LBP

Although my Belarusian wife's application for naturalization was approved, the interview in Phoenix was exceedingly unpleasant and not at all what we had prepared for. My wife's name is Galina and she has had her green card since 2008. During the Soviet era, some official altered Galina to Halina (H is pronounced as G in Russian). Her Belarusian passport says Halina, her green card says Halina, her marriage certificate says Halina, her state ID says Halina, her Social Security card says Halina, and every other document says Halina. The only document that says Galina is the apostile (English translation) of her birth certificate. My wife is an extremely pleasant and open 60-year-old housewife.
The interview began with an unanticipated KGB-style interrogation as to what my wife was trying to pull by using two identities. My wife explained that Galina and Halina are the same name, but to no avail. The officious interviewer refused to listen and likewise did not offer to process the N400 with a name change, but merely informed my wife that the application would be processed as Galina or she could leave right now. As a result, I am going to have to change her name to Halina through the local court process - or change every other document in our lives.
The interviewer also repeatedly asked my wife if her parents, who have been dead for 30 years, were married, as well as a host of other questions that I, as a lawyer of 35 years experience, have difficulty seeing as relevant after someone has held a green card for seven years. She then went through the laundry list of "Have you ever ..." questions and required my wife to define terms such as "racism," "weapon" and others. Lastly, she required my wife to read the arcanely worded oath of allegiance out loud ("heretofore," "abjure", "potentate") which my wife had not anticipated, and explain her understanding of each sentence; she was then quite critical of my wife's explanation.
In short, don't anticipate the N400 interview necessarily being a simple or casual process. Although we are supposed to be grateful for the anti-terrorism efforts of the quasi-Nazi clowns at Homeland Security, TSA and other agencies that suck up our tax dollars, I believe the reality is captured in the title of a book that was popular about ten years ago: The Death of Common Sense.

Thank you for your hysteria. I had NO IDEA! I am turning myself directly into federal prison officials. No wait, I am going to attempt to escape to Belarus before my FELONIOUS CONDUCT is discovered!!!
"Trauma Doc" indeed. Perhaps you should consult a Non-Trauma Doc for some tranquilizers. I am no more a doctor than you are a lawyer, but my preliminary diagnosis is leaning toward clinical insanity.
I am indeed both my wife's husband her attorney of record.

Although my Belarusian wife's application for naturalization was approved, the interview in Phoenix was exceedingly unpleasant and not at all what we had prepared for. My wife's name is Galina and she has had her green card since 2008. During the Soviet era, some official altered Galina to Halina (H is pronounced as G in Russian). Her Belarusian passport says Halina, her green card says Halina, her marriage certificate says Halina, her state ID says Halina, her Social Security card says Halina, and every other document says Halina. The only document that says Galina is the apostile (English translation) of her birth certificate. My wife is an extremely pleasant and open 60-year-old housewife.
The interview began with an unanticipated KGB-style interrogation as to what my wife was trying to pull by using two identities. My wife explained that Galina and Halina are the same name, but to no avail. The officious interviewer refused to listen and likewise did not offer to process the N400 with a name change, but merely informed my wife that the application would be processed as Galina or she could leave right now. As a result, I am going to have to change her name to Halina through the local court process - or change every other document in our lives.
The interviewer also repeatedly asked my wife if her parents, who have been dead for 30 years, were married, as well as a host of other questions that I, as a lawyer of 35 years experience, have difficulty seeing as relevant after someone has held a green card for seven years. She then went through the laundry list of "Have you ever ..." questions and required my wife to define terms such as "racism," "weapon" and others. Lastly, she required my wife to read the arcanely worded oath of allegiance out loud ("heretofore," "abjure", "potentate") which my wife had not anticipated, and explain her understanding of each sentence; she was then quite critical of my wife's explanation.
In short, don't anticipate the N400 interview necessarily being a simple or casual process. Although we are supposed to be grateful for the anti-terrorism efforts of the quasi-Nazi clowns at Homeland Security, TSA and other agencies that suck up our tax dollars, I believe the reality is captured in the title of a book that was popular about ten years ago: The Death of Common Sense.

Thank you for your hysteria. I had NO IDEA! I am turning myself directly into federal prison officials. No wait, I am going to attempt to escape to Belarus before my FELONIOUS CONDUCT is discovered!!!
"Trauma Doc" indeed. Perhaps you should consult a Non-Trauma Doc for some tranquilizers. I am no more a doctor than you are a lawyer, but my preliminary diagnosis is leaning toward clinical insanity.
I am indeed both my wife's husband her attorney of record.

