Immigrants strongly value U.S. citizenship. Yet millions who are eligible to apply face serious challenges in the naturalization process due to advanced age, disabilities, low income, limited English proficiency, and low levels of literacy. Many immigrants also face challenges to civic participation such as language and cultural barriers, unfamiliarity with U.S. civic institutions, and reluctance to get involved in community affairs due to negative experiences in their native countries.
Over the last 15 years, CLINIC has managed more than a dozen national, statewide, and regional citizenship assistance projects funded by federal, state, and private funders. These projects, involving over 60 agencies across the country, enabled over 80,000 poor and marginalized immigrants to receive professional assistance in filing their citizenship applications. They also provided English and citizenship classes to prepare immigrants for the citizenship test and promoted the civic participation of immigrants in their communities.
This toolkit contains a variety of resources collected and produced through CLINIC’s citizenship projects. It is designed to assist agencies providing citizenship services and civic participation opportunities for the most vulnerable applicants. CLINIC welcomes your feedback on this toolkit, including suggestions for additional materials to include. If you have any feedback or questions, please contact Laura Burdick at lburdick@cliniclegal.org.
Click here to view the Citizenship and Civic Participation Toolkit.