US Citizenship Podcast

Practice Citizenship interview with Sofia from Morocco.

A “Typical” Citizenship Interview Based on the USCIS N-400r (4 pages)

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/uscitizenpod/n-400r-typical.pdf

USCIS 100 Remix Quizzes

"Ones" 01, 11, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 71, 81, 91

http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/q01s.pdf 

"Twos" 02, 12, 22, 32, 42, 52, 62, 72, 82, 92

http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/q02s.pdf 

"Threes" 03, 13, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, 73, 83, 93

http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/q03s.pdf 

In late September, DHS and USCIS released new resources about the Naturalization Test Redesign.  This prompted updated commentary from VOA News, ILRC, Bill Bliss, and other stakeholders.  In order to address and clarify to redesign process, USCIS will be hosting NIICE: National Immigrant Integration & Citizenship Education Conference, October 18-19, in Washington D.C. Plus resources to contact CONGRESS about the potential Government shutdown.  And a QUICK CITIZENSHIP QUIZ that connects the Constitution, the Fed Code, and Adult Education.

7/19/2023 Naturalization Test Redesign Resources (DHS, USCIS) 

9/19/2023: Citizenship Test Changes Might Require Better English Skills, VOA

“Possible changes to the naturalization interview would make civics questions multiple choice to “reflect current best practices in test design,” USCIS said in a document explaining the update to the test. Schmelzer said that would make the test harder for immigrants who may not have a great understanding of American history or English.” Article includes audio and quiz.  You can watch a sub-titled video of VOA Learning English Podcast for Wednesday September 20, 2023. The Citizenship story starts at 11:08.  Appropriate for intermediate ESL adult learners. 

09/20/2023 USCIS Naturalization Test Redesign – Flaws in Design and Transparency, ILRC

10/17/2023 to 10/18/2023 NIICE: National Immigrant Integration & Citizenship Education Conference: THE ROAD TO ACCESS AND INCLUSION, USCIS Headquarters, Camp Springs, MD

Resources to Contact CONGRESS about the Potential Government Shutdown

uscitizenpod: National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week Civics Quiz

Happy Constitution and Civics Week!  Ten civics questions that follow the structure of the US Constitution. 

PDF: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/uscitizenpod/const-2023.pdf

Video: https://youtu.be/41-1oMXHIvI

Learn more at

LINCS: Civics Resources for Constitution and Citizenship Week https://bit.ly/lincs-const

uscitizenpod: U.S. Citizenship Resources for Constitution and Citizenship Week https://bit.ly/uscit-const

All Saints and Day of the Dead are part of a 3-day festival that remembers the lives of those who passed before us in 2022.  

quiz pdf

mp3 audio

mp4 video

More U.S. Citizenship Resources for Halloween, All Saints, and Day of the Dead

Ten questions for Constitution and Citizenship Week 2022

Download a pdf of this quiz: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/uscitizenpod/const-2022.pdf 

Pair this 10 Question civics quiz with one of the Mix-and-Match Citizenship Interviews (https://bit.ly/mm-uscitizen) for a quick mock naturalization interview.

Find more Constitution and Citizenship Week 2022 resources at https://www.uscitizenpod.com/p/us-citizenship-resources-for.html 

Find more Citizenship Resources for Hispanic Heritage Month 2022 https://www.uscitizenpod.com/p/us-citizenship-resources-for-hispanic.html 

Happy Pascha! A Citizenship Quiz in Honor of Eastern Orthodox Christian Americans pdf: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/uscitizenpod/pascha-quiz.pdf 

I wrote this quiz for several reasons. First, to honor Central/Eastern European-American Heritage. Second, to showcase the diversity in the American Christian community. Third, to celebrate Easter.

In the past, Western Christians and the Eastern Orthodox have been divided by religion, history, and politics, but as Americans, we are united as one people, and this year, we are celebrating Easter on the same day.

This is recording is an update of a 2017 podcast featuring Branka and her husband Tony, both of whom were from the former Yugoslavia by way of Canada. Branka was a longtime colleague who at the time worked as a Projects Coordinator for OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NETWORK (otan.us) and had recently became a new US citizen. She then moved on to lead the Capital Adult Education Consortium. In late 2021, she and her family returned to Serbia where she continues to consult on Adult Education and digital literacy matters.

Quiz answers:

Colonists came to America for freedom. Freedom of religion is that you can practice any religion or not practice a religion. America bought the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. The two parts of the US Congress are the Senate and the House of Representatives Dianne Feinstein is one of the two US senators from the state of California. Joe Biden is the current President of the United States.  Kamala Harris is the current Vice-President of the United States.  Gavin Newsom is the current Governor of California. The two major political parties are Democratic and Republican parties. The President's Cabinet advises the President. Ro Khanna is the US Representative of San Jose/Milpitas, California. Two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy are join a civic group and join a community group.

EXTRA CREDIT: Listen to a great interview with Vlade Divac!

StoryCorps: Vivek and Vlade: From New Arrivals To Kings http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/12/08/vivek-and-vlade-from-new-arrivals-to-kings/  Former Sacramento Kings center and current general manager Vlade Divac is interviewed by his boss, majority owner Vivek Ranadive, in this StoryCorps segment. They talk a little basketball but mostly focus on their shared experience as immigrants.

Happy Presidents' Week!  Happy George Washington's Birthday!  Happy 2-22-2022!  Today we have two quick practice quizzes.  Check back with uscitizenpod.com for new Presidents' Week quizzes and resources.  You can also see a video version of this interview with closed captions on the uscitizenpod YouTube channel.

Download the PDFs for this episode

Citizenship Interview Quiz for Presidents’ Week 2022: Washington's Birthday

Citizenship Interview: Series E / Practice 1 (voting/taxes)

Mix-and-Match Citizenship Quiz: Name Two (or More)

You can pre-order my new book, U.S. Citizenship for Dummies, by Jennifer Gagliardi at amazon.com and other fine booksellers.

Christmas is a federal U.S. holiday. Christians celebrate #Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ. All Americans look forward to a long holiday of family, food, and fun. Here is a #Citizenship Quiz based on historical events which occurred on Christmas Eve (Dec 24) or Christmas Day Dec (25). Download the pdf and follow along: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/christmas-quiz.pdf

Video: https://youtu.be/oNIPSrSlKfk

All Saints and Day of the Dead are part of a 3-day festival that remembers the lives of those who passed before us. Twelve civics questions paired with the following Americans.

Download the pdf at https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2021.pdf

Check out all our new videos on the uscitizenpod YouTube channel

On July 2, 2021, USCIS released a new report: A Quick Review of the USCIS Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization.  Dr. Patricia Hernandez and Teacher Jennifer Gagliardi do a quick review of the plan and look forward to it's implementation.

USCIS Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization https://www.uscis.gov/promotingnaturalization 

Executive Order on Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/02/02/executive-order-restoring-faith-in-our-legal-immigration-systems-and-strengthening-integration-and-inclusion-efforts-for-new-americans/ 

Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalization pdf https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/reports/Interagency_Strategy_for_Promoting_Naturalization_Final.pdf 

Naturalization Policies Fact Sheet https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/fact-sheets/EXA_NatzPoliciesFactSheet_06292021_SP_V2.pdf

LIST OF PRO BONO LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS https://bit.ly/cit-lawyer   or   https://www.justice.gov/eoir/list-pro-bono-legal-service-providers 

Release Date  04/12/2021

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that F-1 students seeking optional practical training (OPT) can now file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online if they are filing under one of these categories:

OPT is temporary employment that is directly related to an F-1 student’s major area of study. Eligible students can apply to receive up to 12 months of OPT employment authorization before completing their academic studies (pre-completion) and/or after completing their academic studies (post-completion). Eligible F-1 students who receive STEM degrees may apply for a 24-month extension of their post-completion OPT.

“USCIS remains committed to maximizing our online filing capabilities,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of USCIS Director Tracy Renaud. “The I-765 online filing option allows eligible students to file forms online in a more user-friendly fashion and increases efficiencies for adjudicators.”

The option to file Form I-765 online is only available to F-1 students filing Form I-765 for OPT. If an applicant submits Form I-765 online to request employment authorization on or after April 15, but is eligible for a different employment authorization category, USCIS will deny the application and retain the fee. As USCIS continues to transition to paperless operations, the agency will work to expand online filing for Form I-765 to additional categories.

Online filing allows applicants to submit forms electronically, check the status of their case anytime from anywhere, and receive notices from USCIS online instead of waiting for them in the mail. USCIS is using innovation and technology to meet the needs of applicants, petitioners and employees. Regardless of the paper or electronic format of an application or petition, USCIS is committed to ensuring a secure and efficient process for all.

Individuals can file 11 USCIS forms online, which can all be found on the Forms Available to File Online page. To file these forms online, individuals must first create a USCIS online account at myaccount.uscis.gov. This free account allows them to:

USCIS continues to accept the latest paper version of these forms by mail.

For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.

https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/f-1-students-seeking-optional-practical-training-can-now-file-form-i-765-online 

video: https://youtu.be/g0KlqlgS2Oc 

Delia, a student of Dr. Patricia Hernandez, talks about her recent "virtual" citizenship interview

Dr Hernandez and Teacher Jennifer give tips about The Stressed-out USCIS Officer and More Tips for Your Citizenship Interview (in English) https://youtu.be/HnpGEtdmUhI 

El estrés de los oficiales de USCIS, y sugerencias que pueden facilitar su entrevista de ciudadanía https://youtu.be/5dqymNu9u1s 

US Citizenship Resources for Women's History Month https://www.uscitizenpod.com/ 

You will hear the announcement in English, Español, 廣東話,普通話, Tiếng việt

2021-02-22 USCIS Reverts to the 2008 Version of the Naturalization Civics Test https://youtu.be/BbgG43pEpnw https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-reverts-to-the-2008-version-of-the-naturalization-civics-test

USCIS Vuelve a la Versión del 2008 del Examen de Educación Cívica para Naturalización https://www.uscis.gov/es/noticias/comunicados-de-prensa/uscis-vuelve-a-la-version-del-2008-del-examen-de-educacion-civica-para-naturalizacion

美國公民及移民服務局恢復為2008年版本的入籍公民測試 您只學習100個公民問題。 新的128個問題太難了！ 我們真高興！ 謝謝美國移民局！

USCIS Hoàn nguyên về Phiên bản 2008 của Bài kiểm tra Công dân Nhập tịch Bạn chỉ học 100 câu hỏi môn công dân. 128 câu hỏi mới quá khó! Chúng tôi rất vui! Xin cảm ơn USCIS!

Thank you USCIS for listening to the people!

Before we start the interview, I share some news about the 128 civics questions (check with USCIS.gov for confirmation).  Then Thao answers N-400 and 10 civics questions, plus 1 reading and dictation question.  Happy New Year, Happy New U.S. Citizen Thao Nguyen!

Citizenship Resources for February http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2021/02/us-citizenship-resources-for-february.html 

Biden Is Planning To Scrap Trump's Version Of The Citizenship Test That Critics Said Was More Confusing https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hamedaleaziz/biden-us-citizenship-test-change 

Biden Is Planning To Scrap Trump's Version Of The Citizenship Test! https://youtu.be/ELelLHy2ZLA 

This is an extended N-400 Part 12 vocabulary review with Quynh.  When she doesn't understand a questions, she asks for clarification.

This interview is based on

Nga Trans answers questions from the Basic Citizenship Interview, plus 10 Civics Questions, and then talks about her Citizenship interview.

USCIS: USCIS Application Support Centers Updates, Dec 29, 2020 https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/USDHSCISINVITE/2020/12/29/file_attachments/1635668/ASC%20Updates.pdf 

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, USCIS has experienced delays in scheduling or rescheduling application support center (ASC) appointments to collect biometrics. Current processing times are affected by several variables including demand and capacity at individual ASCs.

The information below may help you understand what to expect with your biometrics appointment.

Safely Reopening ASCs USCIS temporarily suspended in-person services between March and June to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and ensure employee and applicant safety. As a result, we cancelled approximately 280,000 appointments. USCIS began a phased reopening of our ASCs in July, after we installed protective screens and incorporated proper social distancing measures across 132 sites. Since reopening, there have been sporadic and temporary ASC closures for reasons such as local stay-at-home orders, COVID-19-related cleaning and extreme weather. From July to September, ASCs were operating at below 50 percent of pre-COVID levels. By late October, we increased ASC operations to approximately 65 percent of pre-COVID levels.

