Matthew and Hannah Keator Family Scholarship for New Americans
On February 1, 2019, LitNet launched the Matthew and Hannah Keator Family Scholarship for New Americans, Berkshire County’s first scholarship program to support immigrants in their pursuit of U.S. citizenship. Click here to read the full press release.
Applicants will be able to seek financial support in obtaining legal services during the screening and application process, as well as support to offset the cost of the federal naturalization application. Scholarship recipients will also be assigned a trained tutor from LitNet, who will work one-on-one with the applicant to prepare for the naturalization civics and literacy exams.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SCHOLARSHIP GUIDELINES.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION.
Before You Begin
Naturalization is a very important and complex process. We strongly recommend that any potential applicant seek the advice of an immigration attorney or an accredited legal representative before beginning the process.
- The Berkshire Immigrant Center (BIC) is accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals to provide legal representation and to make direct inquiries to USCIS on behalf of clients.
- BIC maintains an attorney referral list for easy reference.
How It Works
Applicants who are eligible to be considered to become citizens (as determined by our partners at the Berkshire Immigrant) complete an application which is then reviewed by the LiNet Citizenship committee. If accepted, a citizenship candidate is paired with a trained tutor who supports them in preparing for the official exam and interview that will occur once candidates demonstrate they are well prepared, and their N-400 has been submitted. Once the candidate is informed of their exam and interview date, the tutor will offer refresher sessions to ensure each candidate is well prepared and ready to succeed.
The foundation of scholarship program designed to cover the costs of the naturalization application which is currently $760 as well as the fees for advice and service from the Berkshire Immigrant Center. LitNet’s goal is to increase access and decrease barriers to citizenship for individuals in Berkshire County who meet the specific requirements.
Study Resources
The U.S. citizenship exam is composed of two parts– an English test and a civics test. The English portion covers speaking, reading and writing, and the civics portion includes questions about American history and government.
The government’s office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the primary authority on all things relating to the naturalization process. Their website at www.uscis.gov, has extensive resources for both citizenship applicants and for educators who may be helping students to study for the exam.
LitNet has collected a variety of quality online resources for you to explore. Check out the links below!
REMEMBER: LitNet has citizenship books and flashcards in our book collections at the Lee Library. Stop in any time to pick them up!
