Horrible interview experience

[Kowatti 189]

I am so very sorry.  I feel for 80 year old grandma.  They deserve much more respect that that.  I don't know her, but this is making me sad.

[Umka36 781]

FWIW, it took my mom 2 times to pass the naturalization test. Only real suggestion I got is have MIL study/prepare some more, then retake it. It's going to be wasted energy trying to fight an uphill battle. She doesn't qualify for the language exception as she hasn't lived here long enough.

 

I can only guess the main reason for citizenship is to get off the hook of the I-864, since immigrants can qualify for Medicaid after being a resident for 5 years. Has she not been seen by a doctor for 5 years? If so, kind of poor planning, but that's the past.

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

5 hours ago, debbiedoo said:

old people are where my cold heart warms up. they speak what they're thinking

 

anyways, my exes parents(from japan) never learned much English. They also did not seek citizenship.  Their children ran their business and they had no reason to learn.

 

If it were me, I would institute a 'No Russian language' policy in the home. No music, TV, conversation, nothing. EVERYTHING all in English, all the time. Pair that with rosetta stone or similar. Have friends / family come over and (try to-hopefully shes willing) make her engage with them and have conversations. Have different people practice the questions with her in different accents and speech patterns. Have phone conversations with her (even if just from the other room) and practice the questions on the phone, so she doesnt have the benefit of watching the facial reflections. keep the closed captioning on the TV so she can follow the written and verbal together.

Great suggestions.  The Duolingo one was also good.

 

To be fair, as OP admitted, living in a mobile home on a farm isolated from actual immersion into American life also counts against her learning to speak properly. Little things like going to the supermarket etc regularly (not necessarily even talking to the cashier but just seeing the English words next to foods she knows for example) help a lot with learning by osmosis. Is it at all possible to get her out and about and interacting more with English speakers/just getting exposure to English? 

Edited September 7, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[ttram312 10]

Wow, I'm sorry for your experience and just dumbfounded by some of the responds here.

 

My husband's grandmother is also Russian and she moved to America when she was 70+ to be with her kids, so obviously it's a huge challenge for her to learn English. Like your MIL, she studied really hard for the exam. Luckily, she passed the exam. I think it all depends on the officer because from my experience at our field office (I'm in the middle of ROC and also went through AOS), everyone is very nice. I hope her next interview goes much better. Good luck. 

[WaterLeaf 200]

33 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

Great suggestions.  The Duolingo one was also good.

 

To be fair, as OP admitted, living in a mobile home on a farm isolated from actual immersion into American life also counts against her learning to speak properly. Little things like going to the supermarket etc regularly (not necessarily even talking to the cashier but just seeing the English words next to foods she knows for example) help a lot with learning by osmosis. Is it at all possible to get her out and about and interacting more with English speakers/just getting exposure to English? 

Duolingo does have the English speaking program built into it. It can read back to you and you can interact a bit with it in English. I think there are also 2 voices, male and female.

[databit 328]

Stop speaking to her in Russian at home. Completely. Don't respond to her unless she speaks English. 

[SusieQQQ 11,586]

53 minutes ago, WaterLeaf said:

Duolingo does have the English speaking program built into it. It can read back to you and you can interact a bit with it in English. I think there are also 2 voices, male and female.

I’ve used duolingo. It’s useful, but not nearly as useful as getting out there and speaking.

[Boiler 45,525]

Just got a notice from Google that Duolingo is available as a download on a Chromebook.

[gabreigns 75]

I am really sorry to hear about your elderly parent. No one should be treated that way.

 

I am not sure if language was the only issue here perhaps?

I remember during one of my interviews the interviewer mentioned that they were really concerned with chain migration and its effects on the medicaid and the social security system. In other words bringing the elderly from other countries and using the medicaid system will only overburden and break the system eventually. She mentioned that medicaid is for people who have paid in to the system over time and she is worried that she herself wont be able to get medicaid because of people who migrated here without paying in to the system and using up the existing limited pool of money making the entire system expensive and in the long run kill the system. Not to mention that politicians use these as their honeypots to get money out when they need it to balance state budgets.

