N-400 application and its tricky questions

[zafi 13]

I am about to file for N-400 myself but I got confused while answering some questions in section(attachment to US constitution)1- do you understand full oath of allegiance to United States?2-are you willing to take full oath of allegiance of United States?3-if law requires it are you willing to bear arms on behalf of United States?4-if law requires it are you willing to take noncombatant services in US armed forces?I was thinking do we really all and everyone understand wording,meaning of oath and its implications?maybe I am thinking too much and I should answer yes to all these questions and move ahead with my pending application?what do you guys suggest?

[gregcrs2 1,777]

You are over-thinking it.

[USS_Voyager 1,971]

12 minutes ago, zafi said:

I was thinking do we really all and everyone understand wording,meaning of oath and its implications?

Why do you care about everyone else? Let them worry about that. The only person that matters is you. Do you understand the Constitution of the United States? Are you ready to bear arms on behalf of the United States? Those are the questions only you can answer for yourself. 

 

For me, I took my oath very seriously. I understand the Constitution of the United States and I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, against all enemies, foreign and domestic, until my dying breath. I will absolutely bear arms to defend the flag of the United States of America, and the Republic for which it stands. And I take that obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.

[EM_Vandaveer 2,370]

You should answer yes to those questions.

[zafi 13]

thank you guys I never paid attention to oath of any country even to country of my birth so it got me confused slightly

[R78 16]

just to be clear:

- The oath is on the last page of the application, so you can read it (down form n400 - page 20)

- No one is forcing you to answer YES to the questions. However, if you do, you mean exactly what you state and will deliver on that commitment when asked upon to do so.

If you answer NO, you will still remain a Legal Permanant Resident of the US (as long as you continue to meet the requirements)....in other words, highly unlikely that you will become a citizen. 

 

[zafi 13]

if someone answer no then that person application for naturalization would be denied is that what you are trying to say

[little immigrant 800]

14 hours ago, zafi said:

if someone answer no then that person application for naturalization would be denied is that what you are trying to say

Not true. I said no to bearing arms and took a modified oath. 

[implife 318]

20 hours ago, zafi said:

maybe I am thinking too much

Yes

[SusieQQQ 11,584]

2 hours ago, little immigrant said:

Not true. I said no to bearing arms and took a modified oath. 

Yes I know others who did this too. US is not a military dictatorship. 

[implife 318]

30 minutes ago, SusieQQQ said:

US is not a military dictatorship. 

... yet

[bec128 42]

21 hours ago, zafi said:

I am about to file for N-400 myself but I got confused while answering some questions in section(attachment to US constitution)1- do you understand full oath of allegiance to United States?2-are you willing to take full oath of allegiance of United States?3-if law requires it are you willing to bear arms on behalf of United States?4-if law requires it are you willing to take noncombatant services in US armed forces?I was thinking do we really all and everyone understand wording,meaning of oath and its implications?maybe I am thinking too much and I should answer yes to all these questions and move ahead with my pending application?what do you guys suggest?

You are absolutely not overthinking it. Taking an oath of allegiance is a serious matter and you should be able to answer Yes to those questions without having reservations (barring the legally permitted ones about bearing arms). If you're not able to in good conscience, then you are not eligible for naturalization and shouldn't file for it.

 

Nothing says you have to naturalize -- it's perfectly fine to remain an LPR indefinitely, or until such time as you feel comfortable taking the oath and naturalizing.

 

And taking the oath can have serious real-life consequences. For example, if you hold citizenship of a country that does not allow dual-citizenship, taking the naturalization oath means you'll be obligated to give up your other citizenship, in effect stating that you have more attachment to the US than you do your home country. Again, there's nothing wrong with that, but only if that's the personal choice that you've made and are comfortable with.

[Deagle 494]

22 hours ago, EM_Vandaveer said:

You should answer yes to those questions.

Not really. It is up to the petitioner to understand and decide on their own.

[implife 318]

I mean, with all due respect to peoples' personal believes and preferences, if you're not willing to defend the country you willingly (not by birth or any other accident), willingly want to be a citizen of, why bother becoming one? 

[Deagle 494]

1 hour ago, implife said:

I mean, with all due respect to peoples' personal believes and preferences, if you're not willing to defend the country you willingly (not by birth or any other accident), willingly want to be a citizen of, why bother becoming one? 

It is not about not wanting to defend the country. You can defend any country by other means not only weapons. A cook who serves in the army is defending his country, the nurse, and truck drivers. If a petitioner answers no to the question regarding bearing arms, that doesn't mean they don't want to defend the country. They will simply defend in different ways.