N400 Interview Experience at Minneapolis Field Office & Same Day Oath

[Bsze 50]

Sharing my N400 experience at the Minneapolis field office, since there's not a lot of information out there for MN and ND residents. Be warned, this will be long and hopefully, detailed. 

 

Background info: I applied online July 2017, and completed my biometrics appointment in Fargo August 2017. The system autogenerated an interview date for me with the Fargo office, but that interview was descheduled the next day. 

 

My interview was on 2/20/2018 at the Minneapolis field office on Marquette Ave. I got to the main building at 9:20 and took the elevator up to the 7th floor. There were about a dozen people in line to go through security, but they moved us through quickly. They asked to see everyone's appointment letter. If you didn't have one, you were asked to step out of line and to make an INFOPASS appointment or to wait for an actual appointment letter. Many people brought several family members. After security, I checked in and was given a number (P28). There were other numbers starting with Ks and Ds. Ds were called up to 1 of 5 counters on the right side of the lobby, Ps and Ks were called to a secure door to the left of the counters. My number was called right at 9:45am, and I was led through the secure door and to the back officers by my IO, J. Suarez. He was warm and friendly, and we made small talk through the hallways. Before I even sat down in his office, he said that "when" I passed the interview today, that they would do my oath ceremony today. He said that I would become a US citizen today.

 

First, he asked me to sign a couple of things (acknowledging I am who I say I am) and to confirm my address. Then, we moved onto the English portion and that took less than a couple of minutes. Next, was the Civics portion. He told me that it would be very easy, and that once I got 6 right, that we would be done

 

The questions asked were:

1. What is the name of the national anthem?

2. How old do you have to be to vote?

3. What is the Rule of Law? (I stuttered here a little bit, because I couldn't decide which answer to give. He assured me again that I could do it, that it was very easy) 

4. Which ocean is on the West Coast?

5. What happened on 9/11?

6. Why are there 13 stripes on the flag?

 

Once we were done, he congratulated me and said that he would print out my oath ceremony letter right now. He said that they were doing in-house ceremonies now, and that they do them throughout the day. The next one would be in the next hour, and he led me back out to the lobby to wait.

 

After half an hour of waiting, another IO came out to talk to me. She told me that they made a mistake. As a MN resident, I'm not eligible to take the in-house administrative oath, that only ND residents were allowed to do so. As a MN resident, I had to take my oath before an actual judge. I was a little confused as to why they didn't catch this before, since I had to confirm my address with the previous IO. It sounded like these in-house oaths were a new development, and that there were other MN residents that interviewed today that they also had to inform. She apologized repeatedly for the mistake and said they called the courthouse and arranged for a ceremony to take place later today, but that it would be in St Paul. She said that the Judge who would be doing it is the sweetest guy ever and that he's really nice. I told her I didn't mind because I didn't have anywhere to be anyways, and it sounded like there would only be a few of us at this ceremony so it seemed like it would be more intimate. She thanked me for understanding and said she would be back with information on where and when the new ceremony would take place.

 

15 minutes later, another IO showed up and gave me my new oath ceremony letter. He, too, apologized for the inconvenience and explained that the others couldn't make the later time today so I would be doing this oath by myself with the Judge in his chambers. That was kinda exciting and nerve wracking... On my way out, I ran into the female IO again and she apologized once more for the mix up. I think being so close to Canada has rubbed off on us MN folk. 

 

Anyways, my oath ceremony was now at Robert St in St. Paul at 3:00pm. When I got there, the security officers thought I had the wrong place or time. I explained that I had a letter and that I was supposed to see the Judge. They let me through and told me to go talk to the court clerk. She then took my green cards (conditional, and 10 year), saying I wouldn't need them anymore. I was hoping to at least keep the conditional one as a souvenir. Oh well. 

