Receiving that interview notice from USCIS is a momentous step in one’s immigration case. At the end of your interview, you could be on your way to permanent residence or U.S. Citizenship. It is helpful to know what to expect and how to prepare.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) interviews immigrants on several different types of applications. These include adjustment of status (also known as permanent residence or a “green card” application), U.S. naturalization, I-130 petitions for immigrant family members, and I-751 petitions to remove conditions on residence. This blog post will cover the first two applications, which are the most common reasons for a USCIS interview.
Prior to the interview, you will have mailed your application to USCIS, along with as much supporting evidence as possible. At our office, we always review the application instructions to understand what evidence USCIS requires, and we provide as much evidence as is available at the time we file the application. In most cases, you will have already attended a short “biometrics” appointment at a USCIS Application Support Center, at which USCIS takes your fingerprints and photograph. USCIS will typically provide about a month’s notice of your upcoming interview.
Preparation for the Interview
When you receive your interview notice, pay close attention to the date, time and location of the interview. In the Boston area, for example, there are two USCIS Field Offices that conduct interviews, in Boston and Lawrence. You will want to make sure that you attend your interview at the correct office.
For permanent residence applicants, you will want to be sure that you submitted all of the required supporting evidence to USCIS, and if you did not, you should gather it now, make copies, and be prepared to provide those copies to USCIS. If you have not already completed and submitted your I-693 medical exam, you should get that scheduled right away, and be ready to bring the exam results to your interview.
If you need an interpreter, you should arrange for that right away. Applicants are required to provide their own interpreter; this is not something that USCIS provides. An interpreter must not be connected to your immigration case; for example, if you’re applying for permanent residence through your marriage, your spouse cannot be your interpreter. The ideal scenario is to hire a professional and experienced interpreter to come with you to your interview. During COVID-19 protocols, the interpreter should appear by phone.
For citizenship applicants, you will want to practice the civics test questions that you will be asked at your interview. USCIS picks from a list of 100 questions. You must get 6 out of 10 questions correct to pass. The list of questions is available on the USCIS website.
In most cases, a citizenship applicant will not be allowed to use an interpreter. There are exceptions for people with disabilities, for people who are at least 50 years old and have had permanent residence for at least 20 years, and for people who are at least 55 years old and have had permanent residence for 15 years.
To prepare for the interview, you should review all of the questions on the forms that you sent to USCIS. The officer will go through these questions with you, so you should be familiar with them. The forms contain pages and pages of questions about your history. If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you should consult with an immigration attorney about the impact this may have on your application and your immigration status.
If you need to update your answers to any of the questions on the forms (for example, changes in address, job or travel history), you should type up and print your answers on a page that you can present to the officer at the beginning of your interview. If you have changed your address since the time you filed your application, you should notify USCIS of this immediately, using their electronic system.
You should bring your original documents to your interview, including your passport, immigration documents, birth certificate, marriage certificate, and divorce decrees (if applicable). Depending on your individual case, there may be other original documents that you should bring with you to your interview.
What if I need to reschedule?
If the interview is scheduled on a day that you just cannot attend, it is possible to request rescheduling. Acceptable reasons to reschedule include medical or health reasons, pre-planned travel, or urgent work or family obligations that cannot be rescheduled. A request to reschedule your interview could delay your case, so you should only reschedule if you absolutely must. In most cases, the delay will usually only involve a few weeks, but sometimes it is much longer.
At the current time, the only way to reschedule an interview is by calling the USCIS Contact Center at (800) 375-5283. In addition to calling the Contact Center, it is also a good idea to send a letter to the local USCIS office, confirming that you have requested rescheduling through the Contact Center.
If, on the day of your interview, you are sick, you should make every effort to call the Contact Center to reschedule. If you are not able to call, due to serious illness or hospitalization, you should call as soon as you’re able, and also send a letter to the local USCIS office, explaining your absence at your interview. Do not go to your USCIS interview if you are sick.
On your interview day
On the day of your interview, you should plan to be at the USCIS office at least 20 minutes before your interview. You should dress as if you’re attending a job interview or other important function. Although these interviews are often short, you should plan to spend two to three hours at the USCIS office. Thus, you should make arrangements with your job and your childcare provider for this. To enter the USCIS office, you will be required to pass through a security detector. During COVID-19, you will be asked questions about your out-of-state travel, as well as any COVID symptoms or exposure. You are required to wear a face mask at all times, and it is recommended that you also carry anti-bacterial gel and your own pen with you.
After arriving and passing through security, you should check in at the USCIS office by presenting your interview letter to the officer at the front desk. The officer will scan and stamp your interview notice, make a notation in their computer system that you are present, and they may also issue you a number that the USCIS officer will use to call you when it is your turn to be interviewed.
