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Here is a synopsis of my interview
The officer at the Lawrence Center who interviewed me was very professional. He asked me following 6 questions (numbers as listed in the USCIS booklet)
5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
13. Name one branch or part of the government
18. How many U.S. Senators are there?
19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
I passed the civics test!!
But the officer was at first skeptical about my application. He showed me that in my responses for the green card application in 2013, I had answered then that I had not received any military training or hadn't participated in a military unit. This is the question I was asked in 2013 to which I replied NO:
"Have you EVER served in, been a member of, assisted, or participated in any military unit, paramilitary unit, police unit, self-defense unit, vigilante unit, rebel group, guerrilla group, militia,
insurgent organization, or any other armed group?"
This was wrong on my behalf, because I did serve in the Greek military (Sept 2001 - Sept 2002). I disclose in the current application for naturalization that I had served in the military, so there is a red flag, because I had responded differently in 2013.
He really wanted to know why I didn't disclose my military training in my 2013 I-485 application. I told him that I must have missed this question because "military unit" was listed together with participation in paramilitary, guerrilla, vigilante etc units and probably I didn't read them carefully. It was an honest mistake, an oversight.
When I came back at the office, I found a copy my 2013 I-485 application that I had saved online and saw that the officer was right. I had answered NO in that question about serving in a military unit.
In my 2018 N-400 application the same question is spelled out in detail with sufficient explanations, and I clearly saw that and responded YES about serving in a military unit, and NO to all the other subquestions.
The officer also told me that in my 2018 naturalization application I do not answer whether I had been associated with the Nazi government between 1933 and 1945! Yet, in my 2013 green card application I indicated that I had not been associated with the Nazi government! Then he explained himself that this is a system glitch in the Immigration system because it has happened to other applicants as well. And he finished by stating the VERY obvious that I was not even born between 1933 - 1945 so I could have not possibly been associated with the Nazi government! How absurd!!
I assessed that all these were honest mistakes that may happen when an application is filled out. I am stating now under oath that I had answered these 2 questions in 2013 incorrectly. I pointed out that an in-person under oath testimony carries more weight than an oversight in an application 5 years ago. He said that he believed me.
He recommended approval of my citizenship application, which was approved on October 9, 2018. Now I am waiting for the naturalization oath ceremony! Yeah!! ☺
The officer at the Lawrence Center who interviewed me was very professional. He asked me following 6 questions (numbers as listed in the USCIS booklet)
5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
8. What did the Declaration of Independence do?
13. Name one branch or part of the government
18. How many U.S. Senators are there?
19. We elect a U.S. Senator for how many years?
31. If both the President and the Vice President can no longer serve, who becomes President?
I passed the civics test!!
But the officer was at first skeptical about my application. He showed me that in my responses for the green card application in 2013, I had answered then that I had not received any military training or hadn't participated in a military unit. This is the question I was asked in 2013 to which I replied NO:
"Have you EVER served in, been a member of, assisted, or participated in any military unit, paramilitary unit, police unit, self-defense unit, vigilante unit, rebel group, guerrilla group, militia,
insurgent organization, or any other armed group?"
This was wrong on my behalf, because I did serve in the Greek military (Sept 2001 - Sept 2002). I disclose in the current application for naturalization that I had served in the military, so there is a red flag, because I had responded differently in 2013.
He really wanted to know why I didn't disclose my military training in my 2013 I-485 application. I told him that I must have missed this question because "military unit" was listed together with participation in paramilitary, guerrilla, vigilante etc units and probably I didn't read them carefully. It was an honest mistake, an oversight.
When I came back at the office, I found a copy my 2013 I-485 application that I had saved online and saw that the officer was right. I had answered NO in that question about serving in a military unit.
In my 2018 N-400 application the same question is spelled out in detail with sufficient explanations, and I clearly saw that and responded YES about serving in a military unit, and NO to all the other subquestions.
The officer also told me that in my 2018 naturalization application I do not answer whether I had been associated with the Nazi government between 1933 and 1945! Yet, in my 2013 green card application I indicated that I had not been associated with the Nazi government! Then he explained himself that this is a system glitch in the Immigration system because it has happened to other applicants as well. And he finished by stating the VERY obvious that I was not even born between 1933 - 1945 so I could have not possibly been associated with the Nazi government! How absurd!!
I assessed that all these were honest mistakes that may happen when an application is filled out. I am stating now under oath that I had answered these 2 questions in 2013 incorrectly. I pointed out that an in-person under oath testimony carries more weight than an oversight in an application 5 years ago. He said that he believed me.
He recommended approval of my citizenship application, which was approved on October 9, 2018. Now I am waiting for the naturalization oath ceremony! Yeah!! ☺
