Citizenship Interview... I PASSED!!

The long awaited day has finally come and gone, only to bring with it one more day to look forward to. I attended and passed my Citizenship Interview in Seattle today and am scheduled to attend the Oath Ceremony on August 21st. Let me share my journey with you (as I can remember it).

As many of you know, Chad and I met in June 2002 and married in May 2003. Me, being a Canadian and Chad, being an American... couldn't just tie the knot and live happily ever after wherever we wanted. There were rules that needed to be followed, especially since Chad was going into Law Enforcement.

First step of the process... Chad had to apply to bring his fiance to the United States. That's right... I had to get what is called a "Fiance VISA". Of course, this couldn't be done without paying the appropriate fee... somewhere around $500 if I remember correctly. We had to provide Birth Certificates, Tax Records, pictures (showing we had actually met), and many other documents that I cannot recall. Plus, I had to submit to a Medical Examination (by one of their approved Doctors), and get a Chest X-Ray. Months and months of waiting followed until I finally received my letter telling me to go to Montreal, Quebec for my final interview on April 30th, 2003.
I remember being soooo nervous, but I had my mom and Nanny for support. We drove the 9 hours from London, Ontario to Montreal, Quebec the night before my interview and stayed at a hotel. In the US Consulate, we waited for hours I'm sure, waiting for my name to be called. During that time we saw people emerge from closed doors smiling, while others came out with tears streaming down their faces. I didn't know what to expect or what to say. It was April 30th and I was supposed to leave for the US on May 11th. Lucky for me, the interview went great. I had all of the required documents and was given my Fiance VISA (a special stamp/sticker in my Canadian passport) that same day and was required to enter the states within 60 days.

Chad arrived (drove across the country to pick me up) around May 9th (I think). We packed up the rented U-Haul trailer with all of my belongings... I said good-bye to my family, not knowing how soon I would be able to see them again (I couldn't leave the States once I entered until I received my Permanent Resident Card) and drove away from the home I knew all my life on May 11, 2003. When we reached the US-Canadian boarder in Port Huron, MI we didn't know what to expect. We had a detailed listing of everything that was packed in my U-Haul trailer (not knowing whether they would need to inspect it or not) and had brought with us the huge Chest X-Ray I was told to present to the Customs Agent. He was a nice grandfatherly-type man and was very laid back. He reviewed my VISA/passport, didn't want to see my X-Ray and sent us on our way without even touching our car (which was packed) or the U-Haul. So off we were, ready to drive the rest of the way to Port Orchard, WA. A place I had only been to ONCE in my life (since Chad was living in Pullman, WA while we were dating while he attended WSU). We now had 90 days in which we had to get married (since that's as long as my VISA was good for)
We were married May 24, 2003 in the Portland, Oregon Temple and it was amazing. More on that another time.

Next step in the process... applying for a Permanent Resident Card and an Employment Authorization Card. You see... I wasn't even legally allowed to work in the US yet. There was another form that was required for that... and again, I had to pay the required fee, another $200. The Permanent Resident Application was a lot more in depth this time. Chad and I had to prove not only that we were married, but also that we were living together, and co-mingling our finances. We had to provide any sort of documentation showing we had expenses in BOTH OUR NAMES. Unfortunately for us, we were staying with a family friend paying rent ONLY. We had NO BILLS in our name, no mortgage, no rental agreement, no car payments, NOTHING to show for our newly married life (on paper).
When we arrived for our interview together, they sent us home with a list of things we needed to get sorted out before coming back. We were able to get cell phones in both our names (that we later cancelled) and had our friends complete a more professional looking rental agreement. Chad changed the ownership of his car out of HIS name and put it in BOTH our names. We got a copy of our church record showing we were married and a few other forms I am sure.
Our other hiccup... Chad had to prove he could financial support his new wife. That meant providing 3 years of tax returns. Chad had just graduated college and other than money earned from Summer jobs, didn't have much income to report. This of course resulted in their decision that I needed a co-sponsor for financial support. Basically, if I am not able to provide for myself financially, I needed someone who would be responsible for me. We mentioned our troubles to Chad's Step-Dad Mike and his wife Betty who thankfully volunteered to be my sponsor. I was so relieved and thankful!! We had no idea who we would turn to to ask such a huge favor. Thank you again Mike and Betty... you will soon be relieved of your duty.
Once again we made a trip back to Seattle with our new documents and co-sponsor and finally in January 2004 I received my Permanent Resident Card. I could now leave the country and then GET BACK IN!! It was so wonderful. I would be able to attend my sister's wedding in May 2004.
Back to the Employment Application... this one didn't take as long. I was legally able to work in October 2003 where I quickly got hired at Stan Palmer Construction and have been with them ever since! I love it here!

