US Citizenship Podcast

A quick preview of the revised USCIS N-400 Application for Naturalization (March 2019). Some of the vocabulary has been simplified, but the scope of the question has been broadened to reflect changes to US immigration policy and laws.

Info source:

Form N-400, Application for Naturalization OMB No. 1615-0052 Expires 03/31/2019 https://www.regulations.gov/contentStreamer?documentId=USCIS-2008-0025-0138

Accommodations and Exemptions will be folded into Part 2 Personal Info, thereby renumbering the sections of the N-400

Part 8. Time Outside the United States

3. List below all the trips of 24 hours or longer that you have taken outside the United States since you became a lawful permanent resident or during the last ten years, whichever is shorter. Start with your most recent trip and work backwards. If you need extra space, use additional sheets of paper.

Part 11. Additional Information About You (Person Applying for Naturalization)

11. Have you EVER been associated with, worked for, or given any kind of money, help, or any other thing to a group or a member of a group that used weapons or engaged in violence?

15.E. Sexual contact or activity with any person who did not consent (did not agree), who could not consent (could not agree), or who was being forced or threatened by you or by someone else?

24. Have you EVER been arrested, cited, or detained by any law enforcement officer (including any foreign law enforcement officer, any immigration official or any official of the U.S. armed forces) for any reason?

25. Have you EVER had your fingerprints taken by a law enforcement officer in any country?

30.A. Have you EVER received a pardon?

40. Have you EVER been removed or deported from any (other) country?

If you answered "Yes," please answer the following:

40.A. When were you removed or deported (mm/dd/yyyy)?

40.B. From what country where you removed or deported?

40.C. Why were you removed or deported?

Please review your own personal info and be ready to respond appropriately to these new and revised questions.

Milpitas Adult Students Guangfang Tao (Shenzhen, China) and Van Thi Bach Thach (Saigon, Vietnam) prepare to become #new US citizens in the Lunar New Year by practicing N-400 Part 12 vocabulary.

Download the pdf and take the quiz: Introduction to the N-400r Part 12 Quiz (20 questions) http://goo.gl/0HdOVp

Watch Van and her sister's videos:

Van Thi Bach Thach Practices for her U.S. Citizenship Interview https://youtu.be/t3DpLTnbw8A

Milpitas Adult School Open House Citizenship Interview 7 https://youtu.be/bQ_xvjhPCSI

My Ngoc Talks about her U.S. Citizenship Interview in English and Vietnamese https://youtu.be/vTKxia6tUkI

My Ngoc Thi Thach Practices for her U.S. Citizenship Interview https://youtu.be/VHCb8hfI-30

And a Citizenship Interview "report back" in Vietnamese by Van's fiends, Anh and Dam Chúng tôi đã phỏng vấn đậu quốc tịch Mỹ https://youtu.be/r4j6M9kNYkw

Also check out our new video series:

U.S. Citizenship Reading and Writing (only 4 videos now, but will grow into over 50 videos soon) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtyN34w6H7y4wtr0MlDxpH39LZFUqWASp

More Citizenship Resources for the Lunar New Year http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2019/01/citizenship-resources-for-lunar-new-year.html

Today we will listen to our sixth interview with Officer David. You can download the Regular Citizenship Interview at uscitizenpod.com and practice with a classmate, friend, or family member.

A "Regular" Citizenship Interview Based on the USCIS N-400r (6 pgs, 75 questions) (updated 10/01/2016) pdf: http://goo.gl/Q5BhXk ppt: https://goo.gl/GUfiKY vocab pdf: https://goo.gl/PsDrG9

USCIS 100 Remix Quiz "Sixes" 06, 16, 26, 36, 46, 56, 66, 76, 86, 96 http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/q06s.pdf

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 1 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/officer-david-interview.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/WFT0qmr1hl4

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 2 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/officer-david-interview-2.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/8dknLegW6pY

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 3 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/david-3.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/EyaDt7KUQF0

