NYC Organizations partner to help green card holders become U.S.
citizens

Church World Service, advocates will hold free naturalization
assistance workshops for New York's legal immigrants

***EDITORS' NOTE:
Interviews available on request with CWS immigration legal services specialists
and naturalized New York residents who've become citizens or are now applying
for citizenship.

New York City, N.Y. -- Tuesday, Feb 12, 2013 --
Humanitarian agency Church World Service (CWS) has joined with other New York
legal service providers and nonprofit organizations as part of an unprecedented
national network of businesses, faith-based organizations, community leaders and
foundations who have launched a nonpartisan project to transform the system of
naturalization assistance-- and to help more legal permanent immigrants become
U.S. citizens.

As part of that initiative, with the backdrop of the
nation's current immigration reform agenda, CWS and co-sponsoring partner
organizations in New York City will present two free workshops where immigrants
living in New York may receive pro-bono legal assistance and related services to
help them complete citizenship applications. A one-day workshop is scheduled
Saturday, Feb. 23, and a two-day workshop, Feb. 27 and March 1.

Based on
their green card status, more than eight million immigrants are currently legal
residents (which allows them to live and work in the U.S. on a permanent basis),
and currently qualify for U.S. citizenship.  Yet, only eight percent of them
become citizens each year. They face a range of barriers, including high
application fees and a complex citizenship process that can take up to two years
to complete.  Many also fall victim to unscrupulous attorneys and notaries who
take advantage of individuals seeking legal assistance.

CWS and
co-organizers invite lawful permanent residents to attend the workshops to
receive free naturalization legal services. The New York workshops are sponsored
by Church World Service, International Rescue Committee and Northern Manhattan
Coalition for Immigrants Rights. 

WHAT:

WORKSHOP 1: WORKSHOP WITH
CHURCH WORLD SERVICE AND NORTHERN MANHATTAN COALITION FOR IMMIGRANTS
RIGHTS

WHEN:
Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013
9:00 am - 3:00 pm
Walk-ins
accepted.

WHERE: 
Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrants
Rights
665 W. 182nd Street, 1st Floor
Between Wadsworth Ave and Broadway,
Manhattan

WORKSHOP 2: A TWO-DAY WORKSHOP WITH CHURCH WORLD SERVICE AND
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE

WHEN:
Wednesday, Feb. 27,
2013
and
Friday, March 1, 2013
Both days, 6:00 - 8:00 pm
No walk-ins
accepted.  Please call for an appointment.

WHERE:
International
Rescue Committee
263 W. 38th Street, 6th Floor, between 7th and 8th Avenues,
Manhattan

WHY:
The workshops are paving an easier road for aspiring
Americans to achieve the dream of becoming a citizen by modernizing and
streamlining access to citizenship-support services. New York is home to
immigrants from all over the globe.

WORKSHOP CONTACT: 
Tara Pinkham,
Associate Director for Immigration Church World Service
Phone: 212-870-2811
Email: tpinkham@churchworldservice.org