How Do I Prepare for the U.S. Citizenship Interview?

How Do I Prepare for the U.S. Citizenship Interview?

All applicants for U.S. citizenship must be interviewed. The interview is conducted by a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) immigration officer. These officers are well-trained to look for and find anything about the applicant that would disqualify or otherwise call for denial of a naturalization application. At Vestal Immigration Law, we have experienced naturalization lawyers who help clients in the Davidson area to apply for and successfully obtain citizenship.

Preparing for U.S. Citizenship Interview

Most people naturally get nervous when doing something they have not done before. Unless this is your second naturalization interview, chances are you are also nervous or at least have some anxieties about the interview. However, if you adequately prepare for the interview, there is nothing to be nervous about.

The purpose of the interview is to determine your eligibility for citizenship by going through the information you have provided in your application, as well as reviewing the supporting documents you provided for verification. If you have filed a properly completed application and provide truthful information, then you should be fine if there are no issues in your case that could be problematic down the road, especially during your interview.

In this article, we are sharing with you information that can help you in the preparation but keep in mind, you can never go wrong in seeking the advice of an experienced naturalization lawyer who can help you prepare even better.

When is the interview?

After you submit your N-400 application for citizenship, you will receive an appointment letter for your interview. The letter comes soon after your biometrics are taken, which is the second step in the naturalization process. Submission of your N-400 application is the first step.

How Do I Prepare for a Naturalization Interview?

As noted above, the USCIS officer will ask you questions mostly based on the information you have provided in your application and the documents you filed to support the application.

So, the best way to prepare is to make and keep a copy of your completed Form N-400 as well as all supporting documents filed with the application. You will then review the application just before you go to the USCIS office for your interview.

Also, if you have previously filed other applications with USCIS, dig those up and go through them to make sure you know what information is contained in them. If you don’t have them and you have just filed your application, request copies of your A-file from USCIS.

Part of your interview will also be taking your U.S. history and English test. For this, there are different ways you can prepare, depending on how well-versed you are with U.S. history and how good your English is. Because English is a second language for nearly all immigrants, many struggle with the English portion of the test, but generally, with good preparation, one should easily pass the test. A good resource you can use to prepare for this test is USCIS Citizenship Resource Center.