I will share a technique that worked well with my wife's K-1 application and that I am employing here: When her K-1 application appeared to be lost, I was able, through guesswork and online investigation, to determine the email address of the director of USCIS himself and the direct telephone line of the director of the Vermont Service Center. This information is guarded like Fort Knox, but you can determine it or at least make a reasonable guesstimate if you are crafty. It is often hidden in sources you wouldn't expect. I actually sent my initial email to five different likely addresses for the director of USCIS; one of them went through. Both directors were EXTREMELY surprised to hear from an Arizona attorney, but both were perfectly pleasant. The director of USCIS put me in touch with one of his direct assistants, who looked into the matter and exchanged about five emails with me.
Today, using the initials and last name of the Interview Officer, I was able to determine her full name because some former employee had used her as a job reference on an online resume. I was then able to determine the email format for employees at the local USCIS office from some online bid documents (they are selling some old computers). Putting two and two together, I determined her email address and sent her a polite but firm request on my law firm's letterhead to resolve the name problem without further inconvenience to me or my wife. We'll see what happens.
As a friend pointed out to me, this is a technique best reserved for serious problems. I am probably now on multiple Homeland Security watch lists.

I will share a technique that worked well with my wife's K-1 application and that I am employing here: When her K-1 application appeared to be lost, I was able, through guesswork and online investigation, to determine the email address of the director of USCIS himself and the direct telephone line of the director of the Vermont Service Center. This information is guarded like Fort Knox, but you can determine it or at least make a reasonable guesstimate if you are crafty. It is often hidden in sources you wouldn't expect. I actually sent my initial email to five different likely addresses for the director of USCIS; one of them went through. Both directors were EXTREMELY surprised to hear from an Arizona attorney, but both were perfectly pleasant. The director of USCIS put me in touch with one of his direct assistants, who looked into the matter and exchanged about five emails with me.
Today, using the initials and last name of the Interview Officer, I was able to determine her full name because some former employee had used her as a job reference on an online resume. I was then able to determine the email format for employees at the local USCIS office from some online bid documents (they are selling some old computers). Putting two and two together, I determined her email address and sent her a polite but firm request on my law firm's letterhead to resolve the name problem without further inconvenience to me or my wife. We'll see what happens.
As a friend pointed out to me, this is a technique best reserved for serious problems. I am probably now on multiple Homeland Security watch lists.

Perhaps you are confused. If the USCIS guidelines were that the birth certificate is the absolutely controlling document for naturalization, then the interviewer followed the guidelines to the letter. My wife's birth certificate says Galina, while her Belarusian passport, K-1 Visa and Green Card all say Halina.
It would make zero sense for the USCIS to have more relaxed guidelines for permanent residents (or even for visas) than for naturalization - hey, we're not worried about potential terrorists who are here with visas or Green Cards, only those who want to be naturalized. That would indeed be rather a massive flaw in logic. In fact, the guidelines suggest the standards are the same. For a Green Card, the birth certificate is the controlling document unless there is compelling secondary evidence of the adoption of a different name at an early age.
Yet the difference between my wife's birth certificate name and the name in which her applications were submitted was never a problem at the K-1 Visa or Green Card stage. We submitted no "compelling secondary evidence" whatsoever.
It is somewhat frightening that this issue would surface only after a Green Card had been issued, the holder had been in the U.S. for seven years, and the naturalization interview was underway. Given the highly suspicious attitude of the interviewer, I have no doubt that if my wife had been a 30-year-old Muslim and exactly the same problem had arisen during the interview, her green card would have been confiscated and she would have been escorted from the facility for some serious questioning by an immigration official. Clearly, this was the point of the interviewer smilingly but repeatedly asking my unsophisticated wife if she had ever voted for President or a Senator - if she had admitted to this crime, God knows what would have transpired.
What I believe has actually taken place is that, since a name snafu was largely responsible for the Boston Marathon bombers being able to carry out their terror, there is heightened awareness and scrutiny of any and all name discrepancies at USCIS. My wife's pre-Boston K-1 and Green Card sailed through because of the bureaucratic incompetency that we all know, love and have come to expect.

The flaw in your logic is: USCIS had processed, with extensive background investigation and all the same supporting documents, my wife's K-1 visa application. USCIS had processed, with extensive background investigation and all the same supporting documents, my wife's green card application. In fact, the apostile that caused the problem was precisely the same one attached to the visa and green card applications. Moreover, the Halina-Galina issue had been discussed - by me - at the green card interview with absolutely no problem. So your statement "That's it; it's very clear" is simply not true. The Death of Common Sense is closer to the reality.

