Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate and Professor of Economics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York | CUNY Graduate Center
Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate and Professor of Economics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York | CUNY Graduate Center
On May 20, 2024, more than 300 green card holders received free legal assistance with their naturalization applications at the annual Spring Citizenship Drive hosted by CUNY Citizenship Now!. This all-day event, co-hosted by Univision and held at CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan, was aimed at raising awareness about the benefits of naturalization and helping eligible immigrants complete their journey to becoming U.S. citizens.
The drive brought together nearly 70 members of the legal staff of CUNY Citizenship Now!, 190 volunteers, government officials, and community organizations to assist a total of 304 green card holders. The participants left with completed citizenship application packets ready for submission to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The cost of the newly updated naturalization form (USCIS N-400) increased in April to $710 for online filing and $760 for paper applications. However, participants were screened for eligibility to apply for a fee waiver or a reduced application fee during the event. They also learned how to prepare for the citizenship interview from multilingual volunteers and staff who spoke languages including Spanish, French, Italian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Bengali, Urdu, Haitian Creole and Arabic.
"CUNY has a long history of helping immigrants establish themselves in New York City," said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. "We are grateful to the legal staff, volunteers, community partners and public officials who work together to help these individuals move closer to achieving the important milestone of citizenship."
The Spring Drive was part of a series of events titled "Become a Citizen: Opportunities Await," which began in fall 2023 and is expected to serve 1,200 permanent residents by its conclusion on June 1. Since its founding in 1997, CUNY Citizenship Now! has assisted over 231,000 people with consultations and applications for benefits such as citizenship, green cards, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and employment authorization.
The Spring Drive was sponsored by numerous nonprofits, law firms and government agencies. CUNY Citizenship Now! has been a leading pro se immigration service provider in New York City for 27 years. The City University of New York is the nation’s largest urban public university, serving more than 225,000 undergraduate and graduate students annually.
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