Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.

• Technical support for arch/dioceses and religious institutes managing religious immigration cases;
• Training in religious immigration law for arch/diocesan and religious institute personnel as well as Catholic and non-Catholic nonprofit legal immigration staff;
• Quarterly newsletter highlighting specific religious immigration practice issues;
• Publications on religious immigration law, case management and best legal practices;
• Religious Immigration Internship Program.

Religious Immigration Quarterly

• Review of immigration documents and forms for eligibility determination;
• Preparation of application, petitions and correspondence for U.S. immigration benefits;
• Representation before federal agencies such as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Department of State (DOS); and
• On-going case management.

Each year, more than 20,000 people from over 100 nations are granted asylum in the United States. Asylees have often suffered from persecution in their country of origin, forced migration, detention in the United States, and the uncertainty of the asylum adjudication process. Most confront systemic and bureaucratic barriers to resettlement and integration, and need well-coordinated and prompt social services to ease their transition.

CLINIC's National Asylee Information and Referral Line, which operated for 11 years, from 2001 to 2012, referred asylees to more than 500 local providers of resettlement services such as English language classes, job placement assistance, temporary cash assistance, and medical assistance. Funded by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and operated by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, the referral line provided a single, centralized source of accurate information about service eligibility and programs across the country that assist asylees with the resources they need for a smooth adjustment and early self-sufficiency.  Referral line counselors spoke 18 languages, including English, Spanish, Haitian-Creole, Chinese, French, Russian, and Arabic.

Over the last 11 years, the referral line:

• Served over 39,000 asylees (about 300 per month).
• Created and maintained an up-to-date referral database (the first of its kind) of more than 500 local refugee service providers throughout the U.S.
• Placed outreach information in the regional USCIS asylum offices and improved outreach to asylees in the immigration courts.
• Created an informational guide to assist service providers who work with asylees. The guide contains information about the benefits and services for which asylees are eligible, including temporary cash and medical assistance, employment assistance, English classes, employment authorization, Social Security cards, I-94s, adjustment of status, travel authorization, change of address, family reunification, and federal student financial aid.

*** PLEASE NOTE THAT THE 1-800 NUMBER IS NO LONGER IN OPERATION.  ASYLEES SEEKING INFORMATION SHOULD VISIT THE ORR WEBPAGE AT: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/  

RESOURCES

Benefits & Services

CLINIC guide, Asylee Eligibility for Resettlement Assistance 

ORR outreach flyer for asylees (available in 10 languages)

USCIS fee waiver application, Form I-912

USCIS policy guidance on fee waivers, March 2011

USCIS questions and answers about filing the I-485, I-765, and I-131 for asylees and refugees

USCIS fact sheet on asylee travel, October 2009

General Information

DHS Office of Immigration Statistics 2011 annual flow report on asylees and refugees

Executive Office for Immigration Review asylum statistics

USCIS asylum page

ORR policy memoranda on asylees

For more information about this project, please contact Laura Burdick at lburdick@cliniclegal.org.

Related resources:

• Post-Admission Issues for Asylees
• Fee Waiver Form for Asylees & Refugees

Citizenship and Civic Participation Toolkit

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.

Related resources:

