CITIZENSHIP
The Need
CLINIC believes that the strength of the United States depends in part on the
inclusiveness of our society and the integration of immigrant families. Newcomers need
legal, social, and educational assistance to guide them through the complex process of
obtaining citizenship.
CLINIC's Response
CLINIC advocates nationally for fair, fast, and affordable immigration services. CLINIC
also administers national programs for direct legal and educational services. Over the
past 10 years, CLINIC’s naturalization projects in partnership with its network of local
member agencies have assisted more than 80,000 immigrants and refugees on the
journey towards citizenship.
CLINIC and its member agencies focus their efforts on the most vulnerable and
disenfranchised immigrant populations – those who are elderly, low-income, low-
literate, disabled, and persecuted – ensuring that they too are welcome. As a result,
these new citizens are experiencing newfound freedom, economic
security, and a political voice.
• Making a dream a reality - Guiding tens of thousands of immigrants and refugees
on the journey towards citizenship.
• Advocating for fair, fast, and affordable immigration services for all newcomers.
The Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded CLINIC a grant to help eighteen
agencies around the country to conduct naturalization group application workshops.
These workshops will help naturalize thousands of immigrants and encourage
immigration service providers to push naturalization locally.
In 2006
In January 2006, CLINIC concluded a one-year
pilot project funded by the Knights of
Columbus. The Knights in Action for
Newcomers project supported naturalization
services in Dallas, Los Angeles, and
Long Island, NY. Knights of Columbus
volunteers assisted at citizenship workshops
and oath ceremonies. In its first year, this
highly productive project filed 1,610
citizenship applications for immigrants from
49 countries. About 9% of the applicants had
a mental, physical, or developmental disability
that required a waiver of the citizenship
testing requirements.
The project partners conducted 48 citizenship
application workshops at local schools,
parishes, and community centers. They also
recruited over 30 Knights of Columbus
volunteers who helped immigrants complete
the citizenship application; study English,
U.S. history, and civics for the citizenship test;
and apply for a passport following the oath ceremony.
In October 2005, CLINIC received a grant from an anonymous foundation to support its
citizenship work in Los Angeles by augmenting the Knights of Columbus project there.
The assembly of Knights in Dallas won an award in 2005 for its participation in this
project, and the project was featured in the February 2006 issue of the Knights of
Columbus magazine, Columbia.
Building on its productive citizenship and immigrant integration programs, CLINIC
concluded its work on a project funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York to
create a national plan to naturalize the 8 million or more immigrants currently eligible for
citizenship. This plan, titled “A More Perfect Union: A National Citizenship Plan,” was
completed in 2006. It details the types of resources and efforts that would be required
to naturalize as many eligible immigrants as possible, and identifies the role of
government, immigrant service agencies, and other sectors of society. This project
reflects CLINIC’s sense that the issue of “civic integration” should have an operational
component.
In 2005-2006, CLINIC’s accomplishments for the Carnegie citizenship plan included the
following: conducted more than 100 interviews with immigration, naturalization, public
policy and English language acquisition experts; created an advisory group of 22
experts to provide feedback on the report’s recommendations; wrote 11 chapters on
the fundamentals of naturalization, covering naturalization eligibility, benefits, barriers,
the application process, effective national and regional programs, and the group
workshop model; obtained commitments from 12 immigration and citizenship experts to
write opinion pieces to be included as a compendium to CLINIC’s full report; and
created an ESL/Civics Education Working Group of six experts in the field who wrote a
chapter of the report.
In July 2006, CLINIC concluded the second year of a citizenship project in the
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area funded by the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz
Foundation and the Herb Block Foundation. The DC Citizenship Project – operated
through two CLINIC diocesan affiliates – was renewed for a third year,
beginning August 2006. This project provides citizenship outreach and application
assistance to low-income lawful permanent residents.
In addition to its citizenship programs, CLINIC continued its participation in a working
group of advocates that has been meeting regularly with the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) to discuss the planned redesign of the citizenship test.
This is a high stakes issue with major implications for the future of naturalization, with
nearly 10 million immigrants eligible or soon to be eligible for naturalization. A more
difficult test could be a barrier for many vulnerable immigrants, including the elderly,
disabled, and less educated. CLINIC has played a leading role in the citizenship test
revisions, providing written comments to USCIS, organizing other advocates, and
providing information to the press.
The National Academies of Science (NAS) U.S. Naturalization Test Redesign
Committee, which advised USCIS on the methodology of test design, has consulted
with CLINIC on several occasions and invited CLINIC to attend its December 2005
meeting to help determine its future activities. Notably, the NAS Committee’s findings on
USCIS’ shortcomings in redesigning the test closely reflect CLINIC’s advocacy letters
and public statements. CLINIC continues to keep its member agencies informed of test
redesign developments and concerns for more advocacy input from the network.
