Israelis come to live in the US for all kinds of reasons: family, jobs, love, education. No matter what your reason is, first and foremost, you are Israelis who at some point in their lives have decided that you prefer living in the US. Since you have been living in the US for so long, isn’t it about time for you to enjoy all benefits that US citizens have? If you were living in Israel, you certainly would have claimed all rights (and obligations) of an Israeli citizen. The same applies for the US.

However, unlike the Israeli law, in order to become a US citizen, you need to undergo a formal process which eventually leads you to a personal interview with an immigration official. This interview includes questions about issues which you may know nothing about: questions about American history, legislation, geography; all about a country in which you were not raised, and most likely, not educated.

The questions are taken from different aspects. Not all of them are at the same level. Therefore, when considering all 100 questions for which you need to provide answers, bear in mind that some of them may be very easy. For example – “Who is the president of the US?” or – “What is the capital of your state?” These questions may also appear on the test. During the personal interview you will be asked 10 questions of which you need to answer at least 6 correctly.

Sometimes we are forced to study materials that are not familiar to us at all. The materials aren’t always related to our day-to-day lives and we don’t always have direct interest in them. In these cases, it would be much more effective to study in our mother tongue – in Hebrew – it makes the material more understandable, more reachable and we are more able to remember it towards the test.

Each person studies at a different pace and in a different way. Some learn from hearing; others have to write the information and some need to study by heart. When we wish to relay knowledge, we need to consider the students’ best skills and the best way of teaching them. The study rate also changes for different students. It may depend on age, on previous exposure to education materials and on the student’s ability to comprise the learned material. Therefore, it is important to experiment in order to reach an optimal rate for each student. In our workshops, you set the pace. You may hold ten one-hour meetings, or maybe you may want twenty 30-minute meetings, whatever is best for you. You may also change the pace after you have started learning. We are here for you and we will correspond to your needs.

In recent years we have become more and more aware about students’ learning disabilities. It seems that these problems have always been there, but they were not defined, detected nor treated properly. Today, there are various methods of teaching students who display learning disabilities. Our program is also suited for students with learning disabilities. Students who have trouble reading, writing or remembering will also be able to pass the test.

Since you are required to remember and recall many bits of information, it would be very helpful in this case to use keywords. You don’t really need to remember the whole question, which is sometimes long and complicated. It would be enough to concentrate on pre-determined keywords and they will automatically be connected to the location in your memory where the answer was stored.

For Israelis who were not born in the US, English is a foreign language. Even if they have been living in the US for years, their foreign accent is still detectable when they speak English. Any foreign accent triggers a response among native Americans. They deal with foreigners everywhere. America welcomes immigrants from all over the world. Native Americans need to be extra patient when speaking to a foreigner. Automatically, they tend to lower the speech rate, the level of the language, so they will be understood. This is a natural process, but not everyone has the patience and the tolerance for it. Our trainers speak English with an American accent, so that when they read the questions out loud you will get used to hearing the question in the correct accent. This way you will easily recognize it when the USCIS official asks it. You will be able to answer immediately.

If you have reached the final stage of the interview, you probably already have contacted an immigration lawyer who has filed all necessary documents for becoming a US citizen. This lawyer is allowed to come with you to the interview, but they are not allowed to speak for you nor help you with the answers during the oral exam. Lawyers will often charge you for this service.

What happens if you fail? You only have two opportunities to pass the oral test. If you fail the first time, you need to pay for a second interview. In case you fail twice, you will need to start the process all over again, including paying the lawyer again for refiling. Wouldn’t it be better to arrive prepared on your first go? This will save the money, and most of all – the anxiety.

In case you were trained in our workshop, you will not need anyone with you. The only people you will wish to bring with you on that day are the members of your family, because you will most likely pass on the first go on the same day and it will be a time to celebrate.

Every test is stressing. The more information you have about it, the less it will cause you stress and anxiety. Our workshops will significantly reduce the stress factor so that you will be able to feel ready and prepared, you will know all the answers in advance and no one will be able to surprise you.