LeoFromBR

It should not change. And then it goes in your citizenship certificate at some point.

Hi all, today I became a US citizen. In fact, I just arrived from the Oath Ceremony. But I'm not here for the "congratulations". Instead, in the spirit of the thread for the I751/N400 combo process, I wanted to share my interview experience, which actually happened last month. Honestly, a lot of it was disturbing, some of it almost dystopian... In fact, my wife and I left the interview angry and annoyed. But lo and behold, a month later, we received approval notices, plus the green card. So here's what happened...
 
First off, our N400 interview appointment noticed made no mention of I751, which I understand is standard. Nevertheless, thanks to this forum, it was clear to me that bringing my wife was a good idea, so we go together. We were scheduled at 3:15pm. But we arrive there very early at 2:30pm. I approach the front desk and report to the lady, "I'm here early." She takes a look at my notice and says, "Yes, you are. Come back at 2:45, so I can check you in". I said "okay, thanks" and take a seat at one of the chairs in a waiting area that is half full of applicants (about 20 people waiting). So I pull out my cell phone to play a game with my wife (to ease our nerves while waiting). But a short 5 minutes later, an IO comes out and calls my name. My mind melts (%$#&! we didn't even check in!). My wife and I scramble to get up, putting our belongings away. Both of us proceed toward the IO when she starts shouting at my wife: "Not you! Not you!" My wife hangs back and I go in alone.
 
Before introducing herself, the IO immediately gives me a hard time for applying for naturalization before receiving my 10-year green card. She wants to know why I submitted the N400 without the green card in hands. Again, my brain melts, and I get more nervous. I stammer, eventually saying, "My paralegal told me to do it," which is true. Though part of me wish I had said, "I read the N400 instructions, and I read the Adjudicator's Field Manual, and I believe I followed proper procedure," which is also true, but anyway... The IO flat out says "Well, you shouldn't have done it." My inclination is to apologize, but instead I bite my tongue. During this exchange, she's making copies of some of my documents, but I can't remember which ones though. Then we go into her office.
 
(By the way, according to the Adjudicator's Field Manual, or AFM, interviews are not to be adversarial in nature. In fact, IOs should make applicants feel comfortable and welcomed. Therefore, starting with the IO screeching at my wife, I would say that she failed at this twice.)
 
In her office, she finally introduces herself and makes me swear to the tell the truth, and all that jazz. I forget the exact order of events here, but some of the expected things happened: she double checks my application, she receives all the many evidence I have, etc. Giving evidence was fairly straight forward, but she complains that I only brought my latest bank statement when I should have brought at least 3 statements, 1 for each previous year. I apologize saying I didn't know. (Later in the interview, I find copies of previous bank statements, while also explaining they had been submitted before at least 1 in 2017 for my I751 application, and 1 in 2018 for my N400 application, so I ask if she needs to take a look, but she says no, so I guess she was just playing hardball.)
 
By the way, I'm never sure if I'm doing  the combo interview or just the N400 portion since she was confrontational, so I didn't have the guts to ask. At some point, she asks a few things about my marriage. Lots of regular questions, like where we met, how long we've been together, when did we marry, etc. One answer that she didn't like is when I told her that my wife and I didn't want kids. The IO's 1950s brain explodes and tells me, "I can't tell if your marriage is truthful since one of the reasons people get married is to reproduce." I want to remind her that we live in 2019, but instead I bite my tongue and just nod.
 
Then at some point she prints out a questionnaire -- a paper form with three sheets and maybe 10-15 questions or so. She prints two copies of this and explains that my wife will answer the second copy, so the IO goes outside to hand my wife the questions. I was confused because I had never read anything about a questionnaire like this for what I start to suspect is the I751 interview. This is a questionnaire that is customized per case. I know this because the first version I received had lots of questions about Texas, but then she replaced those with questions about marriage and babies (to make sure wife and I are on the same page). Normally, I wouldn't complain about the questionnaire, except, since it's been edited live, it leaves room for confusing language and actually, many English mistakes. For instance, the question "Who attended your wedding?" I answered that with a list of names of our friends. But my wife answered saying, "Our parents didn't attend because [reasons]" (we only found this out later when we discussed the interview). Anyway, that was a little discrepancy that made us nervous, when ideally the IO would ask questions verbally, so she can clarify what she's actually looking for. 
 
We also take care of the N400 Civic questions, which honestly is the easiest part of this whole process. I ace everything and we move on.
 
At some point, she also asked about affiliation with Nazi and German groups, which many hours later dawns on me, this is a question from one of the applications. So after opening a few documents at home, I realize this is from I751 form... which is the only evidence I have that I had a combo interview since the IO never clearly stated it.
 
Another little something that I didn't expect was when she requested to see my I-20, which is a document for international F-1 students. In my case, they go all the way back to 2006. Luckily, I had brought them with me, but I really wasn't expecting she would need them. So she asks to see them and make copies. I have four I-20 documents, but the most recent of which did not have a USCIS stamp like the others. She asks why, and I pull a story out of my rear-end saying I decided not to travel that year.... because honestly I thought it was the truth. (A week later I found that in August 2012 there was a USCIS policy memorandum telling agents to stop stamping the I-20s, so that's why. Go figure. Her own agency's doing.)
 
