What to expect from your naturalization interview

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Naturalization is probably my favorite part of the immigration process, and I think the officers who do these interviews tend to love it, too.  It's great to see people making the extra effort to become US citizens, and to see the happiness that everyone feels when they get to the end of the process.  I've attended the oath ceremony with some clients of mine, and it's a really great experience--everyone brings their family and friends, and dresses up a little, and they call out the names and play a little video about what it means to be a citizen.  I think it's really worth it to go through the process, and if you're reading this, it's probably because you're almost there.  Maybe your interview is in a week, maybe it's still a few months down the road, but in either case, it's good to know what to expect.

First, like any interview at USCIS, you'll arrive, go through security, and find the floor where your interview will take place.  You'll hand in your interview notice at the window, and wait for your name to be called.  In some offices, all the naturalization interviews take place in the same area, so you will see people from all over the world studying the same study guides--some people's will be tattered and marked up, and other people will have pristine booklets, but almost everyone is still trying to cram in those history and civics lessons right up to the last minute.  
When your name is called, the officer will bring you back to his or her area.  You'll be asked to remain standing while you are sworn in.  Many officers use this time to try to put you at ease a bit, by making small talk--this is not just because they know that most people are nervous going into these interviews, but also because they want to get a sense of how well you can communicate in English.  If you are not a fluent English speaker, you will want to take some classes before the interview to make sure that you are able to communicate with the officer.  If you can't understand what the person is saying, you can ask if he or she will repeat the question, but do make an effort to participate in the conversation and demonstrate your language abilities.  The officers want to see that you are trying, and that you haven't just memorized what you need to know to get through the test.  
The interviews typically take about 20-30 minutes. The officer will go through your application to make sure that the information you provided is all still up-to-date, and then they may ask you some questions from the application (the ones that start with the words "Have you ever...").  They'll also want to ask you the questions about your alliegance to the United States, but they may not ask the question in exactly the way it is written.  You should be comfortable talking about the reasons you want to become a citizen, and what citizenship means to you:  allegiance to the constitution, the rule of law, and the democratic process.  USCIS.gov has great citizenship study resources, so do take advantage of those tools to learn more about what being a citizen means.

At the end of the interview, you will be asked to sign several places on your application, and on your photos.  If everything has gone smoothly, the officer will congratulate you and welcome you to the United States, and will give you an approximate time frame for getting your oath ceremony notice in the mail.  Remember, you are not a citizen until you take the oath, so be careful during that period not to get in any sort of trouble.  You'll be given a sheet of paper indicating that you have passed (or, if you haven't passed, what the reasons for the decision were).  If you didn't understand enough English, or didn't do well enough on the history and civics test, you will be given a second opportunity a month or two later.

With your oath ceremony notice, you'll get a very brief questionnaire asking you if anything has changed in your case since your interview.  Do not complete this until very close to the time of the interview, to ensure that there are no changes.  You'll be given your naturalization certificate at the oath ceremony, and you will be invited to bring friends or family to witness the important event.  Most people get a little dressed up for oath ceremonies, which are really nice occasions--there is usually a brief speech by one of the USCIS officers, and a short video about the United States, and of course, everyone says the pledge of allegiance for the first time as US citizens.  Photos are invited, and everyone leaves smiling.   What could be better than that?!