Turning Permanent Residents Into Citizens
From the WSJ:
(snip)
Backed by $20 million in donations from foundations through 2015, the New Americans Campaign seeks to use new technology, outreach efforts and large-scale workshops to "turbocharge" citizenship, says Geri Mannion, director of U.S. programs at Carnegie Corporation. Other funders include the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund of San Francisco, the Grove Foundation of Los Altos, Calif., the Open Society Foundations and the JPB Foundation.
Individuals who demonstrate continuous permanent residence in the U.S. for at least five years, in most cases, are eligible for naturalization. But many applicants are discouraged by a labyrinthine process involving steep fees and red tape that can take years to complete.
Among the campaign's technological components to jump-start citizenship are a set of tools, called CitizenshipWorks. An interactive website helps providers of legal assistance and other services efficiently prescreen immigrants for citizenship eligibility and then guide them through the application. A free mobile app, available in English and Spanish, walks individuals through the process and helps with preparation for a required civics exam. In the field, about 100 organizations are teaming up to leverage resources, says Eric Cohen, the campaign's coordinator. The target areas are Los Angeles, San Jose, Calif., Dallas, Houston, Charlotte, N.C., Miami and New York City, home to four out of 10 eligible immigrants.
(snip)
Several recent studies have found that naturalized immigrants boast higher income and lower poverty rates than noncitizens. They also are more likely to become homeowners and to further their education, according to the research. But not everyone who is eligible wishes to become a citizen, whether out of attachment to a native country, an aversion to bureaucratic hassle or the cost.
More..
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324867904578590851097536708.html
(If the clicking does not open, copy and paste the title onto google)