N-400 December 2024 Filers

[OldUser 8,497]

6 minutes ago, Good4U said:

I have my citizenship interview in mid-April and feel ready for the civics test. For the interview, do I need to recite the civics answers verbatim from the USCIS study materials, or is a correct, shorter answer like 'freed the slaves' sufficient for the question about Abraham Lincoln? or full answer: 'freed the slaves (Emancipation Proclamation)'?

Short answers are OK. Text in brackets is optional.

You can even find YouTube videos where all 100 questions are covered. That can give you an idea of how to answer questions. 

Edited March 7 by OldUser

[Good4U 4]

I sometimes stutter and stress makes it worse. Can I explain to the officer that they should let me speak calmly or give me more time if I get stuck because of my stutter? Thanks for any suggestions.

Edited March 7 by Good4U

[OldUser 8,497]

5 minutes ago, Good4U said:

I sometimes stutter and stress makes it worse. Can I explain to the officer that they should let me speak calmly or give me more time if I get stuck because of my stutter? Thanks for any suggestions.

Not every officer will welcome any instructions / asks from you.

Nobody rushes you, you can take time answering questions without giving any explanation. You can and should speak calmly at the interview, but loud and clear enough that officer can understand you.

 

Practice answers with somebody. Let them ask you all 100 questions and questions from your N-400 and give them answers. The more you practice, the more confident you'll feel.

 

Take a lawyer to interview with you if this makes you feel less stressed.

 

Good luck!

Edited March 7 by OldUser

[OldUser 8,497]

December 2024 filers stats as of 03/07/2025 @ 12:00 PM ET:

 

Approved: 1148

Denied: 11

Fingerprints Scheduled: 365

Interview Cancelled: 111

Interview Scheduled: 9642

Pending: 4

Processing: 15884

Received: 14

ResponseToRFE: 11

RFE: 132

Terminated: 4

Withdrawal: 22

OathCeremonyNotice: 564

OathCeremonyScheduled: 618

OathCeremonyReady: 2

[Good4U 4]

3 hours ago, OldUser said:

Not every officer will welcome any instructions / asks from you.

Nobody rushes you, you can take time answering questions without giving any explanation. You can and should speak calmly at the interview, but loud and clear enough that officer can understand you.

 

Practice answers with somebody. Let them ask you all 100 questions and questions from your N-400 and give them answers. The more you practice, the more confident you'll feel.

 

Take a lawyer to interview with you if this makes you feel less stressed.

 

Good luck!

Thank you.

4 hours ago, OldUser said:

Short answers are OK. Text in brackets is optional.

You can even find YouTube videos where all 100 questions are covered. That can give you an idea of how to answer questions. 

Thank you.

[OldUser 8,497]

December 2024 filers stats as of 03/08/2025 @ 3:05 PM ET:

 

Approved: 1221

Denied: 11

Fingerprints Scheduled: 351

Interview Cancelled: 122

Interview Scheduled: 9750

Pending: 4

Processing: 15606

Received: 14

ResponseToRFE: 12

RFE: 151

Terminated: 4

Withdrawal: 22

OathCeremonyNotice: 604

OathCeremonyScheduled: 656

OathCeremonyReady: 2

[OldUser 8,497]

Tips from my lawyer:

 

1) Short answers is the king. Yes / no answers if possible are better than any other types of answers

2) Don't volunteer any information or evidence unless asked for it

3) Don't engage too much in chatter before or while in the intreview - that eliminates chance of tricky questions / volunteering more info. Civics questions, reading and writing skills is sufficient to validate English proficiency

4) Dress with respect. Full suit isn't necessarily a requirement, it's not a fashion show. At the same time, don't wear casual clothing such as ripped jeans, tshirt or flip flops

5) Adjudicator wants to hear simple answers and finish interview faster. They may combine several questions into one. Be ready for this

6) Watch out for switch from questions requiring NO answers to YES answers

7) Don't overcomplicate things

[OldUser 8,497]

