Familias Unidas
Immigration Legal Services
Catholic Charities Community Services helps reunite those in the United States legally with minor children and spouses who remain in their country of origin.
Many of those we assist are refugees — those granted refugee status by the United Nations and invited here by the U.S. Federal Government — to reunite with their spouses and minor children. We also help U.S. citizens and those with legal residency secure residency for their spouses and/or children.
Services include:
- Employment authorization
- Travel documents
- DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival)
- Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
- Petitions/U Visas/ T Visas
- Affidavit of Support
- Fiancée Visa
- DACA renewals
- Green Card renewals
- Family-based petitions
- Adjustment of status
- Cancellation of removal
- Consular processing.
- Deportation Defense and Asylum
To schedule a consultation, please contact Diana Silva, 602-749-4415, or toll-free at 855-316-2229.
Citizenship
Are you ready to become an American citizen?
Catholic Charities can help all eligible, legal, permanent residents to apply for naturalization. To get started with a case, make an appointment or call/text 602-749-4415.
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Eligibility for Naturalization
In general, individuals may be eligible for citizenship if they:
- Are at least 18 years old;
- Have had lawful permanent resident status (“Green Card”) for at least five years, or three years if married to a U.S. citizen;
- Have been physically present in the United States for at least 30 months out of the last five years;
- Have continuously resided in the U.S.;
- Have lived for at least 3 months in the state or USCIS district where you're applying;
- Are able to pass the English proficiency and American civics test
English and Civics Exceptions
You are exempt from the English language requirement if you are age 50 or older and have lived as a lawful permanent resident in the United States for 20 years (“50/20” exception), or if you are age 55 or older and have lived as a lawful permanent resident in the United States for 15 years (“55/15” exception). If you are age 65 or older and have been a lawful permanent resident for at least 20 years, you may also be given special consideration regarding the civics test.
You may also qualify for an exception from the English language or civics requirements if you have a physical or developmental disability or a mental impairment that prevents you from being able to learn English or demonstrate knowledge of civics.
If you are considering requesting an exception on this basis, we encourage you to receive a legal consultation before applying.
Citizenship Workshops
What do you need to apply?
Below is a list of documents and information that you will need for your naturalization appointment. To help, Catholic Charities has made a Citizenship worksheet that you can fill in and print.
- Your Legal Permanent Resident Card ("Green Card")
- Your Social Security Card (or a copy)
- Your Driver's license or State-issued ID
- List of all trips you took outside of the U.S. since you became a permanent resident
- List of all your addresses for the last 5 years (with dates of move in and out)
- List of all your employers or schools for the last 5 years (with addresses and dates of starting and ending)
- List of all your children (including adopted, missing, deceased, and step-children) with current addresses, Alien numbers (if applicable), dates of birth, and countries of birth
- List of all your marriages and your current spouse's prior marriages (if applicable), including names of spouses, dates of marriage, and dates of termination of marriage
- Information about your parents, if they are U.S. citizens
- If you've ever been arrested, been to court, had a conviction, had immigration problems, or traffic violations, bring a list of incidents and obtain your Certified Court Dispositions (or DMV records for traffic offenses)
- Payment to USCIS: check, cashier's check, or money order for $725 ($1,170 starting Oct. 2, 2020) payable to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security." Credit card payment is also accepted.
- For Fee Waiver or Reduced Fee requests, bring proof of low income (an IRS tax transcript, recent tax returns, and pay stubs for all working members of the household).
Fee Waiver & Reduced Fee Requests
The USCIS application fee for naturalization is currently $725. The fees increase as of Oct. 2, 2020 to $1,170. However, fee waivers and reduced fee options exist. To determine if you are eligible to apply for a Fee Waiver or Reduced Fee, register for a citizenship workshop or call at (602) 749-4415.
USCIS Forms
