Mistake on N400 form/ interview coming up soon (Please help)

[Alex61 0]

Hi everyone

My interview is scheduled for next month and I just realized I made a mistake on my N-400 application form when I was reviewing it today. I am so nervous now. The question was about if I were ever a member of, or served in a military ..........  I answered NO but my answer should be YES because I served in military back in my home country as it is required by law. Now I am having my interview next month and  I would like to know what is the best way to  rectify this mistake? Can this mistake be considered as one of the mistakes that may affect my application in any way like delay or denial of my application? when is the best time during the interview to point this out to the officer? before the oath or after the oath or I should wait until the officer reaches to the exact question when he reviews my application? 

 

Thanks!

[milimelo 4,194]

Raise it at the interview and they’ll change your answer to yes. 

[Alex61 0]

Thanks, when should I raise this during my interview? before the oath, after the oath or when IO gets to this question? do officers review all questions in application form or just randomly? 

Edited July 12, 2019 by Alex61

[milimelo 4,194]

Relax. Raise it when the officer gets to your application and starts asking questions. 

[dilip 187]

IO officer will ask you yes and no questions and you can tell him that I need to make a correction and he will do it.  Don't worry.

[Alex61 0]

28 minutes ago, dilip said:

IO officer will ask you yes and no questions and you can tell him that I need to make a correction and he will do it.  Don't worry.

Thank you. I just don’t know I should inform IO before he starts going over my application or Let him start asking all questions and let him know when he asks that specific question. I don’t know maybe it doesn’t matter I just don’t want to screw up again AND not making the IO suspicious why I didn’t answer the question correctly in the first place. I do also need to update my travel history since I traveled out of US 2 months ago (after submitting my citizenship application form). Any experiences or thoughts you can share would be greatly appreciated. 

Edited July 12, 2019 by Alex61

[josue818 20]

2 hours ago, Alex61 said:

Thank you. I just don’t know I should inform IO before he starts going over my application or Let him start asking all questions and let him know when he asks that specific question. I don’t know maybe it doesn’t matter I just don’t want to screw up again AND not making the IO suspicious why I didn’t answer the question correctly in the first place. I do also need to update my travel history since I traveled out of US 2 months ago (after submitting my citizenship application form). Any experiences or thoughts you can share would be greatly appreciated. 

Not all IOs read every single question from the form. Some IOs just ask the questions that they think can render you ineligible. You can either raise it as soon as he begins to ask you the questions or if he does not read it when he finishes reading the questions but before he moves on the next section you should say you have an amendment you would like to make. As to travel history, they will more than likely review that with you and you can make any necessary amendments then. But make sure you make any amendments that you have to make before you finish the interview.

[dilip 187]

17 hours ago, josue818 said:

Not all IOs read every single question from the form. Some IOs just ask the questions that they think can render you ineligible. You can either raise it as soon as he begins to ask you the questions or if he does not read it when he finishes reading the questions but before he moves on the next section you should say you have an amendment you would like to make. As to travel history, they will more than likely review that with you and you can make any necessary amendments then. But make sure you make any amendments that you have to make before you finish the interview.

I agree, do not say at the beginning of the interview.  Wait when he will ask yes no questions and then you can say I have an amendment.  You need to mention about your travel, they already have that information, once you will say it, IO officer will say , we have it.  That was the case for me.

[Alex61 0]

33 minutes ago, dilip said:

I agree, do not say at the beginning of the interview.  Wait when he will ask yes no questions and then you can say I have an amendment.  You need to mention about your travel, they already have that information, once you will say it, IO officer will say , we have it.  That was the case for me.

Thank you. What if he doesn’t ask me that question? Should I wait for him to finish all the questions in N400 and then tell him? or right after I noticed he didn’t ask the question and passed over it?

[dilip 187]

7 minutes ago, Alex61 said:

Thank you. What if he doesn’t ask me that question? Should I wait for him to finish all the questions in N400 and then tell him? or right after I noticed he didn’t ask the question and passed over it?

He will not ask all yes/no questions, so when he will start yes/no questions, you can say in page xx, question no xx I have an amendment. N-400 interview is the easy one.  They already drained your energy to gather all the information they need about you and they are tired too asking documents from your, so they want to done with you.  So you will be fine. 

