Failed - What next?

[JeanneAdil 6,489]

3 minutes ago, Mike E said:

 

Ok let me try again:

 

”If one of the randomly selected questions was to name the entire set of members of the federal House of Representatives from the applicant’s state of residence, then 1 in 10 applicants residing in California would fail the civics test.”

 

The distinction between 1 in 10 and 10 in 10 is lost in me when we consider the population of California relative to other states and thus its likely share of immigrants.  About a million people naturalize each year. Californian is over one in ten of the population. So about 10,000 California residents would be illegally denied naturalization.  I think some news reporter would discover this.  
 

I think we’d see 1 in 10 from every state but the ones with a single house fail. I’ve 9 in my state. My wife won’t be memorizing the other 8.  
 

If the  question was asked as OP reports, the administration of the test  was illegal.  
 

People telling OP to tell her husband to “suck it up” are missing basic facts as reported by OP and/or failing the civics test.  
 

This said, passing that practice test  95 percent of the time isn’t enough.  One should be 10/10 100 percent of the time entering into the interview.  Which I was when I waited 3 hours to attend my naturalization interview and downloaded the aforementioned app out of sheer boredom. It’s that easy. Rote memory is all it takes. 
 

But if ISOs are inventing questions and this meets community approval  then I guess we should advise  immigrants to get 4 year degrees in political science and history. 

 

 

i clearly don't understand the U.S. not standing for United States 

 

but only 1 representative represents each district so u only need to know the name of one

sorry if i was rude but sometimes u just gotta start all over 

and there are 2 senators per state and utah has 4 reps not 2 

 

she can help him study but he has to know the answers

and the reason the origianl colonists came is not the same as why people come now

so,  we don't really know (as we were not there) which question he was asked

 

OP if u feel the immigration officer treated him disrespect , u can lodge a complaint 

i am at flabbergasted at the U.S. question 

[Family 3,988]

46 minutes ago, Mike E said:

23. Name your U.S. Representative. Question 23 Audio (MP3, 422.83 KB)

• Answers will vary. [Residents of territories with nonvoting Delegates or Resident Commissioners may provide the name of that Delegate or Commissioner. Also acceptable is any statement that the territory has no (voting) Representatives in Congress.]”

@Mike E this question is specific to naming applicant’s Representative and the answer is specific to the congressional district the applicant lives in…I am quite certain you know that, but my flippant response may have hit a nerve. 
Neither your wife nor any Californian needs to memorize the entire states roster. 

[JeanneAdil 6,489]

1 hour ago, Angela256z said:

Thank you.  I will add that to his test to make sure he names them all next time.  He only named one of them, but the guy said name Utah's state Representative he didn't use a plural so I am guessing he thought he could name just one.  

 

He didn't apply as a spouse.  He applied under the 5 year rule.  And the question was not Why did you immigrate.  It was why do people immigrate. Feels off to me to have been an answer about himself when it was not spoken that way.  

he doesn't name them all

he has to know the one from his district

[SalishSea 17,801]

1 hour ago, Angela256z said:

Thank you.  I will add that to his test to make sure he names them all next time.  He only named one of them, but the guy said name Utah's state Representative he didn't use a plural so I am guessing he thought he could name just one.  

 

He didn't apply as a spouse.  He applied under the 5 year rule.  And the question was not Why did you immigrate.  It was why do people immigrate. Feels off to me to have been an answer about himself when it was not spoken that way.  

And the top reasons “why people immigrate” (and therefore the correct answer) is family and work.   Religion would not be correct because it is not a basis for an immigrant petition or visa.

 

It is very unusual for native English speakers to actually fail the test.   

Edited November 18, 2022 by Jorgedig

[SalishSea 17,801]

I feel like perhaps there is something lost in translation here.  As in, OP’s spouse and then OP are describing what was said when only one of them was there.

 

”Why people immigrate” is totally different than “why did the colonists first come to America.”

[Mike E 11,739]

22 minutes ago, Family said:

@Mike E this question is specific to naming applicant’s Representative and the answer is specific to the congressional district the applicant lives in…I am quite certain you know that, but my flippant response may have hit a nerve. 
Neither your wife nor any Californian needs to memorize the entire states roster. 

I’ve no idea what your point was. 
 

This is where I am at with this thread:
 

Legally,

 

* There are no questions requiring  one to name their entire congressional delegation from their state of residence. 
 