• Citizenship for Us: A Handbook on Naturalization & Citizenship 6th Edition
• Asylee Eligibility for Resettlement Assistance: A Short Guide
• Language Access: Effectively Serving Limited- and Non-English Speakers
• The Economic Benefits of Immigration at the State Level
• A More Perfect Union: A National Citizenship Plan
• FAQs on Citizenship Grant Program
• Strategies for Naturalizing the Most Vulnerable Applicants
• Translations of Citizenship Test Questions
• Citizenship for Elders: Issues and Options in Test Preparation, 2nd Edition (2012)
• Building a Race and Immigration Dialogue in the Global Economy: Popular Education Resources for Immigrant and Refugee Community Organizers
• General Principles for the Redesign of the Naturalization Test
• Kaplan, et al v. Chertoff: Resources About SSI Settlement
• Information for Asylees and Refugees
• Information for Child Asylees and Refugees: Forms and Guidance
• Information for Elderly Asylees and Refugees: Forms and Guidance
• Information for Asylees and Refugees with Disabilities: Forms and Guidance
• Toolkit for Naturalization Workshops
• Office of Immigration Statistics: Yearbook of Immigration Statistics
• Strategies for Naturalizing the Most Vulnerable Applicants
• Resources for New Immigrants: Welcome to the United States
• Strengthening America: The Civic and Political Integration of Muslim Americans
• Growing Share of Immigrants Choosing Naturalization
• Nonprofit Service Organizations and Civic Engagement
• A More Perfect Union: A National Citizenship Plan
• Civic Inequalities: Immigrant Volunteerism and Community Organizations in California
• New Voices at the Civic Table
• Immigrant-Led Organizers in Their Own Voices
• Knights in Action for Newcomers
• Integrating Civic Participation and Adult ESOL
• Integrating Civic Participation and Adult ESOL
• Building a Race and Immigration Dialogue in the Global Economy: A Popular Education Resource for Immigrant and Refugee Community Organizers
• Trends in Naturalization
• Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant Communities
• Inspiring Leadership in Immigrant Communities
• Pursuing Democracy's Promise: Newcomer Civic Participation in America
• Research on Barriers and Opportunities for Increasing Leadership in Immigrant and Refugee Communities

In 2010, CLINIC received a two-year grant for national capacity building from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Office of Citizenship to launch the Citizenship & Integration National Capacity Building Project. In 2011, CLINIC received a second, two-year USCIS grant to expand the project.  The goals of this ongoing project are to expand citizenship services for Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) in underserved communities, and to build the long-term capacity of local affiliates to provide these services.

The first grant ended in September 2012.  Through this grant, CLINIC provided technical assistance and funding to four local affiliate agencies to establish new programs in English as a Second Language (ESL) / citizenship education and/or naturalization application assistance.  The four affiliates were Catholic Charities of Buffalo, NY; Catholic Charities of Cleveland, OH; Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan; and Catholic Charities of Stockton, CA.  Project outcomes are listed below.

Citizenship Project Outcomes, 2010-2012

For the second grant, CLINIC is providing technical assistance and funding to an additional four local affiliate agencies to establish new programs in ESL/citizenship education and/or naturalization application assistance.  Three of the local agencies are developing a legal immigration program that is recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).

CLINIC assists with project design and curriculum development, offers training on naturalization law and program management, and provides case consultations and intensive assistance with the BIA application process. 

Profiles of the Local Partners, 2011-2013

Catholic Charities Indianapolis 

Catholic Charities of Indianapolis is creating a new citizenship program.  The potential is great to sustain and expand services here.  In the past 10 years, metropolitan Indianapolis has seen a 212% increase in the number of persons obtaining LPR status. One in four persons obtaining LPR status was a refugee. With over 1,100 refugees resettled in FY 2010 and a projected 1,190 for FY 2011, the number of persons applying for LPR status will continue to rise in the Indianapolis community.  The immigrant community in Indianapolis is underserved.  Since low-income LPRs are unable to find affordable and accessible legal services, they either choose not to file, succumb to paying high legal fees, or fall victim to unauthorized, predatory practitioners. For this reason, there is a serious need to expand the number of authorized, affordable, and competent service providers to ensure that underserved immigrants have access to both citizenship classes and application assistance.

Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, Inc.

Catholic Charities of Los Angeles already has BIA recognition and accreditation and a well-established immigration legal services program, but plans to create a new program in citizenship education to augment its naturalization application services.  The communities where Catholic Charities will offer citizenship services were identified because they contain large populations of people who are low-income, low-literate, and limited English proficient.  This decision is supported by a 2004 United Way study, which noted that Los Angeles has the highest rate of undereducated adults of any major U.S. metropolitan area. Low literacy rates range from 55% to 84% in the areas for project services.  State budget cuts have forced the cancellation of adult education citizenship classes.  Transportation is also a barrier. With this project, Catholic Charities will bring the citizenship classes to community centers within walking or biking distance of many people who wish to be served.  Catholic Charities has the potential to serve large numbers of vulnerable LPRs.

