N-400 April 2024 filers

[peachlings 68]

Here is a more detailed second-hand account of how it went this morning. My parent showed up about 20 minutes before the interview time, went through security checks, asked them for their driver’s license; was able to keep their bottle of water with them as well as their phone. The waiting room was quite full, about 50 people were there. After waiting for a little over an hour, the officer called them. Officer was polite. Asked my parent the following civics questions:

1. Who is the President of the United States?

2. Who is your congressman?

3. Name one power of the states.

4. What is the capital of the United States?

 

I can’t recall the other two questions.

 

For the English test, the officer asked them to read out loud a sentence from a tablet: “Who lives in the White House?” Then they asked to write down on the tablet the following sentence: “The President lives in the White House.” The officer remarked that my parent was very prepared for the interview. 

 

Then the officer went through the N400 application. For some reason, they didn’t see any answers to some of the radio button questions about criminal background and history, which is strange because the form online doesn’t let you move forward if you don’t answer all questions. But all was clarified at the interview.

Officer asked to confirm if my parent had left the US in the last five years (they did not). They also asked a few questions about their past military training from a long time ago. Finally, they were recommended for approval. They were asked to leave the room and wait in the waiting room to receive a questionnaire and other documents to present at the oath ceremony. The officer’s supervisor came out after a few minutes, handed the documents to my parent and personally congratulated them. Oath is scheduled for one week from now. Very pleasant experience apparently in Irving. I hope this helps!

Edited July 18 by peachlings

[sreev 6]

Congratulations @Pinnacle and @peachlings.

 

April 5th filer, 5 years rule, got my interview notice for 08/26 this morning. Phoenix FO.

[WozAnon - NM 19]

41 minutes ago, Pinnacle said:

For @WozAnon - NM and anyone else following along, I had my interview at the San Jose office and it went well. I checked in 30 minutes before my appointment and the security guards were friendly and talkative. They then wished me good luck. I sat in the waiting room until roughly 10 minutes past my appointment time when the officer called my name at 1:15 pm. I noticed that other officers were checking applicants' IDs at the door when they called their names but my officer didn't choose to see my ID until we were seated in his office. During the walk to his office, he asked how I was, etc. He told me to remain standing and then had me swear under oath that I would tell the truth. Afterward, he did a lot of small talk and we delved into a bit of world history and geography. He's Chinese (I didn't get his name) and he told me about the love he had for air travel when he was a little boy. He had two miniature planes on one of his shelves and I remarked that I have about 4 miniature planes as well, although different carriers than the 2 he had. He spoke about his son who is going into his last year of college and how he wishes his son would cook at home and save money from eating out, lol. Not long afterward, he asked me if I was ready for my history test. I told him that I was a bit nervous but he assured me that I would do well and it would be easy for me since I love history. 

 

The first question was who wrote the Declaration of Independence? When I answered it correctly, the officer said, "yay!" He did that with most if not all of the answers that I gave. I don't remember all of the questions but I got them correct. One state that borders Mexico? Which war was Eisenhower in? When do we vote for President?

 

I had to write on the iPad "Lincoln was the president during the Civil War." I don't remember what I had to read 😵‍💫 😂

 

After signing my name on the iPad for the n400 form, the officer asked me a few of the yes/no questions. The ones he asked were about military groups, whether I ever said or wrote that I was a citizen of the USA, if I would bear arms if required by the government, if I was arrested for treason etc, and if I would abide by the Constitution. 

 

In the end, he told me that I passed and that I should be receiving a notice for my oath date in the mail in about 2 weeks. Two hours later, I had 2 notices in my account: Recommended for approval...submitted for quality review, and oath ceremony will be scheduled. 

 

I believe I'll take the oath in August since my green card anniversary date isn't until the end of July. I'm looking forward to it and hope to be able to cast a vote in this upcoming election. 

 

Best wishes to all of you on your journey! You're next @WozAnon - NM

 

Great and hearty congratulations buddy! I was eagerly waiting to hear your experience. Thank you so much for taking the time. I guess we may see each other during the Oath since I also complete my anniversary late in July. Let me know once you get your date. I think the next Oath in August is expected on the 9th if I am not mistaken.

[inkasminka 39]

Officially a citizen as of yesterday.  Good luck everyone! 