In addition to its advocacy work on the citizenship test redesign, CLINIC was also
involved in advocating for applicants with disabilities, monitoring the impact of new
policy guidance on disabilities that was released in May 2006 and raising issues and
concerns about the new guidance with USCIS.
Now in its 4th edition, CLINIC’s Citizenship for Us: A Handbook on Naturalization and
Citizenship (more info) is one of the resources CLINIC uses to support its member
agencies that provide citizenship services, including community outreach, immigration
seminars, legal consultations, direct legal representation, English language instruction,
and citizenship test preparation. Over 1,500 copies have been distributed since the
book’s first printing in 2002.
The Need
CLINIC believes that the strength of the United States depends in part on the
inclusiveness of our society and the integration of immigrant families. Newcomers need
legal, social, and educational assistance to guide them through the complex process of
obtaining citizenship.
CLINIC's Response
CLINIC advocates nationally for fair, fast, and affordable immigration services. CLINIC
also administers national programs for direct legal and educational services. Over the
past 10 years, CLINIC’s naturalization projects in partnership with its network of local
member agencies have assisted more than 80,000 immigrants and refugees on the
journey towards citizenship.
CLINIC and its member agencies focus their efforts on the most vulnerable and
disenfranchised immigrant populations – those who are elderly, low-income, low-
literate, disabled, and persecuted – ensuring that they too are welcome. As a result,
these new citizens are experiencing newfound freedom, economic
security, and a political voice.
• Making a dream a reality - Guiding tens of thousands of immigrants and refugees
on the journey towards citizenship.
• Advocating for fair, fast, and affordable immigration services for all newcomers.
The Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded CLINIC a grant to help eighteen
agencies around the country to conduct naturalization group application workshops.
These workshops will help naturalize thousands of immigrants and encourage
immigration service providers to push naturalization locally.
In 2006
In January 2006, CLINIC concluded a one-year
pilot project funded by the Knights of
Columbus. The Knights in Action for
Newcomers project supported naturalization
services in Dallas, Los Angeles, and
Long Island, NY. Knights of Columbus
volunteers assisted at citizenship workshops
and oath ceremonies. In its first year, this
highly productive project filed 1,610
citizenship applications for immigrants from
49 countries. About 9% of the applicants had
a mental, physical, or developmental disability
that required a waiver of the citizenship
testing requirements.
The project partners conducted 48 citizenship
application workshops at local schools,
parishes, and community centers. They also
recruited over 30 Knights of Columbus
volunteers who helped immigrants complete
the citizenship application; study English,
U.S. history, and civics for the citizenship test;
and apply for a passport following the oath ceremony.
In October 2005, CLINIC received a grant from an anonymous foundation to support its
citizenship work in Los Angeles by augmenting the Knights of Columbus project there.
The assembly of Knights in Dallas won an award in 2005 for its participation in this
project, and the project was featured in the February 2006 issue of the Knights of
Columbus magazine, Columbia.
Building on its productive citizenship and immigrant integration programs, CLINIC
concluded its work on a project funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York to
create a national plan to naturalize the 8 million or more immigrants currently eligible for
citizenship. This plan, titled “A More Perfect Union: A National Citizenship Plan,” was
completed in 2006. It details the types of resources and efforts that would be required
to naturalize as many eligible immigrants as possible, and identifies the role of
government, immigrant service agencies, and other sectors of society. This project
reflects CLINIC’s sense that the issue of “civic integration” should have an operational
component.
In 2005-2006, CLINIC’s accomplishments for the Carnegie citizenship plan included the
following: conducted more than 100 interviews with immigration, naturalization, public
policy and English language acquisition experts; created an advisory group of 22
experts to provide feedback on the report’s recommendations; wrote 11 chapters on
the fundamentals of naturalization, covering naturalization eligibility, benefits, barriers,
the application process, effective national and regional programs, and the group
workshop model; obtained commitments from 12 immigration and citizenship experts to
write opinion pieces to be included as a compendium to CLINIC’s full report; and
created an ESL/Civics Education Working Group of six experts in the field who wrote a
chapter of the report.
In July 2006, CLINIC concluded the second year of a citizenship project in the
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area funded by the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz
Foundation and the Herb Block Foundation. The DC Citizenship Project – operated
through two CLINIC diocesan affiliates – was renewed for a third year,
beginning August 2006. This project provides citizenship outreach and application
assistance to low-income lawful permanent residents.
In addition to its citizenship programs, CLINIC continued its participation in a working
group of advocates that has been meeting regularly with the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) to discuss the planned redesign of the citizenship test.
This is a high stakes issue with major implications for the future of naturalization, with
nearly 10 million immigrants eligible or soon to be eligible for naturalization. A more
difficult test could be a barrier for many vulnerable immigrants, including the elderly,
disabled, and less educated. CLINIC has played a leading role in the citizenship test
revisions, providing written comments to USCIS, organizing other advocates, and
providing information to the press.
