asian american organizations hosting free citizenship day in orange county, june 11

Heads up to folks in Orange County, pass along the word to people who might be interested... the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Cambodian Family, Boat People SOS and Korean Community Services are hosting a free Citizenship Day next weekend in Orange County.

The workshops are part of a statewide campaign to encourage AAPI immigrants in California to become U.S. citizens, helping participants determine eligibility for citizenship, complete application forms, and apply for fee and disability waivers.

The workshops will be held from 10:00am to 2:00pm on Saturday, June 11, at three sites - Santa Ana, Westminster and Irvine. Although not limited to the specified AAPI languages below, each site will have in-language speakers at the following sites:

  Korean/Chinese speakers:
  KIA Motors America, 111 Peters Canyon Road, Irvine, CA 92606

  Vietnamese speakers:
  Boat People SOS, 9191 Bolsa Ave., Westminster, CA 92683

  Khmer speakers:
  The Cambodian Family, 1626 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana, CA 92701

Generally, in order to naturalize, an individual must:

  - Be at least 18 years old
  - Be a permanent resident ("green card holder")
  - Have continuously resided in the U.S. for at least five years as a permanent resident
  - Have been physically present in the U.S. for at least two and a half years
  - Demonstrate good moral character
  - Have a basic understanding of U.S. government and history
  - Be able to understand, speak, read and write basic English.

Appointments are suggested, and can be made by calling:

  (714) 527-6561 (Irvine)
  (714) 897-2214 (Westminster)
  (714) 571-1966 (Santa Ana)

Throughout this year, APALC and partner agencies will co-host the free naturalization workshops in six areas: Los Angeles, Fresno, Orange County, Sacramento, San Francisco Bay Area and San Jose. The areas were selected based on the high number of AAPI area residents who are eligible to become citizens. Asian language assistance will be provided at each session.

For more information about the citizen workshops, go to APALC's press release here, and for further resources and materials about citizenship, go to APALC's website here.