With the help of family and friends, Bashou was able to escape the conflict, arriving safely into the embrace of her family in Michigan after stepping off a plane at Metro Airport in 2003.

And on Friday, nearly a decade later, Bashou made it official: She took the Oath of Allegiance — becoming the oldest person in Michigan — and the second oldest person ever — to become a naturalized American citizen, following in the footsteps of a Californian who was naturalized at age 117 in 1997.

“She loves the U.S. and living in this country,” said Dina Kaju, 23, Bashou’s granddaughter.

Sitting in her favorite blue camping chair at the Sterling Heights home of her daughter, Mary Shammami, the now 111-year-old listened as U.S. District Judge David Lawson read her the oath. Lawson asked her to raise her right hand.

“Are you prepared to become an American citizen?” he said.

Two family members translated the oath into Chaldean. And Bashou, who lived in a small village and worked in the fields, said, “Yes.”

Michael Klinger, Detroit Field Office director for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said most folks in metro Detroit who seek citizenship are sworn in during large ceremonies. His office handles some 12,000 naturalizations a year.

But three or four times a month, for people like Bashou — who has difficulty walking, hearing and seeing — the office brings the swearing-in to them.

“It’s a stressful process for any applicant,” Klinger said, as people come to Detroit to do the necessary legwork, then another location for a mass naturalization ceremony.

Bashou said she credits labor — and not going to doctors — for her long life and vitality.

At the end of the ceremony, there was applause, hugs and kisses from her family and trays of sweets, tea and coffee to help celebrate. Bashou held her certificate close and smiled as the revelry went on.

As each person congratulated her, Steve Shammami, Mary’s brother-in-law, recalled the day he picked Bashou up from the airport.

There were lots of tears, he said, as the woman saw her family and new home. In a few years, the soon-to-be great-grandmother went from fleeing her homeland to taking on a new one.

“It’s like it was yesterday,” he said.

source from: freep

source from: citizenshipnews

There’s good news: “Pass rates of applicants taking the new test were found to be significantly higher than the pass rates of applicants taking the old test. ” This held true for all four test components (civics, reading, writing, and speaking).

“The higher pass rate of applicants after the test redesign was generally found across all subgroups regardless of gender, age, or nationality.”

To my mind, the best new is burried deep in the report appendix: the pass rate in the 65 or oldergroup is up 17 percent for the English component of the test, and up 12 percent for the civics component. That proves what many teachers have observed–since USCIS made the test content clearer, and began providing clearer, more uniform scoring policies/training for examiners, the new test has become a more reasonable challenge for elderly applicants.

Announcement (and link to the full report) are here:

http://blog.uscis.gov/2011/12/new-naturalization-test-and-uscis.html

source form: citizenshipnews

CLINIC has designed a very comprehensive new program development ”Toolkit”  for legal provider groups who want to add citizenship application assistance and test prep instruction to their services. Adult education providers will find a lot of useful information here, too. The link is here:   http://cliniclegal.org/resources/comprehensive-citizenship-preparation-program-toolkit

Below is the table of contents:

I.    Introduction: Tools for a Legal Program Interested in Starting a Citizenship Program

Designed for legal immigration programs interested in creating a citizenship program.

II.     A Client’s  Road to CitizenshipFollow the client’s road to citizenship with this chart that details the step-by-step process a client follows in order to become a U.S. citizen.

III.    Program Needs for Legal and Language Service Programs CombinedCompare the programmatic and equipment needs for legal and language programs, and learn what components of these two programs can be shared.
IV.    Citizenship Program ModelsMany citizenship programs start small and grow over time. This chart will identify easy services to implement now plus provide ideas for services to plan for in the future.
V.    Planning for a Citizenship ProgramCreating a legal and language service program requires a lot of planning and thought. A sample Logic Model is provided to assist program development and a blank template can be printed for individual use.

