USCIS 96:61-70

Wang Ye sewed together her class handouts

to make a Citizenship study booket.

USCIS 61-70x.mp3

For the next ten days, we will present 10 of the 96 questions plus two dictation sentences and handout. Today's questions are 96:61-70. Direct download: 61-70x.mp3

New USCIS 100 Flashcards!

The new USCIS 100 flashcards have been posted. You can download the pdf.

A reverse color version of the flashcards (white background) is also available.

The actual size of the cards is 7 inch by 4 inch; the online versions are slightly smaller so that they will fit onto letter-size paper.

You can also buy the new flash cards:

Civics Flash Cards for the New Naturalization Test, 2008 (1 box of flash cards) $13.00

Civics Flash Cards for the New Naturalization Test, 2008 (Package of 10 Boxes of Flash Cards) Price: $91.00

The Oath Ceremony Part 5: I'm Proud to Be an American!

After the Oath of Allegiance, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, who represents south San Jose and Santa Clara County, spoke to the the new cititzens about her grandfather. She said that she was very proud of her immigrant grandfather and one of her most important possession is her grandfather's citizenship papers.

Her grandfather's pride in his new country inspired Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren to work hard on behalf of immigrants' rights. She is very sympathetic to all immigrant communities, particularly the San Jose Vietnamese-American community and worked towards a just resolution of the Little Saigon controversy. Here she is at the SJ 2008 Tet Parade:

After Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren spoke, we watched a video-taped greeting from President George W. Bush on a stadium screen. (Unfortunately, my photo of the President speaking on the video screen turned out very poorly. Here is a video of a similar speech that President George w. Bush gave on July 4, 2008 at an Oath Ceremony.) People loved the video's song, "I'm Proud to be an American" and I heard several groups of children singing the refrain over and over as we left the building.

After a short wait, the new citizens came out. Presenting Mr & Mrs Champaklal and Savita Nakrani, Citizens of the United States of America!

After this photo, the Nakranis immediately turned in their voter registration cards. Outside of the fairgrounds, they bought display folders for the citizenship papers and immediately slipped them in.

After years living in the shadows, the new citizens walked out into the noonday sun as Americans.

The End, but the story continues!

The Oath Ceremony Part 4: The Oath!

After the Roll Call of Nations, the citizens-to-be raised their right hand and said:

The Oath of Allegiance

I hereby declare, on oath,
that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure
all allegiance and fidelity
to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty
of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen;

that I will support and defend the Constitution
and laws of the United States of America
against all enemies, foreign and domestic;

that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;

that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States
when required by the law;

that I will perform noncombatant service
in the Armed Forces of the United States
when required by the law;

that I will perform work of national importance
under civilian direction
when required by the law;

and that I take this obligation freely
without any mental reservation
or purpose of evasion;

so help me God.

The Oath Ceremony Part 3: Voter Registration

In March 2008, the USCIS changed their policy about giving voter registration forms to citizens-to-be before the Oath Ceremony.

The USCIS said that the county voting officials must wait until the very end of the Oath Ceremony to give voter registration forms to new citizens.

Why? Before the Oath Ceremony, the citizens-to-be are not legally citizens yet and only US citizens can register to vote.

After the change in March 2008, voter registration dropped by about 80 percent. After the Oath Ceremony, many new citizens didn't take the time to register to vote because they were in a hurry to return to work or to celebrate with friends and families.

The San Jose Mercury News (07/19/08) reported the huge drop in voter registration. The USCIS decided to change its policy to allow county voting officials to give voter registration forms to citizens-to-be. They can now fill-out the voter registration cards while waiting for the Oath Ceremony to begin.

Why? Because voting is the most important right and responsibility of a US citizen. The USCIS wants to help new citizens to vote in the upcoming presidential election and all following elections.

So, at the Thursday August 14 Oath Ceremony, citizens-to-be found voter registration cards in their seats. Some citizen-to-be filled the cards out immediately.


Before the actual Oath Ceremony began, officials from the Santa Clara County of Voters spoke in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog--the official "ballot languages" of Santa Clara County. The speakers gave brief instructions about how to fill out the registration card.

Polling places in Santa Clara county are identified in five languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog.

