Who can request a fee waiver for the Citizenship Quotas?

You may qualify to apply for citizenship at NO cost, if you meet any of the following requirements:

• If your yearly income if below the 150% of the poverty level?
• Do you receive public benefits?
• Are you unemployed or have any other financial hardship that will not allow you to pay the quota?

If you believe you are eligible for a fee waiver and want to apply for citizenship for free you must attach to your application the proper documentations that serve as evidence, so please bring with you to our Citizenship Workshop:

A) If applying because of low annual income or public benefits:

• Most recent tax return, or  
•  Pay stubs for the last month, or
• Employment verification letter from employer on letterhead, or  
• Award letter from awarding agency, or
• Notice of benefit from awarding agency, or 
• Official documents with name of recipient and agency

B) If applying for debt or other financial hardship:

• Most recent tax return or pay stubs, and
• Proof of assets, including bank accounts and property, and
• Proof of your expenses, including copies of bills, and other debts

We will help you file a form to request the fee to be waived; however the determination will be made by USCIS. You will be notified by USCIS on the Notification of Acceptance or receipt.

Who can request a fee waiver for the citizenship quotas?

Citizenship Program

Between 2000 and 2012, the rate of growth in Tennessee’s foreign-born population was the third fastest in the country. TIRRC is the only organization in Tennessee with the capacity to reach large numbers of eligible LPRs, assist them in obtaining their citizenship, and facilitate their ongoing participation in the civic process. In new destination states like Tennessee, where immigrant communities are smaller and more isolated, eligible LPRs tend to be harder to reach and recruit than in states with more established immigrant communities. This is especially true outside of major cities. Naturalization work is far more challenging in smaller towns and rural areas. What this means for us is that an effective naturalization program must necessarily include a number of ancillary activities to find eligible LPRs and educate them about the importance of citizenship and civic engagement (outreach through member organizations and educational events, use of ethnic media, etc). This essentially raises the cost of providing naturalization services in this context

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Am I eligible to apply for citizenship?

To apply for Citizenship you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Have been a permanent resident - "green card holder" for at least 5 years (3 if married to a U.S. citizen). 
• Have been present in the U.S. for 2 ½ of the past 5 years (or 1 ½ of the past three, if married to a U.S. citizen)
• Have been a resident of the state for at least 3 months
• Be able to speak, read and write ordinary English (unless eligible for a waiver)
• Be able to pass a U.S. history and government exam
• Be a person of "good moral character" (this will be difficult to establish if you have failed to pay child support, taxes, or have been convicted of certain crimes, among other things)
• Be willing to take an oath of loyalty to the U.S.

Next Citizenship Workshop

  The Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition in partnership with Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON) invites you to attend the Citizenship Assistance Workshop.

If  you are an eligible LPR (Legal Perment Resident) for Naturalization don't miss our next free Citizenship Workshop in middle TN!

DATE: Saturday May 19th 2012

By appointment only.

Limited space

Please email Anahi Gutierrez at anahi@tnimmigrant.org for appointments and availability or call (615) 414.1030 ( leave a message with your name and telephone number).

Here is what you need to bring to the workshop with you:

• Your Permanent Resident Card (Green Card).
• Drivers Licens or any other photo Id.
• Social Security Card.
• List of home addresses for the past five years and the dates during which you lived  at these addresses
• List of employer names and addresses for the past five years, including the dates you worked with these employers
• Dates you have been outside of the U.S. since becoming a permanent resident and the countries you traveled to during these trips.  Bring your passport, itineraries, tickets to track all trips made outside the USA.
• If your children have a green card, bring their complete names, dates of birth, and their A#s (number found in their green cards).
• Your most recent tax return.
• If you are applying for citizenship on the basis of marriage please bring:
  • Marriage certificate and divorce decrees.
  • Evidence that your spouse has been a resident for at least 3 years such as his birth certificate, passport or certificate of naturalization .
  • Documents referring to you and your spouse such as tax returns, bank statments, leases, mortages, IRS tax return for the last 3 years
• If you changed your name though a cout, bring the court decree that legally changed your name.
• Although the workshop is free, there is an application fee of $680 payable to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security”.  If you believe you might qualify for a fee waiver please click here to check eligibility and documents requiered to bring with you!
•  2 Color passport photos.
• For a detail list of documents requiered by USCIS please click here.

If you need more information about this particular workshop please email Anahi Gutierrez at anahi@tnimigrant.org and include on the subject "CITIZENSHIP   MAY 19 " to be contacted.

PARA INFORMACION EN ESPANOL HAZ CLICK AQUI.