Tacoma Community House is working in partnership with the Washington Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyer’s Association (AILA-WA) and the Washington New Americans program to host a Citizenship Day at their facility (1314 S. L Street, Tacoma, WA 98405) on Saturday, April 8. This free legal clinic will pair eager legal permanent residents (LPRs) with pro-bono immigration attorneys who can provide guidance in navigating the complex naturalization process.
Washington State has over 263,000 legal permanent residents who are eligible for naturalization but have yet to take that final step. Often, this delay is due to confusion about the process or because of the formidable fees involved, over $700 per application.
What: Citizenship Day, a free legal clinic for eligible legal permanent residents to get help applying for citizenship
When: Saturday, April 8 – We welcome clients from 10am-1pm, or until we reach capacity. We strongly recommend arriving prior to 10am (please expect to stay 3-5 hours). No appointments needed.
Where: Tacoma Community House. 1314 South L Street, Tacoma, WA 98405
More details and information about what participants should bring to the event is available here.
According to a report by the National Partnership for New Americans, the Center for Popular Democracy, and the USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, new citizens see their average incomes rise by up to 11%, while cities gain hundreds of millions in new revenue from taxes, increased consumer spending, a reduction in bureaucracy, and many other factors, if only half of the city’s eligible immigrants were to naturalize.
Once they become citizens, new Americans enjoy benefits such as the right to vote, the freedom to travel without fear of being denied re-entry, the ability to sponsor family members, and many others.