December 2024 filers stats as of 03/12/2025 @ 10:40 AM ET:

 

Approved: 1417

Denied: 14

Fingerprints Scheduled: 326

Interview Cancelled: 137

Interview Scheduled: 9920

Pending: 4

Processing: 14917

Received: 14

ResponseToRFE: 15

RFE: 180

Terminated: 6

Withdrawal: 28

OathCeremonyNotice: 756

OathCeremonyScheduled: 793

OathCeremonyReady: 2
 

[mimikado 19]

Filed online: 12/13

Receipt Notice: 12/13

Bio-metric reuse notice: 12/13

Interview Scheduled: 01/28

Interview (passed): 03/13

Oat Ceremony Scheduled: 03/13

Oat Ceremony: 04/11

 

Thank you everyone and specifically "Old User", I used his tips (or his lawyer tips) to calm me down during the interview. 

 

From what I see, USCIS officers want you to succeed.

 

Fun fact: My appointment was the same day and the same hour as a friend who lives in the same city as me (we didn't know we had both started our citizenship process). He submitted his application at the end of November.

 

Good luck everyone! I will keep an eye on this thread.

[OldUser 8,497]

49 minutes ago, mimikado said:

Filed online: 12/13

Receipt Notice: 12/13

Bio-metric reuse notice: 12/13

Interview Scheduled: 01/28

Interview (passed): 03/13

Oat Ceremony Scheduled: 03/13

Oat Ceremony: 04/11

 

Thank you everyone and specifically "Old User", I used his tips (or his lawyer tips) to calm me down during the interview. 

 

From what I see, USCIS officers want you to succeed.

 

Fun fact: My appointment was the same day and the same hour as a friend who lives in the same city as me (we didn't know we had both started our citizenship process). He submitted his application at the end of November.

 

Good luck everyone! I will keep an eye on this thread.

I'm really really glad your interview went well and you're in line for oath!!!

Congratulations!

 

Were you asked for any docs or evidence? Did you find a good way to organize them? I'm getting ready for my interview

[Moran44 0]

Filed 12/3 and got confirmation of receipt and reuse of biometrics same day. No movement since then. USCIS progress shows  as " 3. interview scheduled"  as current step but I've not received any communication scheduling an interview yet. 

I'm filling under 5+ year rule. 

Baltimore Area. 

Is this normal progress for my location ? 

[OldUser 8,497]

40 minutes ago, Moran44 said:

Filed 12/3 and got confirmation of receipt and reuse of biometrics same day. No movement since then. USCIS progress shows  as " 3. interview scheduled"  as current step but I've not received any communication scheduling an interview yet. 

I'm filling under 5+ year rule. 

Baltimore Area. 

Is this normal progress for my location ? 

Do you see what this user saw?

 

 

 

[OldUser 8,497]

40 minutes ago, Moran44 said:

Filed 12/3 and got confirmation of receipt and reuse of biometrics same day. No movement since then.

Is this normal progress for my location ? 

This is normal overall. If you follow the stats I post frequently here, more than a half of December filers still don't have an interview date.

[OldUser 8,497]

December 2024 filers stats as of 03/13/2025 @ 11:55 PM ET:

 

Approved: 1534

Denied: 17

Fingerprints Scheduled: 321

Interview Cancelled: 145

Interview Scheduled: 9891

Pending: 4

Processing: 14640

Received: 14

ResponseToRFE: 21

RFE: 202

Terminated: 6

Withdrawal: 32

OathCeremonyNotice: 850

OathCeremonyScheduled: 851

OathCeremonyReady: 2

[mimikado 19]

5 hours ago, OldUser said:

I'm really really glad your interview went well and you're in line for oath!!!

Congratulations!

 

Were you asked for any docs or evidence? Did you find a good way to organize them? I'm getting ready for my interview

I was filling under the 5+ rules. Beside my GC, my driving license and the notice with the interview date, they didn't asked me anything else. I still brought the original docs I submitted online just in case but they didn't ask for it.