Catholic Charities of Onondaga County

Catholic Charities of Onondaga County (Syracuse, NY) is creating a new citizenship program.  The Syracuse, NY area is home to approximately 7,000 refugees and 5,000 immigrants. Approximately 1,000 new refugees arrive in the Syracuse area each year.  Between 2006 and 2007, approximately 1,300 refugees arrived in Syracuse.  These refugees are now entering the period of eligibility for citizenship, and are actively seeing assistance with the process.  While some LPRs are well-educated and financially stable, many of the newer arrivals remain in the low-income range.  The latter have low levels of education and English language proficiency.  The elderly within these communities are particularly vulnerable.  Currently, there are no citizenship classes in Syracuse, and minimal availability of naturalization legal services. 

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Worcester

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Worcester is creating a new citizenship program that will provide services throughout the diocese, which covers the entire Central Massachusetts area.  According to the American Community Survey, Central Massachusetts has 82,534 foreign-born residents, of which 45,373 are not U.S. citizens; a rising unemployment rate; and 28,357 persons 65 or older.  There is an on-going need for citizenship education and naturalization services for LPRs.  According to USCIS statistics, in Worcester alone 3,146 persons became LPRs in 2009. However, services to meet their needs are minimal.  Catholic Charities plans to offer classes at four easily accessible locations throughout the area, coupled with naturalization application assistance.

Project Resources

NEW CLINIC Webinar, All About Fee Waivers

USCIS' Citizenship Public Education and Awareness Initiative

USCIS’ Public Education Initiative to Combat the Unauthorized Practice of Immigration Law

CLINIC press release, 2011

Office of Citizenship press release, 2011

Citizenship for Us: A Handbook on Naturalization and Citizenship, 6^th Edition - This comprehensive guide to the naturalization process provides detailed information on citizenship eligibility, requirements, and benefits. 

Strategies for Naturalizing the Most Vulnerable Applicants, 2^nd Edition – This handbook discusses English exemptions, due consideration, reasonable accommodations, disability waivers, oath waivers, fee waivers, and expedited processing.

Citizenship for Elders: Issues and Options in Test Preparation, 2^nd Edition - This handbook is based on a nationwide survey of 200 citizenship education programs and contains numerous helpful recommendations and tips from the field.

Volunteers Helping Immigrants Become U.S. Citizens: The Naturalization Group Application Workshop - This free, online course is designed to train volunteers to assist immigrants at group application workshop events.

A More Perfect Union: A National Citizenship Plan - This report sets forth the resources, activities, and partnerships that would be required to naturalize as many eligible immigrants as possible.

Toolkit for Creating a Citizenship Preparation Program - This toolkit is for programs searching for a way to serve clients' legal and language needs when pursuing U.S. citizenship.

Citizenship and Civic Participation Toolkit - This toolkit contains a number of resources on citizenship and civic participation.

Toolkit for BIA Recognition and Accreditation - This toolkit is designed to educate agencies on the need for BIA recognition and accreditation and assist them in the application process.

Toolkit for Naturalization Workshops - This toolkit is designed to help charitable immigration programs achieve a successful workshop. The forms and sample documents can be used as is or adapted by local programs for their own needs.

Toolkit for Case Management - This toolkit is intended to facilitate the process of designing and/or improving the case management system in an immigration program.

Starting a Legal Immigration Program - This guide is designed to give an overview of essentials for starting a new legal services program or sustaining an existing nonprofit legal immigration program.

Managing an Immigration Program: Steps for Creating and Increasing Legal Capacity - This manual describes best practices used by many of the country's most experienced nonprofit immigration programs and managers

Have a Question?

