N400 Interview Experience – NYC Federal Plaza – 1/25/23

[sremlif 51]

Hello VJ Community,

 

I attended my N400 interview today at NYC Federal Plaza so thought I would share my experience with you all!

 

Before I begin, I want to summarize a couple of main points since it is quite a lengthy read:

 

• I noticed some people were being given orange pieces of laminated paper that had “SAME DAY OATH” printed on it in large font – contrary to my prior belief, it appears that same day oath ceremonies are being held on the third floor at Federal Plaza

 

• My experience was not that pleasant – the officer conducting my interview was snappy – additionally, he had my I-751 paperwork with him but opted not to review it there and then. He only ran through the N400 with me and stated he would be reviewing the I-751 paperwork when he had time – his exact words were that he would do it “maybe today, maybe later this week” (you can read on below for the full debrief)

 

Background: I filed N400 based on the 3-year rule (married to a US citizen). I filed in Oct 2022 and received my interview notice in Dec 2022. Prior to this I had filed my I-751 in Oct 2021, although that had remained pending. The only update I received was that it had been transferred to another office to speed up processing - this was after the filing of my N400, so I had anticipated a combo interview.

 

The interview:

My interview time was at 8:35AM, so my spouse and I arrived 30 minutes early. Despite it being chaotic outside the main entrance, we made it through the security checkpoint in 15 mins. We proceeded to the 7th floor, and upon arriving at the reception area, an officer asked to see my paperwork – he looked over it briefly and at this point he directed my spouse to wait downstairs while waving me though to check-in. This caught us by surprise as we had anticipated a combo interview – we tried to explain we were married but he cut us off mid-sentence and repeated that my spouse needed to leave as the appointment was for me only. We said a quick goodbye and I continued on ahead. Total check-in and wait time was around 25 minutes before I was summoned by the interviewing officer.

 

I was taken to an interview room and asked to raise my right hand, promise to tell the truth, etc. After that I was seated and the officer asked for my identity docs (passport, state ID, interview letter). To my surprise, the officer stated I was not eligible for naturalization since I did not meet the 5-year rule! I figured this was a test of some sort so I informed him I was filing under the 3-year rule as an LPR married to a US citizen since 2020. He nodded along and then asked if I had filed for ROC? I confirmed I had and that it was still pending. He nodded again and stated, “well then you are aware that the N400 cannot be approved until the I-751 is processed and approved?”. I confirmed I was aware of this.

 

The officer then asked me to provide proof that I was eligible to file under the 3-year rule. I went through my stack of evidence and presented him with my marriage certificate. Upon seeing it he got snappy with me and said, “I don’t care about that, I want to see evidence of an ongoing relationship” – before I could react he proceeded to reel off a list of evidence (again, in a snappy tone) that he wanted to see: “taxes, leases, joint finances” ... fortunately, I had all of this, so was able to satisfy him regarding those requests and he seemed content. He took it all and piled it up but didn’t actually look through any of it - I realized after the fact that he asked for no proof of my spouse’s citizenship or identification.
 

After this, he signaled that we’d begin the civics test – he whizzed through the procedure and then asked the following questions:

 

1. When do we celebrate Independence Day?
2. Name one of the writers of the Federalist Papers?
3. Who lived in the USA before Europeans arrived?
4. What major event happened on 9/11 in the USA?
5. Where is the Statue of Liberty located?
6. Who was the President during the Great Depression and WWII?

 

Interestingly, as I answered each question he would not tell me if I was correct – he just continued onto the next question before stopping after #6. At this point he said we would begin the reading/writing test. I read and wrote the statements as directed and again, he did not confirm whether it was correct – just proceeded to the next part which was to question me on my N400 form.

 

For this section he asked every one of the Yes/No questions to which I answered accordingly. I had to provide paperwork of a police caution dating back to 2006 – he was interested in seeing this and even stated enthusiastically that he’d “never seen one of these before!” – I thought it was a funny thing to share but said nothing. Secondly, he quizzed me on a ticket I’d received in April 2022 for running a red light on my bicycle. I provided details and gave him the ticket for the fine I’d received and subsequently paid via the DMV website. I thought it was interesting that he opted to keep those – I understood that typically officers only want to check a fine has been paid but assumed due to my police caution he was being diligent.

 

After this, he said that the N400 interview was now complete but there was the "problem looking over your police documents and of the I-751 that is still pending". I nodded along as I understood his rationale for needing to look at the police docs - in every prior interview (for K1, AOS, etc.) it has been a talking point but has ultimately been approved without issue. I did however take the opportunity to ask if the I-751 was at another office as I assumed it must still be. He shook his head and replied “no, I have it here – and I’ll be reviewing it when I have time… maybe today, maybe later this week” – he even pointed it out from a stack of folders on his desk. I was surprised to only be learning this now. In hindsight, it may have been worth questioning him further but given his earlier snappiness and lax reply regarding it sitting on his desk awaiting review, I sensed I wouldn’t get a helpful response so did not ask anything else.