VI.    Program DevelopmentFunding must be considered when planning to open a new program or to offer new services. Use this resource to learn about possible program standards required by funders as well as potential sources of funding.
VII.    Integrating Technology into your ProgramThe use of technology is becoming increasingly important in the legal and language services field. This chart will pinpoint technological advances and improvements programs can make today and into the future.
VIII.    Sample Course Outlines for Citizenship ClassClick here to view sample course outlines for both ELL-based civics classes and citizenship classes.
IX.    Training  and other ResourcesVisit this page to access resources that can be used for planning legal and language service programs.
X.    FAQsFind answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding a citizenship preparation program.
XI.    TerminologyLearn the definitions of commonly used terms and acronyms.

source form: citizenshipnews

If you happen to live in the San Jose CA area, this looks like a terrific opportunity:

A FREE TWO-DAY TRAINING ON NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Sponsored by:

CENTER FOR EMPLOYMENT TRAINING (CET)

CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

IMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER (ILRC)

CATHOLIC LEGAL IMMIGRATION NETWORK, INC (CLINIC)

When: February 9 and 10, 2012

Where: Center for Employment Training, 701 Vine Street, San Jose, CA

Center for Employment Training, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, the ILRC, and CLINIC are co-sponsoring a two-day training on naturalization and citizenship in San Jose, California. It is free for participating staff from non-profit organizations working on naturalization and citizenship issues in the Bay Area, especially, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

All participants will receive a free CD-ROM copy of the ILRC’s best selling manual, Naturalization and U.S. Citizenship: The Essential Legal Guide.  Space is limited!

Day 1: The first day of this training will include a review of the general requirements for naturalization including continuous residence, physical presence, good moral character, the English and Civics requirements, and the red flag issues that can cause an applicant to be denied or even deported. Additionally, we will review the various ways in which an absence from the United States can affect one’s naturalization application, the best ways to complete the naturalization application (N-400), application procedures, and how to assisting special groups of applicants through fee waivers, oath waivers, the 50/20 and 55/15 English exemptions, disability waivers, and securing accommodations for people with disabilities.

Day 2: The second day of the this training cover some of the more complex aspects of immigration law, including advanced good moral character issues, how a criminal conviction can affect a naturalization application, and citizenship for children.

During the good moral character discussions during this two-day training, we will delve into the reasons why some naturalization applicants could be deportable, as well as how failure to register for the selective service, failure to pay child support, failure to file income taxes, and other issues can affect one’s naturalization application. Additionally, we will review how different criminal convictions can affect one’s naturalization application.

Presenters include:        Kathy Brady, ILRC Senior Staff Attorney

Eric Cohen, ILRC Executive Director and Attorney

                                                Erin Quinn, ILRC Staff Attorney

A TWO-DAY TRAINING ON CITIZENSHIP TOPICS

DATE:   FEBRUARY 9 AND 10, 2012

TIME:  DAY 1: (FEBRUARY 9) 8:30 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.

DAY 2: (FEBRUARY 10) 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM.

PLEASE NOTE THAT REGISTRATION BOTH DAYS WILL BEGIN AT 8:30 A.M.

Place:    Center for Employment Training – 701 Vine Street, San Jose, CA

Fee:     Free for staff of non-profit and private attorneys volunteering with a non-profit

Private Attorney Rate – Single Day $150; Both Days – $200

Pre-registration via fax or mail by January 31, 2012 is necessary to ensure seminar materials.

MCLE from the State Bar of California will be granted

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

REGISTRATION:  Training on Citizenship and naturalization

San Jose, California, February 9 & 10, 2012

I would like to register for:  Day 1                          Day 2                 Both Days

Please print legibly:

Name                                                                                                                                                  

Agency:                                                                                                                                                                                               

Address:                                                                                                                                                                                             

City/State/Zip:                                                                                                                                                                 

Phone:                                                                                 Fax:                                                                                                       

E-mail:                                                                                                                                                                                 

Please complete one registration form per person.  Everyone must register to have a space.

Please return this registration form with payment, specifying method of payment (if you do not work for a non-profit agency):

Free – Non-Profits Only

Visa/Mastercard/AMX #: ___________________________________________________

Exp. Date:                           /                             

We do not accept Discover Card. Credit card orders may be placed by fax 4 415/255-9792

Name on Card:                                                                                  Card Verification #:                        

Billing Address: __________________________________________________________

$__________check enclosed

Payable to Immigrant Legal Resource Center; and mail - to ILRC.

