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:
When do we celebrate Independence Day?
Name one of the writers of the Federalist Papers?
Who lived in the USA before Europeans arrived?
What major event happened on 9/11 in the USA?
Where is the Statue of Liberty located?
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!
Hello! I recently posted last month to share my N400 Interview Experience, so thought I'd follow up now that I've gotten my Oath Ceremony out of the way and am officially a US citizen! Main points to note Guests - we were permitted to attend, however, from what I could see I would advise against it - the guests were told to sit at the back of the room and there wasn't a great view of the ceremony from that area Additionally, the ceremony lasted all of 10 minutes yet took nearly an hour for everyone to be checked-in and seated - for that reason alone it doesn't seem worthwhile to bring them, but totally understand some people were fine with this and just wanted their loved ones in attendance Oath Ceremony Questionnaire - I completed and signed this prior to the event. There has been questions about needing to do it in front of a USCIS officer, but from what I could see they had everyone that hadn't filled it out prior to arriving do so before they could join the check-in line, so recommend doing it in advance to save yourself time Arrival - I recommend turning up no earlier than 30-40 minutes before the ceremony. I arrived 45 minutes early and despite breezing through security and up to the third floor, was sent back down to the lobby to wait an additional 10 minutes before they'd check me in Dress Code - despite the recommendation to dress appropriately, I did notice a lot of people in jeans and sneakers.. I also observed a couple of guests wearing sweat pants! I dressed according to instruction, but seems that they were fairly lax about what people were wearing Naturalization Certificate - this featured a photo of myself from a previous biometrics appointment (I recognized the shirt I was wearing that I incidentally no longer own). I was glad they had this on file as I had heard mixed advice on bringing your own photos as back-up Oath Ceremony The check-in line (where you provide your questionnaire to the officer along with green card, etc.) took around 20 mins of waiting before I made it to the front. I handed over my green card, EAD card, and questionnaire. The USCIS officer asked if anything had changed that would prevent me from completing the oath, e.g., divorce, arrests, etc. I replied no, and they took my documents and handed over my Naturalization Certificate and congratulated me! I was then directed to a seat where there was a couple of envelopes that had passport application, details on registering to vote, a letter from POTUS, the mini flag, etc. It took a ton of time for them to check-in and seat everyone (an additional 30 mins!) so I busied myself reading the documents provided. Finally the time came to do the ceremony - they had us all stand, raise our right hand and wave our mini flags in our left hand as we recited the oath that the USCIS person read out for us to repeat. After that we were seated again and they proceeded to provide us additional information on registering to vote, applying for a passport, updating SS details, etc. They allowed for photos to be taken after the ceremony, but instructed attendees and their guests to do so on the second floor where an area had been setup for them. After that we were permitted to leave row by row. It was super quick to get out of the building, which was a relief as I was concerned it would take longer! Overall, the USCIS staff were super helpful and friendly - tons of smiles, congratulatory wishes, etc. I hope this provides some insight into the process - good luck to those of you who have yet to complete this stage! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out.
