The USCIS Regional Hub Program Grant for Expanding Citizenship Preparation Services

OoC is charged with promoting instruction and training on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. USCIS recognizes that naturalization is a key milestone in the civic integration of immigrants. Naturalization requirements, such as knowledge of English and U.S. history and government, encourage civic learning and build a strong foundation upon which immigrants can fully integrate into society. Through preparing for naturalization, immigrants gain tools to become successful citizens and meet their responsibilities as United States citizens.The goal of the Citizenship and Integration Grant Regional Hub Program is to expand the availability of high-quality citizenship preparation services for immigrants across the nation and to provide opportunities for immigrants to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to integrate into the fabric of American society.Thanks to additional funding from Congress, USCIS can attain broader reach by revitalizing the hub and spoke model of the FY 2010-FY 2011 USCIS National Capacity Building grant program. Applicants are expected to serve as a hub for communication and information sharing on citizenship preparation among their affiliates/members and within the broader community. This enhances the traditional direct services grant programs (CINAS and CARING) through the principal applicant’s provision of ongoing capacity building and technical assistance, overall programmatic and fiscal management of all grant-funded activities, and management of sub-applicants’ program performance and outcomes. The sub-applicants must develop or expand and enhance a direct citizenship preparation program, including Citizenship Instruction Services and Naturalization Application Services, in conjunction with the principal applicant. Additional activities that support this goal include identifying, implementing, and sharing best practices in citizenship preparation; partnering and coordinating citizenship preparation efforts with state and/or local governments, particularly Offices of New Americans and/or Immigrant Affairs; increasing the use of and access to technology in citizenship preparation programs; working with local libraries and museums which serve as vital resources for immigrant communities; and incorporating strategies to foster welcoming communities as part of the citizenship and civic integration process. The Citizenship and Integration Grant Program supports the objectives of Executive Order 14012, Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2020-2024, by promoting integration, inclusion, and citizenship. Furthermore, the goals of the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program address the DHS mission to enforce and administer our immigration laws as stated in the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review as the program provides immigrants instruction on the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship and information and support on how to apply for naturalization within the authorized practice of immigration law.