A FREE TWO-DAY TRAINING ON NATURALIZATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Sponsored by:

CENTER FOR EMPLOYMENT TRAINING (CET)

CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY

IMMIGRANT LEGAL RESOURCE CENTER (ILRC)

CATHOLIC LEGAL IMMIGRATION NETWORK, INC (CLINIC)

When: February 9 and 10, 2012

Where: Center for Employment Training, 701 Vine Street, San Jose, CA

Center for Employment Training, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, the ILRC, and CLINIC are co-sponsoring a two-day training on naturalization and citizenship in San Jose, California. It is free for participating staff from non-profit organizations working on naturalization and citizenship issues in the Bay Area, especially, Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.

All participants will receive a free CD-ROM copy of the ILRC’s best selling manual, Naturalization and U.S. Citizenship: The Essential Legal Guide.  Space is limited!

Day 1: The first day of this training will include a review of the general requirements for naturalization including continuous residence, physical presence, good moral character, the English and Civics requirements, and the red flag issues that can cause an applicant to be denied or even deported. Additionally, we will review the various ways in which an absence from the United States can affect one’s naturalization application, the best ways to complete the naturalization application (N-400), application procedures, and how to assisting special groups of applicants through fee waivers, oath waivers, the 50/20 and 55/15 English exemptions, disability waivers, and securing accommodations for people with disabilities.

Day 2: The second day of the this training cover some of the more complex aspects of immigration law, including advanced good moral character issues, how a criminal conviction can affect a naturalization application, and citizenship for children.

During the good moral character discussions during this two-day training, we will delve into the reasons why some naturalization applicants could be deportable, as well as how failure to register for the selective service, failure to pay child support, failure to file income taxes, and other issues can affect one’s naturalization application. Additionally, we will review how different criminal convictions can affect one’s naturalization application.

Presenters include:        Kathy Brady, ILRC Senior Staff Attorney

Eric Cohen, ILRC Executive Director and Attorney

                                                Erin Quinn, ILRC Staff Attorney

A TWO-DAY TRAINING ON CITIZENSHIP TOPICS

DATE:   FEBRUARY 9 AND 10, 2012

TIME:  DAY 1: (FEBRUARY 9) 8:30 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.

DAY 2: (FEBRUARY 10) 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM.

PLEASE NOTE THAT REGISTRATION BOTH DAYS WILL BEGIN AT 8:30 A.M.

Place:    Center for Employment Training – 701 Vine Street, San Jose, CA

Fee:     Free for staff of non-profit and private attorneys volunteering with a non-profit

Private Attorney Rate – Single Day $150; Both Days – $200

Pre-registration via fax or mail by January 31, 2012 is necessary to ensure seminar materials.

MCLE from the State Bar of California will be granted

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

REGISTRATION:  Training on Citizenship and naturalization

San Jose, California, February 9 & 10, 2012

I would like to register for: q Day 1                         q Day 2                q Both Days

Please print legibly:

Name                                                                                                                                                  

Agency:                                                                                                                                                                                               

Address:                                                                                                                                                                                             

City/State/Zip:                                                                                                                                                                 

Phone:                                                                                 Fax:                                                                                                       

E-mail:                                                                                                                                                                                 

Please complete one registration form per person.  Everyone must register to have a space.

Please return this registration form with payment, specifying method of payment (if you do not work for a non-profit agency):

q            Free – Non-Profits Only

q            Visa/Mastercard/AMX #: ___________________________________________________

Exp. Date:                           /                             

We do not accept Discover Card. Credit card orders may be placed by fax 4 415/255-9792

Name on Card:                                                                                  Card Verification #:                        

Billing Address: __________________________________________________________

q            $__________check enclosed

Payable to Immigrant Legal Resource Center; and mail - to ILRC.

Sai Suzuki

Marketing Coordinator

Immigrant Legal Resource Center

1663 Mission Street, Suite 602

San Francisco, California 94103

(T) 415-255-9499 Ext. 789

(F) 415-255-9792

(E) ssuzuki@ilrc.org

www.ilrc.org

source form: citizenshipnews

The National Foundation for American Policy  has just put out a policy brief “Reforming the Naturalization Process” with research  made possible by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. It includes a number of interesting recommendations on reforming the naturalization process to make it less difficult and expensive for immigrants.

