These immigration service orgs are helping 100 Philly residents become U.S. citizens this weekend

In the birthplace of American democracy live an estimated 64,405 Lawful Permanent Residents who are eligible for naturalization, according to American Immigration Lawyers Association.

That’s a lot of green cards. And a lot of potential benefit to the local economy: Lawful Permanent Residents who gain citizenship can increase their earnings by as much as 11 percent.

But naturalization is difficult. The application costs hundreds of dollars. Applicants must be proficient in English. Knowledge of immigration services might be lacking.

This Saturday, a cohort of pro bono lawyers hope to challenge that by submitting more than 100 citizenship applications from eligible Lawful Permanent Residents for AILA’s Citizenship Day.

The pro bono committee of AILA’s Philadelphia chapter, along with Nationalities Service Center, the City Office of Immigrant Affairs and other community organizations, will assist green card holders with their applications and waive the $680 fee. In cases where applicants are over the age of 50 and have had a green card for over 15 years, the language proficiency requirement may also be waived.

"NSC is helping to provide an open opportunity for community members to apply for citizenship and obtain a fundamental right in our society — the right to vote."

This is the ninth year of the project, wrote Hannah Cartwright, a staff attorney at NSC and co-chair of AILA’s pro bono committee, in an email. The committee made a “special effort” this year to serve five counties early in the calendar year so applicants might be able to complete the process in time to register to vote in the fall elections.

“I’ve been really proud to see the nonprofit community really dig in and find ways to engage in outreach for this event amidst a generally busy time because they know how important it is for people to be able to vote,” Cartwright said.

To attract would-be citizens, the groups have hosted eight information sessions and eligibility screenings assisted by authorized immigration providers in Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and York counties. If it was determined in a one-on-one screening that the applicant was eligible for citizenship, they were referred to Citizenship Day; if their case was more complicated, they were referred to other service providers, such as nonprofit legal services, Cartwright said. Partner organizations also posted details about the naturalization process in communities.

NSC’s participation in Citizenship Day aligns directly with its mission of empowering immigrants and refugees in the Philadelphia region, Cartwright said.

“Together with the other collaborating organizations,” she said, “NSC is helping to provide an open opportunity for community members to apply for citizenship and obtain a fundamental right in our society — the right to vote.”

AILA is seeking volunteer lawyers to assist with Citizenship Day. Sign up here.