After a wait that could be anywhere from 5 minutes to over an hour, an officer will call you into a smaller, more private office to conduct your interview. (If you are waiting more than 30 minutes at USCIS, you can politely inquire at the front desk regarding the delay). Once in the office, the USCIS officer will ask you to remain standing and will place you under oath. After administering the oath, the officer will ask to see your passport, permanent resident card (if applicable), and other identification, if available. Usually, the officer will take your fingerprint and photo, using portable equipment on their desk. Your immigration file may be a paper file or a digital file. The officer will have the file on their desk or in their computer, and will review it during the interview.
Citizenship Interviews
For citizenship interviews, you will be expected to attend the interview alone, unless you qualify for an interpreter, as discussed above. After the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, it is possible that USCIS will change the format of this interview and split it up into two or three sections. If this were to happen, parts of the interview would occur in the waiting room at a counter, and at least one part of the interview would be conducted in a private room. However, as of the date of this post, the full interview is conducted at one time in one private office.
During the first part of the interview, the officer will ask you the civics questions, and will also ask you to read and write in English, using an electronic tablet.
If you pass these tests, the officer will then go through your citizenship application with you, repeating many of the questions that you answered when you filled out the form. If there are corrections, the officer will note those in their computer, and at the end of the interview, they will ask you to approve of their corrections.
At the end of the interview, the officer will ask you to sign a statement that you understand and agree to the oath of allegiance, that all of the biographical information on your expected naturalization certificate is correct, and that you approve of edits and additions to your citizenship application. This is typically done on the same electronic tablet that is also used for your English test.
If the officer recommends approval of your application, they will notify you of this and provide you with a written decision. During COVID, USCIS will often conduct same-day oath ceremonies. If they are not conducting a same-day oath ceremony, they will either provide you with a notice of the date and time of your oath ceremony, or they will mail that to you later.
If the officer needs to review your file further, they will give you a written notice of this, and then you must wait to hear from USCIS about your case. If you do not pass the English or civics test, you will be called back after 60 days to take these tests again.
Adjustment of Status Interviews
For adjustment interviews based on a family petition, your petitioner must appear at the interview with you. If you are adjusting status based on marriage, you should know that USCIS in Massachusetts typically interviews each spouse separately about their relationship. (Other USCIS offices have varying policies regarding separation of spouses). The officer will ask specific questions about your relationship and your life together, and will compare the answers between you and your spouse to ensure that the answers match reasonably well.
The officer will also go through your adjustment application with you, repeating many of the questions that you answered when you filled out the form. If there are corrections, the officer will note those in their computer, and at the end of the interview, they will ask you to approve of their corrections. The officer may also ask to see your original documents, even if you provided copies when you filed your immigration forms.
If you have additional supporting evidence, you can provide it to the officer either at the beginning or end of the interview. Many officers will ask you if you have any additional evidence to provide. For marriage-based adjustment cases, it is a good idea to bring additional evidence that your marriage was in good faith.
At the end of the interview, the officer will ask you to sign a statement attesting that your application is true and correct, and approving of any edits or changes to the application. It is common for the officer not to inform you of their decision in your case at the time of the interview. Often, they need to review your file further before making a decision. Some officers will let you know if they plan to recommend approval of your case, and you can certainly ask the officer at the end of the interview about how they are inclined to decide your case. If the officer seems to have reservations about your case, you should ask for more information, as there may be documents or an explanation that you can provide that will help them in making their decision.
If the officer approves your application, you will typically receive your green card around 10 days after the interview. If you sign up for e-mail case updates on the USCIS website, you will get an e-mail when your card has been mailed, with U.S. Post Office tracking information.
If the officer needs to review your file further, you will wait to hear from USCIS about your case at a later date. Sometimes the officer needs additional documents or information from you, and will issue you a Request for Evidence, explaining what is needed and the deadline for providing it. Responding to a Request for Evidence is critical to the success of your case and you should take the filing deadline very seriously.
What if my case is denied?
If your application is denied, USCIS should provide you with a written notice that explains the reasons for this. In some cases, you can appeal the decision, but you will have a very short window of time to make that appeal. You should read correspondence from USCIS very carefully to understand your obligations and deadlines.
What if my case is approved?
If your case is approved, congratulations! Be sure to make copies of your green card or naturalization certificate, in case you need to replace these documents in the future.
The above is not legal advice and should not be acted upon as such. USCIS applications can be complicated, and carry serious consequences. We recommend consultation with counsel prior to proceeding.