Our Naturalization Experience
Since Girl is married to Guy (a U.S. citizen) Girl met the 3-year rule to apply for naturalization. After our experience during the Green Card and Removal of Conditions (ROC) process, we decided to file Form N-400 - Application for Naturalization ourselves rather than using another service. We came to this decision based on the following:
We could file it online, rather than via paper,
The questions were all straight-forward and we didn’t see anything confusing on the N-400, and
We’d already proven the legitimacy of our relationship once. And in the time since then, we’d had 2 children and purchased a new home together. So, “proving ourselves” was of zero concern to us this time.
The form itself was uneventful - nothing that took much work / digging into. Once we filed, we received our Notice of Receipt a short-time later along with the biometrics reuse. Once that was received it was simply a waiting game for our interview to get scheduled. It was a surprisingly quick turnaround - our interview scheduling notice was received less than 2 months after our filing.
Our interview was scheduled for August 5, 2025 at 12:45pm.
As mentioned in the ROC discussion, there wasn’t any activity on this case related to making a decision. Therefore, since the ROC case was open, and our naturalization interview had been scheduled, the USCIS agent handling our naturalization interview would also be charged with making a decision on the ROC case. Since both cases were open, the naturalization cannot be approved until the ROC is also approved. So the ROC case would be done first, and then the naturalization case. This was not evident just by reading the interview scheduling notice. Instead, this was known about because Girl did an unthinkable amount of research and reading about this process (website, forums, message boards, Facebook groups, etc.).
Since the ROC would be done first, Guy was required to attend the interview as well.
During the time between the date we got the interview scheduling notice and the interview itself, Girl studied her ass off for weeks memorizing the answers to 100 questions and practicing writing. For the civics test, you have to answer 6 of 10 questions correctly. There is also a reading and writing portion.
Interview day arrived, we got the kids settled with their babysitter, and we got there about 30 minutes before our scheduled time. We will never be able to prove it, but we think someone screwed up. We arrived and checked in around 12:15. Our scheduled time came and went, but its USCIS - of course they run a little late. Next thing we know, it was after 2:00pm and we’re still sitting there waiting. We went back to the front check-in desk twice to make sure we were checked in - yes, both times. And this is USCIS…you can’t exactly complain about the service, especially when you waiting on them to make one of the most consequential decisions of your lives. At this point, the field office boss (it seemed to be) came out to the waiting room and ask if anyone was still waiting that had a 12:45pm appointment - we raised our hands; we were the only ones. He took our scheduling notice into the back, and about 10 minutes later, a USCIS agent called us. The interview was about to begin.
At certain times, the USCIS agent was exactly like described in the green card experience; at other times, it was like she felt for us having seemingly been “forgotten about” in the waiting room. I’ll explain both experiences. She initially made an excuse explaining that the delay was because both the ROC case and the naturalization case were being done together and that “takes time” - sure…ok. She quickly asked some questions of both of us, reviewed evidence of relationship, and reviewed our case on the computer. This is when things changed in a very strange way.
We got into her office about 2:15. Along the way, she mentioned that they “close up shop” in the ceremony room at 2:30 each day, and that she was going to try to get it done for us so we could make the cut off that day. WHAT?! SERIOUSLY?! Was getting forgotten about and stranded in the waiting room somehow a stroke of luck? We couldn’t believe it. The agent flew through her stuff, but in her haste in trying to approve and close our ROC case, something went wrong on her computer. We think she missed a step along the way or answered something wrong, and the computer system would not let her approved the ROC case. She called IT and they were looking into it. But we were still on the clock.
In the meantime, she moved over the the naturalization case. She explained she couldn’t approve the naturalization case until the ROC was fixed, but we could get through what we could in the hopes of making the 2:30 deadline. The agent asked the basic questions and Girl did the reading, writing, and civics tests (which ended after 6 questions since she got them all right). And it was over. It was 2:32. We missed the cut off.
The agent went back to the ROC case, and still wasn’t able to close it out. She told us both our cases would be approved, but that unfortunately, we’d have to wait for the ceremony scheduling notice in the mail. We would not be getting it all done same-day.
It was barely an interview - honestly once she heard and saw evidence we had 2 kids and just bought a new house I think having to prove ourselves was no longer necessary. As noted in our Green card experience - I think they know almost immediately it you’re in a legitimate relationship.
Then, as we were about to wrap up, the agent said she had an idea. She was going to ask her superiors if she could do a “work-around” to get Girl on the ceremony schedule for the next day. She said don’t count on it, but she took Girl’s and Guy’s phone number on a scratch pad on her desk. She told us, that if she got good news, she would call Girl first, if Girl didn’t answer she would call Guy, and if Guy didn’t answer she would call Girl back again in 5 minutes. If we didn’t answer after that we’d be out of luck. If she didn’t call, then her idea wasn’t doable and we’d have to wait to be scheduled.
Honestly, a bit disappointed, we got in the car and started driving home. Girl got informally approved to be a United States citizen and somehow we were both a little bummed. Then Girl’s phone rang on the drive home. The agent’s idea was approved, and she told Girl to come back to the field office at 9:30am the next morning. We were ecstatic.
With no babysitter for 9:30am the next day, and Guy wanting to be there when his wife got naturalized, the whole family went. In hindsight, this wasn’t the best decision we ever made, but whatever. When we arrived we checked in, and the agent (pretty quickly called us back). Girl took the oath of allegiance with her family watching, possibly to the chagrin of the agent trying to administer the oath with 2 kids refusing to be quiet in the back, but I digress. We were all very proud of Girl. They don’t allow pictures inside with certificates anymore and the kids were bonkers - Guy ended up waiting with the kids in the car while Girl got her certificate of naturalization and sat in the ceremony.
At last, our USCIS journey was over. Girl is a U.S. citizen.