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 4 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/david-4.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/wczLyAPdTIc

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 5 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/g6rxO0wCUDw podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/david-5.mp3

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 5--QUESTIONS ONLY! video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/Iblo-djqBSM

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 6 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/yXMrQk_GMA4 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/david-6.mp3

Subscribe and listen to US Citizenship Podcast https://uscitizenpod.libsyn.com/

Subscribe and watch US Citizenship Podcast on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod/

New Year, New US Citizen playlist Our goal New Year's resolution: This Year--US Citizenship! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtyN34w6H7y44_dOoBykvyjDEdNSoeKwC

U.S. Citizenship Interviews with Officer David playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtyN34w6H7y6uBYUHVC6fGyI-NJQw6n5M

Subscribe to us via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or listen to us via TuneIn on your Amazon Echo!

Listen to an in-depth discussion about USCIS and Immigration Scams with USCIS Public Affairs Officer Arwen FitzGerald

• Intro
• Recent Phone and Email Scams
• USCIS never requests payment or info via phone/phone!
• Good and Bad Smart Phone Apps
• USCIS.gov Common Scams Webpage
• TPS Re-registration Scams
• Immigration Scam in India
• Tip about INS and DHS/USCIS logo
• I-9 and Email Scams targeting Employers
• "Notarios Públicos"
• Visa Lottery Scams
• Job Offer Scams
• Scams targeting Students
• Good and Bad Immigration Websites
• How to get HELP

USCIS.gov Common Scams Webpage https://www.uscis.gov/avoid-scams/common-scams

If you need help with your questions:

• Call USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (For people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability: TTY 800-767-1833);
• Ask Emma (a virtual assistant that answers questions and helps you navigate our the USCIS.gov website);
• Find authorized legal help: https://www.justice.gov/eoir/board-of-immigration-appeals

More Immigration Scam resources

MUST READ!!!!! In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero (Chapter 3 to Chapter 5)

DOJ.gov: EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR IMMIGRATION REVIEW https://www.justice.gov/eoir

DOJ.gov: FIND LEGAL REPRESENTATION https://www.justice.gov/eoir/find-legal-representation

DOJ.gov: LIST OF PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS https://www.justice.gov/eoir/list-pro-bono-legal-service-providers

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION: FTC in English https://www.ftc.gov/

COMISIÓN FEDERAL DE COMERCIO: FTC en español https://www.ftc.gov/es

FTC.gov: How Myriam and Pedro Learned about Notario Scams https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/sites/www.consumer.ftc.gov/files/articles/pdf/pdf-0203-fotonovela-notario-scams.pdf

FTC.gov:Cómo se enteraron Myriam y Pedro de las estafas de notario https://www.consumidor.ftc.gov/articulos/spdf-0203-estafas-de-notario.pdf

FTC.gov:All FTC.gov Fotonovelas https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0031-fotonovelas https://www.consumidor.ftc.gov/destacado/destacado-s0031-fotonovelas

FTC.gov: Order Fotonovelas copies from bulkorder.ftc.gov

FTC.gov: Immigration scams are illegal. If you or someone you know has seen an immigration scam or been the victim of one, report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/complaint or 1-877-382-4357. (1-877-FTC-HELP)

FTC.gov YouTube Channel (short videos in English, Spanish, and Chinese) https://www.youtube.com/user/FTCvideos

FTCvideos: How to File a Complaint with the Federal Trade Commission https://youtu.be/3LvMO5UMCl8

FTCvideos: Scams Against Immigrants | Federal Trade Commission Moncia Vaca, an attorney with the FTC, describes the scams that someone can come across while in the immigration process, how to avoid the scams, and how to report them. https://youtu.be/zC6d9s8pb4E

FTCvideos: Estafas y el proceso de inmigración Monica Vaca, una abogada con La Comisión Federal de Comercio, describe las estafas que se pueden presentar durante el proceso de inmigración y cómo evitar y reportar las. https://youtu.be/jVChUbk1Bcs