[Pinnacle 15]

14 hours ago, WozAnon - NM said:

 

Great and hearty congratulations buddy! I was eagerly waiting to hear your experience. Thank you so much for taking the time. I guess we may see each other during the Oath since I also complete my anniversary late in July. Let me know once you get your date. I think the next Oath in August is expected on the 9th if I am not mistaken.

Thanks a lot! All the best with your interview today! I know you'll crush it. Yeah, that would be something if we got the same oath ceremony. I'll keep you posted and please do the same. Let us know how it goes today 

[WozAnon - NM 19]

10 hours ago, Pinnacle said:

Thanks a lot! All the best with your interview today! I know you'll crush it. Yeah, that would be something if we got the same oath ceremony. I'll keep you posted and please do the same. Let us know how it goes today 

 

To @Pinnacle and all others interested in the latest experience at the San Jose center.

Background
N400 Applied - 5/1/2024 (5-y rule and 90 days prior)
N400 Biometrics appt - 5/17/2024
N400 Interview scheduled - 6/11/2024 (FO was originally SFO but was changed to San Jose for all applications in my Zip code which turned out to be a blessing in disguise :-))
N400 Interview - 7/19/2024

 

Finally, the eagerly awaited step towards Citizenship got done successfully today with my interview at the San Jose, USCIS office. I went to the center on Coleman Ave about 30 minutes prior to my appointment as mentioned in the letter. After security check, ID check and handing over the appointment letter at the reception, I was asked to be seated in the waiting area. It is a large hall that would seat easily around a hundred people at a time. I counted that there were about 25 folks already waiting ahead of me and they were being called in one at a time. On the right side, a door would open at different intervals and an IO would come by and call out to people for interview. Most of them would ask to see your ID before taking you back to their office. The offices look exactly like the ones shown in the Civic test videos on the USCIS YouTube channel. (check those if you have not - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edk8n9arEL8&list=PLpNZsaiyFfG0mZUx6aS8Tn2pANNymRDaJ). 

Exactly at my appointment time (to my pleasant surprise), a lady IO came out and called my name. On checking my ID, we headed to her office and had some small talk about me having my day off and it was so conveniently scheduled to have the interview here instead of SFO. On reaching her office, she asked me to keep my bag and conducted the oath before asking me to take a seat.

 
Once seated she asked me for my passport, GC and License. On verifying all those, she said that she would be conducting all the 3 tests starting with the civics questions. I think these are the questions she asked me.
- Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
- Name one state that borders Canada.
- Who did the United States fight in World War II?
- Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
- What is the capital of the United States?
- Where is the Statue of Liberty?
Since I cleared all the 6 questions, she asked me to read and write the following simple sentences using the tablet ahead of me. 
- Reading : Why do people come to America?
- Writing : People come here to be free.    

She confirmed that I had passed all the tests and then went thru the form and verified my basic information like name, dob, spouse name, who petitioned me, taxes owed, citations etc and some of the Yes/No questions. I did not have to show any additional documents other than the ones I had already uploaded with the application.

I then told her that I wanted to bring up a couple of possible changes w.r.t my original application and mentioned those. I had made a recent international trip of 9 days just prior to the interview and updated her on the dates. Since there was a mismatch between my dates and her record, I showed her the actual ticket copy I had with me that resolved the gap and she thanked me for carrying it. I also have an upcoming address change and she asked me to notify them with AR-11 form when the change occurs but it did not seem to be a big deal since I am at the end of the process now.

She finally asked me to verify and sign the information on the form using the tablet for any minor changes done. Note: Do not rush and read this carefully and clarify any questions you may have. I noticed some odd changes and showed to her and she mentioned that it was due to a glitch in the system.

She then said that I had had passed all tests and my form looked good but since I had not completed my 5 year anniversary yet, she could not schedule me for the Oath. She said that she will get an alert end of the month on my anniversary which she will approve and it will get scheduled then. She asked me to look out for notifications on my online account and that I would get the Oath notification a couple of days after my anniversary date.

I then asked her when is the Oath being conducted at San Jose? She said that in the past it used to happen twice a month in the parking lot and just this month they made a change and they are now being conducted monthly in a large hall in Campbell. They conducted the one for this month recently and the one in August will likely be around mid-August or the end of August and alerted me not to plan a trip soon after since we would be unable to travel with out the GC and till we get the passport in hand.