If you have any feedback or questions, please contact Laura Burdick at lburdick@cliniclegal.org.

Related resources:

• All About Fee Waivers

COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM:  NOT JUST WHEN BUT HOW

Download CLINIC’s Anti-Fraud Flyer

A CALL FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

CLINIC, and its parent-organization the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), believes the U.S. immigration system is broken, does not serve the needs of the nation, and demands significant reform.  Current immigration laws do not provide an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants access to legal status and a means to fully integrate into the American society. CLINIC believes that the long-term presence of undocumented immigrants, who make significant contributions to the nation’s economy and social fabric, compels the United States to create a legal process for them to become documented, authorized to work, and prepare for naturalization to become U.S. citizens. This earned pathway to citizenship, also called legalization, is a significant component in achieving comprehensive immigration reform. Comprehensive immigration reform is expected to make our nation’s immigration laws fair for immigrants and relevant for the current and future needs of the country, thereby making the U.S. stronger, more secure, and competitive in a globalized economy.

In preparation for passage of comprehensive immigration reform, CLINIC is growing the largest network of grassroots non-profits providing charitable legal immigration services.  CLINIC supports its affiliates to respond to the current needs of low-income immigrants and prepare non-profits to serve the expected needs of undocumented immigrants seeking legal status and eventually citizenship under new immigration laws.  

This webpage is a resource for non-profit legal immigration programs, their stakeholders, and immigrants who will benefit from favorable immigration reform.  The webpage seeks to help programs:

• Understand the need to legalize undocumented immigrants;
• Educate people of faith and other advocates on the issue;
• Inform immigrants on how to prepare for immigration reform;
• Increase or start legal immigration services in their non-profits.  

To assist local, charitable immigration programs in planning for immigration reform, CLINIC has updated its report, “Preparing for Comprehensive Immigration Reform: An Earned Pathway to Citizenship and Beyond.”

Visit this website often to keep up-to-date on new developments and resources. Meanwhile, you will find links to additional resources below.

ARTICLES ABOUT IMMIGRATION REFORM

AFFILIATES ONLY RESOURCES

Outline for CIR/Legalization Preparation and Implementation Plans

New  Webinar - CIR Planning & Preparation: Budgeting and Resource Development

New  Templates for CIR Fundraising - Proposal Narrative, Work Plan, Budget Narrative

New   Preparation Checklist for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR)

OTHER RESOURCES

Summary of “Building Legal Immigration Services Capacity Through National Networks and their Affiliates”, 4^th annual meeting co-hosted by CLINIC and World Relief.  This year's event focused on preparing for comprehensive immigration reform.

Full Text of the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act” including approved amendments

CLINIC’s Summary of S.744

Written Testimony Of Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles and Chairman, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee for its hearing entitled, “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” - February 12, 2013

The Catholic Church and Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Issues Around Immigration Reform

Preparing Immigrants for Immigration Reform

Developing a Comprehensive Immigration Reform Plan

Starting a Legal Immigration Program: Capacity Building in a Charitable Community Agency

Promoting Immigrant Integration

False Claims

USEFUL LINKS

Justice for Immigrants - A campaign to promote and build nationwide support for comprehensive immigration reform. CLINIC is a member of the campaign.

Immigration Advocates Network (IAN) - An online resource for organizations and individuals working on immigration issues. CLINIC is a manager of IAN and a contributor to its resources.

Migration Policy Institute - A non-partisan think tank that provides analysis, development, and evaluation of migration and refugee policies at the local, national, and international levels.

Pew Hispanic Center - A nonpartisan research organization that seeks to improve understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and to chronicle Latinos' growing impact on the nation. CLINIC uses its data to analyze where services need to expand in order to serve a growing Hispanic population in the United States.

Grant Makers Concerned for Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) - A network of foundations that provide resources that philanthropic organizations need to address the challenges facing newcomers and their host communities and to strengthen society as a whole. CLINIC is a beneficiary and contributes resources for its website.

