On Saturday, September 19, 2015 Duane Morris attorneys and pro bono attorneys from around Philadelphia assisted more than 60 applicants with the U.S. Citizenship applications.
The event was launched in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant and Multicultural Affairs and Community College of Philadelphia. Read more in this article by Valentine Brown , which appeared in the online version of the Legal Intelligencer on Friday, September 18, 2015.
The Philadelphia event is part of a larger nationwide Pro Bono Citizenship Day organized by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, for the last 8 years. It is estimated that there are 8.8 million Legal Permanent Residents who are eligible to naturalize in the United States, with 50,000 alone in Philadelphia. With this large number in mind, the White House has just this week launched the Stand Stronger Citizenship Awareness Campaign. According to the White House press release, the campaign is “a national, multilingual public awareness campaign to promote the rights, responsibilities, and opportunities of citizenship among eligible LPRs and to build a volunteer corps that will support them throughout the naturalization process. The “Stand Stronger” Campaign aims to break down the barriers for eligible immigrants and refugees to become U.S. citizens. The campaign reflects the belief that we are, and have always been a nation of immigrants and a nation that welcomes those fleeing persecution, in addition to underscoring that immigrants and refugees make us stronger when they are able to set down roots, harness their skills, contribute to our economy, and commit to citizenship.
Duane Morris attorneys regularly provide pro bono representation in naturalization proceedings to legal permanent residents. To learn more about this important step in the immigration process or how you can get involved in our pro bono program, contact Valentine Brown.