At some point, I go wait outside, while the IO interviews my wife.  One of the questions that rubbed my wife wrong is when the IO asked about what my wife's parents thought about her marrying a Brazilian. I'm not sure if the IO crossed a line, but her tone upset my wife.The IO also grills my wife about not wanting kids. (BTW, my wife and I were never in the room together with the IO. She interviewed each one of us separately.) 
 
So there you have... a roller coaster ride through the USCIS amusement park that made me and my wife nervous and nauseous but turned out to be fine. Honestly, I went home expecting to receive an RFE. In my worst moments while waiting, I would imagine myself going to immigration court and debating with the judge. In retrospect, these were silly thoughts, but the mind is known to do silly things under pressure.
 
If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask. Please quote at least a portion of this post so I can receive a notification.
 
This forum has been tremendously helpful through this whole process. What an awesome community indeed! I will check in every so often, but I suspect my experiences will soon become outdated, and then they will become irrelevant. But at least here is it, on the record, for history.
 
"Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish ladies /
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain"
 
L&S

Hi all, today I became a US citizen. In fact, I just arrived from the Oath Ceremony. But I'm not here for the "congratulations". Instead, in the spirit of the thread for the I751/N400 combo process, I wanted to share my interview experience, which actually happened last month. Honestly, a lot of it was disturbing, some of it almost dystopian... In fact, my wife and I left the interview angry and annoyed. But lo and behold, a month later, we received approval notices, plus the green card. So here's what happened...
 
First off, our N400 interview appointment noticed made no mention of I751, which I understand is standard. Nevertheless, thanks to this forum, it was clear to me that bringing my wife was a good idea, so we go together. We were scheduled at 3:15pm. But we arrive there very early at 2:30pm. I approach the front desk and report to the lady, "I'm here early." She takes a look at my notice and says, "Yes, you are. Come back at 2:45, so I can check you in". I said "okay, thanks" and take a seat at one of the chairs in a waiting area that is half full of applicants (about 20 people waiting). So I pull out my cell phone to play a game with my wife (to ease our nerves while waiting). But a short 5 minutes later, an IO comes out and calls my name. My mind melts (%$#&! we didn't even check in!). My wife and I scramble to get up, putting our belongings away. Both of us proceed toward the IO when she starts shouting at my wife: "Not you! Not you!" My wife hangs back and I go in alone.
 
Before introducing herself, the IO immediately gives me a hard time for applying for naturalization before receiving my 10-year green card. She wants to know why I submitted the N400 without the green card in hands. Again, my brain melts, and I get more nervous. I stammer, eventually saying, "My paralegal told me to do it," which is true. Though part of me wish I had said, "I read the N400 instructions, and I read the Adjudicator's Field Manual, and I believe I followed proper procedure," which is also true, but anyway... The IO flat out says "Well, you shouldn't have done it." My inclination is to apologize, but instead I bite my tongue. During this exchange, she's making copies of some of my documents, but I can't remember which ones though. Then we go into her office.
 
(By the way, according to the Adjudicator's Field Manual, or AFM, interviews are not to be adversarial in nature. In fact, IOs should make applicants feel comfortable and welcomed. Therefore, starting with the IO screeching at my wife, I would say that she failed at this twice.)
 
In her office, she finally introduces herself and makes me swear to the tell the truth, and all that jazz. I forget the exact order of events here, but some of the expected things happened: she double checks my application, she receives all the many evidence I have, etc. Giving evidence was fairly straight forward, but she complains that I only brought my latest bank statement when I should have brought at least 3 statements, 1 for each previous year. I apologize saying I didn't know. (Later in the interview, I find copies of previous bank statements, while also explaining they had been submitted before at least 1 in 2017 for my I751 application, and 1 in 2018 for my N400 application, so I ask if she needs to take a look, but she says no, so I guess she was just playing hardball.)
 
By the way, I'm never sure if I'm doing  the combo interview or just the N400 portion since she was confrontational, so I didn't have the guts to ask. At some point, she asks a few things about my marriage. Lots of regular questions, like where we met, how long we've been together, when did we marry, etc. One answer that she didn't like is when I told her that my wife and I didn't want kids. The IO's 1950s brain explodes and tells me, "I can't tell if your marriage is truthful since one of the reasons people get married is to reproduce." I want to remind her that we live in 2019, but instead I bite my tongue and just nod.
 
