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| Orlando FL |  Review on August 25, 2009: |
Paul
Rating:  | Review Topic: Naturalization
In short:
- no lines
- got seen for interview early
- got approved, and immediately scheduled for an oath ceremony taking place 3 days later
- nice office (as these offices go)
This was my first time at the 'new' office for Orlando, but I guess it's been open for about a year now. If you look for it on Google Maps, you won't see it because it's too new, but it's at the corner of Corporate Centre Blvd and Judge Rd. It's a really big building- purpose built and much bigger than the old Orlando office.
My appointment was for 9am but I got there early since I hadn't known how long it would take to get there. The security let me in anyway even though I was more than the '30 minutes' early that it specifies in the letter. The place was relatively busy but I didn't have to wait to go in.
Once in, you have to drop off the letter at 'Window 9' and wait in the big waiting area (which feels a lot like an airport waiting lounge) until an officer leans round the door leading to the offices and yells your name. People with Infopass appointments are dealt with at little windows on one side of the waiting room and have a fancy flatscreen announcing who's next.
I saw a few other people revising from their 'Learn About The United States' booklet but got called in quite quickly, it must have been before 9am- but I didn't know for sure because I left my cellphone in the car and there are no clocks anywhere to be seen in the building. Very strange.
The officer who interviewed me was very brisk, asking a lot of questions very quickly- simple stuff like date of birth, social, last workplace, where I met my wife etc. But the quickfire speed made me bizarrely nervous like he was trying to catch me out. Maybe that's the point. Or maybe he's just very efficient! He didn't ask to see any of the documentation or originals I brought with me. The only thing he wanted was my passport (which I put on the desk but he didn't even open or pick up) and green card. I even asked about the yellow letter I got reminding me to bring a drivers license but he said not to worry about that.
Then we did the civics questions- he had a printed list of 10 which he asked in order and wrote down my answers, not saying whether I got each one right as we went along but stopping at six and moving on. I didn't get made to do any of the language tests but I did have to write a sentence for him. I guess they can't tell whether you're illiterate until they do.
Then that was it, he told me I was approved and that their next oath ceremony was in three days time at the same office and that I should dress up, bring family, bring a camera and also bring $200 in cash if I want to get my passport there and then (there aren't any ATMs nearby). And that was it. I had to wait in the lobby again for them to print me a formal letter asking me to come to the oath ceremony (which took longer than I waited for the interview) but I was all done before 10am.
I don't know how often they hold the ceremonies, maybe it's every week or maybe I was lucky. But on the whole it was pretty efficient and quick.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #4896