[afrocraft 313]

On 7/13/2019 at 8:22 AM, dilip said:

I agree, do not say at the beginning of the interview.  Wait when he will ask yes no questions and then you can say I have an amendment.  You need to mention about your travel, they already have that information, once you will say it, IO officer will say , we have it.  That was the case for me.

I respectfully disagree. I would raise the issue as soon as I meet the officer. Military experience, especially weapons expertise, raise important national-security flags, and you don't want to give even the hint that you tried to hide that experience, however inadvertent the error. Raise the error early (I might even do it before the interview via secure messaging on the online portal) and prompt the discussion yourself is my advice.

 

My recent interview experience is instructive in this regard. I don't have military experience, but I completed national service with a months-long, military-style boot camp. I didn't put it in the application but I mentioned it at interview. The officer quizzed me about it -- was weapons training involved? was I an adult at the time? Etc. -- before moving on, underscoring the importance of such experience.

Edited July 15, 2019 by afrocraft

[Alex61 0]

1 hour ago, afrocraft said:

I respectfully disagree. I would raise the issue as soon as I meet the officer. Military experience, especially weapons expertise, raise important national-security flags, and you don't want to give even the hint that you tried to hide that experience, however inadvertent the error. Raise the error early (I might even do it before the interview via secure messaging on the online portal) and prompt the discussion yourself is my advice.

 

My recent interview experience is instructive in this regard. I don't have military experience, but I completed national service with a months-long, military-style boot camp. I didn't put it in the application but I mentioned it at interview. The officer quizzed me about it -- was weapons training involved? was I an adult at the time? Etc. -- before moving on, underscoring the importance of such experience.

Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts although what you said made me concerned a little bit more. Mine was a national service too with 1 month weapon training and the rest I just served in an office (no weapon, no boot or military-clothes whatsoever). 

How can I do it before the interview? How do i raise it via secure messaging? Did this cause a delay in your application after interview?

[afrocraft 313]

2 minutes ago, Alex61 said:

Mine was a national service too with 1 month weapon training and the rest I just served in an office (no weapon, no boot or military-clothes whatsoever). 

How can I do it before the interview? How do i raise it via secure messaging? Did this cause a delay in your application after interview?

No major delay caused in my case. I did get the "a decision cannot be made" letter after interview, but approval came 2 days later. In your case, the bigger risk is not a delay; it's a small, but real, chance of denial on moral character grounds. 

 

Context matters in how proactive you should be in fessing up. Your country of origin and its relationship to the US. The nature/designation of your military group. The nature of the weaponry involved. And your other responses to related questions. For instance, there are multiple questions on the N-400 related to military training/weapons experience. How did you answer them?

 

15. Were you EVER a member of, or did you EVER serve in, help, or otherwise participate in, any of the following groups: Military unit? Paramilitary unit? Police unit? etc.

19. Did you EVER receive any type of military, paramilitary (a group of people who act like a military group but are not part of the official military), or weapons training?

[Alex61 0]

16 hours ago, afrocraft said:

No major delay caused in my case. I did get the "a decision cannot be made" letter after interview, but approval came 2 days later. In your case, the bigger risk is not a delay; it's a small, but real, chance of denial on moral character grounds. 

 

Context matters in how proactive you should be in fessing up. Your country of origin and its relationship to the US. The nature/designation of your military group. The nature of the weaponry involved. And your other responses to related questions. For instance, there are multiple questions on the N-400 related to military training/weapons experience. How did you answer them?

 

15. Were you EVER a member of, or did you EVER serve in, help, or otherwise participate in, any of the following groups: Military unit? Paramilitary unit? Police unit? etc.

19. Did you EVER receive any type of military, paramilitary (a group of people who act like a military group but are not part of the official military), or weapons training?

Thank you. It was a relief. I don’t think then it would be a problem like your case. I make sure to let IO know as soon as I can in my interview. 

[afrocraft 313]

9 minutes ago, Alex61 said:

Thank you. It was a relief. I don’t think then it would be a problem like your case. I make sure to let IO know as soon as I can in my interview. 

I didn't have weapons training though. Just marching band lol.

 

Good luck!