With that she asked me if I did not have any questions, we are done. I thanked her and overall had a very pleasant experience talking with her and headed out after having spent about 45-50 minutes in all with the interview lasting for around 15 minutes. 

 

Looking forward getting the Oath done soon and seeing @Pinnacle and others here! Wishing you all the very best and let me know if there are any follow-up questions.

[Pinnacle 15]

18 minutes ago, WozAnon - NM said:

 

To @Pinnacle and all others interested in the latest experience at the San Jose center.

Background
N400 Applied - 5/1/2024 (5-y rule and 90 days prior)
N400 Biometrics appt - 5/17/2024
N400 Interview scheduled - 6/11/2024 (FO was originally SFO but was changed to San Jose for all applications in my Zip code which turned out to be a blessing in disguise :-))
N400 Interview - 7/19/2024

 

Finally, the eagerly awaited step towards Citizenship got done successfully today with my interview at the San Jose, USCIS office. I went to the center on Coleman Ave about 30 minutes prior to my appointment as mentioned in the letter. After security check, ID check and handing over the appointment letter at the reception, I was asked to be seated in the waiting area. It is a large hall that would seat easily around a hundred people at a time. I counted that there were about 25 folks already waiting ahead of me and they were being called in one at a time. On the right side, a door would open at different intervals and an IO would come by and call out to people for interview. Most of them would ask to see your ID before taking you back to their office. The offices look exactly like the ones shown in the Civic test videos on the USCIS YouTube channel. (check those if you have not - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edk8n9arEL8&list=PLpNZsaiyFfG0mZUx6aS8Tn2pANNymRDaJ). 

Exactly at my appointment time (to my pleasant surprise), a lady IO came out and called my name. On checking my ID, we headed to her office and had some small talk about me having my day off and it was so conveniently scheduled to have the interview here instead of SFO. On reaching her office, she asked me to keep my bag and conducted the oath before asking me to take a seat.

 
Once seated she asked me for my passport, GC and License. On verifying all those, she said that she would be conducting all the 3 tests starting with the civics questions. I think these are the questions she asked me.
- Who is the “Father of Our Country”?
- Name one state that borders Canada.
- Who did the United States fight in World War II?
- Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
- What is the capital of the United States?
- Where is the Statue of Liberty?
Since I cleared all the 6 questions, she asked me to read and write the following simple sentences using the tablet ahead of me. 
- Reading : Why do people come to America?
- Writing : People come here to be free.    

She confirmed that I had passed all the tests and then went thru the form and verified my basic information like name, dob, spouse name, who petitioned me, taxes owed, citations etc and some of the Yes/No questions. I did not have to show any additional documents other than the ones I had already uploaded with the application.

I then told her that I wanted to bring up a couple of possible changes w.r.t my original application and mentioned those. I had made a recent international trip of 9 days just prior to the interview and updated her on the dates. Since there was a mismatch between my dates and her record, I showed her the actual ticket copy I had with me that resolved the gap and she thanked me for carrying it. I also have an upcoming address change and she asked me to notify them with AR-11 form when the change occurs but it did not seem to be a big deal since I am at the end of the process now.

She finally asked me to verify and sign the information on the form using the tablet for any minor changes done. Note: Do not rush and read this carefully and clarify any questions you may have. I noticed some odd changes and showed to her and she mentioned that it was due to a glitch in the system.

She then said that I had had passed all tests and my form looked good but since I had not completed my 5 year anniversary yet, she could not schedule me for the Oath. She said that she will get an alert end of the month on my anniversary which she will approve and it will get scheduled then. She asked me to look out for notifications on my online account and that I would get the Oath notification a couple of days after my anniversary date.

I then asked her when is the Oath being conducted at San Jose? She said that in the past it used to happen twice a month in the parking lot and just this month they made a change and they are now being conducted monthly in a large hall in Campbell. They conducted the one for this month recently and the one in August will likely be around mid-August or the end of August and alerted me not to plan a trip soon after since we would be unable to travel with out the GC and till we get the passport in hand.