HAVE A QUESTION?

Email CLINIC

CLINIC strives to meet the growing needs of new and existing charitable legal programs for low-income immigrants. It pursues these goals, in part, by training and advising local programs on good management practices through the Immigration Management Project.

The Immigration Management Project (IMP) provides training in program advocacy and fundraising skills to nonprofit immigration orgqanizations by working directly with the executive and immigration program directors. The IMP shares best practices that help local providers meet immigrants' needs.

Among other accomplishments, the IMP has:

• Created and published a manual, entitled "Managing an Immigration Program: Steps for Creating and Increasing Legal Capacity" which contains training curricula based on best practices of leaders in the field of nonprofit immigration.
• Facilitated the first-ever agreement among immigration law support centers to create the Immigration Advocates Network, an Internet portal for agencies that provide newcomers with immigration-related legal assistance.
• Provided specialized trainings on how to obtain Board of Immigration Appeals agency recognition and staff accreditation.

For additional information on the Immigration Management Project, please contact Jeff Chenoweth at jchenoweth@cliniclegal.org or 202-635-5826.

Related resources:

• Toolkit for BIA Recognition & Accreditation
• Starting a Legal Immigration Program: Capacity Building in a Charitable Community Agency
• Case Management Toolkit
• Template for Applying for Immigration Funding
• Managing Financial Performance - Oct. 7
• Starting A Legal Immigration Program
• Case Management Systems
• Enhancing Fee Revenue
• Outreach Strategies for Program Support
• Staffing Your Immigration Legal Program
• Space, Equipment and Tools
• Building Agency Support for an Immigration Legal Program
• Outreach Strategies for Program Support
• Managing Financial Performance
• Staffing Your Immigration Legal Program
• Managing an Immigration Program: Steps for Creating and Increasing Legal Capacity
• Managing an Immigration Program: Steps for Creating and Increasing Legal Capacity
• Recognition and Accreditation from the Board of Immigration Appeals
• Recognition & Accreditation from the Board of Immigration Appeals

In 2011, CLINIC and seven national organizations received a multi-year and multi-state grant to increase the number of eligible Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) to become U.S. citizens by assisting them with the naturalization process through the development of innovative approaches and technologies and exchanging best practices. 

Through The New Americans Campaign, CLINIC provides funding and technical assistance to seven local affiliate agencies to expand and strengthen their existing services in Brooklyn (NY), Charlotte (NC), Southeast Michigan, Dallas (TX), Houston (TX), Los Angeles (CA), and Miami (FL). These local affiliates receive access to CLINIC’s expertise in naturalization and immigration law, including the immigration and information support line, reduced registration fees for training and the Annual Convening, free access to live and recorded webinars, and advocacy support.

To achieve the goal of motivating eligible LPRs to become U.S. citizens and assisting them with the process, each national partner will contribute its organizational strengths to build an integrated program that incorporates:  advocacy; capacity building and training; collaboration among partner organizations, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders; media and communications; direct naturalization services; research; and innovative approaches and technology.

Our Local Partners

Catholic Migration Services of Brooklyn, NY

Catholic Migration Services (CMS) was founded in 1971 as the first Diocesan agency in the U.S. to serve the needs of vulnerable immigrants in Brooklyn and Queens.  CMS staff provide clients with a broad range of immigration legal services that include adjustment of legal status, attainment of U.S. citizenship, representation of asylum seekers, and family reunification assistance.  Linea Laboral, a toll free bilingual workers' rights hotline, is operated by CMS in collaboration with the Mexican Consulate General in New York, the U.S. Department of Labor and the New York State Department of Labor.  Clients come from at least 167 countries and multi-lingual staff at CMS provide their services in Albanian, English, French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Spanish, and Greek.  

Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, Inc. 

