Going into your naturalization interview can seem daunting. Our recent experience accompanying a client to their interview can provide you with some insight as to what you might expect at your own interview and ease some of your concerns.
According to our recent experience, the following provides a description of what you may expect your interview experience to resemble:
First, you will have to go through security and check in at the reception desk. You will wait in the waiting area until an officer calls you back. Next, you will follow the officer back to their office. The officer will instruct you to raise your right hand and you will be placed under oath. The officer will check your identification and green card, and then check your attorney’s identification and G-28 form as well. Then the interview will begin.
The interview will start with the English & Civics test. You will be required to read a sentence in English from an iPad, and then will have to write a sentence in English on the iPad after the officer reads it aloud.
Next, for the civics test, the officer will ask you several questions out loud and instruct you to answer them out loud. The question will be repeated several times if you are struggling to answer or slow to respond. The questions may resemble the following:
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
What is one significant thing Benjamin Franklin did?
How many Supreme Court Justices are there?
How many amendments to the Constitution are there?
What is one State power?
Who is the current Vice President?
Where is the Statue of Liberty located?
What territory did the U.S. purchase from France?
Before becoming President, Eisenhower was a General in which war?
What do the 13 stripes on the flag represent?
When the officer is done asking the questions and your testing is completed, he or she will print out a form with the results of your test and hand them to you. The form will indicate if your application has been recommended for approval or if a decision cannot be made about your application. Should you fail part of the interview for the first time, the officer will give you the opportunity for a second and final test on English and/or knowledge of U.S. history and government and indicate that on the form.
If you are interested in applying for naturalization, be sure to contact our office to schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys today!