 

The Judge's assistant came to get me and led me to his chambers. He came out to meet me right away and the IO was right.... He's such a sweet guy! He showed me pictures of his family - he has 3 adopted daughters who went through the naturalization process themselves. He told me stories of people he did the ceremony with - from a Somalian soldier going to serve in Iraq, to a Russian wrestler representing the US in the Olympics, to an Iranian man dying of cancer. The Judge said that he's done ceremonies in hospices, hospitals and even private homes for people too sick to travel. He also shed some light on the administrative oaths and the difference between MN and ND residents. The explanation is that the ND courts have given the USCIS the authority to perform these administrative oaths because they are very busy and don't want to take the time to do so. He said that the MN courts have not done so even though they are the busier court of the two, hence why MN residents have to take the judicial oath. (By the way, I also learned that if you are changing your name, even as a ND resident, you would then have to do a judicial oath because only judges can approve name changes.) He said he understood the reasoning behind the ND court's decision, but felt that new citizens deserved the time and respect of the court to perform the oath at the very least. He joked that as a Judge, most of the people he meets aren't very happy to be standing before him, and that oath ceremonies are the only time that people actually want to be in court.

 

We also talked a little about immigration issues in the current political climate and he shared a few more personal stories. He said his favorite part of doing the oaths was to hear people's stories and to ask them questions about their lives. He said that America's strength is in her people and that immigrants are what makes this country strong. He said that there's value in every culture, language and tradition - even in the little things such as children's songs and recipes. Of course, no country is perfect, but we both agreed that sometimes people born in the US forget how good they have it. I really got the sense that even though he has performed so many oath ceremonies, some with over a thousand people, that each one was very special to him.

 

Anyways, I'm very grateful that I was able to spend time with him and his assistant, and to hear his thoughts, opinions and experiences. It was a very humbling experience - I wish everyone could have the same experience as I did. So, thank you Judge Frank and Becky for making my oath ceremony that much more special.

 

Thanks to all who have given me advice and support since starting this journey with the K1 visa, and good luck to all still waiting!

 

[PositiveThinker 40]

13 minutes ago, Bsze said:

Sharing my N400 experience at the Minneapolis field office, since there's not a lot of information out there for MN and ND residents. Be warned, this will be long and hopefully, detailed. 

 

Background info: I applied online July 2017, and completed my biometrics appointment in Fargo August 2017. The system autogenerated an interview date for me with the Fargo office, but that interview was descheduled the next day. 

 

My interview was on 2/20/2018 at the Minneapolis field office on Marquette Ave. I got to the main building at 9:20 and took the elevator up to the 7th floor. There were about a dozen people in line to go through security, but they moved us through quickly. They asked to see everyone's appointment letter. If you didn't have one, you were asked to step out of line and to make an INFOPASS appointment or to wait for an actual appointment letter. Many people brought several family members. After security, I checked in and was given a number (P28). There were other numbers starting with Ks and Ds. Ds were called up to 1 of 5 counters on the right side of the lobby, Ps and Ks were called to a secure door to the left of the counters. My number was called right at 9:45am, and I was led through the secure door and to the back officers by my IO, J. Suarez. He was warm and friendly, and we made small talk through the hallways. Before I even sat down in his office, he said that "when" I passed the interview today, that they would do my oath ceremony today. He said that I would become a US citizen today.

 

First, he asked me to sign a couple of things (acknowledging I am who I say I am) and to confirm my address. Then, we moved onto the English portion and that took less than a couple of minutes. Next, was the Civics portion. He told me that it would be very easy, and that once I got 6 right, that we would be done

 

The questions asked were:

1. What is the name of the national anthem?

2. How old do you have to be to vote?

3. What is the Rule of Law? (I stuttered here a little bit, because I couldn't decide which answer to give. He assured me again that I could do it, that it was very easy) 

4. Which ocean is on the West Coast?

5. What happened on 9/11?

6. Why are there 13 stripes on the flag?

 

Once we were done, he congratulated me and said that he would print out my oath ceremony letter right now. He said that they were doing in-house ceremonies now, and that they do them throughout the day. The next one would be in the next hour, and he led me back out to the lobby to wait.