 

So I see why the interviewer could be a biased against the elderly unless the applicants are willing to take care of them completely without hooking in to the ailing medicaid system.

 

Nevertheless it is a sad truth of our times. The blame lies on both sides and hopefully there can be a better way to solve it in the future.

Edited September 7, 2018 by gabreigns

[TM92 527]

20 hours ago, Ben&Zian said:

Also I believe if over say, 70 you can have a translator and bypass the English requirements.

14 hours ago, Daisy.Chain said:

Does she not qualify for the age/time with green card exemption?

OP's MIL has only been in the US for 5 years. Here is the info for English language exemptions and special consideration regarding the civics requirement, https://www.uscis.gov/us-citizenship/citizenship-through-naturalization/exceptions-accommodations:

Quote

English Language Exemptions

You Are Exempt From The English Language Requirement, But Are Still Required To Take The Civics Test If You Are:

• Age 50 or older at the time of filing for naturalization and have lived as a permanent resident (green card holder) in the United States for 20 years (commonly referred to as the “50/20” exception). OR
• Age 55 or older at the time of filing for naturalization and have lived as a permanent resident in the United States for 15 years (commonly referred to as the “55/15” exception).

Note:

• Even if you qualify for the “50/20” or “55/15” English language exceptions listed above, you must still take the civics test.
• You will be permitted to take the civics test in your native language.
• If you take the test in your native language, you must bring an interpreter with you to your interview.
• Your interpreter must be fluent in both English and your native language.
• If you are age 65 or older and have been a permanent resident for at least 20 years at the time of filing for naturalization, you will be given special consideration regarding the civics requirement.

For more information, see the USCIS Policy Manual Citizenship and Naturalization Guidance.

[nbluDeby 5]

25 minutes ago, gabreigns said:

.. the interviewer mentioned that they were really concerned with chain migration and its effects on the medicaid and the social security system. In other words bringing the elderly from other countries and using the medicaid system will only overburden and break the system eventually. She mentioned that medicaid is for people who have paid in to the system over time and she is worried that she herself wont be able to get medicaid because of people who migrated here without paying in to the system and using up the existing limited pool of money making the entire system expensive and in the long run kill the system. Not to mention that politicians use these as their honeypots to get money out when they need it to balance state budgets.

This entire statement is highly inappropriate for the immigration interview and also is almost entirely incorrect.

 

She herself will almost certainly not be able to get medicaid, since it is a program for low-income individuals. She most certainly will get Medicare (and Social Security) as the federal government literally exists to provide these benefits (they are mandatory and constitute over half of the budget). Suggesting that the system might run out of money is as ludicrous as suggesting that the US government might not be able to either collect taxes or raise debt. With enough luck, soon she will be able to enroll in Medicare for All, and then forget worrying about being able to afford healthcare (much like in most other rich countries).

 

But also, the majority of so-called "chain migration" is spouses and children of US citizens, who are not eligible for any benefits in the years leading to naturalization, while still paying all the taxes (at an income that is on average higher than average in the country). While some people (including older people) will end up using more benefits than they paid in the system, overall immigration is a massive asset to the country. To put it in other words, imagine if you were not allowed to bring your aging parent here -- would you move to the United States, or have to stay in your home country to care for them? Would you want the US government to force you in this choice?

 

The lady in question made the United States her home. She lives here now, and she will probably die here. She deserves to be a citizen, and she deserves the dignity of being able to live well.

Edited September 7, 2018 by nbluDeby

[Boiler 45,525]

I have met people who have Naturalised and seems the English Language requirement is very low, but not non existent, well she qualifies for an exemption in 10 years.