Then at some point she prints out a questionnaire -- a paper form with three sheets and maybe 10-15 questions or so. She prints two copies of this and explains that my wife will answer the second copy, so the IO goes outside to hand my wife the questions. I was confused because I had never read anything about a questionnaire like this for what I start to suspect is the I751 interview. This is a questionnaire that is customized per case. I know this because the first version I received had lots of questions about Texas, but then she replaced those with questions about marriage and babies (to make sure wife and I are on the same page). Normally, I wouldn't complain about the questionnaire, except, since it's been edited live, it leaves room for confusing language and actually, many English mistakes. For instance, the question "Who attended your wedding?" I answered that with a list of names of our friends. But my wife answered saying, "Our parents didn't attend because [reasons]" (we only found this out later when we discussed the interview). Anyway, that was a little discrepancy that made us nervous, when ideally the IO would ask questions verbally, so she can clarify what she's actually looking for. 
 
We also take care of the N400 Civic questions, which honestly is the easiest part of this whole process. I ace everything and we move on.
 
At some point, she also asked about affiliation with Nazi and German groups, which many hours later dawns on me, this is a question from one of the applications. So after opening a few documents at home, I realize this is from I751 form... which is the only evidence I have that I had a combo interview since the IO never clearly stated it.
 
Another little something that I didn't expect was when she requested to see my I-20, which is a document for international F-1 students. In my case, they go all the way back to 2006. Luckily, I had brought them with me, but I really wasn't expecting she would need them. So she asks to see them and make copies. I have four I-20 documents, but the most recent of which did not have a USCIS stamp like the others. She asks why, and I pull a story out of my rear-end saying I decided not to travel that year.... because honestly I thought it was the truth. (A week later I found that in August 2012 there was a USCIS policy memorandum telling agents to stop stamping the I-20s, so that's why. Go figure. Her own agency's doing.)
 
At some point, I go wait outside, while the IO interviews my wife.  One of the questions that rubbed my wife wrong is when the IO asked about what my wife's parents thought about her marrying a Brazilian. I'm not sure if the IO crossed a line, but her tone upset my wife.The IO also grills my wife about not wanting kids. (BTW, my wife and I were never in the room together with the IO. She interviewed each one of us separately.) 
 
So there you have... a roller coaster ride through the USCIS amusement park that made me and my wife nervous and nauseous but turned out to be fine. Honestly, I went home expecting to receive an RFE. In my worst moments while waiting, I would imagine myself going to immigration court and debating with the judge. In retrospect, these were silly thoughts, but the mind is known to do silly things under pressure.
 
If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask. Please quote at least a portion of this post so I can receive a notification.
 
This forum has been tremendously helpful through this whole process. What an awesome community indeed! I will check in every so often, but I suspect my experiences will soon become outdated, and then they will become irrelevant. But at least here is it, on the record, for history.
 
"Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish ladies /
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain"
 
L&S

@LeoFromBR congratulations (even though you mentioned you're not here for it but it's well deserved  ).
 
Thanks for sharing your experience with that IO ... some of them have heart while some of then don't ...
This is my first time of reading about questionnaire kinda interview for one's spouse ... well like they say, cases are different  ... the goodnews is that it ended well for you. 

I tried to get an answer like that, but all I got was an answer saying that my I-751 is ongoing. A non-answer, essentially.
 
When I got to the N400 interview with my wife, the IO also interviewed her as well. The IO never clearly stated she was conducting the combo interview, and because the IO was adversarial from the beginning, I didn't feel like asking. I only deduced the interview was a combo after the interview because she had a question that was from the I751 form. I had to google the words to confirm.
 
If your I751 is pending and your N400 interview is scheduled, everyone should bring their spouses just in case! I wouldn't be surprised if over the phone or via email you received the wrong information saying "no need to bring spouse" only to find yourself in the interview with the IO asking, "Where's your spouse?" 
 
(If you already have your 10-year Green Card from a successful I751 application, then there's no need to bring your spouse for the N400 interview... That's my understanding!)
 
 
 

Hi all, today I became a US citizen. In fact, I just arrived from the Oath Ceremony. But I'm not here for the "congratulations". Instead, in the spirit of the thread for the I751/N400 combo process, I wanted to share my interview experience, which actually happened last month. Honestly, a lot of it was disturbing, some of it almost dystopian... In fact, my wife and I left the interview angry and annoyed. But lo and behold, a month later, we received approval notices, plus the green card. So here's what happened...
 
First off, our N400 interview appointment noticed made no mention of I751, which I understand is standard. Nevertheless, thanks to this forum, it was clear to me that bringing my wife was a good idea, so we go together. We were scheduled at 3:15pm. But we arrive there very early at 2:30pm. I approach the front desk and report to the lady, "I'm here early." She takes a look at my notice and says, "Yes, you are. Come back at 2:45, so I can check you in". I said "okay, thanks" and take a seat at one of the chairs in a waiting area that is half full of applicants (about 20 people waiting). So I pull out my cell phone to play a game with my wife (to ease our nerves while waiting). But a short 5 minutes later, an IO comes out and calls my name. My mind melts (%$#&! we didn't even check in!). My wife and I scramble to get up, putting our belongings away. Both of us proceed toward the IO when she starts shouting at my wife: "Not you! Not you!" My wife hangs back and I go in alone.
 