The National Academies of Science (NAS) U.S. Naturalization Test Redesign
Committee, which advised USCIS on the methodology of test design, has consulted
with CLINIC on several occasions and invited CLINIC to attend its December 2005
meeting to help determine its future activities. Notably, the NAS Committee’s findings on
USCIS’ shortcomings in redesigning the test closely reflect CLINIC’s advocacy letters
and public statements. CLINIC continues to keep its member agencies informed of test
redesign developments and concerns for more advocacy input from the network.
In addition to its advocacy work on the citizenship test redesign, CLINIC was also
involved in advocating for applicants with disabilities, monitoring the impact of new
policy guidance on disabilities that was released in May 2006 and raising issues and
concerns about the new guidance with USCIS.
Now in its 4th edition, CLINIC’s Citizenship for Us: A Handbook on Naturalization and
Citizenship (more info) is one of the resources CLINIC uses to support its member
agencies that provide citizenship services, including community outreach, immigration
seminars, legal consultations, direct legal representation, English language instruction,
and citizenship test preparation. Over 1,500 copies have been distributed since the
book’s first printing in 2002.
415 Michigan Ave., NE
Suite 150
Washington, DC 20017
202.635.2556
202.635.2649 fax
media inquiries:
e-mail me
(202) 635-5810
Suite 150
Washington, DC 20017
202.635.2556
202.635.2649 fax
media inquiries:
e-mail me
(202) 635-5810
Photo: Jal Schrof
CLINIC SUPPORTS NATURALIZATION GROUP
PROCESSING WORKSHOPS
CLINIC is calling on lawful permanent residents to
obtain citizenship. To assist, CLINIC is funding
eighteen organizations to conduct naturalization
group application workshops. The project is
supported with funding from the Carnegie
Corporation of New York.
read more.
See also: Toolkit for Naturalization Workshops
ADVOCACY
• CLINIC comments on proposed naturalization
fee increases, March, 2007 (pdf)
CASE STUDY
CLINIC’s citizenship project assisted a mother
and her severely disabled 25 year old daughter,
Maria, to apply for U.S. citizenship. The mother
learned about the citizenship program from her
church. Maria suffers from cerebral palsy,
epilepsy, and mental retardation. She cannot
walk or speak, and requires 24-hour care from
her mother. Her father abandoned the family
about a year ago and provides only sporadic
financial support. Maria’s mother earns what
little income she can from cleaning houses and
selling tamales – about $50 per week. Since she
is not a U.S. citizen, Maria cannot qualify for any
financial, food, or social service assistance from
the government. The project assisted Maria and
her mother to apply for a waiver of the $400
citizenship application fee, and assisted Maria in
applying for a disability-based waiver of the
English and civics testing requirements. Maria
will also need a waiver of the oath of allegiance,
due to the severity of her disability. Maria’s case
will be very labor-intensive, but once she obtains
citizenship, her future in the U.S. will be much
more secure.
PROCESSING WORKSHOPS
CLINIC is calling on lawful permanent residents to
obtain citizenship. To assist, CLINIC is funding
eighteen organizations to conduct naturalization
group application workshops. The project is
supported with funding from the Carnegie
Corporation of New York.
read more.
See also: Toolkit for Naturalization Workshops
ADVOCACY
• CLINIC comments on proposed naturalization
fee increases, March, 2007 (pdf)
CASE STUDY
CLINIC’s citizenship project assisted a mother
and her severely disabled 25 year old daughter,
Maria, to apply for U.S. citizenship. The mother
learned about the citizenship program from her
church. Maria suffers from cerebral palsy,
epilepsy, and mental retardation. She cannot
walk or speak, and requires 24-hour care from
her mother. Her father abandoned the family
about a year ago and provides only sporadic
financial support. Maria’s mother earns what
little income she can from cleaning houses and
selling tamales – about $50 per week. Since she
is not a U.S. citizen, Maria cannot qualify for any
financial, food, or social service assistance from
the government. The project assisted Maria and
her mother to apply for a waiver of the $400
citizenship application fee, and assisted Maria in
applying for a disability-based waiver of the
English and civics testing requirements. Maria
will also need a waiver of the oath of allegiance,
due to the severity of her disability. Maria’s case
will be very labor-intensive, but once she obtains
citizenship, her future in the U.S. will be much
more secure.
|
CLINIC NATIONAL CITIZENSHIP PLAN
CLINIC released a plan for a national
citizenship program.
• Download the plan.
• Read CLINIC's press release.
WEBINAR "How to Organize a Naturalization
Workshop" - Conference Call Training for
Naturalization Service Providers. A call with
Jeff Chenoweth, June 20-1, 2007.
CLINIC released a plan for a national
citizenship program.
• Download the plan.
• Read CLINIC's press release.
WEBINAR "How to Organize a Naturalization
Workshop" - Conference Call Training for
Naturalization Service Providers. A call with
Jeff Chenoweth, June 20-1, 2007.
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