A voter can fill-out a Preferred Language Survey at the polling place to receive voting info in his or her chosen language.

After the ceremony, the new citizens mobbed the voting officials to hand in their voter registration forms--it was so inspiring!


Kudos to the SJ Mercury News for reporting this story and to the USCIS and Santa Clara County Registar of Voters for immediately addressing and fixing this problem.

To be continued!

The Oath Ceremony Part 2: Countdown!

FINALLY, the doors opened and the citizens-to-be came in.

The first person that the citizens-to-be met was the SF Bay Area USCIS Community Relations Officer, Lucee Rosemarie Fan. She was happily directing people to their seats.


I would expect that such an important government official would assign such a humble task to someone else. I looked around and saw other USCIS officers, supervisors, and directors helping the citizens-to-be with the same pride, respect, and efficiency. The USCIS employees "walked" with the citizens-to-be to the very last "step" of the naturalization process.


When the citizens-to-be came to their seats, they found important US Citizenship "tools": an American flag, a booklet of the Declaration of Independence & the US Constitution, a Voter's Registration packet, and the Citizen's Almanac.


While they waited for the cermony to begin, the citizens-to-be chatted with their neighbors, listened to patriotic music, and read their Almanacs. I was happy to see another student from Milpitas, Shu-Wen Chang.


There were many small children in the visitor's gallery. Parents used the long wait to tell their children stories about the flag, George Washington, and coming to America.


More people came and the hall started to fill up. Finally the hall was filled--we were read to begin the Oath Ceremony!


To be continued!

The Oath Ceremony Part 1: Today's the Day!

The USCIS San Jose office usually interviews one thousand people per month. The Novemeber 2008 Presidential election, combined with the July 2007 USCIS price rise, inspired thousand of permanent residents to apply for citizenship. During Spring and Summer 2008, the San Jose office was interviewing close to 3500 people per month!

By mid-August 2008, so many people have passed their Citizenship interviews, that the USCIS arranged to hold the Oath Ceremony at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds (a very large and convient location), instead of the smaller Campbell Heritage Theater.

Today's goal: US Citizenship for over 5000 people in morning and afternoon ceremony---WELCOME!

The ceremony was scheduled to begin at 10:30am. Because there was such a HUGE traffic jam before the previous ceremony, I decided to arrive at 8am. I easily found the "Citizen-to-be" line and followed to the beginning. who was in front of the line? Mr and Mrs Nakrani--they got there at 6:30am!


I followed the "Citizen-to-be" line to the end and found two more students, Xaiken and Thai, with their son.


As we waited, Hoanh and her husband came. She passed her interview over 30 months ago and FINALLY got her letter for the Oath Ceremony.


No sooner than saying "Hello!" a USCIS representative came by and checked the Citizens-to-be Oath Ceremony letter and paperwork.


The USCIS representative directed us "guests" to another line. Good-bye Citizens-to-be, Hello New Citizens!

To be continued...

Q44-45: USCIS 96 Questions 44-45: President, Term, Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights

USCIS 96 Questions 44-45

Today we will listen to Questions 44-45 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout 44-45 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for 44-45:

President
Term
Martin Luther King Jr.
Civil Rights

Dictation Sentences

All people want to be free.
Today is a sunny day.

Interview 11: Simple Citizenship Interview: Jong-Yi Wang

Interview-11
Today we will listen to our eleventh practice interview from Jong-Yi Wang (Country of Birth: Korea; Country of Nationality: Taiwan). These are simple questions are based on the N-400. You can get a pdf. of the Simple Citizenship Interview here.

Q42-43: USCIS 96 Questions 42-43: Germany, Italy, Japan, Alaska

USCIS 96 Questions 42-43

Today we will listen to Questions 42-43 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout 42-43 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for 42-43:

1. Germany
2. Italy
3. Japan
4. Alaska

Dictation Sentences

1. Only Congress can declare war.
2. There are 50 states in the Union.

Q38-39: USCIS 96 Questions 38-39: Speaker of the House, Chief Justice

USCIS 96 Questions 38-39

Today we will listen to Questions 38-39 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout 38-39 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for 38-39:

1. Speaker of the House
2. Chief Justice

Dictation Sentences

1. The House and Senate are parts of Congress.
2. The people have a voice in government.
   

You can get more info about the Speaker of the House and the Chief Justice from

1. ELCivics: The Capitol Building
2. EL Civics: The Supreme Court
3. Simple Wiki: Speaker of the House
4. Simple Wiki: Supreme Court
   

More info on the Redesigned Naturalization Test (New USCIS 100Qs)

New USCIS 100Qs Bulletin

Who takes what test when?