With that she asked me if I did not have any questions, we are done. I thanked her and overall had a very pleasant experience talking with her and headed out after having spent about 45-50 minutes in all with the interview lasting for around 15 minutes. 

 

Looking forward getting the Oath done soon and seeing @Pinnacle and others here! Wishing you all the very best and let me know if there are any follow-up questions.

Yay! Congrats to you, @WozAnon - NM! I was looking forward to your update, so thanks for sharing. I'm glad your interview went well...the hardest part is over now. Earlier today I received a notification that my case was updated. Upon checking, I saw that the Oath ceremony was scheduled and a letter was mailed with the date, time, and location. It was about 3 hours before I could access the PDF (USCIS was having some technical issues), but upon reading it I saw that I'm scheduled to take the Oath on August 28th in Campbell. I was surprised by that but I'm glad you got some insight on what to expect from the IO today. Looks like we'll be having a big ceremony 🇺🇸

[WozAnon - NM 19]

32 minutes ago, Pinnacle said:

Yay! Congrats to you, @WozAnon - NM! I was looking forward to your update, so thanks for sharing. I'm glad your interview went well...the hardest part is over now. Earlier today I received a notification that my case was updated. Upon checking, I saw that the Oath ceremony was scheduled and a letter was mailed with the date, time, and location. It was about 3 hours before I could access the PDF (USCIS was having some technical issues), but upon reading it I saw that I'm scheduled to take the Oath on August 28th in Campbell. I was surprised by that but I'm glad you got some insight on what to expect from the IO today. Looks like we'll be having a big ceremony 🇺🇸

 

Thanks! Cool, I will also look out for a notification and expect to get the August 28th date then. See you there 🙂

[AlenaNick 100]

23 minutes ago, WozAnon - NM said:

 

Thanks! Cool, I will also look out for a notification and expect to get the August 28th date then. See you there 🙂

Congrats you two

 

im stuck at SF. Applied april 1st.

i wish I got san jose looking at yalls timeline haha

[WozAnon - NM 19]

11 hours ago, AlenaNick said:

Congrats you two

 

im stuck at SF. Applied april 1st.

i wish I got san jose looking at yalls timeline haha

 

Thanks! I am sure your interview is around the corner as well since SFO is not too far off. Also, SFO has same day Oath. All the best!

Edited July 20 by WozAnon - NM

[Pinnacle 15]

11 hours ago, AlenaNick said:

Congrats you two

 

im stuck at SF. Applied april 1st.

i wish I got san jose looking at yalls timeline haha

Thank you! Hang in there. Your time is coming soon 🙂

[WozAnon - NM 19]

14 hours ago, Pinnacle said:

Yay! Congrats to you, @WozAnon - NM! I was looking forward to your update, so thanks for sharing. I'm glad your interview went well...the hardest part is over now. Earlier today I received a notification that my case was updated. Upon checking, I saw that the Oath ceremony was scheduled and a letter was mailed with the date, time, and location. It was about 3 hours before I could access the PDF (USCIS was having some technical issues), but upon reading it I saw that I'm scheduled to take the Oath on August 28th in Campbell. I was surprised by that but I'm glad you got some insight on what to expect from the IO today. Looks like we'll be having a big ceremony 🇺🇸

 

What is the address of the Campbell center that is on your Oath scheduling notification?

[Pinnacle 15]

1 hour ago, WozAnon - NM said:

 

What is the address of the Campbell center that is on your Oath scheduling notification?

1 W Campbell Ave.

[Meteor_lake 0]

I had my interview on July 12th at Portland, OR field office. My status is stuck in ‘Oath Ceremony will be scheduled’ since then. I didn’t not request any name change. Also, I think they have regular in office oath ceremony (they do offer same day oath). Now, I am getting worried as to what is causing the delay. Anyone with similar experience? Thanks. 

[OldUser 6,635]

33 minutes ago, Meteor_lake said:

I had my interview on July 12th at Portland, OR field office. My status is stuck in ‘Oath Ceremony will be scheduled’ since then. I didn’t not request any name change. Also, I think they have regular in office oath ceremony (they do offer same day oath). Now, I am getting worried as to what is causing the delay. Anyone with similar experience? Thanks. 

Yes, people get it all the time, especially if I-751 was pending. Did you have I-751 pending prior to N-400 interview?