The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently released a notice that it will raise the naturalization application fee to $1,170. This is an increase of 83% over the current fee of $640. The cost of applying for naturalization is already a barrier for many aspiring U.S. citizens.
In celebration of National Citizenship Day on September 17, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (Advancing Justice) affiliates throughout the U.S. hosted citizenship clinics to promote the many benefits of citizenship, including a critical benefit that has caused many long-time green card holders to choose to naturalize: the upcoming presidential election. Citizenship advocates have seen wait and processing times for citizenship applications increase and are urging that any lawful permanent residents seeking to vote in the 2020 Presidential election submit their application for naturalization before September 2019 ends.
G.T. first came to Asian Americans Advancing Justice — Los Angeles asking for help in March 2017 — he wanted to become a citizen. For decades, he was haunted by the tragedy he experienced during China’s Cultural Revolution until he moved to the U.S. after being petitioned by his U.S. citizen daughter.
Advancing Justice-OC provides free monthly workshops every 2nd Friday at Westminster Family Resource Center from 9:00am-2:00am. For those who are interested in more information, please call our in-language helplines to schedule an appointment. Staff and volunteers help verify eligibility for citizenship, complete the citizenship application, and prepare a fee waiver request for individuals who qualify. We offer similar services at our Orange County office every Tuesday and Thursday and at other organizations (listed below) for those who cannot attend this workshop.
Advancing Justice-OC provides free monthly workshops every 3rd Wednesday at Lincoln Adult School from 8:00am-11:30am. For those who are interested in more information, please call our in-language helplines to schedule an appointment. Staff and volunteers help verify eligibility for citizenship, complete the citizenship application, and prepare a fee waiver request for individuals who qualify. We offer similar services at our Orange County office every Tuesday and Thursday and at other organizations (listed below) for those who cannot attend this workshop.
Advancing Justice-OC provides free monthly workshops every last Friday at Southland Integrated Services from 10:00am-3:00pm. For those who are interested in more information, please call our in-language helplines to schedule an appointment. Staff and volunteers help verify eligibility for citizenship, complete the citizenship application, and prepare a fee waiver request for individuals who qualify. We offer similar services at our Orange County office every Tuesday and Thursday and at other organizations (listed below) for those who cannot attend this workshop.
Advancing Justice-LA and its local partners will host a Pan Asian Citizenship event at Centro Maravilla Service Center.
Our mission is to advocate for civil rights, provide legal services and education, and build coalitions to positively influence and impact Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders and to create a more equitable and harmonious society.