Current State We are working to safely maximize appointment capacity at ASCs and are also reusing previously collected biometrics to conduct background and security checks when authorized by law. Based on capacity limitations unique to each ASC, we have not yet rescheduled all cancelled appointments. USCIS is scheduling approximately 10,400 appointments per day. Approximately 1.3 million applications are awaiting biometrics appointments as of mid-December. Applicants should continue to wait for an ASC appointment notice or a Form I-797, Notice of Action, from USCIS indicating that their previously collected biometrics may be reused.

Priority of ASC Appointments Biometrics appointments are scheduled based on the prioritization of benefit types, considering adjudication capacity and processing times. Within a benefit type, USCIS generally schedules appointments on a first-in, first-out basis. The wait time for appointments will vary geographically, based on capacity and varying demand at individual ASC locations.

Biometrics Reuse USCIS is authorized to reuse biometrics under limited circumstances, and usually where we must verify an individual’s identity and the case is otherwise ready to adjudicate. If USCIS will reuse biometrics for a pending application, we will mail a Form I-797 notice to the applicant stating that we will be reusing the applicant’s biometrics and that the applicant is not required to appear at an ASC. Not all applications meet the requirements for biometrics reuse.

Walk-ins Because of our COVID facility constraints, we cannot process walk-ins for biometrics collection except for military applicants and their family members when the principal applicant is scheduled for an appointment.

Before visiting any USCIS facility, check the USCIS Office Closings webpage for the current operating status. For more information about USCIS ASCs, visit our ASC information webpage. Please use our online tools for help in managing your application and to track the status of your case. If you have questions that are not addressed in your appointment notice, you may connect with the USCIS Contact Center.

USCIS Application Support Centers Updates https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/USDHSCISINVITE/2020/12/29/file_attachments/1635668/ASC%20Updates.pdf 

Dec 31, 2020 USCIS Application Support Centers Updates https://youtu.be/50HbACj-j74

Dec 13, 2020 What's happening with USCIS Biometrics Appointments? https://youtu.be/sqgdBXfkV_w 

Dec 21, 2020 BIOMETRICS Plus USCIS TOOLS: Case Status, Case Inquiry, & Processing Times https://youtu.be/BN1sGQjx1tw 

More links:

USCIS Office Closings  https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-office-closings 

USCIS Application Support Centers https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/preparing-for-your-biometric-services-appointment 

USCIS Tools https://www.uscis.gov/tools  

Check Your Case Status https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/landing.do 

USCIS Contact Center. https://www.uscis.gov/contactcenter 

Ahmed Khan is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who is practicing for his naturalization interview this week.  We included extra civics and dictation practice.  Let's get started! 

Hung went to his interview in Santa Ana, CA. Before the interview began, they gave him an iPad. The officer then went to another office, took off his mask, and talked to Hung via the iPad. Hung was able to see and hear the officer clearly. Also Hung answered questions in Vietnamese in a separate video.

Videos

Hung Do talks about his U.S. Citizenship Interview (English) https://youtu.be/T_IaF6qTuiA

Hùng Đỗ nói về cuộc Phỏng vấn Quốc tịch Hoa Kỳ của mình. https://youtu.be/yhJAVhusDGQ

USCIS has revised the civics portion of the naturalization test. All applicants for naturalization with a filing date on or after Dec. 1, 2020, will be required to take the 2020 version of the civics test. For more information, visit The 2020 Version of the Civics Test page. Applicants for naturalization with a filing date before Dec. 1, 2020, are required to take the 2008 version of the civics test.

With the 2020 version of the civics test, the USCIS officer will ask you to answer 20 out of the 128 civics test questions. You must answer at least 12 questions correctly to pass the 2020 version of the civics test. All questions on the test are asked orally. There are no changes to the English portion of the naturalization civics test. You must demonstrate an understanding of the English language, including the ability to read, write, and speak basic English.

Video: https://youtu.be/k6qzt1AcxEE

https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship-resource-center/the-2020-version-of-the-civics-test/128-civics-questions-and-answers-2020-version

All Saints and Day of the Dead are part of a 3-day festival that remembers the lives of those who passed before us.

We honor the following list of Americans who passed before us:

Jan 24 Pete Stark, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1973–2013). Feb 23 Ahmaud Arbery, jogger, shot. Feb 24 Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician, Mar 2 Charles Trimble, Native American advocate. Mar 13 Barbara Harris, American Episcopal prelate. Mar 13 Breonna Taylor, African-American woman and EMT. Apr 9 Phyllis Lyon, American gay rights activist. Apr 16 Jane Dee Hull, Governor of Arizona (1997–2003). May 6 Carlos Ernesto Escobar Mejía, Salvadoran-born American immigrant, COVID-19. May 25 George Floyd, American police detainee. July 17 John Lewis and C. T. Vivian, American civil rights leaders Sept 18 Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court

Citizenship Quiz for All Saints and Day of the Dead 2020 video: https://youtu.be/enB6QoyU16c pdf: http://bit.ly/2020-dotd

Citizenship Quiz for All Saints and Day of the Dead 2019 listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2019.mp3  read: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2019.pdf watch: https://youtu.be/T7suXxNUFME Citizenship Quiz for All Saints and Day of the Dead 2018 listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2018.mp3 read: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2018.pdf watch: https://youtu.be/8keZs7fjIDc Citizenship Quiz for All Saints and Day of the Dead 2017 listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2017.mp3 read: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2017.pdf watch: https://youtu.be/ihsW_9GiO3Q Citizenship Quiz for All Saints and Day of the Dead 2016 listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/day-of-the-dead-2016.mp3 read: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2016.pdf A Citizenship Quiz for All Saints Day Podcast 2015 listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-all-saints.mp3 read: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-all-saints.pdf Citizenship Quiz for Day of the Dead Podcast 2015 read: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead.mp3 listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead.pdf

Also see:

I am the American Way https://youtu.be/26Y2MXPUo7s

Dead Honored in Various Ways https://youtu.be/f3cRohj2vEA

Dr. Hernandez describes how her student found time to study for and pass her Citizenship interview. Super quick review of some Part 12 Vocabulary plus many interview tips!

A mother with a newborn reports back about her Citizenship Interview video: https://youtu.be/b3bD3QxSIlE

Una madre con un recién nacido informa sobre su entrevista de ciudadanía video: https://youtu.be/JYM5mJs7F-8

Examples of Dr. Hernandez's worksheets:

What's happening with the USCIS Openings? Week 4 video: https://bit.ly/uscis-week-04

worksheet: https://bit.ly/ez-n400-part12

What's happening with the USCIS Openings? Week 6 video: https://bit.ly/uscis-week-06

worksheet: https://bit.ly/uscis-week-06-x

U.S. Citizenship Prep Activities 1: Part 12 Vocabulary Bingo video: https://youtu.be/qOU4BGdOQ-8

To join Dr. Patricia Hernandez's class Contact: Adult Education Center (AEC) 2510 Lincoln Boulevard - Room 203 Santa Monica, California 90405 Telephone: 310-664-6222 Fax: 310-664-6220 Online Registration https://smmusd.asapconnected.com/

Teacher Patricia Hernandez and Teacher Jennifer Gagliardi talk about getting organized for your U.S. Citizenship Interview. These tips are for everyone, especially those whose eligibility is based on marriage to a U.S. citizen. We also talk about recent immigration news, encourage everyone to complete their Census, and advocate for alternative funding for USCIS. UPDATED VISA INFO IN SHOW NOTES!

You can watch this podcast on YouTube

https://youtu.be/LrjLoMZle9A

---- USCIS responds to a judge's order to stop the increase of the citizenship fee from $725 to $1170 on October 2.

CNN reported Tuesday night that a Federal judge blocked attempt to hike naturalization fees by 80%. The fee hike was supposed to go up on Oct.2. See the details at https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/29/politics/naturalization-fees-judge/index.html

USCIS Response to Preliminary Injunction of Fee Rule https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-response-to-preliminary-injunction-of-fee-rule

Judge Blocks Trump’s Ban on Foreign Workers https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/01/us/foreign-workers-visas-h-1b-trump.html

Trump Virtually Cuts Off Refugees as He Unleashes a Tirade on Immigrants https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/01/us/politics/trump-refugees.html

NPR: Hansi Lo Wang Hansi Lo Wang (he/him) is a national correspondent for NPR based in New York City. He reports on the people, power and money behind the 2020 census. https://www.npr.org/people/177498291/hansi-lo-wang

VISA AND GREEN CARD UPDATES!

Here is a link to the October Visa Bulletin https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-bulletin/2021/visa-bulletin-for-october-2020.html

Adjustment of Status Filing Charts from the Visa Bulletin https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/visa-availability-priority-dates/adjustment-of-status-filing-charts-from-the-visa-bulletin

Visa Appointment Wait Times https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html

Websites of U.S. Embassies, Consulates, and Diplomatic Missions https://www.usembassy.gov/

October Visa Bulletin: Significant Changes for #Indian and #Chinese Nationals Immigration Nerds Podcast Erickson Immigration Group's Managing Director, Hiba Anver joins. Skilled Indian workers make up roughly 75% of the employment-based green card backlog, a category that only accepts up to 7% of applicants from each country. Today, the number of total green cards issued each year is limited to 140,000. There's currently over 700,000 Indian workers waiting in a line now that is likely to stretch for decades. This discussion addresses how Octobers bulletin may effect this particular cohort, and others like them. #EB2 #India #EB3 #H1B # China #India #visa #USCIS #fees Listen to this #podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hiba-anver-october-visa-bulletin-significant-changes/id1400312981?i=1000493401079

I am not a lawyer. I cannot answer any questions about this info. Please contact: List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers | EOIR | Department of Justice https://bit.ly/cit-lawyer

USCIS responds to a judge's order to stop the increase of the citizenship fee from $725 to $1170 on October 2.

CNN reported Tuesday night that a Federal judge blocked attempt to hike naturalization fees by 80%. The fee hike was supposed to go up on Oct.2. See the details at https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/29/politics/naturalization-fees-judge/index.html

USCIS Response to Preliminary Injunction of Fee Rule https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-response-to-preliminary-injunction-of-fee-rule