Although my Belarusian wife's application for naturalization was approved, the interview in Phoenix was exceedingly unpleasant and not at all what we had prepared for. My wife's name is Galina and she has had her green card since 2008. During the Soviet era, some official altered Galina to Halina (H is pronounced as G in Russian). Her Belarusian passport says Halina, her green card says Halina, her marriage certificate says Halina, her state ID says Halina, her Social Security card says Halina, and every other document says Halina. The only document that says Galina is the apostile (English translation) of her birth certificate. My wife is an extremely pleasant and open 60-year-old housewife.
The interview began with an unanticipated KGB-style interrogation as to what my wife was trying to pull by using two identities. My wife explained that Galina and Halina are the same name, but to no avail. The officious interviewer refused to listen and likewise did not offer to process the N400 with a name change, but merely informed my wife that the application would be processed as Galina or she could leave right now. As a result, I am going to have to change her name to Halina through the local court process - or change every other document in our lives.
The interviewer also repeatedly asked my wife if her parents, who have been dead for 30 years, were married, as well as a host of other questions that I, as a lawyer of 35 years experience, have difficulty seeing as relevant after someone has held a green card for seven years. She then went through the laundry list of "Have you ever ..." questions and required my wife to define terms such as "racism," "weapon" and others. Lastly, she required my wife to read the arcanely worded oath of allegiance out loud ("heretofore," "abjure", "potentate") which my wife had not anticipated, and explain her understanding of each sentence; she was then quite critical of my wife's explanation.
In short, don't anticipate the N400 interview necessarily being a simple or casual process. Although we are supposed to be grateful for the anti-terrorism efforts of the quasi-Nazi clowns at Homeland Security, TSA and other agencies that suck up our tax dollars, I believe the reality is captured in the title of a book that was popular about ten years ago: The Death of Common Sense.

I will share a technique that worked well with my wife's K-1 application and that I am employing here: When her K-1 application appeared to be lost, I was able, through guesswork and online investigation, to determine the email address of the director of USCIS himself and the direct telephone line of the director of the Vermont Service Center. This information is guarded like Fort Knox, but you can determine it or at least make a reasonable guesstimate if you are crafty. It is often hidden in sources you wouldn't expect. I actually sent my initial email to five different likely addresses for the director of USCIS; one of them went through. Both directors were EXTREMELY surprised to hear from an Arizona attorney, but both were perfectly pleasant. The director of USCIS put me in touch with one of his direct assistants, who looked into the matter and exchanged about five emails with me.
Today, using the initials and last name of the Interview Officer, I was able to determine her full name because some former employee had used her as a job reference on an online resume. I was then able to determine the email format for employees at the local USCIS office from some online bid documents (they are selling some old computers). Putting two and two together, I determined her email address and sent her a polite but firm request on my law firm's letterhead to resolve the name problem without further inconvenience to me or my wife. We'll see what happens.
As a friend pointed out to me, this is a technique best reserved for serious problems. I am probably now on multiple Homeland Security watch lists.

I will share a technique that worked well with my wife's K-1 application and that I am employing here: When her K-1 application appeared to be lost, I was able, through guesswork and online investigation, to determine the email address of the director of USCIS himself and the direct telephone line of the director of the Vermont Service Center. This information is guarded like Fort Knox, but you can determine it or at least make a reasonable guesstimate if you are crafty. It is often hidden in sources you wouldn't expect. I actually sent my initial email to five different likely addresses for the director of USCIS; one of them went through. Both directors were EXTREMELY surprised to hear from an Arizona attorney, but both were perfectly pleasant. The director of USCIS put me in touch with one of his direct assistants, who looked into the matter and exchanged about five emails with me.
Today, using the initials and last name of the Interview Officer, I was able to determine her full name because some former employee had used her as a job reference on an online resume. I was then able to determine the email format for employees at the local USCIS office from some online bid documents (they are selling some old computers). Putting two and two together, I determined her email address and sent her a polite but firm request on my law firm's letterhead to resolve the name problem without further inconvenience to me or my wife. We'll see what happens.
As a friend pointed out to me, this is a technique best reserved for serious problems. I am probably now on multiple Homeland Security watch lists.

