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Citizenship Clinic on 12/2 – Make Your Appointment Today!

By November 28, 2017No Comments

For Immediate Release:
November 20, 2017
Contact: SaeHee Chun, schun@nakasec.org703-256-2208

NAKASEC to Host Citizenship Clinic on December 2nd
Welcoming immigrant communities members to become citizens, vote, and act

ANNANDALE, VA — On Saturday, December 2nd, the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC) will organize a citizenship clinic.  From 10 AM to 2 PM at the Saehan Presbyterian Church (6901 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003), trained volunteers and attorneys will provide assistance in Korean, Vietnamese, and English with N-400 U.S. citizenship applications.

Naturalization is a critical strategy to building power and securing protection for immigrant communities. In this month’s Virginia General Election, Asian Americans had a 195% increase in absentee voter turnout compared to the previous gubernatorial election in 2013.  This was the largest increase in voter turnout rate of all communities of color.  This is a clear signal of our community’s growing power at the state and local levels and how we are increasingly projecting our voices in shaping policies in Virginia.  Next year, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and select Senators will be up for election in the midterm elections.  To prepare for this election, NAKASEC encourages community members eligible to naturalize to apply for citizenship at our December 2nd clinic.

Huong Nguyen, Civic Engagement Coordinator of NAKASEC, said: “NAKASEC always does our best to encourage immigrants in our community to become a U.S citizen because assisting immigrants in their path for naturalization and fully integrating them into everyday life in the United States will help them gain a sense of belonging and attachment to our nation.  Naturalization workshop not only creates the opportunity to earn citizenship for the identity of our nation, but it also has economic benefits to our nation once these immigrants become U.S citizens.  By gaining citizenship, immigrants can reunite with families, vote, and travel.”

In Fairfax County, if the nearly 63,000 immigrants who are eligible to naturalize became citizens, there would be a 9% increase in the county’s citizen voting age population.  Of Fairfax County’s eligible-to-naturalize population, 41% are immigrants from Asian countries.

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