Senior Center Offers Citizenship Program

The East Valley Multipurpose Senior Center will sponsor Citizenship Campaign ‘97, an outreach program aimed at helping legal immigrants become U.S. citizens.

The organization views this year’s campaign--scheduled for July 26--as a “last-ditch effort” to help legal immigrants hold on to their Social Security and welfare benefits, which they are likely to lose once welfare reform laws go into effect in September.

“We are getting calls from people in convalescent homes who are worried about elderly residents who may lose their Social Security benefits,” said Marv Wilk, citizenship program assistant director. “We want to do all we can to help them to keep their benefits.”

To apply for citizenship, Wilk said a legal immigrant must present a Social Security card, a green card and a state driver’s license or state identification card to immigration counselors at the center.

The counselors will then assist legal immigrants in filling out citizenship application forms, he said. Applicants will also have their photographs and fingerprints taken.

The citizenship application fee is $95, he said, in addition to a $56 fee for photographs, fingerprints and administrative costs.

After completing citizenship forms, Wilk said, applicants will be asked if they prefer to take an oral or written examination to test their English language skills and knowledge of U.S. history and civics.

Applicants who opt to take the oral test will be given a citizenship test preparation booklet and later notified of their test and interview date with an Immigration and Naturalization Service agent, Wilk said.

Those who prefer a written test, Wilk said, will be given a test booklet and asked to select a date to take the exam. If they pass, they will be given a certificate to show the INS agent at the time of their interview.

Since the inception of the program two years ago, the center has processed about 10,000 applications, Wilk said. The center also offers English as a second language and civics classes to help immigrants prepare for INS tests and interviews.

The center is located at 5000 Colfax Ave. For more information, call (818) 766-5165.