 

At last, he stated that the interview was now complete, and that he would escort me back to the waiting area. I gathered up my things and he walked me out – as we walked along the hallway towards the waiting area, he turned to me and said that I’d "passed the civics test and I’d be hearing about next steps within a few weeks". I thanked him and wished him a good day. 

 

Overall, this whole process seemed a little unconventional compared to what I’d read about other people’s experiences - particularly the need to review the I-751 separately. I'm curious if anyone has had a similar experience or general thoughts to share on the situation.

 

Feel free to reach out if you have questions about any of the above!

[Mike E 11,739]

Not unusual. Well done. I expect a notice of oath. The should be within 30 days. 
 

Congratulations. 

[phoenyxx 30]

Wait - you never received a piece of paper indicating that you'd passed and what next steps would be?

I mean, some IOs might be overworked, but fam.. he sounds hella cranky.

[Lil bear 4,189]

1 hour ago, phoenyxx said:

Wait - you never received a piece of paper indicating that you'd passed and what next steps would be?

I mean, some IOs might be overworked, but fam.. he sounds hella cranky.

Because OP didnt pass the N400 requirements .. OP met several ofvthe requirements .. but not all. Not able to be given the “pass” for N400 until the ROC is approved first 

[phoenyxx 30]

2 hours ago, Lil bear said:

Because OP didnt pass the N400 requirements .. OP met several ofvthe requirements .. but not all. Not able to be given the “pass” for N400 until the ROC is approved first 

Ah, I get that now.. 

[Markip1 71]

On 1/25/2023 at 6:44 PM, sremlif said:

Hello VJ Community,

 

I attended my N400 interview today at NYC Federal Plaza so thought I would share my experience with you all!

 

Before I begin, I want to summarize a couple of main points since it is quite a lengthy read:

 

• I noticed some people were being given orange pieces of laminated paper that had “SAME DAY OATH” printed on it in large font – contrary to my prior belief, it appears that same day oath ceremonies are being held on the third floor at Federal Plaza

 

• My experience was not that pleasant – the officer conducting my interview was snappy – additionally, he had my I-751 paperwork with him but opted not to review it there and then. He only ran through the N400 with me and stated he would be reviewing the I-751 paperwork when he had time – his exact words were that he would do it “maybe today, maybe later this week” (you can read on below for the full debrief)

 

Background: I filed N400 based on the 3-year rule (married to a US citizen). I filed in Oct 2022 and received my interview notice in Dec 2022. Prior to this I had filed my I-751 in Oct 2021, although that had remained pending. The only update I received was that it had been transferred to another office to speed up processing - this was after the filing of my N400, so I had anticipated a combo interview.

 

The interview:

My interview time was at 8:35AM, so my spouse and I arrived 30 minutes early. Despite it being chaotic outside the main entrance, we made it through the security checkpoint in 15 mins. We proceeded to the 7th floor, and upon arriving at the reception area, an officer asked to see my paperwork – he looked over it briefly and at this point he directed my spouse to wait downstairs while waving me though to check-in. This caught us by surprise as we had anticipated a combo interview – we tried to explain we were married but he cut us off mid-sentence and repeated that my spouse needed to leave as the appointment was for me only. We said a quick goodbye and I continued on ahead. Total check-in and wait time was around 25 minutes before I was summoned by the interviewing officer.

 

I was taken to an interview room and asked to raise my right hand, promise to tell the truth, etc. After that I was seated and the officer asked for my identity docs (passport, state ID, interview letter). To my surprise, the officer stated I was not eligible for naturalization since I did not meet the 5-year rule! I figured this was a test of some sort so I informed him I was filing under the 3-year rule as an LPR married to a US citizen since 2020. He nodded along and then asked if I had filed for ROC? I confirmed I had and that it was still pending. He nodded again and stated, “well then you are aware that the N400 cannot be approved until the I-751 is processed and approved?”. I confirmed I was aware of this.

 

The officer then asked me to provide proof that I was eligible to file under the 3-year rule. I went through my stack of evidence and presented him with my marriage certificate. Upon seeing it he got snappy with me and said, “I don’t care about that, I want to see evidence of an ongoing relationship” – before I could react he proceeded to reel off a list of evidence (again, in a snappy tone) that he wanted to see: “taxes, leases, joint finances” ... fortunately, I had all of this, so was able to satisfy him regarding those requests and he seemed content. He took it all and piled it up but didn’t actually look through any of it - I realized after the fact that he asked for no proof of my spouse’s citizenship or identification.
 

