Montgomery AL N-400 Interview Experience

[RedCoatTD 3]

It looks like my old timeline was lost so, some background first. K-1 Visa in 2008, married  in 2009, removed conditions, divorced in 2015 (it's ok, we're still great friends), applied for citizenship in 2017. Flash-forward to now...

 

I live about an hour from Montgomery, so I allowed plenty of time to get there. I waited at a CVS and had a lunch of crisps (chips I guess I should say) and milkshake. Half an hour before the interview time, I drove the remaining distance to the USCIS building on Atlanta Highway. The building looks quite modern, and had parking for maybe 20 vehicles.

 

Finally, I entered the USCIS building carrying a document folder and a good book, as I was expecting a DMV-like experience. In the folder I carried my interview notice, 3 UK passports (one that expired while I was in the US, another that was an emergency single-use passport, and then my current one), my divorce decree (in case they asked about that) and printouts of 5 years of tax returns.

 

I was initially confused in the atrium as there was a kiosk-type machine for scheduling/rescheduling, which didn't seem to have any options pertaining to attending an interview. Eventually I figured out I needed the door on the right. Passing through, I was greeted by 2 security guards.

The first guard asked for my notice and ID, then briefed me on all the kinds of weapons and explosives that are not permitted to be brought in. Then the second guard guided me through the metal detector process. The process is just like an airport screening, except you don't have to take your shoes off. That's probably for the best as my boots had been quite stinky lately.

 

After putting all my items back on my person I walked to the waiting room. There's seating for maybe 50 people and the waiting room has adjoining restrooms. There were 2 immigration officers in the waiting room. One was looking for a particular applicant, who I guess was running late. The other was at the back helping another applicant schedule their oath ceremony. The staff seemed cheerful and supportive which was reassuring. 

 

Bang on time for my interview, a third officer emerged and called my name. He showed me through a secure door and into a small office. The officer invited me to sit at one of the 2 guest chairs at his desk, then asked to see my notice and green card. He seemed friendly but also very by-the-book. 

 

The officer asked if I'd prefer to do the test or the interview first, saying that most people opt for the test just to get it out of the way. I chose to do the interview first, and he instructed me to stand and swear an oath that I would answer all questions truthfully. Next, he went through my application and asked me to affirm some of the basic details like name, address and place of employment. Then he asked a series of the yes/no "am I an awful person" questions. 

 

Satisfied with my answers, the officer moved on to the test. After having a year to study 100 questions, I have to say this was the easiest part of the whole thing. After 6 consecutive correct answers, we did the final part which is the written/oral/English test. I was aksed to read a short sentence, then to write down a sentence the officer had spoken.

 

The officer passed me a printed out sheet and said I'd passed. Next he outlined the next steps, saying I'd receive a letter to advise of my scheduled oath ceremony which would be back at the same location in about 3 or 4 months.

 

I checked my watch - the whole thing had taken 15 minutes. Great! I was even able to beat the rush hour traffic and got home 2 hours earlier than expected! 

[CarlHamilton 252]

Congrats!  Re: crisps v. chips, I think freedom fries is the preferred nomenclature in Alabama. 

Edited June 22, 2018 by shomer

[austex 42]

Congratulations

 

M.

[EireneFaith 54]

Congratulations. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[andrea_smb 5]

On ‎6‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 3:49 PM, RedCoatTD said:

It looks like my old timeline was lost so, some background first. K-1 Visa in 2008, married  in 2009, removed conditions, divorced in 2015 (it's ok, we're still great friends), applied for citizenship in 2017. Flash-forward to now...

 

I live about an hour from Montgomery, so I allowed plenty of time to get there. I waited at a CVS and had a lunch of crisps (chips I guess I should say) and milkshake. Half an hour before the interview time, I drove the remaining distance to the USCIS building on Atlanta Highway. The building looks quite modern, and had parking for maybe 20 vehicles.

 

Finally, I entered the USCIS building carrying a document folder and a good book, as I was expecting a DMV-like experience. In the folder I carried my interview notice, 3 UK passports (one that expired while I was in the US, another that was an emergency single-use passport, and then my current one), my divorce decree (in case they asked about that) and printouts of 5 years of tax returns.

 

I was initially confused in the atrium as there was a kiosk-type machine for scheduling/rescheduling, which didn't seem to have any options pertaining to attending an interview. Eventually I figured out I needed the door on the right. Passing through, I was greeted by 2 security guards.

The first guard asked for my notice and ID, then briefed me on all the kinds of weapons and explosives that are not permitted to be brought in. Then the second guard guided me through the metal detector process. The process is just like an airport screening, except you don't have to take your shoes off. That's probably for the best as my boots had been quite stinky lately.

 

After putting all my items back on my person I walked to the waiting room. There's seating for maybe 50 people and the waiting room has adjoining restrooms. There were 2 immigration officers in the waiting room. One was looking for a particular applicant, who I guess was running late. The other was at the back helping another applicant schedule their oath ceremony. The staff seemed cheerful and supportive which was reassuring. 

 

Bang on time for my interview, a third officer emerged and called my name. He showed me through a secure door and into a small office. The officer invited me to sit at one of the 2 guest chairs at his desk, then asked to see my notice and green card. He seemed friendly but also very by-the-book. 

 

The officer asked if I'd prefer to do the test or the interview first, saying that most people opt for the test just to get it out of the way. I chose to do the interview first, and he instructed me to stand and swear an oath that I would answer all questions truthfully. Next, he went through my application and asked me to affirm some of the basic details like name, address and place of employment. Then he asked a series of the yes/no "am I an awful person" questions. 

 

Satisfied with my answers, the officer moved on to the test. After having a year to study 100 questions, I have to say this was the easiest part of the whole thing. After 6 consecutive correct answers, we did the final part which is the written/oral/English test. I was aksed to read a short sentence, then to write down a sentence the officer had spoken.

 

The officer passed me a printed out sheet and said I'd passed. Next he outlined the next steps, saying I'd receive a letter to advise of my scheduled oath ceremony which would be back at the same location in about 3 or 4 months.

 

I checked my watch - the whole thing had taken 15 minutes. Great! I was even able to beat the rush hour traffic and got home 2 hours earlier than expected! 

Hi, Did you have your oath ceremony already?

[RedCoatTD 3]

On 12/18/2018 at 3:42 PM, andrea_smb said:

Hi, Did you have your oath ceremony already?

Sorry for the late reply! Yes: https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/678814-montgomery-al-n-400-oath-ceremony-experience/?tab=comments#comment-9285212 

[millefleur 5,037]

**Two year old thread locked from further comment**

 

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