What happens at a naturalization interview? What should I expect during my citizenship interview appointment?

Once all the preliminary processes on your Naturalization (Form N-400) application are complete, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will schedule an interview with you to complete the naturalization process by sending you a notice inviting you to an in-person interview. You must report to the USCIS office at the date and time on your appointment notice. Please bring the appointment notice with you together with other required documents indicated on the notice.

What are the parts of the naturalization interview and testing appointment?

1. Eligibility Determination. The officer will put you under oath to ensure that you answer the questions honestly and accurately. Generally, the officer will review your Form N-400 and supporting documents to make sure that your answers are consistent with the information you previously provided. The officer will also give you an opportunity to provide updated documentation and information. During this portion of the interview, the officer will also determine our ability to speak English from your answers to questions normally asked during the eligibility interview. If English is your second language, it is very important to practice extensively for this and all applicants should review the application they have submitted to USCIS.

2. Civics Test. The applicant will be asked up to 10 questions from the list of 100 Civics Questions for the Naturalization Test. The questions cover American Government (Principles of American Democracy, System of Government, and Rights and Responsibilities of American Citizens); Integrated Civics (U.S. Geography, Symbols, and Holidays); American History (Colonial Period and Independence, 1800’s, and Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information). Applicants must correctly answer 6 out of the 10 questions to pass the civics test. If you are 65 or older and have been a permanent resident (green card holder) for 20 or more years, you may study a shorter list of questions (marked with an asterisk *).

3. English Test. The English test is broken down in three parts: Oral, Reading and Writing. The Oral Test portion is conducted during the eligibility determination portion where the applicant is asked questions from the Form N-400. Each Reading Test is administered to an applicant containing no more than 3 sentences. The applicant must read 1 out of 3 sentences correctly to demonstrate an ability to read in English. To help applicants prepare, USIS has provided a reading vocabulary list containing all the words found in the English reading portion of the test, focusing on civics and history topics. Each Writing Test also contains no more than 3 sentences, with applicants expected to read 1 out of 3 sentences correctly to demonstrate an ability to write in English. USCIS has also provided a writing vocabulary list containing all the words found in the English writing portion of the test focusing on civics and history topics to help applicants prepare.

What should I expect after the naturalization interview and testing appointment?

After the interview and testing, the interviewing officer will usually give the applicant an idea of whether they passed or not. USCIS will also issue a written notice of the decision: Granted (eligible for U.S. citizenship), Continued (additional information/documentation is needed); Denied (did not meet the requirements for U.S. citizenship).

If you are applying for naturalization and have additional questions or require further information or assistance, please contact us. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Tumblr, for up-to-date immigration news.

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