Immigration Attorney San Francisco

The final step to becoming a United States citizen after years of navigating and complying with the United States immigration system is the naturalization process. During this process, a USCIS officer will carry out your naturalization interview in a private office. You will know if USCIS will grant you U.S. citizenship if everything goes well. Here’s what to expect and how to make sure the interview goes well.

What Documents To Bring To The Interview

You will receive an interview notification in the mail before your citizenship interview. This notice will tell you the date, time, and place of your interview. Documents that you must take along during your naturalization test and interview include:

  • Interview appointment notice

  • Permanent resident card

  • Your driver’s license or any state-issued identification card

  • All expired and current passports and travel documents

Depending on your case, you may need to have other items with you when you appear for a naturalization interview.  

Reviewing Your N-400 Application 

Most of your interviews will involve the USCIS officer going over the documents and your written application you submitted, particularly Form N-400. Most USCIS officers will go through your application line-by-line and ask you to confirm the information. If you have made some changes in your life situation, such as a change in marital status, changes in employment, change in residential address, the birth of a child, or any new trips out of the United States, be prepared to provide the changes to the officer. Although most changes will not impact your case, some events could have an impact on your eligibility for naturalization. Contact an immigration attorney if you have had major changes that you believe could impact your eligibility for naturalization.

English Exam

You need to show your ability to speak, write and read. While these tests cause a lot of anxiety for many non-native English speakers, they are easy to pass. The USCIS officer will test your English skills in the following ways:

Speaking

You must answer questions asked by a USCIS officer during the eligibility interview on Form N-400 to test your ability to speak English.

Reading

You must read a sentence in English.

Writing

You must write a sentence in English.

Certain individuals are exempt from the English test. This includes individuals 55 years or older who have had a green card for over 15 years, individuals 50 years or older who have had a green card for more than 20 years, and individuals with specific medical issues. 

Civics Test

You must pass a civics exam. Questions are available to study before your interview. The test covers subjects that USCIS feels are essential for all U.S. citizens to know, including U.S. history and how the U.S. government functions. There are 100 possible questions, and the officer will ask up to 10 questions in English. You must answer six questions correctly to pass the U.S. civics test. 

Speak With A San Francisco Immigration Attorney

Contact Hurtubise Weber Law LLP TODAY if you have questions about the naturalization process in general. Our San Jose and San Francisco, California immigration lawyers have years of experience helping immigrants in the US to obtain United States citizenship.