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 refug...
Oct 31, 2018•6 min•Season 11Ep. 27
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 thes...
Sep 13, 2018•11 min•Season 11Ep. 26
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 wi...
Sep 05, 2018•8 min•Season 11Ep. 25
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 ...
Aug 28, 2018•6 min•Season 11Ep. 24
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: Ex...
Aug 20, 2018•4 min•Season 11Ep. 23
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 US...
Aug 13, 2018•9 min•Season 11Ep. 22
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, "Ex...
Aug 06, 2018•10 min•Season 11Ep. 21
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 we...
Jul 12, 2018•6 min•Season 11Ep. 20
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 Par...
Jun 15, 2018•10 min•Season 11Ep. 11
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...
May 30, 2018•11 min•Season 11Ep. 18
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 1...
May 24, 2018•14 min•Season 11Ep. 17
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...
May 10, 2018•10 min•Season 11Ep. 16
Part 1: Chris Norwood, Vice-President of the MUSD School Board of Trustees, conducts a mock Citizenship Interviews with Teacher Jennifer Part 2: Chris Norwood, Vice-President of the MUSD School Board of Trustees, talks about the Milpitas Unified School District ( www.musd.org ). He describes our Parent University and an upcoming bond measure that will support the growth of the Ayer Adult Education Center (amongst other MUSD projects). Furthermore, he encourages adult students and citizens to mak...
May 01, 2018•21 min•Season 11Ep. 15
An interview with Principal Giuliana Brahim of Milpitas Adult Education. First, you will hear basic 25 question interview based on the USCIS N-400. Then, Principal Giuliana describes Milpitas Adult Education and Corrections programs and the future of Adult Education. The mission of Milpitas Adult Education is to empower, strengthen, and grow our adult learners. Learn more at https://adulted.musd.org/ For our students' convenience, we have taken sound bites from this podcast and posted them to ou...
Apr 15, 2018•17 min•Season 11Ep. 14
An interview with Principal Giuliana Brahim of Milpitas Adult Education. First, you will hear a simple, 10 question interview twice: once with single words answers, and the second time Principal Giuliana answers the questions in complete sentences. Although the vocabulary and grammar become more difficult, it is important to note that both the short and long answers provide complete information. Remember: the USCIS officer wants the truth and needs complete information. Then, Principal Giuliana ...
Apr 14, 2018•14 min•Season 11Ep. 13
Today's quiz pairs ten citizenship questions with ten American Christians from the western Catholic and Protestant traditions: Bartolomé de las Casas Sojourner Truth Aimee Semple McPherson Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin Bishop Fulton Sheen Mother Angelica Billy Graham Huston Smith Watchman Nee This quiz is a follow up to last year's quiz about American Christians from the Eastern Orthodox traditions. Later, dig deeper into the lives of these saints. For example, Bartolome de las Casas was once a s...
Apr 01, 2018•7 min•Season 11Ep. 12
Happy Spring! Before we begin today's interview, I encourage you to visit the updated uscis.gov homepage. Of particular note are their self-service tools under the Tool header. You can easily file your N-400 online, check your case status, check application processing times, and access many other services. In honor of Persian New Year, we are going to revisit an practice Citizenship interview that I recorded in 2007 with a fellow ESL teacher and great friend, Nilou from Isfahan, Iran. Every year...
Mar 19, 2018•11 min•Season 11Ep. 11
From 2006-2017, USCIS gave the Outstanding Americans by Choice Award to naturalized citizens who have made significant contributions to both their community and their adopted country, America. We continue this tradition with a quiz honoring eight outstanding immigrant women on International Women’s Day. Bonus content: quiz pdf More Citizenship Resources for Women's History Month at http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2018/02/citizenship-resources-for-womens.html...
Mar 06, 2018•4 min•Season 11Ep. 9
Happy New Year! Today, I interview my fellow teacher, Hongyan, who is preparing for her Citizenship Interview. After the interview, Teacher Hongyan, shares with us some tips about studying English and her volunteer work at our local library in which she and a mothers' group organize a monthly Chinese story hour for children. More Citizenship Resources for Lunar New Year http://www.uscitizenpod.com/2018/02/citizenship-resources-for-lunar-new-year.html Also watch Derek's Lunar New Year's Quiz: A s...
Feb 23, 2018•12 min•Season 11Ep. 7
Over 40 USCIS Civics and History Questions about our Presidents Download the PDFs: Presidents’ Day Quiz 2011 Part A: Washington and Lincoln http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/pres-quiz-2011-a.pdf Presidents’ Day Quiz 2011 Part B: Executive Branch & Federalist Period http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/pres-quiz-2011-b.pdf Presidents’ Day Quiz 2011 Part C: The 1800s http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/pres-quiz-2011-c.pdf Presidents’ Day Quiz 2011 Part D: Recent History http://traff...