WASHINGTON-U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Deputy Director of Policy Joseph Edlow issued the following statement in response to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issuing a nationwide preliminary injunction enjoining fee increases for citizenship and other immigration benefits. “This unfortunate decision leaves USCIS underfunded by millions of dollars each business day the fee rule is enjoined. Unlike most government agencies, USCIS is fee funded. As required by federal law, USCIS conducted a comprehensive biennial fee review and determined that current fees do not recover the cost of providing adjudication and naturalization services. This is nothing new or abnormal. In fact, the fee rule is two years behind schedule, and is a smaller percentage increase than the previous. In a fee-funded agency such as USCIS, this increase is necessary to continue operations in any long-term, meaningful way to ensure cost recovery. This decision barring USCIS from enacting its mandatory fee increase is unprecedented and harmful to the American people.” TRASLATION VIA GOOGLE TRANSLATE: Respuesta de USCIS a la regla de orden judicial preliminar Fecha de lanzamiento 30/09/2020 WASHINGTON-EE. UU. El Director Adjunto de Política de los Servicios de Ciudadanía e Inmigración, Joseph Edlow, emitió la siguiente declaración en respuesta a que el Tribunal de Distrito de los EE. UU. Para el Distrito Norte de California emitió una orden judicial preliminar a nivel nacional que ordena aumentos de tarifas para la ciudadanía y otros beneficios de inmigración. “Esta desafortunada decisión deja al USCIS sin fondos suficientes en millones de dólares cada día hábil que se impone la regla de tarifas. A diferencia de la mayoría de las agencias gubernamentales, USCIS se financia mediante tarifas. Como lo requiere la ley federal, el USCIS llevó a cabo una revisión de tarifas bienal integral y determinó que las tarifas actuales no recuperan el costo de brindar servicios de adjudicación y naturalización. Esto no es nada nuevo ni anormal. De hecho, la regla de las tarifas tiene un retraso de dos años y es un aumento porcentual menor que el anterior. En una agencia financiada con tarifas como USCIS, este aumento es necesario para continuar las operaciones de cualquier manera significativa a largo plazo para garantizar la recuperación de costos. Esta decisión que prohíbe al USCIS promulgar su aumento de tarifas obligatorio no tiene precedentes y es perjudicial para el pueblo estadounidense ”. Para obtener más información sobre USCIS y sus programas, visite uscis.gov o síganos en Twitter (@uscis), Instagram (/ uscis), YouTube (/ uscis), Facebook (/ uscis) y LinkedIn (/ uscis).Respuesta de USCIS a la regla de orden judicial preliminar Fecha de lanzamiento 30/09/2020 WASHINGTON-EE. UU. El Director Adjunto de Política de los Servicios de Ciudadanía e Inmigración, Joseph Edlow, emitió la siguiente declaración en respuesta a que el Tribunal de Distrito de los EE. UU. Para el Distrito Norte de California emitió una orden judicial preliminar a nivel nacional que ordena aumentos de tarifas para la ciudadanía y otros beneficios de inmigración. “Esta desafortunada decisión deja al USCIS sin fondos suficientes en millones de dólares cada día hábil que se impone la regla de tarifas. A diferencia de la mayoría de las agencias gubernamentales, USCIS se financia mediante tarifas. Como lo requiere la ley federal, el USCIS llevó a cabo una revisión de tarifas bienal integral y determinó que las tarifas actuales no recuperan el costo de brindar servicios de adjudicación y naturalización. Esto no es nada nuevo ni anormal. De hecho, la regla de las tarifas tiene un retraso de dos años y es un aumento porcentual menor que el anterior. En una agencia financiada con tarifas como USCIS, este aumento es necesario para continuar las operaciones de cualquier manera significativa a largo plazo para garantizar la recuperación de costos. Esta decisión que prohíbe al USCIS promulgar su aumento de tarifas obligatorio no tiene precedentes y es perjudicial para el pueblo estadounidense ”. Para obtener más información sobre USCIS y sus programas, visite uscis.gov o síganos en Twitter (@uscis), Instagram (/ uscis), YouTube (/ uscis), Facebook (/ uscis) y LinkedIn (/ uscis).

Dr. Patricia Hernandez and Teacher Jennifer Gagliardi get together for a practice interview plus interview tips. This video is based on report-backs from recent Citizenship interviews in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Jose.

You can watch the zoom video with sub-titles here:

Download the PDF and take the quiz:

Twenty-seven N-400 & Civics Qs for US Constitution & Citizenship Week https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/uscitizenpod/Const-Week-Quiz-2015.pdf

Then listen to Teacher Jennifer's comments.

Citizenship Resources for Constitution Day and Citizenship Week are available at http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2020/09/citizenship-resources-for-constitution.html

Good News from USCIS! News Alert Aug 25, 2020 No furlough!   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/uscis-abandons-furloughs-13000-employees-us-immigration-system/ Biometrics fee included in new N-400 fee Oct 2: https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2020-16389.pdf pg 277 No New DACA Applications (This is bad news, but we think this will change soon because the Supreme Court ruled in favor of potential DACA applicants) https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-implements-dhs-guidance-on-daca Plus make a plan to vote early by mail or drop it off at your County Registrar of Voters!

The new fee structure, unveiled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), is expected to take effect October 2. The cost of online naturalization applications is increasing from $640 to $1,160. There will also be a $50 fee for asylum-seekers.

USCIS Adjusts Fees to Help Meet Operational Needs https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-adjusts-fees-to-help-meet-operational-needs

Increase in US Immigration Fees Announced https://www.voanews.com/usa/immigration/increase-us-immigration-fees-announced 

Dr. Patricia Hernandez and Jennifer Gagliardi discuss 20 basic USCIS N-400 Part 12 vocabulary terms. Includes a quiz, an exploration of the new USCIS.gov website, news about the Furlough, and so much more!

What's happening with the USCIS Openings? Week 7

Video with audio (1 hour!) https://bit.ly/uscis-week-7 Video with slides only, no audio (9 min) (Posted 7/26/2020) https://bit.ly/uscis-week-07-no

2020-07-25 Agenda

1. N-400 Part 12 Picture Vocabulary and Definition Quiz a. Overview of the Revised N-400 Part 12 https://bit.ly/n400-p12-interview-intro b. Intro to the N-400 Part 12 Quiz Picture Vocabulary https://bit.ly/n400-p12-interview-intro c. Intro to the N-400 Part 12 Quiz https://bit.ly/n400-p12-quiz-intro

2. USCIS website update a. https://www.uscis.gov/ b. uscitizenpod video about update: https://bit.ly/new-uscis-gov

3. TEACHER ALERT: USCIS Citizenship Resource Center a. https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship b. USCIS Lesson plans have moved! https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/resources-for-educational-programs/educational-products-for-educators-and-program-administrators c. Teachers: update your links to USCIS lesson plans!

4. USCIS ASC Re-openings and Furlough a. ASC re-openings: https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-office-closings b. 7/23 USCIS Furlough Update from Rep. Peter Welch https://bit.ly/rep-welch-uscis c. 7/24 Senator Leahy announce that USCIS is postponing USCIS furloughs of 13,00 civil servants d. Call Congress & the White House to fully fund USCIS!

Dr. Patricia Hernandez and Jennifer Gagliardi start with a shortened USCIS N-400 interview which focuses on difficult Part 12 vocabulary.

07/18/2020 Agenda:

Practice Interview Don’t just say NO! 7 simple definitions for some new Vocabulary New Citizenship Resource: Voices of Freedom ebook USCIS San Jose Webinar (and more info about USCIS outreach) More info about immigration scams Migration Policy Institute Webinar Good News! DACA and ICE Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announcement

What's happening with the USCIS Openings? Week 6

Video with audio (40 min +) https://bit.ly/uscis-week-06 

Video with slides only, no audio (4 min) https://bit.ly/uscis-week-06-no

Seven Part 12 simple definitions https://bit.ly/uscis-week-06-x 

Watch video: https://bit.ly/uscis-week-04 

worksheet: https://bit.ly/ez-n400-part12 

N-400 Part 12 playlist (16 videos) https://bit.ly/n400-part12 

Voices of Freedom Digital Book and Audio http://buymylab.com/accesscode/?page_id=1806  

Upcoming Local Engagements https://www.uscis.gov/outreach/upcoming-local-engagements 

Good Info about Scams: FTC.gov Fotonovelos

ftc.gov: Notario scams (English) https://bit.ly/ftc-notario-scams 

ftc.gov: Estafas de Notario (Spanish) https://bit.ly/ftc-notario-estafa 

More Info: uscitizenpod’s US scams playlist https://bit.ly/USscams 

07/16 Migration Policy Institute Webinar

A Rockier Road to U.S. Citizenship? Findings of a Survey on Changing Naturalization Procedures https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/changing-uscis-naturalization-procedures 

A Bumpy Path to U.S. Citizenship: A Survey of Changing USCIS Practices (video) https://www.migrationpolicy.org/events/bumpy-path-us-citizenship-survey-changing-uscis-practices 

Dr. Patricia Hernandez and Jennifer Gagliardi talk very briefly about video comments and then move on to a practice USCIS N-400 interview and much more. 07/11/2020 Agenda:

1. Quick Comments and Request 2. Practice Interview 3. New Citizenship Resources--(Sorry, we skipped it. See below) 4. 2020 Calendar—before and after COVID-19 5. USCIS Webinar Seattle plus Migration Policy Institute Webinar 6. Immigration news headlines 7. ICE Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announcement and our response

This podcast is almost 50 minutes! Here is the video with closed caption: https://bit.ly/uscis-week-05  Here is the video with slides only, no audio: (3.5 minutes) https://bit.ly/uscis-week-05-no  Google slides https://bit.ly/uscis-week-05-gslides  Podcast: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/uscitizenpod/2020-07-11.mp3 

New Citizenship Resources

Voices of Freedom Digital Book and Audio http://buymylab.com/accesscode/?page_id=1806%C2%A0 

05/06/2020 COABE webinar: Resources for Online Citizenship Classes google slides: https://bit.ly/2020-coabe-cit  (UPDATED)

07/06/2020 COABE: Hit the Deck Running: 2020 Census, Civics, and Citizenship google slides: https://bit.ly/2020-coabe-3cs 

News You Can Use

PBS: The American Experience: The Vote video/website: https://bit.ly/wom-vote 

VOANews: New US Citizens Sworn In at Los Angeles Drive Through video: https://bit.ly/oath-drivethru 

NPR: How The Pandemic Will Affect This Year's Election video: https://bit.ly/pan-vote 

NPR: The Long, Perilous Route Thousands Of Indians Have Risked For A Shot At Life In U.S. read/listen: https://bit.ly/indian-migrants 

NYTimes: How ICE Helped Spread the Coronavirus | Coronavirus News video: https://bit.ly/ICE-covid 

NPR: Foreign Journalists Working For U.S. Government Broadcasters (VOANews) May Lose Visas Read/listen: https://bit.ly/voa-jvisas 

VOA Learning English: Who Is Affected by the US Visa Ban? read/listen: https://bit.ly/visas-ban-2020 

VOA Learning English: New Rules: Foreign Students Must Leave US if Classes Go Online read/listen: https://bit.ly/online-go-home 

Dr. Patricia Hernandez and Jennifer Gagliardi talk very briefly about USCIS Outreach events and then move on to simple definitions to complex USCIS N-400 Part 12 vocabulary. Download Dr. Hernandez's USCIS N-400 Part 12 worksheet, watch the video, and write in the N-400 vocabulary.

Watch video: https://bit.ly/uscis-week-04 worksheet: https://bit.ly/ez-n400-part12

Upcoming National Engagements USCIS holds a variety of external stakeholder events in which we share information and obtain feedback on USCIS programs and policies. https://www.uscis.gov/outreach/upcoming-national-engagements

Upcoming Local Engagements Community Relations Officers build collaborative relationships with local stakeholders in many ways, including regular meetings, special sessions with specific and targeted agendas, educational presentations, email dissemination of communications materials, and phone conversations. https://www.uscis.gov/outreach/upcoming-local-engagement

Dr Hernandez and I talk about the good news and bad news from USCIS June 18-26: DACA victory, Visa bans, Civics Pilot, SF/SJ re-opening, possible new procedures, impending furlough, participating in democracy, DC statehood and more!

What's happening with the USCIS Openings? Week 3 The video with full audio is about 40 minutes long. Watch it at https://bit.ly/uscis-week-03

QUICK TAKE: USCIS Openings Week 3 Video with slides only, no audio. 10 seconds per slide, approximately 3.5 minutes https://bit.ly/uscis-week-03x

One big concern: a possible USCIS furlough in August. This can greatly delay naturalization and immigration petitions.

Please contact Congress to fully fund USCIS!

Write or say this message: I SUPPORT THE FULL FUNDING OF USCIS

Example of the address: Honorable Lucille Roybal-Allard Chairwoman, Homeland Security Subcommittee House Appropriations Committee 2006 Rayburn House Office Bldg Washington, DC 20515

More information about who to contact about USCIS funding:

House Committee on Appropriations Homeland Security subcommittee 2006 Rayburn House Office Building (202) 225-5834 https://appropriations.house.gov/subcommittees/homeland-security-116th-congress

Committee Membership: Lucille Roybal-Allard, Chairwoman Henry Cuellar Dutch Ruppersberger David E. Price Debbie Wasserman Schultz Grace Meng Chuck Fleischmann, Ranking Member John Rutherford Dan Newhouse Steven Palazzo Pete Aguilar

You can also direct postal correspondence to your representatives as follows: The Honorable (Name) U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 (202) 224-3121 http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/

Dr Hernandez and I talk about the June 18 USCIS Webinar. We summarize and comment on USCIS info about case backlog priorities, Oath Ceremonies, requirements to enter USCIS facilities, citizenship interviews, fingerprint appointments, translators, and much more!

One big concern: a possible USCIS furlough in August. Please contact the White House and Congress to fully fund USCIS!