Before introducing herself, the IO immediately gives me a hard time for applying for naturalization before receiving my 10-year green card. She wants to know why I submitted the N400 without the green card in hands. Again, my brain melts, and I get more nervous. I stammer, eventually saying, "My paralegal told me to do it," which is true. Though part of me wish I had said, "I read the N400 instructions, and I read the Adjudicator's Field Manual, and I believe I followed proper procedure," which is also true, but anyway... The IO flat out says "Well, you shouldn't have done it." My inclination is to apologize, but instead I bite my tongue. During this exchange, she's making copies of some of my documents, but I can't remember which ones though. Then we go into her office.
 
(By the way, according to the Adjudicator's Field Manual, or AFM, interviews are not to be adversarial in nature. In fact, IOs should make applicants feel comfortable and welcomed. Therefore, starting with the IO screeching at my wife, I would say that she failed at this twice.)
 
In her office, she finally introduces herself and makes me swear to the tell the truth, and all that jazz. I forget the exact order of events here, but some of the expected things happened: she double checks my application, she receives all the many evidence I have, etc. Giving evidence was fairly straight forward, but she complains that I only brought my latest bank statement when I should have brought at least 3 statements, 1 for each previous year. I apologize saying I didn't know. (Later in the interview, I find copies of previous bank statements, while also explaining they had been submitted before at least 1 in 2017 for my I751 application, and 1 in 2018 for my N400 application, so I ask if she needs to take a look, but she says no, so I guess she was just playing hardball.)
 
By the way, I'm never sure if I'm doing  the combo interview or just the N400 portion since she was confrontational, so I didn't have the guts to ask. At some point, she asks a few things about my marriage. Lots of regular questions, like where we met, how long we've been together, when did we marry, etc. One answer that she didn't like is when I told her that my wife and I didn't want kids. The IO's 1950s brain explodes and tells me, "I can't tell if your marriage is truthful since one of the reasons people get married is to reproduce." I want to remind her that we live in 2019, but instead I bite my tongue and just nod.
 
Then at some point she prints out a questionnaire -- a paper form with three sheets and maybe 10-15 questions or so. She prints two copies of this and explains that my wife will answer the second copy, so the IO goes outside to hand my wife the questions. I was confused because I had never read anything about a questionnaire like this for what I start to suspect is the I751 interview. This is a questionnaire that is customized per case. I know this because the first version I received had lots of questions about Texas, but then she replaced those with questions about marriage and babies (to make sure wife and I are on the same page). Normally, I wouldn't complain about the questionnaire, except, since it's been edited live, it leaves room for confusing language and actually, many English mistakes. For instance, the question "Who attended your wedding?" I answered that with a list of names of our friends. But my wife answered saying, "Our parents didn't attend because [reasons]" (we only found this out later when we discussed the interview). Anyway, that was a little discrepancy that made us nervous, when ideally the IO would ask questions verbally, so she can clarify what she's actually looking for. 
 
We also take care of the N400 Civic questions, which honestly is the easiest part of this whole process. I ace everything and we move on.
 
At some point, she also asked about affiliation with Nazi and German groups, which many hours later dawns on me, this is a question from one of the applications. So after opening a few documents at home, I realize this is from I751 form... which is the only evidence I have that I had a combo interview since the IO never clearly stated it.
 
Another little something that I didn't expect was when she requested to see my I-20, which is a document for international F-1 students. In my case, they go all the way back to 2006. Luckily, I had brought them with me, but I really wasn't expecting she would need them. So she asks to see them and make copies. I have four I-20 documents, but the most recent of which did not have a USCIS stamp like the others. She asks why, and I pull a story out of my rear-end saying I decided not to travel that year.... because honestly I thought it was the truth. (A week later I found that in August 2012 there was a USCIS policy memorandum telling agents to stop stamping the I-20s, so that's why. Go figure. Her own agency's doing.)
 
At some point, I go wait outside, while the IO interviews my wife.  One of the questions that rubbed my wife wrong is when the IO asked about what my wife's parents thought about her marrying a Brazilian. I'm not sure if the IO crossed a line, but her tone upset my wife.The IO also grills my wife about not wanting kids. (BTW, my wife and I were never in the room together with the IO. She interviewed each one of us separately.) 
 
So there you have... a roller coaster ride through the USCIS amusement park that made me and my wife nervous and nauseous but turned out to be fine. Honestly, I went home expecting to receive an RFE. In my worst moments while waiting, I would imagine myself going to immigration court and debating with the judge. In retrospect, these were silly thoughts, but the mind is known to do silly things under pressure.
 
If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask. Please quote at least a portion of this post so I can receive a notification.
 
This forum has been tremendously helpful through this whole process. What an awesome community indeed! I will check in every so often, but I suspect my experiences will soon become outdated, and then they will become irrelevant. But at least here is it, on the record, for history.
 
"Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish ladies /
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain"
 
L&S

Hi all, today I became a US citizen. In fact, I just arrived from the Oath Ceremony. But I'm not here for the "congratulations". Instead, in the spirit of the thread for the I751/N400 combo process, I wanted to share my interview experience, which actually happened last month. Honestly, a lot of it was disturbing, some of it almost dystopian... In fact, my wife and I left the interview angry and annoyed. But lo and behold, a month later, we received approval notices, plus the green card. So here's what happened...
 
