LOS ANGELES – As of press time, it has been confirmed that over 80 Filipinos will be attending a free citizenship workshop, to be hosted by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) and the Office of Mayor Antonio R Villaraigosa on March 16, Saturday at the Los Angeles Public Library in Downtown LA.
APALC’s Immigration and Citizenship Supervising Attorney Joyce Noche noted that although total available slots for appointment for the workshop is pegged at 200, only half of those slots have been secured by applicants so far – most of whom are Filipinos.
“We have appointments still available,” Noche said at a press conference held on Tuesday at the APALC office in LA.
The workshop, which will be held from10:30am to 4pm at the Mark Taper Auditorium in the Tom Bradley Wing of the LA Public Library, will consist of two major sessions.
In the morning, representatives from the US Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS) will be conducting a Naturalization Information Session. Topics will include: an overview of the naturalization process, mock naturalization interview, and an overview of free USCIS citizenship study materials and online resources. Complimentary study materials will also be available on-site.
Following the information session, the APALC, together with partner community organizations, will conduct a free Citizenship Application Workshop.
The legal center will provide free assistance in filing out Form N-400, the application form for naturalization. The afternoon module will include: consultations with immigration attorneys, application assistance, application interviews by attorneys, and free citizenship study materials.
Perhaps the most important announcement made at Tuesday’s press conference was the introduction of a new online citizenship tool that will help prospective applicants prepare for the naturalization process.
The tool, called Citizenship Works, is a website created by the Immigration Advocates Network (IAN) that provides free and easy-to-use online tools that will help individuals understand their eligibility for naturalization, learn more about the naturalization process, find legal help, and prepare for naturalization tests.
Citizenship Works will be officially launched at Saturday’s citizenship workshop. Participants will be among the first people who will use the system with supervision and assistance from community partners and advocates.
Tony Lu, IAN project coordinator for Citizenship Works, said that the system is comparable to Turbo Tax, a popular computer program that helps people prepare forms for filing taxes. With the help of pro bono attorneys, paralegals, volunteers, and community advocates, program participants can take advantage of the efficiency that can be achieved through the Citizenship Works system in preparing the application forms for naturalization.
According to Lu, with the help of the online citizenship tool and a computer lab, applicants will have an easier time in preparing multiple copies of their application forms, which usually contain at least 10 pages of documentation.
“Our goal was to create complete access for the Asian American communities that are thinking about naturalization,” Lu said.
Citizenship Works (www.citizenshipworks.org) is presently available in English and Spanish. At the workshop on March 16, APALC and IAN will be launching the tool in Chinese and Vietnamese.
Aside from the aforementioned services, in-language assistance will also be provided by APALC and community partners in over six Asian languages. Applicants will also be offered assistance in applying for waivers for the naturalization process fee, a facet of the citizenship process that many are not aware of.
Stewart Kwoh, APALC president and executive director, said in a press statement that citizenship is integral to civically engaging the many Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
“Workshops like these are going to make citizenship more accessible to the AAPI community,” Nasim Khansari, APALC citizenship network manager said in a press statement.
“Our capacity is 200. We’re only halfway there. So if people want to make an appointment, they should definitely do so,” the Noche pointed out.
Walk-in participants are welcome to the information session. However, appointments are required for the naturalization assistance module in the afternoon. Appointments can be arranged with community partner organizations.
For the Filipino community, interested individuals may call the Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI) at (213) 483-9804 ext. 205.
Susan Dilkes, FASGI executive director, said that Filipinos who have already secured appointments for the citizenship workshop should take advantage of this opportunity. For those who are not able to get appointments for Saturday, they can attend other similar activities on other dates.
“We encourage all of our fellow kababayan to come down and get information and also go through the citizenship process,” Filipina APALC lawyer Joyce Noche added.
(www.balikbayanmag.com)
(LA Midweek March 13, 2013 Sec. A pg.1)