* There is no question asking why do people immigrate.  I cannot fathom how this canard perpetuates.  Maybe that question was there before 2008 but is there now. Period. Full stop. 

 

* Answering “United States” when one is asked to read “U.S.” is a valid answer 

 

* I believe things went down as OP reported, and thus  the way the civics test and English test was administered was illegal and OP’s husband should have been graded as a pass 

 

Thus, OP is being beaten up here for no reason. 
 

I am out. 

[Lil bear 4,181]

16 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

And the top reasons “why people immigrate” (and therefore the correct answer) is family and work.   Religion would not be correct because it is not a basis for an immigrant petition or visa.

 

It is very unusual for native English speakers to actually fail the test.   

The question as stated by OP.. “why do people immigrate” is not one of the 100 civics questions. The only question that may have been interpreted by the applicant as this is #58.. asking one reason why colonists came to America.. and the answer “freedom” and “religious freedom” are both official answers. Something is astray here in either the administration of the test or  the understanding of the applicant.

[usmsbow 801]

12 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

I feel like perhaps there is something lost in translation here.  As in, OP’s spouse and then OP are describing what was said when only one of them was there.

 

”Why people immigrate” is totally different than “why did the colonists first come to America.”

 

Yes, that's my takeaway from this thread, although i'd say there are multiple things lost in translation, not just one. It's either that or some "rogue" USCIS officer (with the former being much more likely).

 

 

[Lil bear 4,181]

1 hour ago, Mobius1 said:

You wont unfortunately get an answer to the nose poking practiced here. But yes what you are doing is a great thing. It shows you really care for him.

 

So there are about 100 Qs, they dont change.  I am unsure if they still use the "Trump" (new version) test questions or the original 2008 civics. I remember for some time they did and would ask which question set you wish to answer.

 

Either ways, he gets a second shot at it. If he fails again only then the application will be denied.

The test reverted  to the 100 question 2008 format about 18 months  ago 

[Lil bear 4,181]

I practiced for this by saying both the question and then my chosen answer out loud as I read my flashcards.. 3 times every day for 2 weeks prior to the interview That way, as the IO was saying the question,  I was actually saying it in my head at the same time and continuing with the answer out loud. But then, that type of learning was part my education back when multiplication  facts were learned and repeated by rote every day .. 

 

link the question with the answer and say both until it becomes an automatic response 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Lil bear

[Cathi 5,745]

1 hour ago, Angela256z said:

Thank you.  I will add that to his test to make sure he names them all next time.  He only named one of them, but the guy said name Utah's state Representative he didn't use a plural so I am guessing he thought he could name just one.  

 

 

Don't count on the questions being the same. The questions may be totally different next time and most likely will be. There are 100 questions and he needs to memorize all of them. 

[Ontarkie 14,214]

~~Multiple posts have been removed for badgering the OP, and quoting. Stick to offering the OP. It is not mandatory for both spouses to be asking questions on VJ.~~

[Timona 4,207]

3 hours ago, JeanneAdil said:

he was suppose to name the guy who was his district rep / they don't all represent all the state according to my house rep

 

This is correct. You can put your zip code and it'll tell you who it is. That's the answer that the IO wanted. 

 

There are 100 questions on this test. I think 95% are fixed, regardlessof where you interview from. The only things that aren't fixed are State Rep, President, VP  and maybe Supreme Court Judge. In those questions, there's an asterisk telling you to "update yourself via Google."

 

And USCIS reverted to 2008 version of the test. Get if officially online from USCIS website. You can use Your practice  videos but the official test is the one from USCIS site. 

Edited November 18, 2022 by Timona

[nastra30 2,284]

3 hours ago, Angela256z said:

He was asked who our state Representative was and he said one of the two so they marked him wrong. The practice test says he only had to name one.

I think his answer was pertaining to senators, when the question asked was about house of representatives. Utah has 4 reps, so should have named 1 of the 4.

 

But in general, something just seems is off. Interviewing officers are not allowed to ask civic questions outside the 100 questions from the bank. So if that is what happened (which I doubt), the interviewing officer broke the law.

Edited November 18, 2022 by nastra30

[midwinterrose 275]

4 hours ago, JeanneAdil said:

that's why they also take an English test part 

 

BUT the following applies also so learning for the civics in English is not an issue

 

And i do know  how hard people study for this . Adil put everything into this 

 

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.

 

Taking the test in your native language is only permitted as an exception in very limited circumstances, so I don't know what your point is...

 

 

"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"