1. A legal permanent resident who is (1) eligible for Naturalization; (2) applies BEFORE October 1, 2008; and (3) is scheduled for his or her naturalization interview BEFORE October 1, 2008, will take the current test.

2. A legal permanent resident who is (1) eligible for Naturalization; (2) applies BEFORE October 1, 2008; and (3) is scheduled for his or her naturalization interview AFTER October 1, 2008, he or she can choose to take the current test or the redesigned version.

3. A legal permanent resident who is (1) eligible for Naturalization; (2) applies AFTER October 1, 2008 will take the redesigned version.

3. A legal permanent resident who is (1) eligible for Naturalization; and (2) scheduled for his or her naturalization interview AFTER October 1, 2009, (regardless of when he or she applied), will take the redesigned version.

Here is a list of the documents supporting the newly Redesigned Naturalization Test (New USCIS 100Qs).

Redisigned Naturalization Test: Main Page

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
The Redesigned Naturalization Test

Redesigned Naturalization Test Informational Brochure
A brochure outlining the content and guidelines for the redesigned naturalization test.

Redesigned Naturalization Test: Civics (History and Government)
Items List of 100 history and government items for the redesigned naturalization test.

Redesigned Naturalization Test: Vocabulary List for the Reading Test
Vocabulary list for the reading portion of the redesigned naturalization test.

Redesigned Naturalization Test: Vocabulary List for the Writing Test
Vocabulary list for the writing portion of the redesigned naturalization test.

Content Comparison: Current vs. Redesigned Naturalization Test
Side-by-side comparison of the current questions and the redesigned questions.

Honestly, I shouted for joy when I saw that the writers standardized the questions with the 5Ws. I deeply appreciate the re-organization of the questions, because it is easier to teach and learn material in right-relation. I feel that the infomation is much more reflective of what a US citizen "needs to know" about US History, Politics, and civic culture. And I swooned when I saw the Comparison pdf between the old 96 Qs and the new 100Qs.

Thanks to the USCIS for the extreme care and effort taken during the revision of the of the new USCIS 100 US History and Government Questions. Thanks to the examiners and interviewees who tested the Pilot Questions. A special thanks to writers, document designers, and webfolk who prepared the documents that support the newly Designed Test. The process of the Redesigned Naturalization Test is a great example of "democracy in action". Congratulations USCIS!

Q34-35: USCIS 96 Questions 34-35: Constitution, Bill of Rights

USCIS 96 Questions 34-35

Today we will listen to Questions 34-35 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout 34-35 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for 34-35:

1. The Constitution
2. Bill of Rights

Dictation Sentences

1. The Constitution is the supreme law of our land.


2. He knows how to a ride a bike.
   

You can get more info about the the Constitution and the Bill of Rights from

EL Civics: The US Constitution
NCC: Explore the Constitution
Simple Wiki: The US Constitution

Q32-33: USCIS 96 Questions 32-33: Judicial Branch, Supreme Court, Law

USCIS 96 Questions 32-33

Today we will listen to Questions 32-33 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout 32-33 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for 32-33:

1. Judicial Branch
2. Supreme Court
3. Law

Dictation Sentences

1. There are three branches of government.
2. He has a very big dog.
   

You can get more info about the Executive Branch from

1. EL Civics: The Supreme Court
2. Simple Wiki: The Supreme Court
3. VOA The Supreme Court

Q30-31: USCIS 96 Questions 30-31: Excutive Branch, President

USCIS 96 Questions 30-31

Today we will listen to Questions 30-31 plus M-638 comments. You can download the Class Handout 30-31 to deepen your knowledge of US History and Politics and broaden your English language skills. Look for new vocabulary, grammar structures, and idioms.

