Everyone who is obtaining the U.S. Citizenship through any form of naturalization should be very,…read morevery happy and excited to be in this building.
I went through the naturalization process through marriage. Whatever it took to get to this point, it's now all worth it!
Just be mindful that there's lots of waiting involved. I assumed the ceremony would start at 1200 hour...sharp, it didn't because it literally took one (1) hour to check every candidate in. However, my suggestion is to come in at least thirsty (30) minutes early and get in the line.
If you don't want to wait onsite, I recommend you folks to chill at one of my favorite cafes east to the Dirksen Federal Building: Ge Pa De Caffe (please see my review on GPD). It's located by the CTA Adam/Wabash Brown line station.
The security here wasn't as strict as the one in the USCIS building in South Loop (where candidates had the naturalization interviews). Thus, I was well on my way to the 25th. floor in no time.
Everyone, from the court workers to the immigration officers, was courteous. Well, they should be somewhat nice to you since you've gone through the entire process successfully.
The judge delivered a very sentimental speech. There were some 8th. graders invited to observe the entire oath ceremony.
Once you received the certificate of naturalization, you were good to go, unless your name was spelt incorrectly. Then the day of your oath ceremony would be your ONLY day to get this record rectified without an extra charge. Otherwise, any change request made afterward will be $400.
I believe we've paid the government enough money for the immigration and naturalization processes, so double check all documents before walking out of the building.
By the way, the judge decides if taking photographs is allowed during the ceremony. Our judge gave us permissions to take pictures, which was very kind of her.
Folks, whether you were newly-naturalized or have always been citizens, please exercise your right to vote. Don't let me hear that "I don't like politics...it has nothing to do with me." You're voting for someone whom you believe he or she will work for you to create a better America, so can you say America's future has nothing to do with you? Think about what kind of problems this nation has, then vote for someone who can solve the problems, regardless his or her political affiliation.
You will probably see Rosa J. run for the governor...someday? Whatever direction she takes, she will continue to yelp, without a doubt!