Have you decided to move to the United States or would you like to permanently reside in the country? With the right approach and following proper legal processes, this may be possible. If you live in the U.S. with a green card or visa, you may be eligible to gain citizenship through naturalization.
Naturalization
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) helps lawful permanent residents prepare for naturalization. Through this process you can acquire citizenship in the United States. It is granted to any foreign national and individual after they fulfills requirements established by the Immigration and Nationality Act. The USCIS extends help in this naturalization process through nearly $10 million in grants to 45 public and private non-profit organizations across the country. These funds are aimed at helping lawful permanent residents prepare for their naturalization through education and support.
The grants or the funding for citizenship preparation program assists prospective citizens and promotes their assimilation into American life. This is achieved by funding educational programs that help increase your knowledge of the English language, U.S. history, and civics. The organizations that receive this federal funding are located in 36 states, and they aim to help lawful, permanent residents with citizenship preparation.
How It Works
The grants awarded by the USCIS feature two competitive funding opportunities. The grant supports organizations that provide citizenship instructions and helps in the application process for naturalization.
The other funding opportunity assists non-profit organizations in establishing new citizenship instruction programs. This grant also helps organizations already running citizenship instruction programs expand the quality and reach of their existing programs. These programs are typically offered by small, community-based organizations that have not received a grant from USCIS before.
The main point to be noted here is that these grants can be used by these organizations only to help immigrants who have been properly admitted to the U.S. and those eligible for permanent residence. To determine your residency status and to learn more about your opportunity to reside in the United States with a green card or visa speak to one of our experienced Fort Lauderdale attorneys.
Next Steps
The U.S. Citizenship and Assimilation Grant Program is aimed at supporting effective citizenship preparation services and providing naturalization information to lawful immigrants through public or private nonprofit organizations.
The USCIS partners with federal, state and local agencies to spread awareness about the rights and responsibilities after attaining U.S. citizenship among the estimated 8.9 million lawful permanent residents nationwide, who are eligible to apply for naturalization.
The USCIS started this work in 2009. Since then, USCIS has awarded 73 million dollars to public and private organizations to help over 190,000 lawful permanent residents prepare for citizenship.
If you are preparing for your naturalization or wish to start soon, this grant should help you through it all. It trickles down to the local public and nonprofit organizations that help you learn more about the country, your rights, responsibilities, help you with the courses, and prepare you for the process, tests, and interviews for naturalization.
The USCIS also has other online resources too. The Citizenship Resource Center provides learning materials on its online portal. This material helps you prepare for the naturalization process too.
What to Expect
This year’s USCIS grant is expected to assist 25,000 lawful permanent residents. These residents are from over 50 countries and prepare for their naturalization by September 30, 2019. The USCIS will continue to serve an additional 12,000 permanent residents with their naturalization preparation via the 2015 ongoing fiscal year program. This program ran through September 30, 2017.
The USCIS website lists the names and details of the organizations that have received the grant award. Thus, you will surely know who to approach to seek help for your naturalization preparation. The recipients of this grant represent:
- Seventeen of the top 20 states with the largest population of permanent residents. They include: California; New York; Texas; Florida; New Jersey; Illinois; Massachusetts; Virginia; Washington; Maryland; Pennsylvania; Michigan; North Carolina; Connecticut; Ohio; Minnesota and Colorado.
- Nine of the top 10 metropolitan areas that have the maximum number of new permanent residents from the past 10 years. These areas include: New York City; Los Angeles; Miami; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; San Francisco; Houston; Dallas-Fort Worth and Boston.
- Nine of the top 10 states that have the maximum number of naturalizations over the past 10 years. These states include: California; New York; Florida; Texas; New Jersey; Illinois; Massachusetts; Virginia and Washington.
You can always visit USCIS online to learn more about the Citizenship and Assimilation Grant program. Furthermore, get in touch with reliable attorneys and consultants who help you with the preparation for obtaining naturalization and U.S. citizenship. We wish you all the best!