USCIS YouTube Channel (short videos in English, Spanish, Chinese and more) https://www.youtube.com/user/uscis/

USCIS: The Wrong Help Can Hurt: Beware of Immigration Scams https://youtu.be/s5CXht-Vs94

USCIS: Civics Test Study Tools App https://youtu.be/x2cgFesG6qY

uscitizenpod YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod/ Subtitled videos of recent podcasts are posted on this channel as well as mock Citizenship videos of my students. I will be reporting exerpts of this podcast as short, subtitled videos.

uscitizenpod: IRS (and USCIS) Imposter Scams I got a threatening call from someone pretending to be an IRS agent. My students have rec'd similar calls from someone pretending to be a USCIS agent. Learn how to file a complaint with FTC.gov. https://youtu.be/CLHpOcMtzZs

This podcast is a super-quick reminder from USCIS Public Affairs Officer Arwen FitzGerald that USCIS is OPEN for Business during the partial Government Shutdown. See the show notes for links to the new Civics Questions update and USCIS Fees Tool.

• The government shutdown does not affect the fee-for-service activities performed by USCIS.
• All USCIS offices remain open and all applicants should attend interviews and appointments as scheduled.
• E-Verify is not fee-funded; E-Verify Customer Support and related services are closed for the duration of the shutdown
  • Further note: E-Verify is a web-based system that allows enrolled employers to confirm the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States.

You can read the full USCIS alert:

The Government Shutdown does not affect Citizenship services. https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/lapse-federal-funding-does-not-impact-most-uscis-operations

or listen to/watch our podcast:

US Immigration and Travel Services during the Government Shutdown podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/shutdown-2018.mp3 video: https://youtu.be/X4lAIPCVr30

If you have further questions, go to https://www.uscis.gov/

• Where you can find free forms for Citizenship and Immigration
• Submit an N-400 Application for Naturalization online
• Check Your Case Status
• Check Processing Times
• Find a USCIS Office

Also look for these two new features:

USCIS Tool Fee Calculator https://www.uscis.gov/feecalculator

Civics Test Answer Updates https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/testupdates

USCIS News Alerts about the new tools:

New USCIS Tool Calculates Fees, Helps Avoid Incorrect Payments https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/new-uscis-tool-calculates-fees-helps-avoid-incorrect-payments

Nueva Herramienta de USCIS Calcula las Tarifas y Ayuda a Evitar Pagos Incorrectos https://www.uscis.gov/es/noticias/nueva-herramienta-de-uscis-calcula-las-tarifas-y-ayuda-a-evitar-pagos-incorrectos

2019-01-04 Civics Test Answer Updates https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/civics-test-answer-updates

2019-01-04 Actualizaciones de las respuestas del Examen de Civismo https://www.uscis.gov/es/noticias/alertas/actualizaciones-de-las-respuestas-del-examen-de-civismo

Remember, you can access USCIS.gov information in English and Spanish (https://www.uscis.gov/es)

If you need more help, use EMMA, the USCIS Digital Assistant

Or call the USCIS National Contact Center Call toll-free 800-375-5283. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability: TTY 800-767-1833.

Today we will listen to our fifth interview with Officer David. You can download the Typical Citizenship Interview at uscitizenpod.com and practice with a classmate, friend, or family member.

