US citizenship interview experience

Last Tuesday, September 4, was my citizenship interview at the USCIS Office in San Jose.  Here's pretty much what happened:

First, i was extremely glad when I received the notice to appear for interview at the USCIS San Jose office (along Monterey Road) because it is close to my son's school in Santa Clara and parking is easy and free. 

My appointment was at 8:35am so hubby woke up early to get our son ready for school (thankfully, little boy was cooperative) while I get dressed.  We dropped him off at school around 7:30am and from there, it took only about 20 minutes for us to get to the USCIS Office in San Jose.

The Notice says not to show up more than 30 minutes before the appointment time so I spent the extra time I have browsing through the interview questions booklet. 

By 8:05am I stepped out of the car, hubby wished me luck, and I walked to the building entrance.  No long lines...only a couple ahead of me and we breezed through the airport-style security check.  I followed the arrow that points to the second floor for the citizenship interview and at the bottom of the stairs i passed through a security officer again who checked my green card, stamped my notice and instructed me to drop it off at a basket provided in the window.

I took the stairs and entered a room with about 20 or more applicants quietly waiting.  I approached the counter window and dropped my notice on the basket, sat on the first row and waited.  I looked around, they all seemed to be lost in their own thoughts... a few of them reading the citizenship exam guide.  I was calm and confident.

A Chinese-looking lady opened the door and called out the name of an applicant who stood and followed her inside.  5 minutes later, a Chinese-looking gentleman opened the door again and called out my name.  It took me a few seconds to realize it was my name because he didn't pronounce it right (what else is new?) and I wasn't expecting to be called ahead of all the applicants who came there before me.

I followed the Immigration Officer to his office, took a quick oath to tell the truth, and was asked to be seated. 

First, he browsed through my application documents, asked for my birthday and verified some information to check if they are still valid or updated (address, my employer, contact numbers, etc.). He noticed that I checked the item that says "change of name" and asked if i would pursue it.  I told him I just wanted to get rid of the "Ma." in my first name which is an abbreviation of Maria.   After the Officer explained the name change process, I decided I didn't want to go through that tedious process so what the heck i told him never mind I'll just stick to my original name.

He then noticed the one item i wrote under "any citation by any law enforcement officer" which was when i got pulled over by a police officer in 2009 due to tinted car windows.  I detailed what happened that day and he said, smiling, that in some states it is not illegal, only in California.  I joked about how I was used to having heavily-tinted car windows back in the Philippines and he said the same thing about his experience in China.  No big deal.  Some applicants may think the citation too minor to reflect it in the application but I believe there is nothing wrong with writing it down because at the end of the day what matters is your honesty which is the foundation of truth and good character.

The Officer also asked me about my husband and his work and I replied he's still in the same company i put in the form.

After reviewing my application documents, he gave me the reading/writing test.  First he instructed me to read a short sentence "Who can vote?" then at the back of that paper he asked me to write "Anyone can vote." Then he pulled out a printed paper with 10 questions in it.  I needed to give 6 correct answers to pass.  Here are the questions:

          -  Who is the US Vice-President?  Answer: Joe Biden         
          -  Who makes federal laws?  Answer: Congress
          -  What is the highest court in the United States?  Answer: Supreme Court
          -  How many amendments does the Constitution have?  Answer: 27
          -  What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?  Answer:  Africans
          -  Why did the colonists fight the British?  Answer: because of high taxes
         
Whew! That was easy.  I answered the first 6 questions correctly so he didn't proceed to ask me the remaining 4 and wrote 100% on the paper. Then he asked me to check a piece of paper containing my basic information to make sure they are correct (name, birthday, etc.)  I believe these are the information they will print on the naturalization certificate.  I laughed when I saw my height and told him how I wished I could do something to change it and he laughed too saying he also has his own issue when it comes to height. ;)

After that he took another paper, circled "approved" and "congratulations" and gave it to me.  We shook hands, told me that they will schedule my oathtaking as soon as possible and that I should wait for the notice and follow the instructions in it. 

He escorted me out his office, picked up a white envelope that says "passport application" just before the exit door and reminded me to fill it up and submit the requirements if i want my passport be processed during the oathtaking ceremony.

And that was it! Super easy! Took only about 10-15 minutes.  I was out of the building around 8:45am...overcome with joy and relief.  I only have good words to describe the immigration officer - professional, pleasant-looking, very friendly.  I wasn't nervous at all during the interview as I am used to talking to strangers and different types of people. I was my usual chatty self. 

Hubby and I had breakfast at IHOP to celebrate.  Pancakes, french toast, omelette, ham and sausages... it's my first official "American" breakfast! :)

And by the way, after reviewing my previous immigration posts, I found out that my fiancee visa interview back in Manila was on September 5, 2007 which was, in US timezone, September 4, 2007.  And now 5 years later, September 4, 2012, is my citizenship interview.  Life is indeed full of coincidences!

Click here for more of my immigration experience

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