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Jen Passed Her Citizenship Interview!!!

Tom & Jen

By Tom & Jen,
in Citizenship Process

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Tom & Jen

Tom & Jen

Posted
Posted (edited)

We wanted to share the great news, Jen passed her Citizenship Interview today!! We are so happy and relieved. It feels so wonderful to finally have the government out of this part of our life. Jen just have the Naturalization Oath Ceremony left. But that is just a formality and it¡¯s going to be a happy and proud event we are really looking forward to. We waited about 30 minutes after the interview for the Oath letter which is for Dec 12, here in Las Vegas.

 

Our appointment was for 1:30 PM. We arrived at 1:00 PM and Jen was called in at 1:15 PM. The Interview Officer was stern at first but Jen said they had a friendly interview as it progressed. The IO was a man in his fifties. He did not ask to see any of the documents except for her Driver¡¯s License and Green Card. She took the following documents:

 

I-797 Notice of Action Letter Interview Letter

Green Card

Chinese Passport

Marriage Certificate

Jen¡¯s Divorce Decree

Tom¡¯s Divorce Decree

Tom¡¯s Naturalization Certificate (with the picture on it, of course I had to keep saying to myself I¡¯m getting wiser not older :lol: I showed our 4 year old son the picture and asked ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±. The blank look on his face said it all¡­)

IRS Tax Transcript for past 3 years (We got the Transcripts from filing IRS Form 4506-T. I know there have been questions on if these are the right ones but since the IO never asked to see them, we can¡¯t say.)

Our 4 year old son¡¯s Birth Certificate

Proof of Marital Union & Residence

- Bank Statements from the past couple of years

- Auto Insurance docs for the past couple of years

- Home Insurance docs for the past couple of years

- Joint Property Ownership Documents

2 2x2 passport photos

 

She also brought the items below even though the interview letter didn¡¯t say we needed them:

 

Tom¡¯s Passport

Jen¡¯s Social Security Card

Finger Print Letter with completion stamp

Copy of N-400 Application

 

The IO went over pretty much every question on the N-400 from Part 10 except the Selective Service Registration section. Also the he asked Jen to state her address, phone number, and Social Security Number. He asked about both our divorces and to confirm our other children¡¯s names. He also asked about the Traffic Citation which she had answered Yes to on the N-400 section D. question 16 (Have you ever been arrested, cited, or detained by any law enforcement officer for any reason?) She had listed the citation and the outcome ($280 fine) in the explanation table section. She did not bring the ticket or disposition to the interview because the separate sheet in interview letter stated we did not need to bring anything if the fine paid is less than $500.

 

Here¡¯s where the little glitch happened. Jen had the choice to take the new or the old civics/history test. We decided she should take the new test so that¡¯s what she studied for. When I quizzed her this weekend, she got 100 out of the 100 questions right. She has really been studying the civics/history questions and the questions on the N-400. I had recorded the questions and answers for her and put them on the little MP3 player. I also gave her a mock interview, doing the best I can to act like what I think the IO would act like (ha ha, I hope our government can do better than me). We did talk about if the IO does not ask which test she wants to take, she needs to request the new test. Well during the interview, the IO kept asking questions from the N-400 then went right into asking the civics/history questions without mentioning he¡¯s switching to another section. Jen realized on the second question that the question is not on the new test and asked the IO that she would like to take the new test and that was the test she studied for. He said that he already started the questions and she only has to get 5 more correct and she could do it. So she went ahead, and actually got the next 5 questions right anyways. So¡­ as a caution, when you are going for the interview, you should state near the beginning of the interview which test you want to take. Here¡¯s the questions Jen was asked, sorry she only remembered 5 of the questions because at that time she was really nervous for having to take the old test:

 

What are the colors of our flag?

Who is the head of the Executive Branch of our government?

How many Justices are on the Supreme Court?

When was the Declaration of Independence adopted?

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

 

She didn¡¯t remember what she was asked to read.

 

She was asked to write:

 

He has some hores (horses) on his farm. ¨C She said in the rush, she spelled hores wrong. So she was asked to write another sentence:

She drives a blue car to go to work.

 

One last thing on the N-400 application, Jen did request to have her first name changed to Jen and her Chinese family name as her middle name. We were told this will be completed at the Oath Ceremony.

 

At the end of the interview, the IO said her score was very high. I never heard or thought of this interview as being on a point system but now looking back, I guess it makes sense that it is. He congratulated Jen and wished our family a happy life together.

 

Again, we can¡¯t thank our CFL family enough for the advices and sharing information through the years. I could not have stayed sane through this process, especially in the beginning during the visa application, if I didn¡¯t have everyone here to share information and pain with. I especially want to thank the old timers and the Moderators/Admins for your tireless work in helping others like us¡­ with nothing to expect in return other than knowing that you have lent a helping hand.

 

Tom & Jen

Edited by Tom & Jen (see edit history)
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amerchin

amerchin

Posted
Posted

Congrats to you both!

 

What's next?

 

Applying for US passport, registering to vote, applying for relatives to come to the US. The possibilities are endless!

 

My wife's friends had or is currently studying for the old test (the rush time filing period before the summer). She feels left out because when she applies for citizenship she won't have a choice on which test to take and will probably be taking the citizen classes without her friends.

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