Citizenship Services
LifeLine provides citizenship classes to help with the application and the interview process!
Applying For Citizenship:
LifeLine goal is to dramatically increase the number of new citizens in the Greater Boston area. Through our small scale citizenship application “clinics”, Legal Permanent Residents are educated on the citizenship process, referred to free legal services if needed, are assisted in completing the N-400 application, and are periodically tracked through the rest of their citizenship process.
More Information:
– Clinics are held monthly, individual appointments are reserved for special cases
Citizenship classes and naturalization application assistance
LifeLine offers free assistance with the N-400, the application for citizenship. We educate on the citizenship process, do case management with the clients if they have any legal difficulties, walk them through the application process, including fee waiver assistance, and track them through until their citizenship ceremony. We offer services to any application regardless of their country of origin and language spoken. Citizenship applicants must be able to speak some English in order to pass the naturalization exam and interview.
Lifeline offers free citizenship classes. The course prepares for the exam that applicants must take as part of the naturalization process. Classes provide instruction on all aspects of the application process, focusing on necessary information for passing the civics and English test. These classes are free and generally run for 12 sessions.
– Pre-registration and eligibility screening are required before assistance
– Clients must be able to speak some English in order to pass the naturalization exam and interview (with exception to those who are above the age of 50 and have been a Legal Permanent Resident for at least 15 years)
Cost:
– N400 application assistance is FREE
The application fee is $680.00 to USCIS for application & biometric fees
OR clients who have financial hardship might qualify for a fee waiver
Preparing for Citizenship:
LifeLine offers Citizenship classes which cover the topics of: U.S. civics and history. English instruction is provided to help students practice and prepare for the citizenship interview as well as to explain the importance of the N-400 application questions.
More Information:
– Classes are three hours, one time per week for 10-weeks
– Classes are taught in English by a teacher who is trained in ESL
– Students must register for the class at the front desk of LifeLine office, and must take a written English exam at the time of registration
– Oral English exams will be scheduled with the applicant once registration and written exams have been received
– The next class will begin in late October.
Cost:
– Classes are FREE
Steps to Becoming a US Citizen:
1. Prepare for the application by:
Gathering documents, money order/personal check for fee, and photographs and registering for assistance from LifeLine
2. Complete Application for Naturalization (N-400) form and send application to U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS)
3. Get Fingerprinted (appointments are within 1-2 months of filed application)
4. Interview and Citizenship Exam (appointments are within 2-5 months of filed application)
5. Go to the Oath Ceremony (4-6 months of filed application OR 1-2 months after you have passed the interview)
Citizenship Interview:
There are two parts to the exam as part of the citizenship interview:
English Exam
1. Read one of three sentences aloud
2. Write one of three dictated sentences
3. Small chat with the interviewer
4. Used to assess whether the applicant is able to communicate using basic English
5. Answer questions about their N-400 application
Civics
10 questions from the 100 possible questions and must be able to answer 6 out of 10 correctly. Should be prepared to answer any of the 100 questions. Find the study materials online at www.uscis.gov.
These websites have the official list of 100 questions:
– In English and in other languages
– Citizenship Works has excellent tools and activities to assist in studying for the exam: http://www.citizenshipworks.org/prepare/