Now... my Permanent Resident Card is only valid for two years. That's right, I had to redo the entire process two years later. I won't bore you with that story... it's much like the one above, but without the hiccups this time.

Final step... applying to become a Citizen of the United States. This one I had to wait until I had been a permanent resident for at least 3 years (since I was married to a US citizen, normally I would have to wait 5 years). So in July 2007 I submitted the N-400 Application for Naturalization. Unfortunately that was the month they raised the fees on ALL APPLICATIONS so the amount of applications received was much higher than normal.
It wasn't until December 7, 2007 that I was scheduled to get my Fingerprints taken. Once again, Chad and I journeyed to Seattle, not realizing until we got there that they had recently moved - apparently we didn't read the address close enough. But we made it with plenty of time to spare, and plenty of time to wait in the waiting room. This is something we got pretty used to... sitting in the waiting rooms... WAITING! Finally I was called to the little room where I waited until my name was called. I proceeded to the closest computer/scanner (the one where EVERYONE could sit and watch) while an Immigration Officer proceeded to scan my fingerprints. Now, some of you may be familiar with this process, but it was a little strange for me. I had to try to be completely relaxed while some stranger rolled each of my fingers across this tiny screen. I guess it wasn't too bad, I think I only had to have one finger scanned twice. Once this was over (the whole scanning process took MAYBE 5 minutes) we were ready to leave.
Now, the letter which announced my fingerprint appointment also told me that I should expect my interview to be scheduled within the next 285 days. That really gets you excited right?
Well, the letter finally arrived about one year after my initial application was filed. I was scheduled for the Citizenship Interview on August 5th at 10:30am.

The Big Day... I didn't know what to expect at this interview. I wasn't sure if I would attend an Oath Ceremony the same day or not. (I hoped not, so that I could invite family if I wanted) I had been preparing well in advance for the Civics part of the test. This is where they ask you US History questions (that I strongly feel many Americans wouldn't remember the answer to) and you also are asked to write and speak English (this part I wasn't worried about).
We arrived around 10am, went through Security (as we did at all our other appointments) and went to the appropriate waiting room. This time I think we only had to wait 40 minutes for my name to be called. I followed a nice female Immigration Officer to her office for my interview.
We started out with a complete review of my initial N-400 application to see if anything had changed (only my last travel date outside the US had changed). I signed acknowledging the changes and we were on to the next part. US Civics Questions... here are 6 of the 8 questions I was asked:
What do we celebrate on July 4th?
What is the constitution?
Who is the Vice-President?
Can the constitution be changed?
Who was the first Commander and Chief of the US Army?
For how long do we elect the President?
Not too bad... I am pretty sure I got them all correctly. Next I had to read an English sentence, "I have a very clean house." Ok, I know (as Chad pointed out as soon as I told him this sentence) I DON'T have a very clean house.... but still I will never forget this statement.
Next, I had to write an English sentence. The officer read "I know how to speak English." and I wrote it as neatly as I could, being a little nervous the entire time.
At this time she informed me that I had passed the test! YEAH!!!!! The next Oath Ceremony would take place next Thursday; however, since my Mother-In-Law would be in town the following week, I asked if there was a Ceremony during that time. She informed me there was and encouraged me to invite family to attend. We then proceeded to discuss the ceremony (as she has attended a few) and how emotional they make her because they are so wonderful. We were both getting emotional by that time and it felt great. Hearing her talk about how much she loves her job and the opportunity she gets to meet so many wonderful people at this point in their lives. It's amazing! I truly felt she was being sincere and talking to me like a friend. I tried to appear as though I HADN'T been crying as she walked me back out to the waiting room. The Interview was over, I knew the date I would become a Citizen and it felt great!!!!

Now I look forward to August 21st. My Ceremony will be from 2 -4pm and I will be sure to have Chad and our family take lots of pictures. I never knew I would be this proud and feel this emotional about becoming a Citizen, but I do and I'm loving it.