Burn1911

We have our interview date for May 16th... swatting hard now

Rete

And what is listed as to the correct answer to the question below"

I say it is "an addition to" the constitution There is a difference between changing something and amending something. There is only one correct answer to any of the questions.

Noorah101

Rete,

The citizenship prep test gives 100 questions, and most of them have multiple correct answers listed. You can either learn them all, or choose one answer per question (like my husband did). When the interviewer asks the question, he knows there could be 2 or 3 or 4 different answers, but you only have to give 1.

That question about "what is an amendment", gives both of those answers as correct. Either one you give would be correct. Actually, for Sadegh, the answer he chose to memorize was "a change", because that was the vocabulary word he could remember more easily.

Rene

JSL8610

I don't know if there is a specific definition in this context, but generally speaking an amendment to a text could be either.

Citing dictionary.com for instance:

a·mend·ment - an alteration of or addition to a motion, bill, constitution, etc.

clarissageo

Well, Its freak out time for me!

Interview is tomorrow at 2.30pm in Louisville, KY and I'm in overdrive wondering if i've got everything I need - I've checked and double checked, had patients at work asking me random questions from the study guide as I scheduled their appointments (I got them all right ), got my pretty grey dress ready, and hubby just pinned me down and tickled me to the point of crying to try and get me to relax!

I know on the paperwork it says that two passport pictures are 'not required, but recommended'.... and they are the only thing I don't have, so now thats what i'm obsessing over..... to get them done in the morning or not!!

Poppy girl

She asked me for mine, but I know Candy_ wy was not asked so I would just pop into Walgreens on the way

Burn1911

Good Luck.... I am sure you will sail through it!!

ian-mstm

Try to relax. Remember - at this stage of the game, they want you to be successful; they want you to become a USC.

Ian

coastieexpat

I wonder if somebody could answer a couple of questions for me ?

1. Can you leave the country during the citizenship process ? A friend told me you had to stay in the US until it was completed.

2. Do you have to fill out all the times you have left and re-entered the US ? I have been here since 1983 and I don't have the exact details for all of my flights ?

Many thanks.

BellaE

You only have to report your trips in last five years. I had to do some research between the stamps in my passport and e-tickets I had saved in my old e-mail. I think they are really looking to see if you have been out of the country for extended periods, indicating you don't really intend to live in the US. I don't know about not leaving the country -- I didn't see anything on the USCIS website about that.

Noorah101

Yes, you can leave the USA while the citizenship process is going on. Keep in mind that you should not stay out long enough to make you ineligible to become a citizen (overall time outside the USA).

Rene

coastieexpat

Many thanks to you both

ian-mstm

Yes, of course. Keep track of your trips - you'll need to account for them between the time you send in the application and have your interview. You'll also need to account for any trips outside the US from the date of your interview to the date of your Oath Ceremony.


I suggest you find a new friend.

Ian

clarissageo

Done! Passed with flying Colors

We got to Louisville over an hour early, and grabbed a bite to eat and did some last minute swotting before heading over to the Courthouse. Neither of us had ever been to Louisville and I've got to say, its a REALLY pretty city... parked right opposite the courthouse and there was LOADS of parking nearby, for the bargain price of $2.50 a day! its nearly $8 an hour in Cincinnati!

I was really impressed with the USCIS office there as well. It was decorated in red, white and blue, and had a really nice mural of some of the old presidents on one wall... there 2 people waiting when we got there, both women on their own, and a hispanic woman with her interpreter (hubby was wondering how she was going to pass when she didnt speak a lick of english, but i'd caught site of her NOA on the desk when i handed mine in and she wasn't there for that!)

Anyway.

When the officer called my name he looked a little stern and I was already a bundle of nerves. Took me to his office and told me to remain standing where I took the Oath to tell the truth. When we sat down he introduced himself and told me he would be going through my application and proceeded to confirm all the information on the first page..

Then he got to the biometric information, and looked at me with furrowed eyebrows and said 'You're 5'1?? really??'.... to which my answer was 'ummmm.... yeah, these are 4 inch heels'.... he cracked up!.. I explained to him that my husband was 6'4, so I kinda had to wear them, and he thought it was hillarious.

He also asked me where I got Married. When I told him Gatlinburg TN, he said 'good' - apparently, and most people don't know this, but if you get married outside the US, you don't legally take on your husbands name automatically. You can use it, but you should be changing it through the courts!!

From then on, it was REALLY relaxed. He went through everything on my application, was amazed that i've not been out of the country since I got here and asked 'why not'... I explained to him that there is nothing in England for me except my mom, and why spend $5000 on flights for 4 of us, plus no paid time off, when she can come over here! He said that made perfect sense and asked if I missed home etc - cue a long discussion about the social problems in both countries, education systems etc!!

He really whizzed through the application form, laughing about various things, and then got me to sign it. Then he looked at me and said 'now for the fun part... I bet you're looking forward to this huh?'

The questions he asked were

What is the name of the national anthem?
What do the 13 stripes represent on the flag?
What happened in the United states on September 11th 2001?
What is the Rule of Law?
How old do citizens have to be to vote?
What happened at the Constitutional Convention?

He wrote the answers down in red pen as I told him them, and ticked the box next to them to confirm I got the answer right. He commented that I'd obviously been practicing, because I gave the answers word perfect as they are in the study guide!! LOL

Then he told me 'You better get this part right'.... and laughed.... proceeded to give me the reading and writing test :

Reading 'How many do we have'
Writing ' We have one hundred senators'.... he spoke the answer and I wrote it down, doing the number 100 in full words.... he laughed and said I was being over-cautious lol!

Mr Super nice immigration officer then went on to tell me that as I was applying for citizenship on the basis of a marriage to a US citizen, I would need to show evidence of marital union, but that he'd looked through my file and there were no doubts about that, so he didn't need to see anything else (being member of the AR club paid off!).... I commented that my file was pretty thick and he said that they kept everything - I smiled and told him that I did too, and he laughed!.... he was SOOOO nice!

He told me that My application was approved, and that It would probably be 2-3 months before oath as they have a backlog. Apparently in KY the judges have retained the right to make people US citizens, so they are all done in courthouses and it takes a little longer.

Then he told me that mine was his best interview of the day.... that it had been straight forward and he had enjoyed it. All of his interviews had been fraud cases that day. I asked him if he got alot of those and he said that it was rife right now, because of the economy people will do anything to try and stay here, where they think the grass is greener. We spent a good 10 minutes talking about immigration fraud, and about the good old 10ft pole of the VWP..... yeah, they know all about that one, and he told me that they all keep a VERY close eye on these boards, and on Facebook as well!!

When we had done chatting, I went out to hubby and did my little victory dance, then called EVERYONE I know, posted on Facebook, and smiled all the way home!

So, once my oath is done, this Journey will finally be over. It's almost a little bit sad, but the help i've had from BE has been invaluable. I've made friends on here, some are now FB friends, and some I meet up with in Real life!.... Right from my very first post (where I now see I was bloody delusional, although some of the stuff we managed to do despite it being thought impossible), I have had honest, clear advice... I couldn't have done it without Y'ALL

Burn1911

Congratulations.............:t humbsup: what a brilliant day for you!! hope you get your oath ceremony sooner rather than later and then it will all be over for you.

Now I am crapping myself about my interview.. I did get your questions right though