 

After half an hour of waiting, another IO came out to talk to me. She told me that they made a mistake. As a MN resident, I'm not eligible to take the in-house administrative oath, that only ND residents were allowed to do so. As a MN resident, I had to take my oath before an actual judge. I was a little confused as to why they didn't catch this before, since I had to confirm my address with the previous IO. It sounded like these in-house oaths were a new development, and that there were other MN residents that interviewed today that they also had to inform. She apologized repeatedly for the mistake and said they called the courthouse and arranged for a ceremony to take place later today, but that it would be in St Paul. She said that the Judge who would be doing it is the sweetest guy ever and that he's really nice. I told her I didn't mind because I didn't have anywhere to be anyways, and it sounded like there would only be a few of us at this ceremony so it seemed like it would be more intimate. She thanked me for understanding and said she would be back with information on where and when the new ceremony would take place.

 

15 minutes later, another IO showed up and gave me my new oath ceremony letter. He, too, apologized for the inconvenience and explained that the others couldn't make the later time today so I would be doing this oath by myself with the Judge in his chambers. That was kinda exciting and nerve wracking... On my way out, I ran into the female IO again and she apologized once more for the mix up. I think being so close to Canada has rubbed off on us MN folk. 

 

Anyways, my oath ceremony was now at Robert St in St. Paul at 3:00pm. When I got there, the security officers thought I had the wrong place or time. I explained that I had a letter and that I was supposed to see the Judge. They let me through and told me to go talk to the court clerk. She then took my green cards (conditional, and 10 year), saying I wouldn't need them anymore. I was hoping to at least keep the conditional one as a souvenir. Oh well. 

 

The Judge's assistant came to get me and led me to his chambers. He came out to meet me right away and the IO was right.... He's such a sweet guy! He showed me pictures of his family - he has 3 adopted daughters who went through the naturalization process themselves. He told me stories of people he did the ceremony with - from a Somalian soldier going to serve in Iraq, to a Russian wrestler representing the US in the Olympics, to an Iranian man dying of cancer. The Judge said that he's done ceremonies in hospices, hospitals and even private homes for people too sick to travel. He also shed some light on the administrative oaths and the difference between MN and ND residents. The explanation is that the ND courts have given the USCIS the authority to perform these administrative oaths because they are very busy and don't want to take the time to do so. He said that the MN courts have not done so even though they are the busier court of the two, hence why MN residents have to take the judicial oath. (By the way, I also learned that if you are changing your name, even as a ND resident, you would then have to do a judicial oath because only judges can approve name changes.) He said he understood the reasoning behind the ND court's decision, but felt that new citizens deserved the time and respect of the court to perform the oath at the very least. He joked that as a Judge, most of the people he meets aren't very happy to be standing before him, and that oath ceremonies are the only time that people actually want to be in court.

 

We also talked a little about immigration issues in the current political climate and he shared a few more personal stories. He said his favorite part of doing the oaths was to hear people's stories and to ask them questions about their lives. He said that America's strength is in her people and that immigrants are what makes this country strong. He said that there's value in every culture, language and tradition - even in the little things such as children's songs and recipes. Of course, no country is perfect, but we both agreed that sometimes people born in the US forget how good they have it. I really got the sense that even though he has performed so many oath ceremonies, some with over a thousand people, that each one was very special to him.

 

Anyways, I'm very grateful that I was able to spend time with him and his assistant, and to hear his thoughts, opinions and experiences. It was a very humbling experience - I wish everyone could have the same experience as I did. So, thank you Judge Frank and Becky for making my oath ceremony that much more special.

 

Thanks to all who have given me advice and support since starting this journey with the K1 visa, and good luck to all still waiting!

 

Thank you for the info.

 

 

[JoeSchmoe2017 92]

@Bsze Congratulations!

