Reform Failure and Rising Fees Boost Number of Applicants for U.S. Citizenship:
ICIRR hosts massive round of citizenship workshops before fee increase
On Saturday, July 14th, The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights will hold a final, massive round of citizenship workshops- the last ones offered before application fees skyrocket at the end of July. Hundreds of volunteers from ICIRR and its member organizations will assist thousands of eligible immigrants to fill out their applications and continue their pursuit of the American dream.
According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Pew Hispanic Center, the number of legal permanent residents applying for citizenship has increased dramatically. Immigrants eligible to become citizens now see the urgency in applying, given the increasingly anti-immigrant climate in this country, which was illustrated by the recent, virulent backlash against efforts to fix our broken immigration system.
Eligible immigrants are also trying to get in before the dramatic increase in citizenship application fees–rising from $400 to $675— starting July 30. Many immigrant families will not be able to afford to become citizens once the cost shoots up. Visit The New Americans Initiative website for more information.