Finally Home: IRC helps refugee seniors become US Citizens

Did you know that 23% of the total San Diego population is foreign born?  

Elderly refugees and immigrants represent a significant part of this population, and often face various cultural, linguistic, or educational barriers that make it difficult to pass the US Citizenship interview. The IRC is reaching out to this underserved and often marginalized population to ensure they are able to become US Citizens in a timely manner. 

Through its new Golden Door* Program funded by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the IRC will help refugee and immigrant seniors over age 65 by providing:
• Free citizenship classes exclusively for seniors
• Free home tutoring for home bound seniors
• Free application preparation services (normal price $70.  Government fees still apply).
• Free case management from beginning of naturalization process to the end|

How can you help?
• Volunteer as a Home Tutor to help seniors prepare for their citizenship exam and interview.
• Invite an IRC staff member to speak at your local organization to raise awareness about immigration and citizenship.
• If you know of a senior citizen who is striving to become a US Citizen, have him or her contact the IRC.

For more information, contact Laura Lopez at laura.lopez@theIRC.org or 619 641-7510 x254

* Golden Door is from the poem by Emma Lazerus at the base of the Statue of Liberty: 

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Back to the IRC in San Diego