Washington’s New Americans (WNA) program hosts Citizenship Day, an event held at sites across the state offering services from immigration attorneys, paralegals, interpreters, and community volunteers in helping to prepare naturalization applications at no cost.
A review of the program by the U.S. Department of Commerce states that the WNA program exceeded contract goals based on the performance measures set for the first year of the program.
Citizenship grants immigrants many rights along with increased job opportunities and better job security, thereby creating engaged and integrated communities to bolster the state’s economy.
Despite the success and demand from more than 160,000 green card holders statewide, the WNA program faces elimination in the budget proposed by the governor.
The WNA program is administered by OneAmerica in partnership with the Washington chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). The next Citizenship Day, and the last one that is currently funded, will be held on April 17 in Tukwila, Vancouver, Wash., Wenatchee, and Yakima. ♦
For more information, visit www.weareoneamerica.org.
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