Announcement
A former refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bisetsa Ntwari (left) works with IRC volunteers to complete his citizenship application.
Photo: Gillian Peckham/IRC
Refugees resettled in the U.S. are eligible to apply for citizenship five years after joining our community. Refugees are often denied citizenship and basic rights in their home countries, which makes the process of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen all the more momentous. The IRC in Seattle’s immigration team helps refugee and immigrant community members every step of the way, demystifying what can be an intimidating and confusing process.
In addition to providing one-on-one immigration services, the IRC also hosts large-scale naturalization workshops to explain the application process, review required paperwork, and provide free tutoring and materials in preparation for the naturalization exam. With the support of volunteers, workshops enable the IRC to serve a larger number of community members in just one day. At the spring workshop held last month - the largest workshop to date - volunteers from AirBnB worked alongside IRC staff and interns to serve more than sixty clients. Representatives from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services were also on hand to answer questions and walk clients through the naturalization process step-by-step.
Amir Kalabic (center) meets with long-time IRC volunteer John to discuss studying for the naturalization exam.
Photo: Gillian Peckham/IRC
Workshop participants, several of whom were in the final stage of the application process, were excited to finally achieve the major milestone of becoming a U.S. citizen. Originally from Bosnia, Amir Kalabic said that working with the IRC “for the naturalization process has been great. If we have issues about anything, we just contact the IRC for direction.” For Kalabic and many other workshop participants, becoming a citizen means greater safety, security, personal freedom, job and education opportunities, and the chance to vote. Kalabic worked as a police officer in Bosnia and plans to apply to become an officer in the King County area once he obtains citizenship.
Mohammed Talib arrived in the U.S. with his family in 2013 and is applying for naturalization alongside his parents and older sister, Adian. He’ll soon graduate from the University of Washington with plans to apply to medical school, which Adian also plans to do. For Talib, becoming a citizen adds another dimension to his identity: “Having grown up in Iraq and China and now being here, I don’t see it as losing my identity or a part of it. I see becoming a U.S. citizen as gaining another part of me that’s representative of who I am and the experiences I’ve had.”
A whole family, originally from Iraq, apply for U.S. citizenship together. Aidan and Mohammed (pictured on the right) plan to soon apply to medical school.
Photo: Gillian Peckham/IRC
For Bisetsa Ntwari, naturalization represents the first time any government will officially recognized him as a citizen. Former refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ntwari and his wife are both applying for citizenship with the hope that their two young daughters will grow up with more opportunities than they’ve had: “This is a country that offers equal opportunities for everyone who lives here. I hope my kids will take advantage of being here to get a good education and good jobs. Their future will be very different from mine.”
Bisetsa Ntwari's daughters, pictured here, are top of mind as he applies for U.S. citizenship: "I hope my kids will take advantage of being here to get a good education and good jobs. Their future will be very different from mine.”
Photo: Gillian Peckham/IRC
If you are in need of high-quality, low-cost immigration services, please contact the IRC at 206-623-2105. The IRC can help you bring family members to the U.S., apply for permanent residency (green card) or U.S. citizenship, and more. Interested in supporting the IRC’s immigration program? Join us at an upcoming volunteer orientation session or email [email protected] to learn more.