The President 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Comments: 202-456-1111 https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

You can also direct postal correspondence to your senator as follows: The Honorable (Name) United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-3121 https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

You can also direct postal correspondence to your representatives as follows: The Honorable (Name) U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 (202) 224-3121 http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/

Watch Dr Hernandez's interviews here:

What's happening with the USCIS Openings? Week 2 video https://youtu.be/-3AQ_5udfek 

What's happening with the USCIS Openings? Week 1 https://youtu.be/MdVzv5Ei43Y

Travel Questions during the USCIS Interview with Dr Patricia Hernandez https://youtu.be/a10VzAppCFo

Preguntas de Viaje durante la Entrevista de USCIS con Dr Patricia Hernandez https://youtu.be/p4Ninazqln0

Dr Hernandez and I compare notes about what is happening in Los Angeles and Northern Californian USCIS office re-opening. We talk about Oath Ceremonies, citizenship interviews, office openings and closings, fee increase (no date yet), travel, summer citizenship classes via zoom (email uscitizenpod@gmail.com), and much more!

Video of this zoom call with closed captions:

https://youtu.be/MdVzv5Ei43Y

Watch Dr Hernandez's two earlier interviews here:

Travel Questions during the USCIS Interview with Dr Patricia Hernandez https://youtu.be/a10VzAppCFo

Preguntas de Viaje durante la Entrevista de USCIS con Dr Patricia Hernandez https://youtu.be/p4Ninazqln0

Yesterday I got the news that one of my long-time students, Annie Lau, passed her citizenship interview. So today we are going to listen to her last practice interview. This interview was based on our "Regular Citizenship Interview" and includes random civics questions. You can also watch an earlier interview with Annie on our YouTube channel.

Episodes of US Citizenship Podcast are now available on the uscitizenpod YouTube channel where you will find more videos from our Summer School ESL/Citizenship at Milpitas Adult Education. You can also subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher,or simply download out free app for the Apple or Google Play stores.

More News: The new paperback edition of my book, US Citizenship Bootcamp hasbeen published! You can get the ebook now from Apple iBook or Smashwords. However, the new paperback is a big improvement over the ebook: each chapter has picture and definition vocabulary quizzes plus an expanded chapter about the Oath of Allegiance. Order the book from ESLPublishing.com. I will have more info about the book next week.

US Citizenship Podcast: Blog: http://www.uscitizenpod.com/  Show: http://uscitizenpod.libsyn.com/  Email: uscitizenpod@gmail.com  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/US-Citizenship-Podcast/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uscitizenpod/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/uscitizenpod  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod rss: http://uscitizenpod.libsyn.com/rss 

FREE US Citizenship Podcast Apps Apple iPhone/iPad: https://goo.gl/dLiOAE  Apple iTunes: https://goo.gl/BVrqHQ 

video: USCIS Offices Preparing to Reopen on June 4

USCIS: USCIS Offices Preparing to Reopen on June 4

https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-offices-preparing-reopen-june-4

On March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services temporarily suspended in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). USCIS is readying offices to reopen on or after June 4. Employees in these offices are continuing to perform mission-essential services that do not require face-to-face contact with the public while the offices are closed.

While offices are temporarily closed, USCIS will continue to provide limited emergency in-person services. Please call the USCIS Contact Center for assistance with emergency services.

USCIS field offices will send notices to applicants and petitioners with scheduled appointments and naturalization ceremonies impacted by the extended temporary closure. USCIS asylum offices will send interview cancellation notices and automatically reschedule asylum interviews. When the interview is rescheduled, asylum applicants will receive a new interview notice with the new time, date and location of the interview. When USCIS again resumes operations for in-person services, USCIS will automatically reschedule ASC appointments due to the temporary office closure. Individuals will receive a new appointment letter in the mail. Those who had InfoPass or other appointments must reschedule through the USCIS Contact Center once field offices are open to the public again. Please check to see if the respective office has been reopened before calling the Contact Center.

Please also visit https://www.uscis.gov/coronavirus for updates. For the latest information on the status of an office, visit https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-office-closings

Oficinas de USCIS se Preparan para Reabrir el 4 de Junio

https://www.uscis.gov/es/noticias/alertas/oficinas-de-uscis-se-preparan-para-reabrir-el-4-de-junio

El 18 de marzo, el Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de Estados Unidos suspendió temporalmente los servicios en persona en sus oficinas locales, oficinas de asilo y centros de asistencia en solicitudes (ASC, por sus siglas en inglés) para ayudar a frenar la propagación del coronavirus (COVID-19). USCIS está en el proceso de preparar las oficinas para su reapertura en o después del 4 de junio. El equipo de trabajo de USCIS continúa brindando servicios esenciales para la misión, que no requieren contacto en persona con el público mientras las oficinas permanecen cerradas.

Mientras las oficinas estén cerradas temporalmente, USCIS continuará los servicios en persona en limitadas situaciones de emergencia. Por favor, llame al Centro de Contacto de USCIS para asistencia con los servicios de emergencia.

Las oficinas locales de USCIS enviarán notificaciones a los solicitantes y peticionarios con citas y ceremonias de naturalización programadas afectadas por el cierre temporal extendido. Las oficinas de asilo de USCIS enviarán notificaciones de cancelación y reprogramarán entrevistas de asilo automáticamente. Cuando se reprograme una entrevista, los solicitantes de asilo recibirán una nueva notificación de entrevista con una nueva hora, fecha, y lugar de la entrevista. Cuando USCIS reanude las operaciones para servicios en persona, UCIS reprogramará automáticamente las citas en el ASC debido al cierre temporal de la oficina. Las personas recibirán una nueva Notificación de Cita por correo postal. Las personas que tenían una cita InfoPass u otras citas, deben reprogramar su cita a través del Centro de Contacto de USCIS cuando abran nuevamente las oficinas al público. Por favor verifique si la oficina respectiva ya ha sido abierta antes de llamar al Centro de Contacto de USCIS.

También, por favor visite https://www.uscis.gov/es/coronavirus para actualizaciones. Para la información actualizada sobre el estatus de oficinas, visite https://www.uscis.gov/es/estatus-oficinas

Our seventh daily Citizenship lesson features:

a. the B-2 Citizenship interview

b. USCIS 100:58, 100:64 (European colonists, Thanksgiving)

For all the links, please go to:

U.S. Citizenship 07, COVID-19 Break, Milpitas Adult School

http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2020/03/us-citizenship-07-covid-19-break.html

Daily U.S.Citizenship Lessons 07 summary video

https://youtu.be/B2uPd_j4qBQ

N-400

Civics

Our sixth daily Citizenship lesson features:

a. the B-1 Citizenship interview

b. USCIS 100:59, 100:87 (Native Americans)

For all the links, please go to:

U.S. Citizenship 06, COVID-19 Break, Milpitas Adult School

http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2020/03/us-citizenship-06-covid-19-break.html

A video summary is available at https://youtu.be/w7idHmunGOw

Our fourth daily Citizenship lesson features:

a. the A-4 Citizenship interview b. USCIS 100:99-100 (Symbols part 2)

For all the links, please go to: U.S. Citizenship 04, COVID-19 Break, Milpitas Adult School http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2020/03/us-citizenship-04-covid-19-break.html

The summary video for this lesson is available on the uscitizenpod YouTube channel as uscitizenpod: Daily U.S.Citizenship Lessons 04

USCIS: Response to COVID-19: Closures, Cancellations, and Rescheduling 03/17/2020 (video)In order to protect the public and the USCIS workforce, USCIS has issued a series of guidelines related to in-person services.

N-400

Civics

Our fifth daily Citizenship lesson features:

a. the A-5 Citizenship interview b. a grammar tip about your Permanent Residence Card c. N-400 and Civics quiz (geography and symbols) d. a reading and dictation sentence e. All of the above!

For all the links, please go to: U.S. Citizenship 05, COVID-19 Break, Milpitas Adult School http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2020/03/us-citizenship-05-covid-19-break.html

uscitizenpod: Daily U.S.Citizenship Lessons 05(video summary)

N-400

Civics

Our third daily Citizenship lesson features:

a. the A-3 Citizenship interview b. USCIS 100:88-90 (Symbols part 1)

For all the links, please go to: U.S. Citizenship 02, COVID-19 Break, Milpitas Adult School http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2020/03/us-citizenship-03-covid-19-break.html

The summary video for this lesson is available on the uscitizenpod YouTube channel as Daily U.S.Citizenship Lessons 03 https://youtu.be/3atpN7XQRag 

uscitizenpod: USCIS: Response to COVID-19: Closures, Cancellations, and Rescheduling 03/17/2020 In order to protect the public and the USCIS workforce, USCIS has issued a series of guidelines related to in-person services. N-400

Civics

Our second daily Citizenship lesson features:

a. the A-1 Citizenship interview b. USCIS 100:88-90 (Geography part 1)

For all the links, please go to: U.S. Citizenship 02, COVID-19 Break, Milpitas Adult School http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2020/03/us-citizenship-02-covid-19-break.html

The summary video for this lesson is available on the uscitizenpod YouTube channel as Daily U.S.Citizenship Lessons 02 https://youtu.be/WPkB7ZlQqLo

N-400

Civics

Milpitas Adult School, like many schools, is closed until April 3 (and may be even longer). During the next three weeks (or perhaps longer), I will post daily Citizenship lessons available from public sources.

This lesson was originally posted as U.S. Citizenship 01, COVID-19 Break, Milpitas Adult School at http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2020/03/us-citizenship-01-covid-19-break.html

and video summary appears on uscitizenpod's YouTube channel as Daily U.S. Citizenship Lesson 01 https://youtu.be/CxdBbzsjrno

If you need more focused or class-based practice, go to USALearns.org Citizenship course. If you have any further questions or concerns, please email me at jgagliar@musd.org Preparing for Naturalization

N-400

Civics

This is also available as a video:

USCIS Temporary Office Closure Extended Until At Least May 3

https://youtu.be/8vu-vT48DMc

On March 18, to protect our workforce and to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in our communities, USCIS temporarily suspended all routine face-to-face services with applicants at all of our offices, including all interviews and naturalization ceremonies. The temporary suspension is extended through May 3, and USCIS offices will begin to re-open on May 4 unless the public closures are extended further.

This includes interviews, naturalization ceremonies and biometric collection appointments. However, we will continue to provide emergency services during this time. If you have an emergency service request, please contact the USCIS Contact Center. Employees in these offices are continuing to perform mission-essential services that do not require face-to-face contact with the public.

USCIS field offices will send notices to applicants and petitioners with scheduled appointments impacted by the temporary public closure. We will also send notices to naturalization applicants scheduled for naturalization ceremonies. We will reschedule all applicants when USCIS resumes normal operations.

USCIS asylum offices will send interview cancellation notices and automatically reschedule asylum interviews. When the interview is rescheduled, asylum applicants will receive a new interview notice with the new time, date and location of the interview. 

USCIS will also automatically reschedule application support center appointments due to the temporary office closure. Those impacted will receive a new appointment letter in the mail. Individuals who had InfoPass or other appointments at the field office must reschedule through the USCIS Contact Center once field offices are open to the public again. Please check to see if the office in your jurisdiction has been reopened before reaching out to the USCIS Contact Center.

Additionally, USCIS is postponing all in-person public engagement and outreach events for the duration of the temporary office closure. Please contact public.engagement@uscis.dhs.gov if you have an immediate engagement question during this time.

Education and precautions are the strongest tools against infection. Get the latest facts by visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 website. Continue to practice good health habits, refrain from handshakes or hugs as greetings, and clean hands and surfaces appropriately.

USCIS will provide further updates as the situation develops and will continue to follow CDC guidance in response to this situation. Please visit uscis.gov/coronavirus for updates.

 Kind regards,

Public Engagement Division

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

ALERT: As of March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has suspended routine in-person services until at least April 1 to help slow the spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). USCIS staff will continue to perform duties that do not involve contact with the public. However, USCIS will provide emergency services for limited situations. To schedule an emergency appointment contact the USCIS Contact Center.

Visit CoronaVirus.gov for a complete list of CDC travel health notices.

Learn about the Department of Homeland Security’s response.