First off, our N400 interview appointment noticed made no mention of I751, which I understand is standard. Nevertheless, thanks to this forum, it was clear to me that bringing my wife was a good idea, so we go together. We were scheduled at 3:15pm. But we arrive there very early at 2:30pm. I approach the front desk and report to the lady, "I'm here early." She takes a look at my notice and says, "Yes, you are. Come back at 2:45, so I can check you in". I said "okay, thanks" and take a seat at one of the chairs in a waiting area that is half full of applicants (about 20 people waiting). So I pull out my cell phone to play a game with my wife (to ease our nerves while waiting). But a short 5 minutes later, an IO comes out and calls my name. My mind melts (%$#&! we didn't even check in!). My wife and I scramble to get up, putting our belongings away. Both of us proceed toward the IO when she starts shouting at my wife: "Not you! Not you!" My wife hangs back and I go in alone.
 
Before introducing herself, the IO immediately gives me a hard time for applying for naturalization before receiving my 10-year green card. She wants to know why I submitted the N400 without the green card in hands. Again, my brain melts, and I get more nervous. I stammer, eventually saying, "My paralegal told me to do it," which is true. Though part of me wish I had said, "I read the N400 instructions, and I read the Adjudicator's Field Manual, and I believe I followed proper procedure," which is also true, but anyway... The IO flat out says "Well, you shouldn't have done it." My inclination is to apologize, but instead I bite my tongue. During this exchange, she's making copies of some of my documents, but I can't remember which ones though. Then we go into her office.
 
(By the way, according to the Adjudicator's Field Manual, or AFM, interviews are not to be adversarial in nature. In fact, IOs should make applicants feel comfortable and welcomed. Therefore, starting with the IO screeching at my wife, I would say that she failed at this twice.)
 
In her office, she finally introduces herself and makes me swear to the tell the truth, and all that jazz. I forget the exact order of events here, but some of the expected things happened: she double checks my application, she receives all the many evidence I have, etc. Giving evidence was fairly straight forward, but she complains that I only brought my latest bank statement when I should have brought at least 3 statements, 1 for each previous year. I apologize saying I didn't know. (Later in the interview, I find copies of previous bank statements, while also explaining they had been submitted before at least 1 in 2017 for my I751 application, and 1 in 2018 for my N400 application, so I ask if she needs to take a look, but she says no, so I guess she was just playing hardball.)
 
By the way, I'm never sure if I'm doing  the combo interview or just the N400 portion since she was confrontational, so I didn't have the guts to ask. At some point, she asks a few things about my marriage. Lots of regular questions, like where we met, how long we've been together, when did we marry, etc. One answer that she didn't like is when I told her that my wife and I didn't want kids. The IO's 1950s brain explodes and tells me, "I can't tell if your marriage is truthful since one of the reasons people get married is to reproduce." I want to remind her that we live in 2019, but instead I bite my tongue and just nod.
 
Then at some point she prints out a questionnaire -- a paper form with three sheets and maybe 10-15 questions or so. She prints two copies of this and explains that my wife will answer the second copy, so the IO goes outside to hand my wife the questions. I was confused because I had never read anything about a questionnaire like this for what I start to suspect is the I751 interview. This is a questionnaire that is customized per case. I know this because the first version I received had lots of questions about Texas, but then she replaced those with questions about marriage and babies (to make sure wife and I are on the same page). Normally, I wouldn't complain about the questionnaire, except, since it's been edited live, it leaves room for confusing language and actually, many English mistakes. For instance, the question "Who attended your wedding?" I answered that with a list of names of our friends. But my wife answered saying, "Our parents didn't attend because [reasons]" (we only found this out later when we discussed the interview). Anyway, that was a little discrepancy that made us nervous, when ideally the IO would ask questions verbally, so she can clarify what she's actually looking for. 
 
We also take care of the N400 Civic questions, which honestly is the easiest part of this whole process. I ace everything and we move on.
 
At some point, she also asked about affiliation with Nazi and German groups, which many hours later dawns on me, this is a question from one of the applications. So after opening a few documents at home, I realize this is from I751 form... which is the only evidence I have that I had a combo interview since the IO never clearly stated it.
 
Another little something that I didn't expect was when she requested to see my I-20, which is a document for international F-1 students. In my case, they go all the way back to 2006. Luckily, I had brought them with me, but I really wasn't expecting she would need them. So she asks to see them and make copies. I have four I-20 documents, but the most recent of which did not have a USCIS stamp like the others. She asks why, and I pull a story out of my rear-end saying I decided not to travel that year.... because honestly I thought it was the truth. (A week later I found that in August 2012 there was a USCIS policy memorandum telling agents to stop stamping the I-20s, so that's why. Go figure. Her own agency's doing.)
 
