2011 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program
As we begin the New Year, the USCIS Office of Citizenship is excited to announce the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program for fiscal year 2011. This year’s program will provide approximately $8.5 million to expand citizenship preparation programs across the nation for the growing number of immigrants seeking these services.
Here at USCIS, we work to ensure that all eligible immigrants who aspire to become citizens have access to the tools and resources they need to be successful. Local immigrant-serving organizations already working with immigrants are best positioned to evaluate the needs of their communities and tailor citizenship instruction and services to achieve the greatest impact.
Through this funding, we aim to promote measurable progress in the overall availability and quality of citizenship services. Expanded opportunities and additional resources in communities will allow a greater number of immigrants to improve their English language skills, cultivate their knowledge of U.S. history and civics, and appreciate the rights and responsibilities of becoming United States citizens. These additional skills play a significant role in increasing a new citizen’s ability to integrate into and contribute to American society.
In 2010, we awarded a total of $8.1 million in grants to 78 organizations. These grant recipients are currently providing much needed citizenship instruction and naturalization preparation assistance to more than 25,000 green card holders in 27 states and the District of Columbia.
Building on the success of the 2010 program, we will offer three competitive grant opportunities in 2011. Two Direct Services Grant Programs will strengthen locally-based citizenship preparation programs and the National Capacity Building Grant Program will increase the capacity of members or affiliates of national, regional, or statewide organizations to offer citizenship services in underserved communities. An estimated 35 awards are expected and grant recipients will be announced in September 2011. To learn more about these announcements, please visit www.uscis.gov/grants.
The application package is now available at http://www.grants.gov/. Please continue to check our grants page for updates and additional information. For citizenship-related educational materials, please visit our free online Citizenship Resource Center.
Rebecca S. Carson
Chief, USCIS Office of Citizenship
Labels: Citizenship
posted by USCIS Blog Team @ 9:06 AM
22 Comments
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22 Comments:
Finally... Great program for deserving people
I applaud USCIS for allowing immigrants the opportunity to find out what it takes to gain their citizenship.
The program may be what is remembered. but the last person to do is to judge us.
Are there any plans to use the unused visa from other employment categories to EB3? The EB3 wait is getting longer and longer and it is a painful wait. Please do the needful to fix this by allocating the unused visas from other employment/family categories to those with the oldest priority date, irrespective of its' category or country.
It is a small price to pay and worth-while to help these people. It is important for them to learn our language and about our great country. I sincerely hope it helps them to become citizens.
USCIS Blog Team & Director Office-
The new process changes are really helping the immigrant community. Are there any changes coming up for the below areas:-
1. Pre-adjucation Filing for Pending I-140 Approved applicants? Will you allow them to file for EAD and AP21 in the process of waiting for visa numbers to be allocated?
2. Any efforts to scrutinize the porting of Eb3 applicants to Eb2 Applicants?
3. Any efforts to find the employers who are filling for Eb2 applications for dummy projects? We have seen a bigger trend for people to port from Eb3 to EB2 based on dummy/fake documents causing the Eb2 numbers spiked really high. The Eb2 Category is for REALLY EXCEPTIONAL ability people but now EB3 Folks are joining with False data (Premium) Processing getting into the Line. Please Scrutinize the I-140 premium processing for EB2 Atleast.
4. Any efforts to reduce the backlog of EB2 ( highly skilled) applicants waiting?
5. Any efforts to reduce the backlog for processing of H1b ( Anywhere from 4-5 months) currently.
6. Any efforts to electronically accept the Applications data like most of the consulate office ( USA consulate in India) is doing to reduce the effort of Mailroom routing and data entry level errors/efforts.
EB2 means Highly Qualified skills that must be cleared as these folks are returning to other countries where there skills are used. USA need them , so get the backlog cleared for EB2 for all countries ASAP.
But I guess any E-category visa processing is also very lengthy. I feel a need for a more quicker process.I wish they relaxed the immigration laws to the US. For most people, its almost impossible to get through to qualify for most categories of immigration.
Everyday, I pray for miracles that my priority date for EB3 category become current. I've been in U.S. for 20 years but due to family circumstances that was beyond my control, I became out of status. I have an active CA Registered Nurse license and also obtained my nursing degree in U.S. I have lots of job offers only to be disqualified because I do not have a work permit. I wish I can be more productive and happier, advance my career, pay taxes and contribute to our economy better than hiding in the dark.
It's nice to know that there are program like this. These was important to increase there additional skills play a significant role in increasing a new citizen’s ability to integrate into and contribute to American society. Excellent work.
That's great to hear. Whatever we can do to help people get here and stay here legally is a good idea in my opinion. Way to go.
The US help the people in getting their citizenship. Hopefully they will not abuse on what the government give to them.
This is great news. As a naturalized citizen myself I can attest first hand that getting through the process is not an easy thing but end result - a privilege to be a part of a free society and contributing member - well worth it.
I just cannot understand is it the most important thing to learn English?
To become a citizen I think it is really important for someone to be well versed with our language, our rights as well as country's history. I just hope that these Grants could well help the goal we are trying to achieve for the immigrants.
I think every citizen should be taught bike safety laws and learn how to ride road bikes to save money and gas.
I think it is important in these times for the government to save money on different grant programs. We are in desperate needs in this country for money for the people who are already citizens. However, once a person becomes a citizen of this country I feel they are entitled to what every other citizen is entitled to. But I do think there should be some pretty tough requirements to become a citizen here. They do this in Europe and its saves them a lot of time and money because the requirements discourage masses of immigration.
I think it would be better to require applicants for citizenship should require mastering english and immigrants that do so should go to the front of the line.
"Here at USCIS, we work to ensure that all eligible immigrants who aspire to become citizens have access to the tools and resources they need to be successful."
Great program, I work with latino youth and this is something I deal with daily on a very real basis
To be a citizen it is very important to know about the history, culture and most importantly the language. Through this funding I am pretty sure it will definitely help in overall ability and quality of citizenship services. I also this $8.5 million fund for citizenship preparation is a bit on the higher side taking into consideration the ongoing recession. nevertheless it is a positive step forward and I am sure it will be a huge success this year too
Definitely good so offer these type of grants. I wonder who is actually benefiting though. My friend from Italy who's been trying to get his green card for the past 5 years and has the backing of a large corporation and very specific skill has had a extremely difficult time. I guess I'm curious as to who is getting the funds.
To be a citizen it is very important to know about the history, culture and most importantly the language.
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