Although my Belarusian wife's application for naturalization was approved, the interview in Phoenix was exceedingly unpleasant and not at all what we had prepared for. My wife's name is Galina and she has had her green card since 2008. During the Soviet era, some official altered Galina to Halina (H is pronounced as G in Russian). Her Belarusian passport says Halina, her green card says Halina, her marriage certificate says Halina, her state ID says Halina, her Social Security card says Halina, and every other document says Halina. The only document that says Galina is the apostile (English translation) of her birth certificate. My wife is an extremely pleasant and open 60-year-old housewife.
The interview began with an unanticipated KGB-style interrogation as to what my wife was trying to pull by using two identities. My wife explained that Galina and Halina are the same name, but to no avail. The officious interviewer refused to listen and likewise did not offer to process the N400 with a name change, but merely informed my wife that the application would be processed as Galina or she could leave right now. As a result, I am going to have to change her name to Halina through the local court process - or change every other document in our lives.
The interviewer also repeatedly asked my wife if her parents, who have been dead for 30 years, were married, as well as a host of other questions that I, as a lawyer of 35 years experience, have difficulty seeing as relevant after someone has held a green card for seven years. She then went through the laundry list of "Have you ever ..." questions and required my wife to define terms such as "racism," "weapon" and others. Lastly, she required my wife to read the arcanely worded oath of allegiance out loud ("heretofore," "abjure", "potentate") which my wife had not anticipated, and explain her understanding of each sentence; she was then quite critical of my wife's explanation.
In short, don't anticipate the N400 interview necessarily being a simple or casual process. Although we are supposed to be grateful for the anti-terrorism efforts of the quasi-Nazi clowns at Homeland Security, TSA and other agencies that suck up our tax dollars, I believe the reality is captured in the title of a book that was popular about ten years ago: The Death of Common Sense.

Although my Belarusian wife's application for naturalization was approved, the interview in Phoenix was exceedingly unpleasant and not at all what we had prepared for. My wife's name is Galina and she has had her green card since 2008. During the Soviet era, some official altered Galina to Halina (H is pronounced as G in Russian). Her Belarusian passport says Halina, her green card says Halina, her marriage certificate says Halina, her state ID says Halina, her Social Security card says Halina, and every other document says Halina. The only document that says Galina is the apostile (English translation) of her birth certificate. My wife is an extremely pleasant and open 60-year-old housewife.
The interview began with an unanticipated KGB-style interrogation as to what my wife was trying to pull by using two identities. My wife explained that Galina and Halina are the same name, but to no avail. The officious interviewer refused to listen and likewise did not offer to process the N400 with a name change, but merely informed my wife that the application would be processed as Galina or she could leave right now. As a result, I am going to have to change her name to Halina through the local court process - or change every other document in our lives.
The interviewer also repeatedly asked my wife if her parents, who have been dead for 30 years, were married, as well as a host of other questions that I, as a lawyer of 35 years experience, have difficulty seeing as relevant after someone has held a green card for seven years. She then went through the laundry list of "Have you ever ..." questions and required my wife to define terms such as "racism," "weapon" and others. Lastly, she required my wife to read the arcanely worded oath of allegiance out loud ("heretofore," "abjure", "potentate") which my wife had not anticipated, and explain her understanding of each sentence; she was then quite critical of my wife's explanation.
In short, don't anticipate the N400 interview necessarily being a simple or casual process. Although we are supposed to be grateful for the anti-terrorism efforts of the quasi-Nazi clowns at Homeland Security, TSA and other agencies that suck up our tax dollars, I believe the reality is captured in the title of a book that was popular about ten years ago: The Death of Common Sense.

Although my Belarusian wife's application for naturalization was approved, the interview in Phoenix was exceedingly unpleasant and not at all what we had prepared for. My wife's name is Galina and she has had her green card since 2008. During the Soviet era, some official altered Galina to Halina (H is pronounced as G in Russian). Her Belarusian passport says Halina, her green card says Halina, her marriage certificate says Halina, her state ID says Halina, her Social Security card says Halina, and every other document says Halina. The only document that says Galina is the apostile (English translation) of her birth certificate. My wife is an extremely pleasant and open 60-year-old housewife.
The interview began with an unanticipated KGB-style interrogation as to what my wife was trying to pull by using two identities. My wife explained that Galina and Halina are the same name, but to no avail. The officious interviewer refused to listen and likewise did not offer to process the N400 with a name change, but merely informed my wife that the application would be processed as Galina or she could leave right now. As a result, I am going to have to change her name to Halina through the local court process - or change every other document in our lives.
The interviewer also repeatedly asked my wife if her parents, who have been dead for 30 years, were married, as well as a host of other questions that I, as a lawyer of 35 years experience, have difficulty seeing as relevant after someone has held a green card for seven years. She then went through the laundry list of "Have you ever ..." questions and required my wife to define terms such as "racism," "weapon" and others. Lastly, she required my wife to read the arcanely worded oath of allegiance out loud ("heretofore," "abjure", "potentate") which my wife had not anticipated, and explain her understanding of each sentence; she was then quite critical of my wife's explanation.
In short, don't anticipate the N400 interview necessarily being a simple or casual process. Although we are supposed to be grateful for the anti-terrorism efforts of the quasi-Nazi clowns at Homeland Security, TSA and other agencies that suck up our tax dollars, I believe the reality is captured in the title of a book that was popular about ten years ago: The Death of Common Sense.