livinginnyc

Wow. I'm sorry you had that experience.

OP - echoing others here, it was 'formal' (she had a job to do) but was laid back (I liken it to when I first opened a bank account here) - I was super nervous at the start, so she told me to relax and breathe and even said 'this isnt difficult', and then asked if I had a preference on how we start (I asked for the civics test first to get it out the way). She did go through my tax history - looking at transcripts and specifically proof of payment (responding to someone that asked).

Start to finish -the 'interview' was about 10 minutes long, but she had computer issues so had to retype some stuff, so we ended up talking about Below Deck and 90 Day fiance of all things while it was all re-submitted.

- Tl;DR, it's quick and by far the easiest process of USCIS.

Rete

Yup Federal Court in Manhattan which ironically I was a juror at the month before.

S Folinsky

I am now retired, but I sat in many natz interviews over four decades in practice.

The phrase “your mileage may vary” applies. It depends on the individual examiners, their immediate supervisors, or just plain luck. Also, the person skills of the applicant can influence the tenor of an interview. (The proverbial “chip on the shoulder”) There are some cases where there is a “red flag” or two present. (Have you kept in touch with your old school chum who grew up to engage in drug smuggling?; do you have the same name and date of birth of an unsavory character on law enforcement’s radar?)

Generally, my experience is that the interviews are straightforward. Also, in my experience, the examiners want you to pass.

BennyBall

HI, just a few lines to pass on as my interview experience was quite recent (10th February 2020). It was professional and lasted around twenty minutes. After the interviewer asked me to take a seat she went instantly into my naturalization questions. I had no time to threat or ponder on which of the questions would be directed at me and glad to say that my study of my pocket guide book came good !
the reading and writing was just one sentence on each therefore the most difficult thing was writing on the electronic key pad ! I was asked questions on home, work and financial situation and asked to provide two years tax returns and recent bank statements.
The interviewer spent a little time entering my information into her computer and then came the news “ congratulations, you seem to have all the required documents in order and I’ll recommend an approval “
just have your documents in order and to hand to prevent any fussing around looking for them.
Good luck, the build up to the big day is much worse than the actual event.

bullettoothtony

In my experience the tone of the interview fluctuated. It started formal, became more friendly and then turned formal again. I also had the experience where the examiners eyes were burning lasers into me while they asked the yes/no questions. I would recommend anyone to approach this interview expecting it to be professional and cold. If you then find it was friendly then you will be pleasantly surprised. On the other hand if you go into it expecting a friendly warm experience and are shocked at the cold professionalism you may (or may not) experience then you could have a more uncomfortable time.

rlolney58

Thanks Everyone for all of the great feedback!

The interview was last week Thursday.... and a VERY pleasant experience, too! And, even better, the swearing in ceremony is today, one week later!!!! Whoop Whooop!!! :-)