My mother and I are immigrants. We received our Permanent Resident Card (“Green Card”) upon first entering the U.S. When I say “received” I mean just that. It was simple, painless, inexpensive, and only minutely time consuming. My father (her husband) is a natural born U.S. citizen (and at the time U.S. Army soldier).  We received our Green Card shortly before we moved to Selfridge, Michigan where my dad was station for a short period of time.  The military filed the paperwork for us and I think even paid the fees.  My mother naturalized a few years ago. She did not have to struggle to pay the USCIS fees (almost $800 at this point) and for the most part was merely a procedural process.  I have chosen to re-new my Green Card until the German government allows me to maintain dual status. We are the lucky ones! My family’s situation isn’t typical. Most individuals face considerable struggles in their quest to immigrate to the U.S.  The financial burden alone has become too great for many to overcome without assistance  And then there are others who wont ever have the opportunity to become U.S. citizens.

April 18 and 19, 2009 is Citizenship Day, a national event where private immigration attorneys partner with local non profit organizations to provide free legal help in applying for citizenship to low income Legal Permanent Residents (Green Card holders). This year we have added two new sites – Allentown and Carlisle (just past Harrisburg), in addition to Philadelphia. We know that citizenship has become increasingly expensive, and many families are struggling. As a result, this year in Pennsylvania we will be offering assistance to eligible individuals in applying for a fee waiver, in addition to application assistance. Details on sites, times and registering are below.

Pennsylvania Citizenship Weekend is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition (PICC), the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Nationalities Service Center (NSC), and HIAS and Council Migration Service. The Center for Immigrants’ Rights at Penn State Dickinson School of Law is co-sponsoring and hosting Citizenship Day in Carlisle. Catholic Charities, Diocese of Allentown is co-sponsoring and hosting the Allentown location. A number of organizations are co-sponsoring the Philadelphia event, and are listed on the attached flyer.

Volunteer Attorneys Needed for Citizenship Weekend

Volunteer attorneys are still needed to help provide legal assistance to applicants. Additional training sessions in citizenship procedure and fee waivers will be held on Friday April 3rd in Philadelphia (12pm – 2pm) and Allentown (2pm – 4pm). Please contact Jamie Johns at hiascitizenship@gmail.com or (215) 832-0922 regarding the Philadelphia training. Please contact Jill Freeman at jfreeman@wsklawyers.com or at (267) 350-6600 regarding the Allentown training.

Allentown Community Training on Citizenship March 29th

In preparation for April, PICC is holding a community training in Allentown this weekend, on the citizenship process. This workshop will provide an overview of the citizenship process, but please note that we will not be able to provide help for individual cases. Light refreshments will be served. For more information contact Hillary Blecker, 215-832-0895 or picc.organizer@gmail.com

Community Training on Citizenship
Sunday, March 29, 2009
2:00-4:00pm
First Presbyterian Church of Allentown, 3231 Tilghman Street

Citizenship Weekend Details – April 18th in Philadelphia and Carlisle, April 19th in Allentown

*There is no charge for this application assistance but individuals are responsible for filing fees, postage & biometrics*

You must register for these events in advance and receive an appointment time by calling:

(215) 609-1534 or (215) 893-8400 for John Thompson at Nationalities Service Center, 9am-5pm and Mondays until 7pm

OR

(215) 832-0900 or (215) 832-0922 for Jamie or Vilma at HIAS and Council, 9am-5pm and Tuesdays until 7pm

Philadelphia – Saturday April 18th
Time: 10 am – 4 pm
Location: Nationalities Service Center, 1216 Arch Street, 4th floor, Philadelphia, PA

Carlisle – Saturday April 18th
Time: 12 pm – 6 pm
Location: The Dickinson School of Law (Advantica Building) 1170 Harrisburg Pike, Carlisle, PA 17013

Allentown – Sunday April 19th
Times: 10 AM – 4 PM
Location: Catholic Charities, Diocese of Allentown, 530 Union Boulevard, Allentown, PA 18109