Among the recommendations in this report to improve the naturalization process and access to citizenship:

-    Consider fee reform and streamlining that brings down the price of applying for naturalization, as proposed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Immigration Forum. Over the past decade, naturalization fees have risen from $35 in 1983 to $680 today.

-    Revise and simplify the language in both the form and instructions, as recommended by several experts.

-    Restore offsite naturalization interviews at local community centers. The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) notes this is particularly important for people with disabilities in cities not served by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field offices.

-    Make citizenship part of the immigration integration process, as recommended by the Immigration Policy Center.

-    Institute reforms so individuals do not lose their lawful permanent residence status due to time outside the country. Attorneys Cyrus Mehta and Gary Endelman provide salient recommendations to ensure our immigration service maintains rules that keep pace with the realities of 21st century travel, employment and business.
Download the full report here:

nfap.com/pdf/reformingthenaturalizationprocess.nfappolicybrief.august2011.pdf

source form: citizenshipnews

Tears fell on a mother’s face as her son was walking along the court’s hallway with handcuffs on his wrists and metal chains on his legs. Her son, Roddy, is a green card holder. He arrived in the United States when he was 18 years old as a derivative child on his mother’s petition.

Upon Roddy’s arrival in the United States, he was enrolled in high school. His parents, just like those of many new immigrants, preoccupied themselves with work. Roddy’s mother worked two jobs. He was left alone at home  most of the time.

In 2001, three years after Roddy’s arrival, he was busted for illegal use of methampethamines and drug trafficking. Roddy served  three months of jail time as a result of his drug convictions. After he was released in 2003, Roddy finished his associate degree and maintained a decent job at a retail store. He has a one-year-old child and a US citizen fiancé.

In his desire to become a US citizen, Roddy applied for naturalization at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). He had asked for a day’s leave from work and appeared at his naturalization interview. He anticipated a favorable ruling on his application. He never expected to be taken into custody by agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

What happened was that the USCIS officer found out about Roddy’s criminal convictions for drug offenses ten years ago. Despite having served his sentence, US immigration law provides “mandatory detention” for immigrants with certain drug convictions and other aggravated felonies.

Roddy appeared before an immigration judge, seeking leniency and compassion. But he was told that the law was clear about his case: He was to be deported.

Roddy’s mother has not been sleeping since her son was arrested and blames herself for his fate. She said her son was raised well in the Philippines and never got into trouble with the law until he arrived in California. He was hanging out with the wrong crowd, she lamented.

But she wants to know why, if her son had served his sentence and was rehabilitated would he now be deported and separated from his family?

At the beginning of this year, all of Roddy’s siblings got their visas and also migrated to the US. Roddy will be by himself in the Philippines. The irony of this is that Roddy was the the only child who was able to migrate with his parents while his three older siblings were left behind awaiting for their petitions to be processed. Now that his three siblings finally arrived in the US Roddy is on his way back.

The mother is agonizing over whether or not to give up her life in the US and voluntarily return to the Philippines with her son.

Immigrants with past criminal convictions or immigration violations must be cautious about applying for US citizenship. Just like the case of Roddy, despite the passage of many years of being reformed, the US immigration law’s restrictive enforcement rules may catch up with applicants.

Green card holders with past criminal cases or immigration violations can also be apprehended and sent back through the ports of entry. These green card holders with previous convictions, after having traveled back and forth numerous times, are now (for the first time and to their surprise) being identified by the Department of Homeland Security’s computer database and being deferred for further inspection.

That fact that an individual has traveled successfully in the past does not mean that the previous conviction record will not come to light. If the arriving green card holder with a conviction requiring mandatory detention is identified, the arriving passenger may be arrested just like Roddy.

If you have a prior criminal conviction, you should be sufficiently aware of these possibilities.

source form: globalnationinquirer

Microfinance Focus, November 23, 2011: A microloan product, launched by Citi Community Development and CASA de Maryland (CASA), a grassroots organization working with immigrants, ease pathway to citizenship for legal immigrants in the state of Maryland in United States. The citizenship microloan program will lower the financial barriers to naturalization while simultaneously building an individual’s credit and financial literacy.