Catholic Social Services (CSS) serves 16 counties in Western North Carolina through its main office in Asheville.  CSS has an accredited Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) Immigration Program that provides high-quality services to over 1,000 low-income immigrants each year.  In 2010, CSS assisted with 1,125 immigration cases, including consular processing, family-based petitions, and obtaining lawful permanent residency.  Notably, CSS is the site leader for the local Charlotte collaboration.

Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan

Southeast Michigan has a long tradition of receiving immigrants born in each of the six major world regions and this migration pattern remains strong today. With qualitative dedication to both immigrants and refugees, Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan (CCSEM) offers a continuum of supportive services and legal assistance that helps individuals and families gain US Citizenship and actively integrate into communities spanning six counties. To further extend citizenship outreach and services to specific ethnic communities, CCSEM collaborates and builds long-standing relationships with municipalities, faith-based institutions, businesses and community organizations. CCSEM is pleased to be the NAC site leader for the local Detroit Collaboration.

Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, Inc.

Since World War II, Catholic Charities of Los Angeles has served newly-arrived immigrants and refugees by assisting them in learning English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) and understanding American social norms, training them for jobs, and helping them to legalize their residency and obtain U.S. citizenship through naturalization.  Catholic Charities has a diverse clientele that have emigrated from Latin America, Southeast Asia, China, Iraq, Iran, Haiti, and Ethiopia.  Notably, Catholic Charities is a sub-grantee recipient of the USCIS National Capacity Building Grant, which focuses on developing ESL citizenship classes and civic education programs and promoting naturalization and immigrant integration. 

Catholic Charities of Dallas, Inc.

Catholic Charities has a fully accredited BIA Immigration and Legal Services (ILS) program that was established in 1975 to assist the growing immigrant population of North Texas.  ILS attorneys and accredited staff provide services to clients that include family visa petitions, adjustment of status applications, naturalization services, and deportation representation.  Recently, Catholic Charities was awarded a USCIS Citizenship and Integration grant to provide both educational services and direct legal services to citizenship applicants.  Catholic Charities is also the site leader for the local Dallas collaboration, and received a national grant from USCIS to extend direct citizenship services to LPRs living in the Dallas area.

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

The St. Frances Cabrini Center for Immigrant Legal Assistance (“Cabrini Center”) became a program of Catholic Charities in 1986.  In 2010, Cabrini Center assisted LPRs with filing over 1,000 applications for naturalization.  Cabrini Center is also active in helping clients to file family visa petitions, establish legal permanent residency, and inform clients of available immigration benefits and legal rights.

Catholic Legal Services, Archdiocese of Miami, Inc.

Catholic Legal Services (CLS) serves a diverse population in the Miami-Dade County that encompasses Downtown Miami, Coral Gables, and Aventura.  Staff members from CLS conduct presentations on naturalization and citizenship at three adult education centers throughout Miami and target immigrants from Haiti, Central America, Venezuela, and Cuba.  Notably, CLS is the site leader for the local Miami collaboration.

Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic

The Carlos A. Costa Immigration and Human Rights Clinic at Florida International University College of Law is a one-semester clinic that intervenes on behalf of vulnerable immigrants of all nationalities in a variety of settings.  Student attorneys represent refugees seeking asylum in the United States as a result of political persecution in their countries of origin; Cuban and Haitian nationals seeking relief under country-specific immigration legislation; immigrant workers who have been victims of wage theft; and other vulnerable populations, such as abused spouses and children, unaccompanied minors, and aliens subject to immigration detention.  Most recently, the Clinic has worked with the New Americans Campaign to provide legal assistance for individuals in south Florida seeking to become U.S. citizens.  The Clinic provides assistance through weekend clinics and individual appointments during the week with student attorneys.

Florida Immigrant Coalition

Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC) is a statewide immigrant rights organization that advocates for the fair treatment of everyone, and is composed of 30 member organizations and over 100 allies, who are grassroots and community organizations, farm workers, youth, advocates, legal service providers, unions and others.  FLIC’s mission is to amplify the power of immigrant communities to impact the root causes of inequality, defending and protecting basic human rights, including the right to live without fear.

