MIRC Naturalization Workshop - Hartford

In partnership with Immaculate Conception Church and Welcoming Michigan, the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) and Farmworker Legal Services (FLS) will be hosting a free, one-step naturalization clinic on Sunday, September 15th 2013 at Immaculate Conception Church - 63559 60th Avenue Hartford, MI 49057.  For an English flyer about this event, click here.  For a Spanish flyer about this event, click here.

This clinic will be co-hosted by Welcoming Michigan in conjunction with 2013 National Welcoming Week, a nationwide event that will highlights the contributions of immigrants to American communities. Throughout the country, these events will bring together immigrant and U.S.-born community members in a spirit of unity. 

Volunteer attorneys, law students and other volunteers will screen applicants for naturalization eligibility, assist in completing the paperwork, assemble the applications with supporting documentation, and provide referrals and materials for the civics component of the exam. Advice and assistance is free to applicants who qualify for the clinic.

Besides being able to vote and get a U.S. passport, citizenship provides numerous other benefits. U.S. citizens

•  Can petition for more categories of family members from abroad to join them in the United States,
•  Can travel abroad for extended periods of time without consequences to U.S. citizenship status,
•  Can have their permanent resident children under 18 years old automatically derive citizenship,
•  Are safe from deportation and removal,
•  Receive certain tax benefits,
•  And so much more.

You may be eligible for naturalization if you have been a permanent resident for five years, or, just three years if you are also married to a U.S. citizen.  You may be exempt from the English requirement if you are 50 years of age or older, depending on how long you have been a permanent resident.

Though the workshop is free, USCIS does charge $680 to process the application. You may qualify for a fee waiver for the application. Call to inquire.

We will have Spanish-speaking volunteers and interpreters present.

If you are interested in volunteering, we are looking for attorneys and non-attorneys (bilingual and monolingual). Please contact the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center at (269) 492-7196.