Feb 19, 2018•14 min•Season 11Ep. 6
Happy African-American History Month! During the month of February, US Citizenship Podcast explores the connection between the African American History and the USCIS Citizenship Interview THIS EPISODE INCLUDES A BONUS PDF! This quiz is a companion 15 USCIS Civics Questions in Honor of African-American History Month quiz pdf: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/2014-af-am-quiz-a.pdf podcast: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/af-amer-quiz.mp 3 Also see: A Juneteenth Citizenship Quiz: 19 Ci...
Feb 12, 2018•12 min•Season 11Ep. 5
Happy African-American History Month! During the month of February, US Citizenship Podcast explores the connection between the African American History and the USCIS Citizenship Interview. Our first interview is a re-edit of a Citizenship interview with Krestos Negasi (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) 2013 pdf: http://goo.gl/roUigH 2016 mp3: http://traffic.libsyn.com/uscitizenpod/mlk-day-citizenship-interview.mp3 This mock Citizenship interview was inspired by “Holding the Bag," a high beginning ESL novel...
Feb 06, 2018•11 min•Season 11Ep. 4
Last year, I am released a free pdf "Mix-and-Match U.S. Citizenship Interviews and Quizzes." which contained 20 practice interview scripts based on the N-400 and 40 civics quizzes based on the USCIS Civics questions http://eepurl.com/c30oVz People can create a variety of practice interviews by pairing an interview with a quiz, then making double-sided copies. You can see examples of these interviews on our YouTube channel. This week, I am joined by my fellow citizenship teacher, Miguel Flores fr...
Jan 28, 2018•11 min
In this episode, we talk about USCIS, the Government shutdown,and how to contact your federal government representatives. The Government Shutdown does not affect Citizenship services. The USCIS will continue to process USCIS Form N-400 Applications for Naturalization and interview applicants for U.S. Citizenship. However, several USCIS programs will either expire or suspend operations, or be otherwise affected, until they receive appropriated funds or are reauthorized by Congress. These include:...
Jan 20, 2018•6 min•Season 1Ep. 740
Recently I have received several questions about the new N-400 Online application and fee waivers. Question: Can I apply for citizenship online (N-400) with fee waiver (I-912) or fee reduction (I-942)? Answer: At this time, you cannot apply for citizenship online if you are using with fee waiver (I-912) or fee reduction (I-942) form. If you want to apply for citizenship (N-400) with fee waiver (I-912) or fee reduction (I-942) form, you must download these forms from USCIS.gov and mail these form...
Jan 13, 2018•5 min•Season 1Ep. 739
Applicants can file Form N-400, Application for Naturalization online through their USCIS online account. When they use the interactive Form N-400, applicants will see questions, alerts, and notifications specific to the answers they provide while completing the form. Applicants will also see prompts and reminders to upload required evidence. This means each person follows a personalized path for completing the form based on the information that they provide. By using the online account, applica...
Dec 29, 2017•5 min•Season 1Ep. 737
Every week, we bring you practice interviews, quizzes, resources, and the latest news that help you get ready for your US citizenship interview. GREAT NEWS! You can now file you N-400 online at https://myaccount.uscis.dhs.gov/ . I will also post more info next week. Today, I interview Edwin Cornejo. You can follow along by downloadingout "Regular" citizenship Interview, which contains 75 questions based on the N-400. After the interview, Edwin talks about his hopes to continue his biological stu...
Dec 16, 2017•15 min•Season 1Ep. 736
16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. The campaign runs very year from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to December 10, Human Rights Day. You can learn more at UNWomen.org or checkout Twitter or Instagram hashtags #16days, #16daysofactivism, or #OrangeTheWorld There is no Citizenship interview or quiz today. Instead we are going to talk about the USCIS U Visa: ...
Dec 09, 2017•7 min•Season 1Ep. 735
I am a life-long cyberfeminist. Among my many computer projects, I started an email list for people going to the 1995 United Nations Women's Conference in Beijing and followed up by managing a list for domestic violence workers, victims, and survivors. 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. The campaign runs every year from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to De...
Dec 05, 2017•6 min•Season 1Ep. 734
This interview is based on: 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 LISTEN to US Citizenship Podcast US Citizenship Podcast Show website http://uscitizenpod.libsyn.com/ US Citizenship Podcast Daily blog: http://www.uscitizenpod.com/ Download our FREE Android app: https://goo.gl/d6rs9f Download our FREE Apple iPhone/iPad: https://goo.gl/dLiOAE Subscr...
Nov 30, 2017•12 min•Season 1Ep. 733