After this, he signaled that we’d begin the civics test – he whizzed through the procedure and then asked the following questions:

 

1. When do we celebrate Independence Day?
2. Name one of the writers of the Federalist Papers?
3. Who lived in the USA before Europeans arrived?
4. What major event happened on 9/11 in the USA?
5. Where is the Statue of Liberty located?
6. Who was the President during the Great Depression and WWII?

 

Interestingly, as I answered each question he would not tell me if I was correct – he just continued onto the next question before stopping after #6. At this point he said we would begin the reading/writing test. I read and wrote the statements as directed and again, he did not confirm whether it was correct – just proceeded to the next part which was to question me on my N400 form.

 

For this section he asked every one of the Yes/No questions to which I answered accordingly. I had to provide paperwork of a police caution dating back to 2006 – he was interested in seeing this and even stated enthusiastically that he’d “never seen one of these before!” – I thought it was a funny thing to share but said nothing. Secondly, he quizzed me on a ticket I’d received in April 2022 for running a red light on my bicycle. I provided details and gave him the ticket for the fine I’d received and subsequently paid via the DMV website. I thought it was interesting that he opted to keep those – I understood that typically officers only want to check a fine has been paid but assumed due to my police caution he was being diligent.

 

After this, he said that the N400 interview was now complete but there was the "problem looking over your police documents and of the I-751 that is still pending". I nodded along as I understood his rationale for needing to look at the police docs - in every prior interview (for K1, AOS, etc.) it has been a talking point but has ultimately been approved without issue. I did however take the opportunity to ask if the I-751 was at another office as I assumed it must still be. He shook his head and replied “no, I have it here – and I’ll be reviewing it when I have time… maybe today, maybe later this week” – he even pointed it out from a stack of folders on his desk. I was surprised to only be learning this now. In hindsight, it may have been worth questioning him further but given his earlier snappiness and lax reply regarding it sitting on his desk awaiting review, I sensed I wouldn’t get a helpful response so did not ask anything else.

 

At last, he stated that the interview was now complete, and that he would escort me back to the waiting area. I gathered up my things and he walked me out – as we walked along the hallway towards the waiting area, he turned to me and said that I’d "passed the civics test and I’d be hearing about next steps within a few weeks". I thanked him and wished him a good day. 

 

Overall, this whole process seemed a little unconventional compared to what I’d read about other people’s experiences - particularly the need to review the I-751 separately. I'm curious if anyone has had a similar experience or general thoughts to share on the situation.

 

Feel free to reach out if you have questions about any of the above!

I had my interview same day as you, at the same office, (albeit it on the 8th floor at the Brooklyn office). I've been to Federal Plaza several times now and it's always been super quiet, so I was shocked to see what a s***show it was outside at 8am when we arrived. Large crowd outside, and some of the guards were actually getting a bit physical and shoving people around. Managed to get myself and my wife inside through security and eventually got to the waiting room on the 8th floor. Like you, they only wanted to interview me despite having a pending I-751, but they did allow my wife to wait in the waiting room for me at least. 

 

My officer was friendly and not at all cranky, but basically I had the same experience as you - I passed all the N-400 tests but was told that the I-751 had to be reviewed over the next few days (she called it 'getting waived') before the N-400 could be approved, and that I should expect to hear about an oath ceremony at some point soon (I assuming this will be weeks though).

 

My I-751 file was on her desk throughout the interview too, but she didn't look at it at all, and I wasn't asked to provide any evidence whatsoever from either my I-751 or N-400 applications other than showing her my Green Card. Honestly, I sat longer in the waiting room than I was in the interview room for. I'm looking at this positively in that the officer was so brief, casual and honestly, quite ambivalent about the whole thing because it's a pretty straightforward case and there's nothing much to worry about. I'll still be glad when my case status updates online though!

 

I'll be glad to be done with USCIS. I don't know if this is a New York thing, but every encounter with them seems to involved a cranky, angry, short tempered individual!

[sremlif 51]

3 minutes ago, Markip1 said:

I had my interview same day as you, at the same office, (albeit it on the 8th floor at the Brooklyn office). I've been to Federal Plaza several times now and it's always been super quiet, so I was shocked to see what a s***show it was outside at 8am when we arrived. Large crowd outside, and some of the guards were actually getting a bit physical and shoving people around. Managed to get myself and my wife inside through security and eventually got to the waiting room on the 8th floor. Like you, they only wanted to interview me despite having a pending I-751, but they did allow my wife to wait in the waiting room for me at least. 