In order to protect the public and the USCIS workforce, USCIS has issued a series of guidelines related to in-person services.

https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-response-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

A screencast of this podcast is available at 

https://youtu.be/ZkoYZGtZyXI 

Milpitas Adult School, like many schools, is closed until April 3 (and may be even longer).  During the next three weeks (or perhaps longer), I will post daily Citizenship lessons (in English and Spanish) available from public sources.

If you need more focused or class-based practice, go to USALearns.org Citizenship course. If you have any further questions or concerns, please email me at jgagliar@musd.org

ESL Resources about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) for Adult students http://bit.ly/esl-covid19

Barbara Harris, a teacher at Woodland Adult School, participates in mock Citizenship interview as Patrice Lumumba from Senegal. After the interview, Barbara will talk briefly about Woodland Adult School and her family's tradition of service in the U.S. military.

This interview was recorded at the 2020 CASAS.org EL Civics Conference, Charles A. Jones Career Education Center, Sacramento, CA. You can watch a shorter version of this interview:

Patrice Lumumba’s Practice U.S. Citizenship Interview https://youtu.be/YDfpp9y_Yww

Woodland Adult Education https://adulted.wjusd.org/

Charles A. Jones Career Education Center https://caj.scusd.edu/

Also of note:

U.S. Citizenship Quiz for African-American History Month 2020 In February 2020, restrictions on immigration were placed on six additional countries, including Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan, and Tanzania.  In honor of African-American History Month, this quiz celebrates the contributions of Nigeran, Eritrean, Sudanese, and Tanzanian immigrants and their children. http://bit.ly/2020-af-amer-cit

See more Citizenship Resources for African-American History Month http://bit.ly/2020-af-amer-month

USCIS is actively monitoring the effects of the public health emergency related to the 2019 coronavirus outbreak on agency operations.

USCIS Response to the 2019 Coronavirus https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-response-2019-coronavirus

USCIS Special Situations https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/special-situations

USCIS Beijing Field Office https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office/international-offices/contact-us-uscis-beijing-field-office

Email DHSBeijing.CIS@uscis.dhs.gov (for general inquiries) I-730.Beijing@uscis.dhs.gov (for inquiries regarding Form I-730 - Following-to-Join beneficiaries)

Phone 010-8531-3111 (from within China) 011-8610-8531-3111 (from the United States)

Fax 010-8531-3100 (from within China) 011-8610-8531-3100 (from the United States) Mailing Address from the United Sates Field Office Director U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Beijing Field Office Unit 7300 Box 0624 DPO AP 96521-0624

Mailing Address from Outside the United States and Express Mail Address Field Office Director U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Beijing Field Office American Embassy No. 55 An Jia Lou Road Beijing 100600

Guangzhou Field Office https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office/international-offices/contact-us-guangzhou-field-office

Email CIS.Guangzhou@uscis.dhs.gov

Phone 020-3814-5880 (within China) 011-8620-3814-5880 (from the United States)

Fax 020-3814-5883 (within China) 011-8620-3814-5883 (from the United States)

Mailing Address and Express Mail Address Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services U.S. Consulate General 43 Hua Jiu Road, Zhujiang New Town Tianhe District Guangzhou, China 510623 美国公民及移民事务局 美国驻广州总领事馆 广州市天河区 珠江新城华就路43号 510623

Note: We recommend that you provide your email address in any correspondence you send us so that we may reply quickly.

This is Maya's second practice US Citizenship Interview. Includes civics questions and dictation sentence. 

Listen to Maya's first interview:

mp3: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/2020-01-11.mp3 

YouTube: https://youtu.be/5qjbHmy-gN8

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

US Citizenship Podcast website: https://www.uscitizenpod.com/

Yinghong Xu will have her citizenship interview in week. Wish her luck!

Check out 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

Maya Gomes, a cashier at Walmart, is getting ready for her US Citizenship Interview next.  Includes civics questions and dictation sentence.

Invitation: Help Shape the USCIS Online Experience for Green Card Applications emailed Jan 9, 2020 from uscis@public.govdelivery.com

We want to hear from petitioners, applicants and representatives to gather feedback on their filing experiences for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and related forms.

Who can participate

To participate, you must:

Be at least 18 years old; Be preparing to file, or have filed within the last 12 months, at least one of the following forms: I-485, the (family-based) Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status I-130, Petition for Alien Relative I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé(e) I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant I-131, Application for Travel Document I-765, Application for Employment Authorization Participation is voluntary and will not affect the outcome of any pending case you may have. We will not request any case-specific information as part of this study.

How to participate

Please send an email to myuscisfeedback@uscis.dhs.gov with a subject line of “I-485 Feedback Session” and include the following:

Your role (petitioner, applicant or representative) A brief description of your experience with Form I-485 including whether you filed with dependents We will randomly select participants who meet the criteria listed above for a one-hour session where we will ask for feedback on proposed designs.

If you have any questions, please email myuscisfeedback@uscis.dhs.gov.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Hi. this is Teacher Jennifer with a quick preview of three major events for those preparing for US Citizenship in 2020.

The first major event is the 2020 U.S. Census.

April 1 is National Census Day.

In mid-march, households will receive a form to participate in the 2020 Census. There are three options for responding: online, by mail, or by phone.  The printed Census form is available in 12 non-English languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese)There are also 59 non-English language guides that explain the Census form in your language.

It is very important that you respond to the Census.  The information that you give is private. This information can change the number of our representatives in Congress and the money needed for our schools, roads, and social services.

In May 2020: The Census Bureau begins following up with households that have not responded.  December 2020: The Census Bureau delivers Census count to the president.

The second major event is related to Civics and voting.

In January, America will begin a year-long celebration of 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote.  Local civics groups will mark the anniversary with voting drives in preparation for the November presidential election.

From February to June, each state will hold a primary election or caucus to choose candidates for the Democratic, Republican, and third-party parties.

In July, the Democrats will hold their presidential nominating convention and the Republicans will hold theirs in August. In September and October, the presidential candidates will meet for three debates.

On Tuesday, November 3, U.S. citizens will vote in the the 2020 United States presidential election.  On this date, people will also vote for federal, state, and local officials and on proposed laws.

The third major event is related to Citizenship.

The processing fees related to Citizenship and immigration forms will increase.  For example, the fee for form N-400 Application for Naturalization will increase from $725 (including $640 for processing and $85 for biometrics services) to approximately $1200.  Most fee-reduction petitions will no longer be accepted. The requirements for fee-waivers have been increased.  No date for USCIS fee increase has been announced yet.

Also, in late 2020 or early 2021, USCIS will release a new set of 100 Civics and History questions.  Before USCIS releases the new set of questions, USCIS will travel to many Citizenship Preparation classes.  USCIS will test the questions for appropriate language level and civics content.  After the new 100 questions are released, there will also be a transition period during which new citizens can be asked the old or new questions.

Don't worry! You will have time to prepare.

Step Up to 2020: New Year, New U.S. Citizen!

Van's interview is based on:

All Saints and Day of the Dead are part of a 3-day festival that remembers the lives of those who passed before us.

We honor the following list of Americans who passed before us:

Nov 30, 2018--George Herbert Walker Bush, 43rd president 

Dec 8, 2018--  Rosanell Eaton, voting rights activist 

Feb 7, 2019--John David Dingell Jr. , US Representative (MI)

May 4, 2019-- Rachel Held Evans, religious author 

May 19, 2019--Nativo Lopez-Vigil, immigrant rights activist

July 16, 2019--John Paul Stevens, Supreme Court justice

Aug 5, 2019--Toni Morrison, author

Sept 17, 2019--"Cokie" Roberts, political reporter

Oct 17, 2019--Elijah Cummings, U.S. Representatives (MD)

Oct 27, 2019--John Conyers, U.S. Representatives (MI)

Remember all those who died trying to escape violence and live in freedom.

Citizenship Quiz for All Saints and Day of the Dead 2019 read: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2019.pdf 

Citizenship Resources for Halloween, All Saints, and Day of the Dead http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2019/10/citizenship-resources-for-halloween-all.html

1. USCIS updated Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, by removing receipt of a means-tested benefit to establish eligibility.

2. Individuals may still request a fee waiver if their documented annual household income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or they demonstrate financial hardship.

3. The new policy is effective on Dec. 2.  

Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver https://www.uscis.gov/i-912

Additional Information on Filing a Fee Waiver https://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver

Eligibility https://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver#Eligibility

What is a means-tested benefit? https://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver#meanstested

How to show you are currently receiving a means-tested benefit https://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver#meanstested

Federal Poverty Guidelines https://www.uscis.gov/i-912p

Financial Hardship https://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver#financial_hardship

How requesting a fee waiver affects your current immigration status https://www.uscis.gov/feewaiver#status

uscitizenpod: USCIS Updates Fee Waiver Requirements (subtitled video of this podcast episode) Video posted October 28, 2019. http://bit.ly/I-912-2019

uscitizenpod: The USCIS N-400 and Fee Waivers (includes Fee Reduction) Video posted January 13, 2018. Available at http://bit.ly/I-912-2018

10/25/2019 USCIS Press Release I-912 Revised Criteria Provides Clarity for Demonstrating Eligibility https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-updates-fee-waiver-requirements

WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has revised Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, by removing the means-tested benefit criteria that was previously used as a factor in determining whether an applicant was exempt from paying for filing fees or biometric services. Individuals may still request a fee waiver if their documented annual household income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or they demonstrate financial hardship.

A means-tested benefit is a public benefit—offered by federal, state, or local agencies—for which eligibility and amount considerations are based on a person’s income and resources. USCIS formerly considered Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and Supplemental Security Income during eligibility evaluations.

USCIS has determined that receiving a means-based benefit is not an appropriate criteria in reviewing fee-waiver requests because income levels used to decide local assistance eligibility vary greatly from state to state.

“USCIS relies on fees to cover the costs of adjudicating applications and petitions, implementing operational efforts, and ensuring the nation’s lawful immigration system is properly administered,” said USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli. “USCIS waives hundreds of millions of dollars in fees annually. The revised fee waiver process will improve the integrity of the program and the quality and consistency of fee waiver approvals going forward. Providing clear direction to agency adjudicators for more uniform determinations will help us to uphold our mission of efficiently and fairly adjudicating immigration requests.”

USCIS has estimated that the annual dollar amount of fee waivers increased from around $344.3 million in fiscal year 2016 to $367.9 million in FY 2017. In FY 2018, the estimated annual dollar amount of fee waivers USCIS granted was $293.5 million. Fee revenues account for more than 95% of the USCIS budget.

Under the revised criteria, individuals may still request a fee waiver if:

Their documented annual household income is at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines; or They demonstrate financial hardship.

However, USCIS will require applicants to complete Form I-912 and submit supporting documentation, including federal income tax transcripts. USCIS will not accept a letter stating the applicant is unable to afford filing fees or biometric services without a completed Form I-912.

As of Dec. 2, those seeking a fee waiver must submit the 10/24/19 version of this form to request a waiver of a required fee for immigration benefits. After Dec. 2, USCIS will reject any Form I-912 with an edition date of 03/13/18 or earlier, a fee waiver request submitted with a letter, or documentation of receipt of means-tested benefit to show eligibility for a fee waiver. USCIS will adjudicate any fee waiver request postmarked before Dec. 2 under the previous policy, AFM 10.9, Waiver of Fees.

The new form does not change the applications and petitions that are eligible for a fee waiver. For the list of eligible applications and petitions, see the Form I-912 Instructions. In addition, USCIS has updated policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to accompany this form revision. The updated policy guidance is effective on Dec. 2.

For more information on USCIS and our programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), Instagram (/uscis), YouTube (/uscis), Facebook (/uscis), and LinkedIn (/uscis).

The new edition of the USCIS Form N-400 Application for Naturalization is dated 09/17/19. It expires 09/30/2022.

There are only two changes to the N-400 (09/17/19)

1) The expiration date (09/30/2022).

2) A dynamic bar code encodes info as the N-400 is filled out online. This bar code does not appear on the print copy.

The updated N-400 (09/17/19) questions are the same as the old N-400 (12/23/16).

The late 2018--early 2019 proposed questions were not adopted by the updated N-400 (09/17/19).

These questions were possibly disregarded after an extended period of discussion with legal experts and stake holders.