Note the key words--these words will help you remember the questions and answers. The key words for 30-31:

1. Executive Branch


2. President

Dictation Sentences

1. The President is elected every four years.


2. He came to live with his brother.
   

You can get more info about the Executive Branch from

1. EL Civics: The White House


2. VOA: The Road to the 2008 US Elections


3. The White House: Presidents


4. Simple Wiki: US Executive Branch


5. Wikipedia: US Presidential Elections

Reminder: New Fees Begin July 30, 2007!

New Fees

Today we will listen to a reminder about the new USCIS fees starting July 30, 2007.

Here's a Class Handout: Summary of the New Fees.

Here is another Class Handout: "Sending Your N-400 to USCIS".

Please note that there are four pages: one page for each USCIS Service Center in California, Texas, Nebraska, and Vermont.

Please confirm that you are using the correct page for your state.

Originally, I put the information for all four USCIS Service Centers and their assigned states on a single sheet of paper.

When I gave the single sheet of paper to my students, they became confused.

The print was too tiny and there was too much information.

I re-formatted the information and printed the Summary of the New Fees on the first side and Sending Your N-400 to USCIS on the second side.

I printed the information on color paper so they can find this paper quickly and easily.  Many students took extra copies home for their family and friends.

Also, please check out the new online video from USCIS "Promise of Freedom"--a twelve minute video presentation on American civics and history. Watch the video online or get the direct download of Promise of Freedom.

Finally, The Pilot Questions have been revised!  There are now 142 questions.  Questions have been marked for Senior Citizens older that 65 and have been legal permanent residents for more than 20 years.

You can get the reformated USCIS 142 here.

You can get the reformated USCIS 142 for Senior Citizens here.

Interview-09: Advanced Citizenship Interview—David Bian (Tianjin, China)

Interview-09

Today we will listen to our ninth practice interview David Bian (Tianjin, China). These are questions are based on the N-400. You can get a pdf. of the Advanced Citizenship Interview here.

10/26/08--the audio file as been updated. Thanks!

Interview-08: Basic Citizenship Interview—Wei Zhang (Beijing, China)

Interview-08

Today we will listen to our eighth practice interview Wei Zhang (Beijing, China). These are basic questions are based on the N-400. You can get a pdf. of the Basic Citizenship Interview here.

USCIS News 2007-05-30: New Fees Start July 30, 2007

New Fees

Today we will listen to a quick update about the new USCIS fees starting July 30, 2007.

The fee increase begins July 30, 2007. That means that your forms must be postmarked no later than July 29, 2007 11:59pm to take advantage of the lower fees.

The N-400 will increase to $675. For all the new fee information, go to www.USCIS.gov.

1. Building an Immigration Service for the Twenty-First Century (Start Here!).
2. USCIS Fee Schedule - Effective July 30, 2007 (How Much? New Fees!).
3. Questions and Answers: USCIS Sets Final Fee Schedule to Build an Immigration Service for the 21st Century.
4. USCIS Fee Waiver Guidance (For those who have no income).
5. Class Handout: Summary of the New Fees.
6. Class Handout: Sending Your N-400 to the USCIS.
   For Class Handout: Sending Your N-400 to USCIS--please note that there are four pages: one page for each USCIS Service Center in California, Texas, Nebraska, and Vermont. Please confirm that you are using the correct page for your state. Originally, I put the information for all four USCIS Service Centers and their assigned states on a single sheet of paper. When I gave the single sheet of paper to my students, they became confused. The print was too tiny and there was too much information.
   

I re-formatted the information and printed the Summary of the New Fees on the first side and Sending Your N-400 to USCIS on the second side. I printed the information on color paper so they can find this paper quickly and easily. Many students took extra copies home for their family and friends.

Interview-06: Basic Citizenship Interview--Pari Akibari

Interview-06

Today we will listen to our sixth practice interview from Pari Akbari (Esfahan, Iran).  This interview includes questions based on the N-400, two dictation sentences, and  ten questions from the USCIS 96 US History and Government questions.  You can get a pdf. of the Basic Citizenship Interview here and a copy of the USCIS 96 questions  in the "fan" format here.  Thanks!