A "Typical" Citizenship Interview Based on the USCIS N-400r (4 pages) pdf http://goo.gl/9Z97UK ppt https://goo.gl/2hwOsc vocab pdf https://goo.gl/AMNMqy

"Fives" 05, 15, 25, 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 85, 95 http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/q05s.pdf

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 1 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/officer-david-interview.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/WFT0qmr1hl4

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 2 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/officer-david-interview-2.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/8dknLegW6pY

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 3 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/david-3.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/EyaDt7KUQF0

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 4 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/david-4.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/wczLyAPdTIc

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 5podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/david-5.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/g6rxO0wCUDw

Subscribe and listen to US Citizenship Podcast https://uscitizenpod.libsyn.com/

Subscribe and watch US Citizenship Podcast on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod/

New Year, New US Citizen playlist Our goal New Year's resolution: This Year--US Citizenship! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtyN34w6H7y44_dOoBykvyjDEdNSoeKwC

U.S. Citizenship Interviews with Officer David playlist You can download the Citizenship Interview at uscitizenpod.com and practice with a classmate, friend, or family member. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtyN34w6H7y6uBYUHVC6fGyI-NJQw6n5M

Subscribe to us via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or listen to us via TuneIn on your Amazon Echo!

Thanks for listening. I know that you will be a great American Citizen! New Year, New US Citizen!

Lets begin with USCIS.gov

The Government Shutdown does not affect Citizenship services. https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/lapse-federal-funding-does-not-impact-most-uscis-operations 12/22/2018

USCIS will continue to process USCIS Form N-400 Applications for Naturalization and interview applicants for U.S. Citizenship. ded activities. USCIS offices will remain open, and all individuals should attend interviews and appointments as scheduled. USCIS will continue to accept petitions and applications for benefit requests, except as noted below.

Some USCIS programs, however, will either expire or suspend operations, or be otherwise affected, until they receive appropriated funds or are reauthorized by Congress. These include:

1. EB-5 Immigrant Investor Regional Center Program. The EB-5 visa allows eligible Immigrant Investors to become lawful permanent residents by investing at least $1,000,000 to finance a business in the United States that will employ at least 10 American workers

2. E-Verify. This free internet-based system allows businesses to check the eligibility of their employees to work in the United States.

3. Conrad 30 J-1 doctors. This program allows J-1 doctors to apply for a waiver of the two-year residence requirement after completing the J-1 exchange visitor program.

4. Non-Minister Religious Workers. This special immigrant category allows non-minister religious workers to immigrate or adjust status in the United States.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP.gov) source: https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1207

NOTICE: Due to the lapse in federal funding, this website will not be actively managed. This website was last updated on December 21, 2018 and will not be updated until after funding is enacted. As such, information on this website may not be up to date. Transactions submitted via this website might not be processed and we will not be able to respond to inquiries until after appropriations are enacted.

However, you can still get up-to-date information you need on Airport and Border wait times before you begin your travel at https://www.cbp.gov/travel/advisories-wait-times

Further note: we will return to the CBP.gov in early 2019 to follow-up on about scams that target travelers.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA.gov) There is no shutdown advisory, but there is a helpful AskTSA blogpost with travel tips. In addition to removing electronics larger than a cellphone, TSA recommends separating foods, powders and items that can clutter bags to facilitate screening process, They also have a very helpful video about Preparing Carry-on Bags for Security Screening.

AskTSA: Your Holiday Travel Questions Answered https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2018/12/18/asktsa-your-holiday-travel-questions-answered

AskTSA: Preparing Carry-on Bags for Security Screening https://youtu.be/u2qCGsWoRSc

US Department of State Consular Affairs (travel.state.gov) source: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/ea/lapse-in-appropriations.html

At this time, scheduled passport and visa services in the United States and at our U.S. Embassies and Consulates overseas will continue during the lapse in appropriations as the situation permits. We will not update this website until full operations resume, with the exception of urgent safety and security information. The National Visa Center, National Passport Information Center, and Kentucky Consular Center will still accept telephone calls and inquiries from the public. Please note we will be closed for scheduled federal holidays on December 24 and 25 and will reopen on December 26.

During the government shutdown, what can you do?

1. Check government websites or their social media accounts to find out how the shutdown will impact immigration and services that are important to you.

2. Carry the correct ID as you travel to and from you destination. This includes your state-issued ID (such as driver's license), passport, and Legal Permanent Resident card.

3. Make copies or take photos of your ID and record the number and keep the images and info in a secure, but accessible place.