You can watch a subtitles version of this podcast:

Update to USCIS Form N-400 Application for Naturalization https://youtu.be/nwSm-tXGvWg posted Oct 22, 2019

This video is a correction to the following video:

Preview of the Revised USCIS N-400 Application for Naturalization (March 2019) https://youtu.be/jMWCwr4EIc4 posted Feb 8, 2019

US Citizenship Bootcamp Interview 2 Ten N-400 Questions & Five Civics Questions

Use US Citizenship Bootcamp to work your way up to the US Citizenship Interview!

Vocabulary Words: Date of Birth Country of Birth Address Work Children Arrested Independence Day State Capital U.S. Capital

You can order US Citizenship Bootcamp by Jennifer Gagliardi from any bookstore or library.

Free Resources to Study U.S. Citizenship

USCIS Citizenship Resource Center https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship

Preparing for the Oath https://americanhistory.si.edu/citizenship/

USA Learns Citizenship https://www.usalearns.org/

US Citizenship Podcast https://www.uscitizenpod.com/ https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod/

Your Local Public Libraries and Adult Schools

Five N-400 Questions and Five Civics Questions with Officer David

Use US Citizenship Bootcamp to work your way up to the US Citizenship Interview!

Vocabulary words Name Permanent Resident Citizen Married Month Year Constitution Vote President

You can order US Citizenship Bootcamp by Jennifer Gagliardi from any bookstore or library.

Free Resources to Study U.S. Citizenship

USCIS Citizenship Resource Center https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship

Preparing for the Oath https://americanhistory.si.edu/citizenship/

USA Learns Citizenship https://www.usalearns.org/

US Citizenship Podcast https://www.uscitizenpod.com/ https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod/

Your Local Public Libraries and Adult Schools

Officer David is back to review the USCIS N-400 Part 12 Vocabulary. His review is based on the following quiz:

N-400 Part 12 Vocabulary Review (27 Questions) http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/n-400r-12-overview-quiz.pdf http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/n-400-part-12-quiz-2.mp3 https://youtu.be/WPqZD1y7suQ

Also see

U.S. Citizenship N-400 Part 12 Quiz (20 Questions) http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/n-400r-12-intro-quiz.pdf http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/part-12.mp3 https://youtu.be/ZDsTwhbLAEs

N-400 Basic Interview Quiz Part 12 (pictures) http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/n-400r-basic-part-12.pdf

More videos:

Jothy Nair Reviews USCIS N-400 Part 12 Vocabulary https://youtu.be/jjeI4nWxOrI

Mr. Wang Practices the N-400 Part 12 https://youtu.be/yU16UGh2he0

A "Regular" Citizenship Interview (plus N-400 Part 12 Vocabulary Questions) https://youtu.be/_nvSEpNrD-w

A Quick Review of the Bill of Rights and the N-400 Part 12 plus Civics Questions video: https://youtu.be/Ih8cW8ByHdo pdf: https://goo.gl/XPCNgd

Citizenship Resources for Constitution and Citizenship Week http://bit.ly/USConstWeek19

Tip 1: Common Immigration Scams

Tip 2: Scam Alerts

Tip 3: Notario Scams

Tip 4: Resources to Avoid Immigration Scams

Tip 5: U.S. Government Website for Immigration Info

Tip 6: Immigrate to the United States

Tip 7: Work or Study in the United States

Tip 8: Check My Case Status (and more tools)

Tip 9: Good, Low-cost Legal Aid

Tip 10: Report a Scam

Thanks for learning more about Immigration Scams!Have you been a victim of immigration fraud? Do you know about people who might be victims of fraud—or who are committing fraud? USCIS wants to make reporting suspected fraud easy. email: Reportfraudtips@uscis.dhs.gov 

Watch all the videos in the uscitizenpod: Immigration Scams Playlist

This video is available on YouTube:

10 Quick Tips About Immigration Scams https://youtu.be/67sIfSwuxBA

Tip 1: Common Immigration Scams

Tip 2: Scam Alerts

Tip 3: Notario Scams

Tip 4: Resources to Avoid Immigration Scams

Tip 5: U.S. Government Website for Immigration Info

Tip 6: Immigrate to the United States

Tip 7: Work or Study in the United States

Tip 8: Check My Case Status (and more tools)

Tip 9: Good, Low-cost Legal Aid

Tip 10: Report a Scam

Thanks for learning more about Immigration Scams!Have you been a victim of immigration fraud? Do you know about people who might be victims of fraud—or who are committing fraud? USCIS wants to make reporting suspected fraud easy. email: Reportfraudtips@uscis.dhs.gov 

Watch all the videos in the uscitizenpod: Immigration Scams Playlist

This video is available on YouTube:

10 Quick Tips About Immigration Scams https://youtu.be/67sIfSwuxBA

Love and Citizenship from the Heart of California: an US Citizenship Interview with Rene Smith ESL/Citizenship Instructor Madera Adult School https://www.madera.k12.ca.us/Page/4134

Teacher Jennifer does a practice US Citizenship interview with Teacher Rene (Madera Adult School), then Rene about her own experience about becoming a US citizen and preparing students to become US Citizens.

For more info about Adult Education, see:

California Adult Education (California) https://caladulted.org/

Educate and Elevate (USA)

https://educateandelevate.org/

I would like to make a few comments about the new USCIS "public charge" rule before I read the rule's summary and full text.

A “public charge” is a person who depends on the government to pay for his or her food, clothing, housing, healthcare, and more. The new USCIS "public charge" rule says that an immigrant to the United States must be able to financially support his- or herself. If a person cannot support his- or herself, then he or she will not be allowed to legally enter the United States.

I want to emphasize that new "public charge" rule affects people who want to get a Green Card and become Legal Permanent Residents.

The "public charge" rule does not directly affect people who are legal permanent residents.

Although the "public charge" rule is not about legal permanent residents who are preparing for their citizenship interview, they should be prepared to answer extra questions about their financial status if they submitted a I-912 Fee Waiver Form or an I-942 Fee Reduction Form with their N-400 Application for Naturalization which USCIS plans to update on Oct 15, 2019 to reflect the changes of the new "public charge" rule.

I want to talk a little bit more about the indirect impact of the "public charge" rule on the citizenship interview.

The current administration is particularly concerned about immigrants ability to financially support themselves.

During the Citizenship interview about Employment and School (N-400 Part 8) a USCIS officer sometimes asks a non-working applicant about a spouse's occupation, place of employment, and joint tax returns.

Furthermore, Senior Citizens who are preparing for their citizenship interview, should be prepared to answer more questions about financial support.

Example: (excerpt from Mr Wang)

More examples

Do you pay taxes on your pension or investments in a foreign country?

Part 12:30i, is strongly linked to the "public charge rule." It asks: Have you ever made any misrepresentation to obtain any public benefit in the United States?

Public benefits is financial help from the government such as food stamps or healthcare, these are not part of the new "public charge" rule.

Some public benefits such as rent assistance, scholarships, or unemployment insurance are seen as means of financial support and may be asked about during the Part 8 Employment and Schools section.

If you were legally qualified to received these benefits, it's ok. Receiving public benefits does stop you from getting Citizenship.

If the USCIS officer needs further evidence such as tax returns or public benefits forms they will send you a letter requesting the specific documents after you complete your citizenship interview.

Finally, once a legal permanent resident becomes a new US citizen, he or she may sponsor his or her relatives to come to the United States.

USCIS will look very carefully potential immigrants' ability to support themselves.

USCIS will look at their work skills, education, and ability to speak English.

USCIS will also look at the applicant's health, finances, and ability to integrate into American society.

The sponsor must submit to Affidavit of Support which details their own ability to support the new immigrant.

For more details, see the show notes for the links USCIS.gov Green Card Process Procedures, particularly the Public Charge page.

Let's get started

USCIS.gov Green Card Process Procedures https://www.uscis.gov/greencard/green-card-processes-procedures

USCIS.gov Public Charge https://www.uscis.gov/greencard/public-charge

USCIS Announces Final Rule Enforcing Long-Standing Public Charge Inadmissibility Law (08/12/2019) https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-announces-final-rule-enforcing-long-standing-public-charge-inadmissibility-law

Excerpt from Chengyu Wang’s Practice U.S. Citizenship Interview https://youtu.be/IiVHUCpoxrM

More 2020 Census Resources for Adult Education students at http://bit.ly/2020-AE

iCount! An Intetrview with the San Mateo Adult School Census Ambassador Team

Today we will continue our series: U.S. Citizenship and the 2020 Census

San Mateo County is partnering with the San Mateo Adult School to pilot a Census Ambassador training program, which will be launched across the county in Fall 2019.

In the previous podcast, we interviewed Aparna Ramakrishnan from the San Mateo County Census Team. In this interview, we hear from the San Mateo Adult School Ambassador team.

SAN MATEO ADULT SCHOOL CENSUS AMBASSADOR TEAM Alena Bashko, student Marina Zabruskova, student Shelley Cheng, Student Council President (morning session) Shereen Lata, Student Council Vice-President (morning session) Shirley Pinheiro, student Stephanie Kriebel, SMAS Census Ambassador Faculty Co-facilitator

San Mateo Adult School https://www.smuhsd.org/smas

This episode timeline

For more more info about the San Mateo Adult School Census Ambassador training program, see https://cmo.smcgov.org/census-ambassador-program

or contact Aparna Ramakrishnan San Mateo County Census Team 400 County Center, Redwood City, CA 94063 (650) 363-1800

http://www.smccensus.org/ SMC_Census@smcgov.org  @SMC_CommAffairs

I will be chopping up both interview with Aparna Ramakrishnan and the SMAS Census Ambassadors, and posting the subtitled videos to the uscitizenpod YouTube channel.

Listen to U.S. Citizenship and the U.S. Census 2020 series and other podcasts:

01. A Quick Comparison between the USCIS N-400 and Census 2020 (07/01/2019) http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/census.mp3 https://youtu.be/6dnF93zELuw

02. No Citizenship Question on the 2020 Census BUT.... (7/13/2019)  http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/census-2.mp3 https://youtu.be/uoAthR65aBc 

03. NEWS ALERT: USCIS Will Update the Naturalization Civics Test! (07/19/19) http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/update.mp3 https://youtu.be/RR1slYZBX54

04. The 2020 Census: We are counting on YOU to make sure that WE ALL COUNT! (7/29/2019) An Interview with Aparna Ramakrishnan from the SMC Census Team video: https://youtu.be/Pgc5m-jZ7iU

podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/census-sm4.mp3

blogpost: http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2019/07/the-2020-census-we-are-counting-on-you.html

OLDER PODCASTS ABOUT THE CENSUS

uscitizenpod: THE 2010 US CENSUS! (3/15/2010)

http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/2010census.mp3

uscitizenpod: The 2010 US Census in 4 minutes (3/16/2010)

http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/2010census-qs.mp3

uscitizenpod: An American Pentecost (6/6/2017) (based on Language Access information from the 2010 census) podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/american-pentecost.mp3

pdf: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/american-pentecost.pdf

video: https://youtu.be/L69nzNVlTxY

MORE:

Census.gov Promotional Materials and Guidelines

https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/2020-census/planning-management/promo-print-materials.html

Census.gov Educational Resources

https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis.html

For more info about the Census, listen to Hansi Lo Wang, NPR

https://www.npr.org/people/177498291/hansi-lo-wang Or follow him on Twitter @hansilowang

Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center (PCRC) (Shirley Pinheiro volunteers here!) https://www.pcrcweb.org/ Offers mediation services for landlord/tenant and neighbor/neighbor disputes and training for community organizations.

The 2020 Census: We are counting on YOU to make sure that WE ALL COUNT! An Interview with Aparna Ramakrishnan from the SMC Census Team

Today we will continue our series New Series: U.S. Citizenship and the U.S. Census 2020

Every 10 years, the federal government is required to count all residents in the United States, citizens and noncitizens alike, through a national census. The next national census is in April 2020. The information is used to make sure everyone is equally represented in our political system and that government resources are allocated fairly. It is also used to make important decisions about community programs and services, like where to build homes and parks, establish public transit routes, build new roads and offer language access services.

Participating in the Census is a civic responsibility for citizens and non-citizens similar to paying taxes and educating ourselves and our children.