At some point, I go wait outside, while the IO interviews my wife.  One of the questions that rubbed my wife wrong is when the IO asked about what my wife's parents thought about her marrying a Brazilian. I'm not sure if the IO crossed a line, but her tone upset my wife.The IO also grills my wife about not wanting kids. (BTW, my wife and I were never in the room together with the IO. She interviewed each one of us separately.) 
 
So there you have... a roller coaster ride through the USCIS amusement park that made me and my wife nervous and nauseous but turned out to be fine. Honestly, I went home expecting to receive an RFE. In my worst moments while waiting, I would imagine myself going to immigration court and debating with the judge. In retrospect, these were silly thoughts, but the mind is known to do silly things under pressure.
 
If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask. Please quote at least a portion of this post so I can receive a notification.
 
This forum has been tremendously helpful through this whole process. What an awesome community indeed! I will check in every so often, but I suspect my experiences will soon become outdated, and then they will become irrelevant. But at least here is it, on the record, for history.
 
"Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish ladies /
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain"
 
L&S

Good luck at your interview and please let us know how it went! 

Hi all, today I became a US citizen. In fact, I just arrived from the Oath Ceremony. But I'm not here for the "congratulations". Instead, in the spirit of the thread for the I751/N400 combo process, I wanted to share my interview experience, which actually happened last month. Honestly, a lot of it was disturbing, some of it almost dystopian... In fact, my wife and I left the interview angry and annoyed. But lo and behold, a month later, we received approval notices, plus the green card. So here's what happened...
 
First off, our N400 interview appointment noticed made no mention of I751, which I understand is standard. Nevertheless, thanks to this forum, it was clear to me that bringing my wife was a good idea, so we go together. We were scheduled at 3:15pm. But we arrive there very early at 2:30pm. I approach the front desk and report to the lady, "I'm here early." She takes a look at my notice and says, "Yes, you are. Come back at 2:45, so I can check you in". I said "okay, thanks" and take a seat at one of the chairs in a waiting area that is half full of applicants (about 20 people waiting). So I pull out my cell phone to play a game with my wife (to ease our nerves while waiting). But a short 5 minutes later, an IO comes out and calls my name. My mind melts (%$#&! we didn't even check in!). My wife and I scramble to get up, putting our belongings away. Both of us proceed toward the IO when she starts shouting at my wife: "Not you! Not you!" My wife hangs back and I go in alone.
 
Before introducing herself, the IO immediately gives me a hard time for applying for naturalization before receiving my 10-year green card. She wants to know why I submitted the N400 without the green card in hands. Again, my brain melts, and I get more nervous. I stammer, eventually saying, "My paralegal told me to do it," which is true. Though part of me wish I had said, "I read the N400 instructions, and I read the Adjudicator's Field Manual, and I believe I followed proper procedure," which is also true, but anyway... The IO flat out says "Well, you shouldn't have done it." My inclination is to apologize, but instead I bite my tongue. During this exchange, she's making copies of some of my documents, but I can't remember which ones though. Then we go into her office.
 
(By the way, according to the Adjudicator's Field Manual, or AFM, interviews are not to be adversarial in nature. In fact, IOs should make applicants feel comfortable and welcomed. Therefore, starting with the IO screeching at my wife, I would say that she failed at this twice.)
 
In her office, she finally introduces herself and makes me swear to the tell the truth, and all that jazz. I forget the exact order of events here, but some of the expected things happened: she double checks my application, she receives all the many evidence I have, etc. Giving evidence was fairly straight forward, but she complains that I only brought my latest bank statement when I should have brought at least 3 statements, 1 for each previous year. I apologize saying I didn't know. (Later in the interview, I find copies of previous bank statements, while also explaining they had been submitted before at least 1 in 2017 for my I751 application, and 1 in 2018 for my N400 application, so I ask if she needs to take a look, but she says no, so I guess she was just playing hardball.)
 
By the way, I'm never sure if I'm doing  the combo interview or just the N400 portion since she was confrontational, so I didn't have the guts to ask. At some point, she asks a few things about my marriage. Lots of regular questions, like where we met, how long we've been together, when did we marry, etc. One answer that she didn't like is when I told her that my wife and I didn't want kids. The IO's 1950s brain explodes and tells me, "I can't tell if your marriage is truthful since one of the reasons people get married is to reproduce." I want to remind her that we live in 2019, but instead I bite my tongue and just nod.
 
Then at some point she prints out a questionnaire -- a paper form with three sheets and maybe 10-15 questions or so. She prints two copies of this and explains that my wife will answer the second copy, so the IO goes outside to hand my wife the questions. I was confused because I had never read anything about a questionnaire like this for what I start to suspect is the I751 interview. This is a questionnaire that is customized per case. I know this because the first version I received had lots of questions about Texas, but then she replaced those with questions about marriage and babies (to make sure wife and I are on the same page). Normally, I wouldn't complain about the questionnaire, except, since it's been edited live, it leaves room for confusing language and actually, many English mistakes. For instance, the question "Who attended your wedding?" I answered that with a list of names of our friends. But my wife answered saying, "Our parents didn't attend because [reasons]" (we only found this out later when we discussed the interview). Anyway, that was a little discrepancy that made us nervous, when ideally the IO would ask questions verbally, so she can clarify what she's actually looking for. 
 