4. Take the same precautions for your family members. Note: new federal requirements, commonly known as REAL ID, begins on October 1, 2020. See https://www.dhs.gov/real-id

5. If you have an opinion about the budget, immigration, travel, or any other topic, contact your representative by phone or email via Senate.gov or House.gov. Frequently, the website will ask about your Zip + 4, which is your zip code plus your route number, which you can find by following the link to USPS.com and entering your street address

You can also write or call the President https://www.whitehouse.gov/get-involved/write-or-call/

The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 202-456-1111

Today we will listen to our fourth interview with Officer David. You can download the Common Citizenship Interview at uscitizenpod.com and practice with a classmate, friend, or family member.

A "Common" Citizenship Interview Based on the USCIS N-400r (53qs, 2pgs) (updated 06/12/2016) pdf: http://goo.gl/cPTyRL

USCIS 100 Remix Quizzes: "Fours" 04, 14, 24, 34, 44, 54, 64, 74, 84, 94 pdf: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/q04s.pdf

Listen/Watch all of the Officer David Interviews

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 1 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/officer-david-interview.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/WFT0qmr1hl4

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 2 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/officer-david-interview-2.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/8dknLegW6pY

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 3 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/david-3.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/EyaDt7KUQF0

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 4 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/david-4.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/wczLyAPdTIc

Subscribe and listen to US Citizenship Podcast https://uscitizenpod.libsyn.com/

Subscribe and watch US Citizenship Podcast on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod/

More Citizenship Resources for the Winter Holidays http://bit.ly/cit-holidays-18

This is the first part of a two part interview with Dr Patricia Hernandez. She talks about one of her students who was extensively questioned during her USCIS naturalization interview about her travel outside of the United States to Mexico. The key to the student's success was to maintain eye contact with the USCIS officer as the student responded directly to each question.

Travel Questions during the USCIS Interview with Dr Patricia Hernandez (Part 1) podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/catesol-1.mp3 video: https://youtu.be/a10VzAppCFo

Preguntas de Viaje durante la Entrevista de USCIS con Dr Patricia Hernandez (Part 2) video: https://youtu.be/p4Ninazqln0

Here are more Citizenship resources about Travel

N-400 Practice Interview: Part 9—Time Outside the United States with Francisco Pinedo http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/n-400r-2016-9.mp3 http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/n-400r-2016-9.pdf

Listen to a more interviews with Francisco Pinedo:

Citizenship Interview with Francisco Pinedo of Soledad Adult School http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/oct-interview.mp3

Military and Selective Service: An Interview from US Citizenship Bootcamp podcast: http://bit.ly/TheSelectiveService video: https://youtu.be/Yvc9zYVnYZs

The Selective Service / el Servicio Selectivo in English and Español (under 2 minutes) video: https://youtu.be/BDuPxdkrzns

n-400r-12j Military Service N-400 section interview pdf: https://goo.gl/J0ATCr

Also checkout our Citizenship Resources for the Winter Holidays https://www.uscitizenpod.com/2018/12/citizenship-resources-for-winter.html

Visit the uscitizenpod YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod

Today we will listen to our third interview with Officer David. You can download the Casual Citizenship Interview at uscitizenpod.com and practice with a classmate, friend, or family member.

U.S. Citizenship Interview with Officer David Part 3 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/david-3.mp3 video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/EyaDt7KUQF0

A "Casual" Citizenship Interview Based on the USCIS N-400r (40qs, 2pgs) (updated 06/12/2016) pdf: http://goo.gl/3tQWXw ppt: https://goo.gl/pctBRb (corrected!) vocab pdf: https://goo.gl/kaekRV

USCIS 100 Remix Quizzes: "Threes" 03, 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, 73, 83, 93 pdf: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/q03s.pdf

More Citizenship Resources for the Winter Holidays http://bit.ly/cit-holidays-18

President George H. W. Bush--thank you for your service!