United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has recently released a series of promotional materials as part of the Citizenship Public Education and Awareness Initiative. This media campaign builds on a similar effort from 2011 and is being launched under the Task Force on New Americans. The initiative to “promote the naturalization process” was also ordered by President Obama in his Executive Orders on Immigration in November of last year.
The USCIS Citizenship Public Awareness Initiative is designed to raise awareness about the rights, responsibilities, and importance of U.S. citizenship and provide information on the naturalization process and USCIS educational resources. The promotional campaign urges lawful permanent residents to visit the USCIS Citizenship Resource Center for official, accurate, and reliable information on citizenship and naturalization topics.
According to a recent study by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration Statistics, an estimated 8.8 million lawful permanent residents are eligible to apply for citizenship. The median time spent as a lawful permanent resident before becoming a U.S. citizen is seven years, even though green card holders may apply for citizenship after five years, or three years if they are married to a U.S. citizen.
The media campaign includes print advertisements in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese; digital advertisements in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese; radio public service announcements in Spanish and Chinese; and video public service announcements in English and Spanish. Online digital advertisements will run through August 15th. A second phase of advertisements will begin to run in September and will include additional print and media spots.
The media campaign aims to provide those seeking citizenship with reliable information on the naturalization process and USCIS educational resources. It is part of a larger effort to demystify the process and provide lawful permanent residents with the information needed to protect themselves against the unauthorized practice of immigration law.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit: www.uscis.gov.
If you are interested in applying for naturalization and obtaining U.S. citizenship, please contact our office to schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys today!