A pilot of the program is expected to move 125 legal immigrants to full citizenship. CASA’s research has shown that one of the primary barriers to completing the naturalization process is the $680 naturalization fee and the inability for a low-income person to pay that cost over time, while also paying for supportive services such as English language or citizenship preparation classes. Reinforcing the research is the fact that when the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) last raised fees for naturalization in July 2007, applications for naturalization decreased by 67% in the 12 months following the fee increase.

Evidence shows that there is a significant economic advantage to becoming a fully naturalized citizen. A 2006 Urban Institute study found that, in the D.C. region, the household earnings of naturalized citizens were nearly double those of unauthorized immigrants and 15% higher than those of legal permanent residents (LPRs). Yet despite the economic incentive to naturalize, only 12% of Maryland’s 120,000 eligible LPRs naturalized in 2009, and the number of LPRs naturalizing has increased by only about 1% annually over the past five years.

CASA will collaborate with two community development financial institutions (CDFI’s), the Latino Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) and the Ethiopian Community Development Council Enterprise Development Group (EDG). The LEDC equips Latinos and other DC-area residents with the skills and financial tools to create a better future for their families and communities. The EDG serves low- and moderate-income residents of the Washington, DC-Baltimore metropolitan area, by providing access to loan capital for small businesses and a variety of other programs that help people build assets and achieve economic independence.

source form: citizenshipnews

Tuesday December 6, 2011 from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM EST

Register here: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=rqfkgteab&oeidk=a07e51whsev798f1360

source from: citizenshipnews

Tears fell on a mother’s face as her son was walking along the court’s hallway with handcuffs on his wrists and metal chains on his legs. Her son, Roddy, is a green card holder. He arrived in the United States when he was 18 years old as a derivative child on his mother’s petition.

Upon Roddy’s arrival in the United States, he was enrolled in high school. His parents, just like those of many new immigrants, preoccupied themselves with work. Roddy’s mother worked two jobs. He was left alone at home  most of the time.

In 2001, three years after Roddy’s arrival, he was busted for illegal use of methampethamines and drug trafficking. Roddy served  three months of jail time as a result of his drug convictions. After he was released in 2003, Roddy finished his associate degree and maintained a decent job at a retail store. He has a one-year-old child and a US citizen fiancé.

In his desire to become a US citizen, Roddy applied for naturalization at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). He had asked for a day’s leave from work and appeared at his naturalization interview. He anticipated a favorable ruling on his application. He never expected to be taken into custody by agents of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

What happened was that the USCIS officer found out about Roddy’s criminal convictions for drug offenses ten years ago. Despite having served his sentence, US immigration law provides “mandatory detention” for immigrants with certain drug convictions and other aggravated felonies.

Roddy appeared before an immigration judge, seeking leniency and compassion. But he was told that the law was clear about his case: He was to be deported.

Roddy’s mother has not been sleeping since her son was arrested and blames herself for his fate. She said her son was raised well in the Philippines and never got into trouble with the law until he arrived in California. He was hanging out with the wrong crowd, she lamented.

But she wants to know why, if her son had served his sentence and was rehabilitated would he now be deported and separated from his family?

At the beginning of this year, all of Roddy’s siblings got their visas and also migrated to the US. Roddy will be by himself in the Philippines. The irony of this is that Roddy was the the only child who was able to migrate with his parents while his three older siblings were left behind awaiting for their petitions to be processed. Now that his three siblings finally arrived in the US Roddy is on his way back.

The mother is agonizing over whether or not to give up her life in the US and voluntarily return to the Philippines with her son.

Immigrants with past criminal convictions or immigration violations must be cautious about applying for US citizenship. Just like the case of Roddy, despite the passage of many years of being reformed, the US immigration law’s restrictive enforcement rules may catch up with applicants.

Green card holders with past criminal cases or immigration violations can also be apprehended and sent back through the ports of entry. These green card holders with previous convictions, after having traveled back and forth numerous times, are now (for the first time and to their surprise) being identified by the Department of Homeland Security’s computer database and being deferred for further inspection.

That fact that an individual has traveled successfully in the past does not mean that the previous conviction record will not come to light. If the arriving green card holder with a conviction requiring mandatory detention is identified, the arriving passenger may be arrested just like Roddy.

If you have a prior criminal conviction, you should be sufficiently aware of these possibilities.

source from: globalnation