FLIC’s citizenship program, Florida New Americans, aims to provide full integration for Florida's largest immigrant communities, advance immigrant rights, and promote active citizenship among New Americans.  As a part of this program, FLIC has already provided free assistance for more than 1000 legal permanent residents to apply for naturalization. FLIC also assists with Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals as well as various immigration benefits through their membership.   

CLINIC Project Resources

La Ciudadanía: Cambia Tu Vida - In 2012, CLINIC launched its first professional multimedia campaign known as La Ciudadanía: Cambia Tu Vida (Citizenship: It Changes Your Life).  The initiative, in partnership with Catholic Charities of Los Angeles, strives to motivate the 1.2 million legal permanent residents in Los Angeles to become U.S. citizens through an eclectic package of television, radio, and print public service announcements."

Volunteers Helping Immigrants Become U.S. Citizens: The Naturalization Group Application Workshop - This free course educates people about basic naturalization law and the naturalization group application workshop model.  The course takes approximately 40 minutes to an hour to complete. 

How to Plan and Implement a Mega-Workshop - This webinar educates charitable immigration legal staff on the unique differences of planning and implementing a large, "mega" group application workshop for naturalization and deferred action.

Workbook for Planning a Mega Workshop - This curriculum was created by CLINIC staff for the first hands on “mega” group application workshop hosted by Catholic Charities of Los Angeles at the Mid-Valley Regional Branch Library in North Hills, California.

Citizenship for Us: A Handbook on Naturalization & Citizenship 6th Edition - Citizenship for Us is a comprehensive guide to the naturalization process that provides detailed information on citizenship eligibility, requirements, and benefits and a step-by-step explanation of the N-400 (Application for Naturalization).  The guide includes 13 study units on U.S. history and civics, historic photos, timelines, a sample naturalization interview, and a chapter on civic participation.  It is geared for immigrants, community leaders, ESL teachers, and other non-attorneys.

Citizenship and Civic Participation Toolkit - This toolkit contains a number of resources on citizenship and civic participation.

Toolkit for Naturalization Workshops - This toolkit is designed to help charitable immigration programs achieve a successful workshop. The forms and sample documents can be used as is or adapted by local programs for their own needs.

Managing an Immigration Program: Steps for Creating and Increasing Legal Capacity - This manual describes best practices used by many of the country's most experienced nonprofit immigration programs and managers.

Group Application Workshop Model - This webinar aims to promote the effective use of the group application workshop model to expand the availability of charitable legal immigration services, principally for naturalization but also for other purposes, including legalization application processing.

USCIS Guide to Naturalization - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) created this Guide to provide better and more consistent information to people interested in naturalization.

USCIS Citizenship Public Education and Awareness Initiative - USCIS strives to promote awareness of the rights, responsibilities, and importance of obtaining U.S. citizenship, and the free naturalization preparation resources available to LPRs and immigrant-serving organizations.

The New Americans Campaign

We are proud to be part of The New Americans Campaign, an unprecedented national effort that is paving a better path to citizenship and helping legal residents achieve their dream of becoming American citizens.  We are a nonpartisan network of community leaders and foundations, launching a campaign to modernize the system of naturalization assistance and to help more legal permanent immigrants become U.S. citizens.

Because when new Americans gain the rights, freedoms and responsibilities of citizenship, they also contribute more fully to the vitality of our communities and our democracy as a whole. 

“The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) is proud to be a part of The New Americans Campaign,” said Donald Kerwin, CLINIC’s Acting Executive Director. “Our network of more than 200 community-based legal service providers is strongly committed to expanding high-quality citizenship services. This unique partnership will significantly strengthen the capacity of charitable immigration agencies throughout the nation and will enable hundreds of thousands of lawful permanent residents to take the next step towards full and active membership in our nation.”

Have a Question?