We also take care of the N400 Civic questions, which honestly is the easiest part of this whole process. I ace everything and we move on.
 
At some point, she also asked about affiliation with Nazi and German groups, which many hours later dawns on me, this is a question from one of the applications. So after opening a few documents at home, I realize this is from I751 form... which is the only evidence I have that I had a combo interview since the IO never clearly stated it.
 
Another little something that I didn't expect was when she requested to see my I-20, which is a document for international F-1 students. In my case, they go all the way back to 2006. Luckily, I had brought them with me, but I really wasn't expecting she would need them. So she asks to see them and make copies. I have four I-20 documents, but the most recent of which did not have a USCIS stamp like the others. She asks why, and I pull a story out of my rear-end saying I decided not to travel that year.... because honestly I thought it was the truth. (A week later I found that in August 2012 there was a USCIS policy memorandum telling agents to stop stamping the I-20s, so that's why. Go figure. Her own agency's doing.)
 
At some point, I go wait outside, while the IO interviews my wife.  One of the questions that rubbed my wife wrong is when the IO asked about what my wife's parents thought about her marrying a Brazilian. I'm not sure if the IO crossed a line, but her tone upset my wife.The IO also grills my wife about not wanting kids. (BTW, my wife and I were never in the room together with the IO. She interviewed each one of us separately.) 
 
So there you have... a roller coaster ride through the USCIS amusement park that made me and my wife nervous and nauseous but turned out to be fine. Honestly, I went home expecting to receive an RFE. In my worst moments while waiting, I would imagine myself going to immigration court and debating with the judge. In retrospect, these were silly thoughts, but the mind is known to do silly things under pressure.
 
If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask. Please quote at least a portion of this post so I can receive a notification.
 
This forum has been tremendously helpful through this whole process. What an awesome community indeed! I will check in every so often, but I suspect my experiences will soon become outdated, and then they will become irrelevant. But at least here is it, on the record, for history.
 
"Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish ladies /
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain"
 
L&S

Hi all, today I became a US citizen. In fact, I just arrived from the Oath Ceremony. But I'm not here for the "congratulations". Instead, in the spirit of the thread for the I751/N400 combo process, I wanted to share my interview experience, which actually happened last month. Honestly, a lot of it was disturbing, some of it almost dystopian... In fact, my wife and I left the interview angry and annoyed. But lo and behold, a month later, we received approval notices, plus the green card. So here's what happened...
 
First off, our N400 interview appointment noticed made no mention of I751, which I understand is standard. Nevertheless, thanks to this forum, it was clear to me that bringing my wife was a good idea, so we go together. We were scheduled at 3:15pm. But we arrive there very early at 2:30pm. I approach the front desk and report to the lady, "I'm here early." She takes a look at my notice and says, "Yes, you are. Come back at 2:45, so I can check you in". I said "okay, thanks" and take a seat at one of the chairs in a waiting area that is half full of applicants (about 20 people waiting). So I pull out my cell phone to play a game with my wife (to ease our nerves while waiting). But a short 5 minutes later, an IO comes out and calls my name. My mind melts (%$#&! we didn't even check in!). My wife and I scramble to get up, putting our belongings away. Both of us proceed toward the IO when she starts shouting at my wife: "Not you! Not you!" My wife hangs back and I go in alone.
 
Before introducing herself, the IO immediately gives me a hard time for applying for naturalization before receiving my 10-year green card. She wants to know why I submitted the N400 without the green card in hands. Again, my brain melts, and I get more nervous. I stammer, eventually saying, "My paralegal told me to do it," which is true. Though part of me wish I had said, "I read the N400 instructions, and I read the Adjudicator's Field Manual, and I believe I followed proper procedure," which is also true, but anyway... The IO flat out says "Well, you shouldn't have done it." My inclination is to apologize, but instead I bite my tongue. During this exchange, she's making copies of some of my documents, but I can't remember which ones though. Then we go into her office.
 
(By the way, according to the Adjudicator's Field Manual, or AFM, interviews are not to be adversarial in nature. In fact, IOs should make applicants feel comfortable and welcomed. Therefore, starting with the IO screeching at my wife, I would say that she failed at this twice.)
 
In her office, she finally introduces herself and makes me swear to the tell the truth, and all that jazz. I forget the exact order of events here, but some of the expected things happened: she double checks my application, she receives all the many evidence I have, etc. Giving evidence was fairly straight forward, but she complains that I only brought my latest bank statement when I should have brought at least 3 statements, 1 for each previous year. I apologize saying I didn't know. (Later in the interview, I find copies of previous bank statements, while also explaining they had been submitted before at least 1 in 2017 for my I751 application, and 1 in 2018 for my N400 application, so I ask if she needs to take a look, but she says no, so I guess she was just playing hardball.)
 