Edited September 7, 2018 by Boiler

[inneedofmyhb 217]

This is just simply sad.  Just because someone has a "strong" accent should mean nothing.  If you work as an officer for immigration, I would think that you would hear every accent, from every country every single day.  It does not matter if she is 80, 60, 20 or has an accent.  There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that any employee working for OUR country should ever be rude or make anyone feel less of a person because they are an immigrant.  This is a huge issue all across USCIS and it really needs to be addressed.  And for anyone to make a comment why she is trying to become a citizen at 80 is just another rude comment and only puts you in the same place as the rude embarrassment of an officer who treats people like this day in and day out. 

 

Does anyone have any idea what this woman or anyone else going to citizenship interviews have gone through in their life?  Just as any human being who has a bucket list, maybe as an 80 year old, her bucket list is to die a US citizen?  Instead of bashing her that she doesn't know perfect English, maybe you should complain to the top officials who have made it possible to live in our country an entire lifetime and not have to learn one word of ENGLISH because it is the "law" that everywhere you go, every label you read is translated in English.  My parents came to this country over 55 years ago and were forced to lean English because NOTHING was translated.  

 

She will be okay, she has a good support system between yourself and your wife.  And if having to fork out more money just so someone isn't rude to you, then so be it.  But it does suck, because I am an American and it shames me to know that these are the people that represent my country.  Blessings to your MIL.

[gabreigns 75]

10 minutes ago, nbluDeby said:

This entire statement is highly inappropriate for the immigration interview and also is almost entirely incorrect.

 

She herself will almost certainly not be able to get medicaid, since it is a program for low-income individuals. She most certainly will get Medicare (and Social Security) as the federal government literally exists to provide these benefits (they are mandatory and constitute over half of the budget). Suggesting that the system might run out of money is as ludicrous as suggesting that the US government might not be able to either collect taxes or raise debt. With enough luck, soon she will be able to enroll in Medicare for All, and then forget worrying about being able to afford healthcare (much like in most other rich countries).

 

But also, the majority of so-called "chain migration" is spouses and children of US citizens, who are not eligible for any benefits in the years leading to naturalization, while still paying all the taxes (at an income that is on average higher than average in the country). While some people (including older people) will end up using more benefits than they paid in the system, overall immigration is a massive asset to the country. To put it in other words, imagine if you were not allowed to bring your aging parent here -- would you move to the United States, or have to stay in your home country to care for them? Would you want the US government to force you in this choice?

 

The lady in question made the United States her home. She lives here now, and she will probably die here. She deserves to be a citizen, and she deserves the dignity of being able to live well.

Medicare, medicaid.... i am not sure what she said.. I was paraphrasing what she said to me. 

You have valid opinions.

Just like my interviewer did.

 

I am in no place to judge who is right or not. Besides you mentioning what is appropriate or not is not going to change the situation that the poor old lady and her family is in.

[Sue You 17]

20 minutes ago, nbluDeby said:

This entire statement is highly inappropriate for the immigration interview and also is almost entirely incorrect.

 

She herself will almost certainly not be able to get medicaid, since it is a program for low-income individuals. She most certainly will get Medicare (and Social Security) as the federal government literally exists to provide these benefits (they are mandatory and constitute over half of the budget). Suggesting that the system might run out of money is as ludicrous as suggesting that the US government might not be able to either collect taxes or raise debt. With enough luck, soon she will be able to enroll in Medicare for All, and then forget worrying about being able to afford healthcare (much like in most other rich countries).

 

But also, the majority of so-called "chain migration" is spouses and children of US citizens, who are not eligible for any benefits in the years leading to naturalization, while still paying all the taxes (at an income that is on average higher than average in the country). While some people (including older people) will end up using more benefits than they paid in the system, overall immigration is a massive asset to the country. To put it in other words, imagine if you were not allowed to bring your aging parent here -- would you move to the United States, or have to stay in your home country to care for them? Would you want the US government to force you in this choice?

 

The lady in question made the United States her home. She lives here now, and she will probably die here. She deserves to be a citizen, and she deserves the dignity of being able to live well.

Well you are incorrect here. As an example.

https://www.npr.org/2018/08/10/637371714/first-ladys-parents-become-u-s-citizens-thanks-to-chain-migration