[sndj1974 1]

That was an amazing story about the Oath process and your interaction with the Judge.  Glad to see that despite the current climate in this country, there are people that believe in those things.  I'm going through the process right now and hoping my interview experience is just like yours.  Thanks for sharing.

 

 

[Hypnos 6,576]

I'm used to USCIS being a poorly-run federal agency in general, but every once in a while I'll read a story like this that reminds me there are some good people working there who will go above and beyond. There just aren't a whole heck of a lot of them. 

[Bsze 50]

41 minutes ago, Hypnos said:

I'm used to USCIS being a poorly-run federal agency in general, but every once in a while I'll read a story like this that reminds me there are some good people working there who will go above and beyond. There just aren't a whole heck of a lot of them. 

I hear you, giant faceless bureaucracy and all that. But I've been fortunate to be treated very well by the people I've come across. The officer adjudicating my K1 so many years ago mailed us a handwritten note saying "Good job! :)" along with my husband's birth certificate. The original was lost a long time ago and we went to the hospital to purchase certified copies so he/she didn't have to return it. 

[Dualie 185]

Thank you for sharing your amazing story, and congratulations! I hope I have the honor of meeting Judge Frank when my turn comes🙂

[Bsze 50]

58 minutes ago, Dualie said:

Thank you for sharing your amazing story, and congratulations! I hope I have the honor of meeting Judge Frank when my turn comes🙂

I hope so too! 

[Going through 5,668]

Congrats---very happy for you !

[jkstark 97]

I had mine at a courthouse, but with about 30 others...  The judge seemed genuinely happy to do these, and I've actually seen a video on Youtube with the same judge, and he does seem to be very happy to have happy "customers" for this one occasion.  Obviously, less banter between us and the judge, but among other things, he stated over and over that this was to be our day, and he was there only to facilitate.  You want pictures - take as many as you want.  You want pictures with the judge - he wasn't going to be going anywhere until everybody was satisfied they had as many as they wanted. 

 

Walking up to him for my certificate, he joked that I was the one to blame for the cold weather that we were having at the time (being from Finland), to which I quipped back that it must actually have been our Canadian friend there, since Finland was at the time basking in roughly 45 degree weather... 

 

A good experience, no doubt!

 

 

[Bsze 50]

22 minutes ago, jkstark said:

I had mine at a courthouse, but with about 30 others...  The judge seemed genuinely happy to do these, and I've actually seen a video on Youtube with the same judge, and he does seem to be very happy to have happy "customers" for this one occasion.  Obviously, less banter between us and the judge, but among other things, he stated over and over that this was to be our day, and he was there only to facilitate.  You want pictures - take as many as you want.  You want pictures with the judge - he wasn't going to be going anywhere until everybody was satisfied they had as many as they wanted. 

 

Walking up to him for my certificate, he joked that I was the one to blame for the cold weather that we were having at the time (being from Finland), to which I quipped back that it must actually have been our Canadian friend there, since Finland was at the time basking in roughly 45 degree weather... 

 

A good experience, no doubt!

 

 

That is an awesome experience as well! Even more amazing that your Judge stayed and took photos with everyone. I know cynics will say it's a waste of the court's time, but I feel like people like these two judges embody the true American spirit. We are all equal, and free.

 

My Judge has a favorite thing he likes to say during the ceremonies. "This country is better now than a few minutes before. We are better with you than without you."

[implife 318]

22 hours ago, sndj1974 said:

That was an amazing story about the Oath process and your interaction with the Judge.  Glad to see that despite the current climate in this country, there are people that believe in those things.  I'm going through the process right now and hoping my interview experience is just like yours.  Thanks for sharing.

 

 

I say screw the "current climate". The pendulum is going to swing to the other end to the extremes we can't even imagine. Remember the reason why you have your citizenship: vote AGAINST "GOP" at every opportunity; vote the bastards out of every public office in this country.