In certain situations, people can refuse to pay taxes or send their children to school, but they cannot ignore what is happening in the community. They must learn the facts, and then make their decisions accordingly.

Today I will interview

Aparna Ramakrishnan from the SMC Census Team about their Census Ambassador program 400 County Center Redwood City, CA 94063 (650) 363-1800 SMC_Census@smcgov.org @SMC_CommAffairs

San Mateo County is partnering with the San Mateo Adult School to pilot a Census Ambassador training program, which will be launched across the county in Fall 2019. https://cmo.smcgov.org/census-ambassador-program

San Mateo County Census 2020 http://www.smccensus.org/

Census 2020 Outreach Resources --especially look at their Guides, Talking Points + Toolkits https://cmo.smcgov.org/census-2020-outreach-resources

Next Monday, I will post the podcast that I recorded at the San Mateo Adult School with the Census Ambassadors. And over the next several weeks, I will be chopping up both of these into smaller bits, and posting the subtitled videos to the uscitizenpod YouTube channel.

Let's get started! Interview with uscitizenpod: A Quick Comparison between the USCIS N-400 and Census 2020 (7/01/2019) https://youtu.be/6dnF93zELuw http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/census.mp3

uscitizenpod: No Citizenship Question on the 2020 Census BUT.... (7/13/2019) https://youtu.be/uoAthR65aBc  http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/census-2.mp3

uscitizenpod: THE 2010 US CENSUS! (3/15/2010) http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/2010census.mp3

uscitizenpod: The 2010 US Census in 4 minutes (3/16/2010) http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/2010census-qs.mp3

An example of interpreting Language Access information from the 2010 census uscitizenpod: An American Pentecost (6/6/2017) podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/american-pentecost.mp3 pdf: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/american-pentecost.pdf video: https://youtu.be/L69nzNVlTxY

For more info about the Census, listen to Hansi Lo Wang, NPR https://www.npr.org/people/177498291/hansi-lo-wang or follow him on Twitter @hansilowang Also see:

Census.gov Promotional Materials and Guidelines https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/2020-census/planning-management/promo-print-materials.html

Census.gov Educational Resources https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis.html

In this podcast, I read, comment and summarize the latest USCIS memo about updates to the USCIS Civics test.

Watch for upcoming discussions between US government agencies, adult educators, community-based organization, and stakeholders,  https://lincs.ed.gov/

USCIS Announces Plan to Improve the Naturalization Test (July 19, 2019)

https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-announces-plan-improve-naturalization-test

WASHINGTON — U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is revising the current naturalization test with improvements to ensure it continues to serve as an accurate measure of a naturalization applicant’s civics knowledge and that it reflects best practices in adult education assessments. The goal is to create a meaningful, uniform, and efficient test that will assess applicants’ knowledge and understanding of U.S. history, government and values.

This spring, the former USCIS director signed the Revision of the Naturalization Civics Test Memorandum (PDF, 202 KB). This memorandum announces the revision of the naturalization test and formalizes a decennial revision schedule of the naturalization test based on adult education best practices.

“Granting U. S. citizenship is the highest honor our nation bestows,” said USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli. “Updating, maintaining, and improving a test that is current and relevant is our responsibility as an agency in order to help potential new citizens fully understand the meaning of U.S. citizenship and the values that unite all Americans.”

In December 2018, USCIS formed a naturalization test revision working group with members from across the agency. The working group has been reviewing and updating the naturalization test questions. The working group will also assess potential changes to the speaking portion of the test. USCIS is soliciting the input of experts in the field of adult education to ensure that this process is fair and transparent. After careful analysis of the pilot, and thorough officer training, USCIS will set an implementation date in December 2020 or early 2021. 

Section 312 of the Immigration and Nationality Act outlines the English and civics requirements for naturalization. By law, candidates for naturalization must have “…an understanding of the English language, including an ability to read, write, and speak words in ordinary usage in the English language…” and “…knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history, and of the principles and form of government, of the United States...” This test revision will comply with all statutory and regulatory requirements, and USCIS will pilot it this fall.

In Fiscal Year 2018, USCIS naturalized nearly 757,000 people, a five-year high in new oaths of citizenship. The naturalization test revision is a key part of preparing legal immigrants to fully exercise their rights and meet their responsibilities. 

For more information on USCIS and our programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), Instagram (/uscis), YouTube (/uscis), Facebook (/uscis), and LinkedIn (/uscis).

Today is Friday, July 12, 2019. Last week, I did A Quick Comparison between the USCIS N-400 and 2020 Census Form:

This week I will give a quick update about the 2020 Census Form Citizenship Question.

Let's get started.

This past week, people closely followed the news about the 2020 Census.  They wanted to know if the 2020 Census would include a Citizenship Question. The answer to this question seemed to change every hour.

President Trump wanted to have a Citizenship Question on the 2020 Census.  He said that the Citizenship Question would protect voting rights.

The federal courts disagreed that the Citizenship Question would protect voting rights. The courts reviewed what the Constitution said about the Census, state representation, and voting rights. Article 1 Section 2 of the Constitution says that Congress must count all people living in the United States every 10 years. The number of a state's representatives is based on the number of people--not citizens--who live in the state. If some people are not counted, states would lose members in the House of Representatives, plus government money for public services.

Also, many people oppose the Citizenship Question on the 2020 Census.  They think that every person must be counted in the 2020 Census.  They contacted their Senators and Representatives by phone, email, or Twitter.  Some people said that they would not answer the Citizenship Question because they are not legal residents or live with people who are undocumented.  There are afraid of being deported.

On Thursday, July 11, 2019, President Trump that the 2020 Census will not have the Citizenship Question BUT he issued an executive order for federal agencies to collect and share people's citizenship information.  Trump said that the Citizenship information will show us how immigration changes America.  The citizenship information will help us make stronger immigration laws and give public services.  Trump's executive order wants states to draw voting districts based on number of eligible voters (citizens) instead of total number of people (citizens, legal residents, and undocumented), which many people say will give more power to Republicans & Non-Hispanic Whites voters and may take away the voting power of Democrats, Hispanic, African-American, and other minority voters.

While people are still taking about what Trump's executive order, communities are preparing for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids this weekend.  All undocumented immigrants can be arrested and deported, not just immigrants who have committed crimes.  Sometimes, U.S. citizens are arrested during ICE raids.

Remember, NEVER LIE ABOUT YOUR IMMIGRATION STATUS!

All people--citizens and non-citizens--have rights under the US Constitution.

For more info about your rights in many languages, go to: https://www.informedimmigrant.com/resources/ilrc-red-cards/

Stay safe.

POP QUIZ

Listen to this podcast to find the answer to the following five questions:

1. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?

2. What does the judicial branch do?

3. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.

4. What are two ways that Americans can participate in their democracy?

5. What are the two major political parties in the United States?*

6. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?

We are back from out hiatus with a new series about U.S. Citizenship and the U.S. Census 2020.  The first episode is a quick comparison between the USCIS N-400 and Census 2020. 

Check out our YouTube channel for a video version of this podcast and many more practice Citizenship interviews.

For more info about the Census 2020:

Follow Hansi Lo Wang @hansilowang on Twitter NPR.org national correspondent covering #2020Census

The New Yorker: How the Census Changed America by Ted Widmer, May 1, 2019 The simple act of enumeration created data processing, led to the establishment of the National Archives, and rooted a rootless people. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/how-the-census-changed-america

Officer David is back with all of the USCIS Civics Questions.  The questions are asked in sets of ten (all the questions ending in 1 are asked first, followed by the 2s, etc).

You can listen and watch Officer David's other interviews below:

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!

Before the March 2019 revision of the N-400 application for Naturalization, we would like to review some vocabulary for Additional Information in the N-400 Part 12 (which will become Part 11 in the revised N-400). This review is based on:

N-400r Part 12 Overview Quiz (27 questions) http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/n-400r-12-overview-quiz.pdf

Also watch/listen to:

uscitizenpod: Preview of the Revised USCIS N-400 Application for Naturalization (March 2019) 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. video: https://youtu.be/jMWCwr4EIc4 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/n-400-preview.mp3

uscitizenpod: U.S. Citizenship N-400 Part 12 Quiz (20 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. video: https://youtu.be/ZDsTwhbLAEs podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/part-12.mp3

US Citizenship Resources for Black History Month https://www.uscitizenpod.com/2019/02/us-citizenship-resources-for-african.html

US Citizenship Resources for Presidents' Day https://www.uscitizenpod.com/2019/02/us-citizenship-resources-for-presidents.html

Also check out our new video series:

U.S. Citizenship Reading and Writing Test Practice (only 18 videos now, but will grow into over 50 videos soon) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtyN34w6H7y4wtr0MlDxpH39LZFUqWASp

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

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

If you need help with your questions:

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.

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/

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!

The get out the #NativeVote initiative swept in more Native Americans into local, state, and national offices.  Practice for your Citizenship interview by learning more about these new Native American office holders and Native American Heritage Month.

Third Citizenship Quiz in Honor of Native American Heritage Month Focus: Midterm Elections 2018 Video with cc: https://youtu.be/5RBcZwlYpxI podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/native-american-quiz-3.mp3 pdf: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/native-american-quiz-3.pdf

Go to our YouTube channel to watch this audio file with subtitles.

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

Subscribe to us in YouTube and in Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you hear us and please take a minute to rate and review us as well.

A Second Citizenship Quiz in Honor of Native American Heritage Month (2017) video with CC: https://youtu.be/R9O-6-VNNS8 podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/native-american-quiz-2.mp3 PDF: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/native-american-quiz-2.pdf

A Citizenship Quiz on Recent Native American History and Legislation (2016) mp3: https://goo.gl/cdKi4y pdf: https://goo.gl/lt9Ekf

More Citizenship Resources for Native American Heritage Month http://bit.ly/cit-native-18

For more in depth info, go to

nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov

hcn.org 

indiancountrytoday.com

15 Civics Questions about the history of Thanksgiving.  Includes bonus pdf!

See:  Thanksgiving N-400 Interview (2016/2017) pdf: https://goo.gl/x8hNUG mp3 v1: https://goo.gl/d4ZuK4 mp3 v2: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/thanksgiving-interview-2017.mp3 video: https://youtu.be/7apjThq6yLw

A Quick Interview Based on the N-400r plus 10qs in honor of Thanksgiving (2015) pdf: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-test-2015-thanksgiving.pdf mp3: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/thanksgiving-interview.mp3

A Citizenship Quiz for Thanksgiving (2015) pdf: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/thanksgiving-quiz-2015.pdf mp3: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/thanksgiving-quiz.mp3

More Citizenship Resources at http://bit.ly/cit-thksg

We are back from our hiatus with an interview with USCIS Public Affairs Arwen FitzGerald.  She talks about the latest developments from USCIS, particularly the MyUSCIS account which you can use to apply for citizenship online.

Download and listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/arwen.mp3 Read the transcript: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/arwen.pdf Video with subtitles: https://youtu.be/yr6ZY09iD0Y

For more information, see

USCIS Home Page https://www.uscis.gov/ Look for Emma, the USCIS digital assistant, in the upper right hand corner

myUSCIS Home Page https://my.uscis.gov/ Sign in and create an account to apply for Citizenship online

USCIS Customer Contact Center (800) 375-5283 If you are in the United States or a U.S. territory, you can call the USCIS Contact Center. Dial 800-375-5283 (for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability: TTY 800-767-1833) to access automated information through an interactive menu 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also get live help from a USCIS representative Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern except on federal holidays.

USCIS on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/uscis/featured USCIS Civics Questions Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpNZsaiyFfG0mZUx6aS8Tn2pANNymRDaJ

USCIS: Civics Test Study Tools App Free download from the iTunes Apps or Google Play stores. (Look for the red and blue torch)

Follow @USCIS on FaceBook, Instagram, and Twitter

Follow Arwen FitzGerald on Twitter @USCISmediaTX

Follow US Citizenship Podcast on FB/IN/TW/YT @uscitizenpod or visit our homepage https://www.uscitizenpod.com

All Saints and Day of the Dead are part of a 3-day festival that remembers the lives of those who passed before us. Here are some great Americans who passed away this year.

