anyone know the date of May or Jun 2015 Oath ceremony in houston tx ?!

Thanks guys for help ✌️

[JimmyHou 611]

USCIS's model plan for an administrative naturalization ceremony... this is just guidance to local offices so some ceremonies may differ slightly. Judicial ceremonies may also differ from this plan.

http://www.uscis.gov/policymanual/HTML/PolicyManual-Volume12-PartJ-Chapter5.html

Edited May 19, 2015 by JimmyHou

[JimmyHou 611]

Here's a helpful post about the oath ceremony in Deleware:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/432328-anybody-from-delaware-waiting-for-oath/?p=7669569

Edited June 11, 2015 by JimmyHou

[lilsweetie 31]

How long does it usually take? 1 hour? 2 hours?