If you have any feedback or questions, please contact Rommel Calderwood at rcalderwood@cliniclegal.org 

CLINIC works to help immigrant survivors of domestic violence and victims of trafficking and enslavement by offering training and technical assistance to agencies providing direct assistance to this population.  In particular, CLINIC offers advocate training sessions on the types of immigration relief available to survivors of abuse and other crimes, as well as, direct technical assistance to affiliate offices that represent survivors of crime. CLINIC also provides training and technical assistance on program management issues to agencies looking to start or expand their immigration services to serve this population.   This may include training and consultation on obtaining Board of Immigration Appeals recognition and accreditation, case management, financial management and outreach. 

Foreign-born women are likely to stay in abusive relationships if they rely on being married to a citizen or permanent resident to legalize their immigration status. Without this status, undocumented women cannot legally work or become economically independent. These women are often trapped in violent relationships because they fear deportation, separation from their children, and impoverishment. Too often, their plight is unseen, unheard, and unresolved.

Victims of trafficking and enslavement--particularly women and children removed from their families--are also vulnerable to crime, as their undocumented status makes it more difficult for them to come forward and identify themselves as victims in need of help. Having migrated to the United States due to desperate economic circumstances in their home countries, many trafficked workers find themselves enslaved or indentured to pay off immense transportation debts. Others are lured to the United States with the promise of a well-paying job, but instead find themselves forced to work in sweatshops, agricultural fields, or as prostitutes.

Various obstacles prevent immigrant survivors of domestic violence and victims of trafficking and enslavement from seeking help, including poverty, fear of being alone, and cultural and language barriers. However, there are a number of legal options that these victims can pursue under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act.

To help meet the needs of these vulnerable populations, CLINIC has:

• Authored two manuals entitled The VAWA Manual: Immigration Relief for Abused Immigrants (written with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center under a generous grant from the California Endowment) and A Guide for Legal Advocates Providing Services to Victims of Human Trafficking (written with MRS and the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles under generous grants from the Office of Refugee and Resettlement);

• Produced a manual entitled Immigration Relief for Abused Immigrants for its member agencies on visa applications;

• Advocated with federal immigration authorities on new or existing immigration regulations affecting immigration survivors of domestic violence and other crimes; 

• Provided trainings and legal technical support on VAWA, T and U visa applications; and

• Provided trainings and technical assistance on starting or expanding their immigration services to assist immigrant survivors of domestic violence and other crimes.

For additional information on the VAWA Immigration Project, please contact Jack Holmgren at  jholmgren@cliniclegal.org or 415-394-8074.

Related resources:

• Immigration Relief for Abused Immigrants
• VAWA: Immigration Relief for Abused Immigrants
• The VAWA Manual: Immigration Relief for Abused Immigrants

Communications and Marketing staff coordinate CLINIC’s media relations. In addition to responding to reporter request for interviews, CLINIC issues press releases and authors opinion pieces and letters to the editor that highlight issues related to immigrants, service providers, and practitioners. The Center for Faith and Migration also develops tools to help CLINIC affiliates improve and expand their relationship with the media. Across the country, CLINIC affiliates are viewed as a credible source for information on immigration law and issues related to immigrants. (See Press Releases and News)

Communications and Marketing staff promote Catholic social teaching regarding immigrants and the role of this teaching in the public policy sphere through collaboration with partner agencies and development of educational tools. CLINIC contributes to publications and offers seminars, presentations, and workshops on Catholic social teaching and migration. (See Resources).

• CambiaTuVida TV PSA - Arzobispo Gomez

• CambiaTuVida TV PSA - Madre e Hija

• CambiaTuVida Magazine Color PSA - Arzobispo Gomez

• CambiaTuVida Magazine Color PSA - Madre e Hija

• CambiaTuVida Postcard PSA - Arzobispo Gomez

• CambiaTuVida Postcard PSA - Madre e Hija

• CambiaTuVida Poster PSA - Madre e Hija