By the way, I'm never sure if I'm doing  the combo interview or just the N400 portion since she was confrontational, so I didn't have the guts to ask. At some point, she asks a few things about my marriage. Lots of regular questions, like where we met, how long we've been together, when did we marry, etc. One answer that she didn't like is when I told her that my wife and I didn't want kids. The IO's 1950s brain explodes and tells me, "I can't tell if your marriage is truthful since one of the reasons people get married is to reproduce." I want to remind her that we live in 2019, but instead I bite my tongue and just nod.
 
Then at some point she prints out a questionnaire -- a paper form with three sheets and maybe 10-15 questions or so. She prints two copies of this and explains that my wife will answer the second copy, so the IO goes outside to hand my wife the questions. I was confused because I had never read anything about a questionnaire like this for what I start to suspect is the I751 interview. This is a questionnaire that is customized per case. I know this because the first version I received had lots of questions about Texas, but then she replaced those with questions about marriage and babies (to make sure wife and I are on the same page). Normally, I wouldn't complain about the questionnaire, except, since it's been edited live, it leaves room for confusing language and actually, many English mistakes. For instance, the question "Who attended your wedding?" I answered that with a list of names of our friends. But my wife answered saying, "Our parents didn't attend because [reasons]" (we only found this out later when we discussed the interview). Anyway, that was a little discrepancy that made us nervous, when ideally the IO would ask questions verbally, so she can clarify what she's actually looking for. 
 
We also take care of the N400 Civic questions, which honestly is the easiest part of this whole process. I ace everything and we move on.
 
At some point, she also asked about affiliation with Nazi and German groups, which many hours later dawns on me, this is a question from one of the applications. So after opening a few documents at home, I realize this is from I751 form... which is the only evidence I have that I had a combo interview since the IO never clearly stated it.
 
Another little something that I didn't expect was when she requested to see my I-20, which is a document for international F-1 students. In my case, they go all the way back to 2006. Luckily, I had brought them with me, but I really wasn't expecting she would need them. So she asks to see them and make copies. I have four I-20 documents, but the most recent of which did not have a USCIS stamp like the others. She asks why, and I pull a story out of my rear-end saying I decided not to travel that year.... because honestly I thought it was the truth. (A week later I found that in August 2012 there was a USCIS policy memorandum telling agents to stop stamping the I-20s, so that's why. Go figure. Her own agency's doing.)
 
At some point, I go wait outside, while the IO interviews my wife.  One of the questions that rubbed my wife wrong is when the IO asked about what my wife's parents thought about her marrying a Brazilian. I'm not sure if the IO crossed a line, but her tone upset my wife.The IO also grills my wife about not wanting kids. (BTW, my wife and I were never in the room together with the IO. She interviewed each one of us separately.) 
 
So there you have... a roller coaster ride through the USCIS amusement park that made me and my wife nervous and nauseous but turned out to be fine. Honestly, I went home expecting to receive an RFE. In my worst moments while waiting, I would imagine myself going to immigration court and debating with the judge. In retrospect, these were silly thoughts, but the mind is known to do silly things under pressure.
 
If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask. Please quote at least a portion of this post so I can receive a notification.
 
This forum has been tremendously helpful through this whole process. What an awesome community indeed! I will check in every so often, but I suspect my experiences will soon become outdated, and then they will become irrelevant. But at least here is it, on the record, for history.
 
"Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish ladies /
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain"
 
L&S

Thank you so much! She passed and I posted a review here.
 
 

Good luck at your interview and please let us know how it went! 

Does USCIS ever contact via phone calls?
 
I have the habit of ignoring any unknown numbers since I started receiving lots of scammy phone calls in the last year. If there's a chance USCIS might contact  via phone, I would like reconsider my old habit...

I did the submission online. 9 days including weekends. 😊 and yea it wasnt so bad. 

Hey tovarish, I did read your post. Thank you for sharing your experience.
 
If the same happens to me, I'll consider myself lucky 😊
But I'm just a little bit worried since other applicants have had different experiences saying that some Agents are not equipped/prepared to do both interviews together. I just want to know if there's any action I can take before the interview. Thank you again!

Thank you all. Seems like the consensus is that I'm overthinking and I should just relax and go for it. In other words, no additional action needed.
 
I will prepare for both interviews and bring all the pertinent evidence. Again, thank you everyone.

Has anyone actually sent a letter to request a combo interview?
 
I would love a template or some direction. I mean, I don't even know how to address them ("dear USCIS"?) much less what to include in the body of the paragraph... any thoughts?
 
My I-751 was filed a little over 2 years ago (still pending), and my N-400 interview is scheduled for early next month. I don't mind all the waiting, but I would hate to show up and have neither applications move forward. I am worried because I have not received any updates on my I-751 in a while... 
 
Thank you in advance!

Thank you. I had an InfoPass just the other day for the passport stamp. The way it works is that customer support will screen the call and determine if an InfoPass interview is valid. Nevertheless, I love that idea. I will do just that thank you!