Citizenship Quiz for All Saints and Day of the Dead 2018 listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2018.mp3 read: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2018.pdf watch: coming soon!

Many children like to dress up as superheroes for Halloween. Their favorite, Superman, was a refugee who made America his home. Superman, like many immigrants, "fights for truth, justice and the American Way!" What is one promise you make when you become a United States citizen? (53) watch: https://youtu.be/26Y2MXPUo7s

Citizenship Quiz for All Saints and Day of the Dead 2017 listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2017.mp3 read: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2017.pdf watch: https://youtu.be/ihsW_9GiO3Q

Citizenship Quiz for All Saints and Day of the Dead 2016 listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/day-of-the-dead-2016.mp3 read: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead-2016.pdf

A Citizenship Quiz for Halloween 2015 listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-halloween-quiz.mp3 read: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-halloween.pdf

A Citizenship Quiz for All Saints Day Podcast 2015 listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-all-saints.mp3 read: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-all-saints.pdf

Citizenship Quiz for Day of the Dead Podcast 2015 read: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead.mp3 listen: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/citz-day-of-the-dead.pdf

More Resources:

5 Ghosts of Presidents Haunting White House: Lincoln's Ghost and 4 more! https://youtu.be/Pr11DyYT1s8

Day of the Dead Honors Loved Ones Who Died, and Celebrates the Living https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/a-23-2007-10-25-voa1-83135282/128016.html

Dead Honored in Various Ways https://youtu.be/f3cRohj2vEA

Everyday conversations: What’s your Halloween costume? https://share.america.gov/everyday-conversations-halloween-costumes/

Halloween https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/halloween.pdf

Los Angeles Marks American Tradition with 'Pumpkin Nights' https://youtu.be/q43q0k8fD0I

Notable Deaths 2018: Politics and Public Affairs https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/obituaries/notable-deaths-politics-public-affairs.html

Special Halloween-themed citizenship ceremony takes place in Chicago http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/local/special-halloween-themed-citizenship-ceremony-takes-place-in-chicago

Next week is Constitution and Citizenship Week during which students young and old study and sign the Constitution, affirming their commitment to uphold the principles and laws of the United States. USCIS and federal judges co-host special Oath Ceremonies in honor of the signing of Constitution on Sept 17, 1787.

Today we will listen to our second interview with Min Hui Liu, who passed her citizenship interview on Sept 11, and has been invited to take her Oath of Naturalization during one of these special events. First you will hear a short interview and civics questions, followed by a report-back from her interview, and her plans to help prepare her husband and coworkers for their citizenship interviews. Let's get started!

Every week, we bring you practice interviews, quizzes, resources, and the latest news that help you get ready for your US citizenship interview.

Before we begin, we would like to note that the Senatei s discussing the nomination for the next Supreme Court justice. Please follow the debate and vote on VOANews.com. You can also use the Countable app to contact your Senators and make your opinion known about this issue and other upcoming legislation.

Today we will listen to our second interview with Officer David. You can download the Basic Citizenship Interview at uscitizenpod.com and practice with a classmate, friend, or family member. Let's get started!

A Basic Citizenship Interview based on the USCIS Revised N-400 (2pgs, 38 qs) pdf: http://goo.gl/cFLBsA pptx https://goo.gl/eh19Gh video: https://youtu.be/DnD5GRf1oDI vocab ppt: https://goo.gl/uiOJJc pdf: N-400r Basic Interview Quiz Part 01 to Part 11 http://goo.gl/e9NnSR (new url) pdf: N-400r Basic Interview Quiz Part 12 http://goo.gl/U4cjDA (new url)

LISTEN to US Citizenship Podcast:

US Citizenship Podcast Show website https://uscitizenpod.libsyn.com/

US Citizenship Podcast Daily blog: https://www.uscitizenpod.com/

Our videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod

Order "US Citizenship Bootcamp: Exercises and Quizzes to Pass the Naturalization Interview" by Jennifer Gagliardi

Before we begin, we would like to mark the passing of Senator John McCain. in the democratic strongholds of San Jose and Milpitas, this republican senator is held in high esteem as a warrior who pursued peace out of his deep respect for the Vietnamese people. His wisdom will be deeply missed.

Because it is the beginning of the school, we will listen to an easy Citizenship Interview of 15 questions based on the N- 400 Application for Naturalization plus geography and civics questions ending with the number one. Let's get started!

LISTEN to US Citizenship Podcast:

US Citizenship Podcast Show website https://uscitizenpod.libsyn.com/ 

US Citizenship Podcast Daily blog: https://www.uscitizenpod.com/ 

Our videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod 

Order "US Citizenship Bootcamp: Exercises and Quizzes to Pass the Naturalization Interview" by Jennifer Gagliardi

Today we celebrate Back to School Week with an quick interview with Felipe Toledo. Felipe is a proud father of five children, whose daughter is currently serving in a non-combatant position in the US Army Reserves. Let's get started!

LISTEN to US Citizenship Podcast US Citizenship Podcast Show website https://uscitizenpod.libsyn.com/ US Citizenship Podcast Daily blog: https://www.uscitizenpod.com/ Our videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod Order "US Citizenship Bootcamp: Exercises and Quizzes to Pass the Naturalization Interview" by Jennifer Gagliardi,

Applicants who used to wait about four months for a Citizenship Interview appointment are now waiting eight months or more. This weekend I received a joyful text from my long-time student, Min Hui, that she finally received her citizenship appointment letter. (She applied in Sept 2107).  Here is her practice interview from June plus a round-robin civics quiz from her fellow citizenship students. After her interview, I will talk a bit more  about how to check USCIS Processing times.

How to check USCIS Processing Times 1. Go to USCIS.gov 2. Click the CHECK PROCESSING TIMES link (under TOOLS) 3. Select Form: N-400; Field Office: (your field office) 4. click GET PROCESSING TIME button 5. USCIS will give you a processing date range and “Receipt date for a case inquiry" (for example the SJ office is 8-14 months and the receipt date for a case inquiry is June 20, 2017)

Note 1: You can also create an account to see your personalized case completion time on this Get Processing Time results page.

Note 2: If your receipt date is before the “Receipt date for a case inquiry", you can submit an “outside normal processing time” service request online. The link is on this Get Processing Time results page under CASE MANAGEMENT TOOLS.

Note 3: You can also use the USCIS digital assistant EMMA to guide you through this procedure.

Note 4: If you prefer to talk to a USCIS officer in person, go to the TOOLS, the APPOINTMENTS. You can make an appointment at the INFOPASS page. The officer can check your case status but cannot give legal advice.

Visit US Citizenship Podcast on the web:  https://www.uscitizenpod.com/ Watch our videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod

Please forgive my sudden hiatus--my father has a series of stroke during Memorial Day and died in early in July. He was a master teacher, and although I am devastated my his loss, I continued to work with my students during this time.

Here is a recording with Min Zheng, a doctor from China. After her interview, the students ask her the civics questions. It may be a little difficult to hear and understand some of the questions. Use this opportunity to listen for key words and practice asking, "Excuse me, can you please repeat the question?" Let's get started.

A bit more a Min Zheng. One of the most interesting things about her is that she did not go to school to learn English. She learned English solely from mobile apps and an online community on We Chat that like to practice English. As she gained more confidence, she practiced speaking English with her grandchildren especially when she helped them with their homework.

I can recommend two mobile apps to learn English:

DuoLingo--This app is free. I am using it now to study German, but you can also download DuoLingo in Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese, or many other languages to study English.

USALearns--The app costs 99 cents or you can study English for free at their website, USALearns.org which includes a intensive Citizenship course which includes difficult N-400 vocabulary.

Thanks to the students and staff of Milpitas Adult School. A special thanks goes out to Min Zheng. Please visit us on the web at uscitizenpod.com where you can find more resources for Citizenship. While you are there, click the link for USALearns Citizenship. You can also click the link to visit the uscitizenpod channel on YouTube, download our free apps, or buy our book, US Citizenship Bootcamp which is now available Amazon.

Today we talk to Annie Marie Rivera Montes, who is a native of Guam and a teacher (retired) of the Chamorro culture.

Guam is a territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point (in terms of jurisdiction) and territory of the United States, along with Northern Mariana Islands. The inhabitants of Guam are called Guamanians, and they are American citizens by birth. Indigenous Guamanians are the Chamorros, who are related to other Austronesian natives to the west in the Philippines and Taiwan. (source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guam)

USCIS 100:91. Name one U.S. territory. Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands American Samoa Northern Mariana Islands Guam

Learn more about Guam, the Mariana Islands, and the Chamorro at Guampedia: Guam’s Online Encyclopedia https://www.guampedia.com/

Although Guamanian serve in the military at a rate that is three times higher than the rest of the country, their vets' struggle to receive medical services WATCH: America By the Numbers: Island of Warriors https://www.pbs.org/video/america-numbers-island-warriors CONTACT: VA.gov or your U.S. congress members. Tell them that you support increased healthcare services for vets, especially those from Guam and the U.S. territories.

This interview was recorded in the Kaiser Vallejo Rehabilitation Center, where Annie Marie's husband and my father where recovering from their strokes. Unfortunately my father passed away the next day. PLEASE learn more about strokes at http://www.stroke.org/

Linda Chen talks about studying for, going to, and PASSING her US Citizenship Interview. At the end of the interview, she gives tips in Mandarin and Taiwanese.

Listen to all three of Linda's practice interviews:

A Casual Citizenship Interview with Linda Chen http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/2017-casual-interview.mp3

Linda Chen's Second Citizenship Interview http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/2017-october.mp3 https://youtu.be/Tl2CeCaNV2M

A "Regular" Citizenship Interview (plus N-400 Part 12 Vocabulary Questions) http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/november-interview-2017.mp3 https://youtu.be/_nvSEpNrD-w

Check our YouTube channel for our latest videos https://www.youtube.com/user/uscitizenpod/

A short citizenship interview with "examiner" with Osman Nejat (Kabul, Afghanistan), the Citizenship and GED/HiSET teacher from New Haven Adult School.  After the interview, Teacher Osman reflects on being bi-lingual and bi-cultural in America.

This interview was recorded at the 2018 CCAEstate.org conference in Fresno,CA.

Read more about Teached Osman's journey from ESL student to ESL teacher https://adultedlearners.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=studentStory&sId=35

In honor of Ramadan, my fellow teacher, Nahil Ireiqat (Jerusalem), asks questions based N-400 Application for Naturalization and requests further explanation for Part 12 vocabulary. You can follow along at:

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

N-400r Part 12 Overview pptx via Google Slides (30 vocabulary words) https://goo.gl/yWvD4Q

N-400r Part 12 Overview Vocabulary (pdf of pptx) (30 vocabulary words) https://goo.gl/402lzB

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

N-400r Part 12 Overview Quiz (27 questions) http://goo.gl/3m3t7K

N-400r Basic Interview Quiz Part 12 (20 vocabulary words) http://goo.gl/U0aGKQ

After the interview, Teacher Nahil talks about how she prepares for and observes the month of Ramadan.

This interview was recorded on the eve of Ramadan 2018.

You can find more citizenship resources in English, Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu at http://bit.ly/citz4ramadan

In this interview, I interview Teacher Thu Ha Nguyen about her online citizenship course that she developed for the San Diego Continuing Education (SDCE) which is the adult education division of the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD).

This interview was recorded at the San Diego CATESOL Conference where we also recorded five quick citizenship videos with her fellow SDCE citizenship teachers, Mechelle Perrot and Rose-Elena Lopez. The first video is up now in which I, the examiner, doesn't think that Mechelle is ready for the interview because Mechelle doesn't understand one of the first interview questions about eligibility.

Mechelle insists (politely) that she has studied for the English and Civics test and asks the examiner to rephrase the question which has the key word "eligible."

Note: If you do not understand an examiner's question, DO NOT SAY YES OR NO. Request that the examiner to use different words to ask the question.

Check back for the rest of the San Diego citizenship Inteview in the upcoming week.

San Diego Citizenship Interviews Playlist on YouTube http://bit.ly/SDcitz-interviews

If you need help on N-400 vocabulary, go to our website N-400 PDFs http://bit.ly/N400-pdfs