 

My officer was friendly and not at all cranky, but basically I had the same experience as you - I passed all the N-400 tests but was told that the I-751 had to be reviewed over the next few days (she called it 'getting waived') before the N-400 could be approved, and that I should expect to hear about an oath ceremony at some point soon (I assuming this will be weeks though).

 

My I-751 file was on her desk throughout the interview too, but she didn't look at it at all, and I wasn't asked to provide any evidence whatsoever from either my I-751 or N-400 applications other than showing her my Green Card. Honestly, I sat longer in the waiting room than I was in the interview room for. I'm looking at this positively in that the officer was so brief, casual and honestly, quite ambivalent about the whole thing because it's a pretty straightforward case and there's nothing much to worry about. I'll still be glad when my case status updates online though!

 

I'll be glad to be done with USCIS. I don't know if this is a New York thing, but every encounter with them seems to involved a cranky, angry, short tempered individual!

Thanks for sharing your experience - I see you are from the UK too  

 

I checked my status this morning and the N400 was updated to Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled!! Interestingly, the I-751 was listed as Appeal/Motion Was Dismissed! I assume they just cancel / dismiss that case since the N400 is approved - again, seems unconventional to me but seems to be resolved.

 

I totally agree with you on the chaos outside in the morning - the two officers manning the lines were pretty rude to everyone they encountered. I am just grateful to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! 

 

I think you should get approval within the next day or two - keeping my fingers crossed for you!
 

[Markip1 71]

2 minutes ago, sremlif said:

Thanks for sharing your experience - I see you are from the UK too  

 

I checked my status this morning and the N400 was updated to Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled!! Interestingly, the I-751 was listed as Appeal/Motion Was Dismissed! I assume they just cancel / dismiss that case since the N400 is approved - again, seems unconventional to me but seems to be resolved.

 

I totally agree with you on the chaos outside in the morning - the two officers manning the lines were pretty rude to everyone they encountered. I am just grateful to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! 

 

I think you should get approval within the next day or two - keeping my fingers crossed for you!
 

Yep, originally from Ipswich, there doesn't seem to be any shortage of us Brits out here!

 

That's great news on your update, congratulations! I'll keep an eye on my status, I was expecting it to take some time in the classic USCIS fashion, but hopefully I'll get an update soon as well. Maybe I'll even see you at the same oath ceremony! 🤣

[Chancy 6,241]

*** Moved from US Citizenship General Discussion to Progress Reports ***

 

3 hours ago, sremlif said:

I checked my status this morning and the N400 was updated to Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled!!

 

Congratulations and thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[T&EFre 6]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I had my N400 interview today at Federal Plaza. I definitely over prepared. My application was submitted in Jan 2021 and I didn't get an interview notice until exactly 2 years after the initial submission (and after contacting the USCIS ombudsman's office for help moving my case along). The agent was pleasant and quick. Questions on the civics portion included: name of the current president, ocean on the east coast, role of the judicial branch, how many justices are on the Supreme Court,) reading/ writing portion was about how many senators we have / we have 100 (one hundred) senators. I was informed my application had been approved on the spot and a notice of oath would be mailed. my status changed twice today (from interview was scheduled to recommendation of approval to oath will be scheduled). I am near graduation. I don't post here much, but have used this forum in moments of anxiety and frustration. I thought it'd be fair to make a small contribution by sharing my experience as I know these stores help comfort and remind us that one, eventually, our time comes - even if it takes a while. Good luck to all.

[T&EFre 6]

Quick update. Oath ceremony scheduled for March 6. I can see the finish line. What a journey it’s been.

[sremlif 51]

1 hour ago, T&EFre said:

Quick update. Oath ceremony scheduled for March 6. I can see the finish line. What a journey it’s been.

Congratulations - very happy for you! It has been a wild ride 😄

[Markip1 71]

On 1/27/2023 at 1:23 PM, sremlif said:

Thanks for sharing your experience - I see you are from the UK too  

 

I checked my status this morning and the N400 was updated to Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled!! Interestingly, the I-751 was listed as Appeal/Motion Was Dismissed! I assume they just cancel / dismiss that case since the N400 is approved - again, seems unconventional to me but seems to be resolved.

 

I totally agree with you on the chaos outside in the morning - the two officers manning the lines were pretty rude to everyone they encountered. I am just grateful to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! 

 

I think you should get approval within the next day or two - keeping my fingers crossed for you!
 

Just had an update to my I-751 case saying "Appeal/Motion Was Dismissed".

 

Assume that means my oath ceremony update should come next!

[Markip1 71]

On 1/31/2023 at 1:09 PM, Markip1 said:

Just had an update to my I-751 case saying "Appeal/Motion Was Dismissed".

 

Assume that means my oath ceremony update should come next!

Status updated to "Oath Ceremony Will Be Scheduled" this afternoon.