Citizenship Interview done!

[acpdelhi]

Hello,

We completed citizenship interview on Aug 7th in Oakland, California office. Everything went smooth. We applied for Citizenship in the first week of April. The immigration officer went through all the sections of the application and updated the information. We answered 10 history/civics questions. We are scheduled to take a oath on Aug 22nd.

One question: I heard that our green cards will be taken away during the Oath Ceremony. Do we get any travel documents to travel outside of US? We are planning to travel to Canada in the second week of Sep. Do I need to wait till I get my password to travel outside of the US?

Thanks

[happynewyear]

Some more questions...

1. Can you please tell me specifically which questions did they ask you at Oakland office. Were you able to answer all of them? Me an my spouse are due for interview soon. How did they select the questions? Did they read them from a computer screen or ask you to read them from a document.
2. Did they ask you for paid receipts of any traffic violation tickets?
3. Which documents do you recommend we carry with us for the interview? Tax Returns, Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificate, etc. And since me and my spouse have interview on the same day, does one have to carry the photo copies of the documents?
4. Did they tell you the oath date on the day of the interview or did you receive a letter?
5. Any other expert tips including parking problems, how much wait (were you called in for the interview at the time specified in the letter?), traffic jams at I-880, etc.
6. Is there any tel number we can reach you at? We live in Fremont.

[acpdelhi]

responses to your questions

hi,

Here are the responses to your questions:

1. My wife and I got different questions. The immigration officer gave me a sheet containing 10 questions and asked me to read the question out loud and answer it. I was asked to stop after 6th or 7th question but my wife answered all the 10 questions. Don't worry too much about the questions. They are all easy to remember anyway. The officer asked me to write a sentence in English.

2. They didn't ask me about traffic violations. I don't have any traffic violations.

3. I carried only the documents that were mentioned in the interview letter - passport and green card. They asked for driving license also. The officer asked me whether we paid joint tax returns and I said yes. I didn't carry tax returns or copies of any other documents.

4. Yes, the officer asked me whether Aug 22nd was OK with me and I said yes. Same thing happened with my wife too.

5. My interview was at 8:45 AM and I reached there at 8:30 AM. We were called in at about 9 AM. There are couple of parking garages close by (behind the building). There is a plenty of roadside metered parking (2 hr max). We parked on the road. Just go around the building once and you will find parking. We were done by 9:30 AM.

Post your questions here so that everyone can benefit from the responses.

[acpdelhi]

Does anyone know whether it is OK to travel to Canada after Oath Ceremony? I heard the naturalization certificate will be given at Oath Ceremony.

Thanks

[vshukla]

Certificate

One of my colleagues got her Certificate at the oath ceremony in Philly.

[acpdelhi]

We completed Oath Ceremony today and received naturalization certificate. Finally, became a US citizen.

[acpdelhi]

I found an answer to my question - "Can someone travel to Canada with naturalization certificate (without US passport)?"

The response from Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles is posted below:

U.S. CITIZENS OR PERMANENT RESIDENTS: If you are either a United States
citizen or a Permanent Resident of the United States, you do not require a passport or visa to enter Canada. Please make sure you carry identification to establish your citizenship such as an original Birth Certificate or the Naturalization Certificate (if you are a naturalized U.S. citizen), or U.S. passport, valid Voters Registration Card, U.S. Military Discharge papers AND at least one picture I.D. card, i.e. current Driver's License or State I.D. card. Permanent residents of the United States MUST bring their valid and current Alien Registration Card/Green Card or valid I-551 endorsement in their passport as proof of permanent resident status. Permanent residents of the United States DO NOT require a visa to enter Canada.

Although it is rare, Immigration Officials may prevent the entry of
visitors:

who appear to pose a health risk to Canadian public; whom they doubt will be able to support themselves and their dependants while visiting Canada; whose willingness and means to return to the United States is in doubt.

Those admissible to Canada must not have a criminal record. (This includes convictions for driving while intoxicated.) If you have been convicted of an offence, you may be Criminally Inadmissible.