At the end of your citizenship interview—after the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer has finished reviewing your N-400 application and documents, asking you questions to make sure you’re eligible for naturalized citizenship, and testing your knowledge of the English language and U.S. civics—the officer will tell you the results and what’s next.
Here are the possible responses you might receive, and what it means for you.
You Might Receive Immediate Approval for U.S. Citizenship
If your interview was successful—your eligibility checked out and you passed the English language and civics tests—the USCIS officer will tell you that you’re approved for U.S. citizenship.
You will then sign your passport-style photograph, which will appear on your certificate of naturalization. The USCIS officer might also ask you to review your personal information as it will appear on the certificate, to make sure no mistakes are made.
The USCIS officer might not, however, be able to schedule you for an oath (swearing-in) ceremony that day, because there could be a final reverification process required that includes supervisor approval. If that is the case, you’ll get a notice in the mail telling you when and where the oath ceremony will take place.
You are not actually a U.S. citizen until you take the oath of allegiance and are sworn in, and you must maintain your eligibility until that time. This includes staying married to and living with your U.S. citizen spouse if you applied after three years with a green card on that basis. It also includes not committing any crimes. See Understanding the Oath of Allegiance to the U.S. for New Citizens for details on what you'll be promising.
You Might Not Get an Immediate USCIS Decision on Your Citizenship Application
In some situations, the USCIS officer who conducts your interview you might not be able to approve you for U.S. citizenship that same day, because questions about your eligibility remain outstanding. Frequently, the problem is that the USCIS officer needs to see certain documents that you haven’t yet provided. In those cases, the officer usually will tell you what the issue is and what you’ll need to do or provide to fix it.
Sometimes, however, the question of eligibility for U.S. citizenship is more complicated, and the USCIS officer needs time to think about it. You’ll get a letter in the mail either requesting more evidence, scheduling you for another interview, or telling you that USCIS intends to deny your application for citizenship.
In such cases, unless you're certain that you have a document that will clear up questions about your eligibility, it is best to consult an immigration attorney. This is especially true if you have any arrests or criminal convictions on your record, which could cause the USCIS officer to not only question your good moral character but possibly your very right to a green card, leading to your having to defend yourself against deportation.
In any case, the officer should give you a Notice of Examination Results (Form N-652) no matter what happened at your interview.
You Might Instead Have Your USCIS Interview Rescheduled for a Second Try at the Exams
If you fail any part of the English language or civics (U.S. history and government) tests, the USCIS officer will not be able to approve your citizenship that day. Assuming there is no other problem with your eligibility, USCIS will give you another chance to pass the tests, at a second interview to be held within 60 to 90 days.
Do your best to study hard for this next interview, because there is no possibility of a third-chance interview!
USCIS Could Deny Your U.S. Citizenship Following the Interview
A USCIS officer who determines during your interview that you are not qualified for U.S. citizenship will probably tell you what the problem is, and give you a Notice of Examination Results, all explaining why you have been denied.
Your next move depends on the reason for the denial. If you think the officer made a legal mistake, you might want to appeal the decision. If you simply couldn't pass the English or civics exams, you might want to wait and apply again when you're more ready.
In the worst-case scenario, the USCIS officer will have discovered that you not only are ineligible for citizenship, but shouldn't legally have been granted U.S. lawful permanent residence at all. In that case, you would be placed into removal (deportation) proceedings, and should consult an attorney right away.
No matter what happens at your interview, USCIS has 120 days in which to issue a decision approving or denying your application for naturalized U.S. citizenship.
Should You Hire an Immigration Attorney?
If your citizenship case is encountering trouble, hiring an immigration attorney could be crucial. The attorney can analyze the situation, communicate with USCIS, and hopefully get things back on track. Check out these articles for more information on Hiring an Immigration Attorney.