8 CFR 337.8 – Oath administered by the courts
(a) Notification of election. An applicant for naturalization not subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of 8 CFR 310.2(d) must notify USCIS at the time of the filing of, or no later than at the examination on, the application of his or her election to have the oath of allegiance administered in an appropriate court having jurisdiction over the applicant’s place of residence.
Terms Used In 8 CFR 337.8
- given: include , but are not limited to, the creation of an electronic record of admission, or arrival/departure by DHS following an inspection performed by an immigration officer. See 8 CFR 1.4
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
(b) Certificate of eligibility—(1) Exclusive jurisdiction. In those instances falling within the exclusive jurisdiction provision of section 310(b)(1)(B) of the Act, USCIS will notify the court of the applicant’s eligibility for admission to United States citizenship by notifying the clerk of the court within 10 days of the approval of the application.
(2) Non-exclusive jurisdiction. In those instances in which the applicant has elected to have the oath administered in a court ceremony, USCIS will notify the clerk of the court in writing that the applicant has been determined by the USCIS to be eligible for admission to United States citizenship upon taking the requisite oath of allegiance and renunciation in a public ceremony. If a scheduled hearing date is not available at the time of notification, USCIS will notify the applicant in writing that the applicant has been approved but no ceremony date is yet available.
(c) Preparation of lists. (1) At or prior to the oath administration ceremony, the representative attending the ceremony will submit to the court, in duplicate, lists of persons to be administered the oath of allegiance and renunciation. After the ceremony, and after any required amendments and notations have been made to the lists, the clerk of the court will sign the lists.
(2) The originals of all court lists specified in this section will be filed permanently in the court, and the duplicates returned by the clerk of the court to USCIS. The same disposition will be made of any list presented to, but not approved by, the court.
(d) Personal representation of the government at oath administration ceremonies. An oath administration ceremony must be attended by a representative of USCIS who will review each completed questionnaire and may further question the applicant regarding the responses provided. If derogatory information is revealed, the USCIS representative will remove the applicant’s name from the list of eligible persons as provided in 8 CFR 335.5 and the court will not administer the oath to such applicant.
(e) Written report in lieu of personal representation. If it is impractical for a USCIS representative to be present at a judicial oath administration ceremony, written notice of that fact will be given by the USCIS to the court. The list of persons to be administered the oath of allegiance and renunciation, forms, memoranda, and certificates will be transmitted to the clerk of the court, who will submit the appropriate lists to the court.
(f) Withdrawal from court. An applicant for naturalization not subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of 8 CFR 310.3(d) who has elected to have the oath administered in a court oath ceremony may, for good cause shown, request that his or her name be removed from the list of persons eligible to be administered the oath at a court oath ceremony and request that the oath be administered by an immigration judge or USCIS. Such request must be in writing to the USCIS office which granted the application and must cite the reasons for the request. USCIS will consider the good cause shown and the best interests of the applicant in making a decision. If it is determined that the applicant will be permitted to withdraw his or her name from the court ceremony, USCIS will give written notice to the court of the applicant’s withdrawal, and the applicant will be scheduled for the next available oath ceremony, conducted by an Immigration Judge or USCIS, as if he or she had never elected the court ceremony.