Earned Pathway to Citizenship

Earned Pathway to Citizenship

Proposal Template

Dear CLINIC Member,

This document is designed to provide you with a template that can be used when applying for immigration funding, specifically in preparing your local community for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR). It can also be adapted for other immigration-related funding prior to CIR.

This template has several sections. It outlines the Need and Approach to positioning your agency as the lead in preparing your community for CIR. Objectives and outcomes are included. A separate Excel sheet Workplan details activities and a timeline associated with the objectives. Guidelines are also provided for an organizational capability statement. The attachments contain resources that you may find useful. Throughout the template, footnotes are not used. Instead, references are noted in parentheses. This is intended to make the document easier to use and to help avoid the potential problem of technical difficulties as some portions of the template are used and others are not. You are then able to format the footnotes or endnotes as is customary for proposals submitted by your agency. This template does not contain a budget format or narrative. It is assumed that program directors will be able to construct a budget based on the proposal using the funder’s budget format.

If you have not already started to cultivate local community foundations that have an interest in immigration, it is best to start right away. Do not wait for CIR and then begin this process. If there is a local Catholic funder that supports immigration issues, you can find information in the Need section that relates your work to Catholic Social Teaching.

Some communities and local funders may be more supportive of CIR than others. One of the drawbacks is the current public and largely negative emphasis on those who are undocumented. If your local environment seems unreceptive to immigration reform at this time, then an alternative suggestion for an approach can be found in the Attachment section. In this case, the emphasis is on the number of Legal Permanent Residents (LPR) in the state who are eligible to to apply for citizenship and pave their way to greater civic participation and integration. Thus, being undocumented is not an issue for this approach.

Some foundations only require a five to ten page narrative. The contents of this document are longer by design. Not all programs are the same so there is the flexibility to use only those parts that relate to your specific program. In addition, sections can be used as stand-alone funding requests such as funding to receive training, to conduct citizenship workshops, or to buy needed software and hardware to conduct the workshops. Ultimately, the training, experience with group application workshops, and the equipment will help to prepare your agency to serve large numbers of clients when CIR does eventually take place.

If you have any questions, your designated Field Support Coordinator is able to assist you.

Best of Luck!

CLINIC Staff

I. Introduction/Summary [Write this section last after the scope of the project and all goals, objectives, activities, and deliverables are clear.]

II. Need

The 21st century in the United States is witness to a peak in immigration and to a greater diversity represented in immigrant populations. With a record high of more than 34 million foreign-born persons in the United States, it is estimated that almost a third, or more than 10 million, people are undocumented. Many have fled persecution, civil unrest in their home countries, natural disasters, or economic hardships with the goal to make a better life for their families.

Discussion of current immigration reform seeks to fix a broken system that will provide for our national security while also guaranteeing a fair, just, and humanitarian mechanism for workers to meet the economic needs of this society; giving families an opportunity to be reunited in a timely manner; and allowing for pathways to citizenship, civic participation, and full integration into their chosen new home.

Many “unauthorized migrants” live in the shadows while they contribute to the economy of this country. Contrary to many negative stereotypes, men and women with spouses and/or children make up more than half of this group (Passel 2007 b). Increasingly, these families are of “mixed-status” – i.e. some family members are U.S. citizens or have legal documentation to be in the U.S., while other family members lack documentation. In 2008, it was estimated that four million U.S. born children live in mixed-status families (Passel and Cohn 2009, p ii).

[In a text box, add a case study of a mixed-status family from your community, being careful to protect confidentiality and explain how legalization will improve the family’s situation. You may insert it here or insert it later in the Organizational Capacity section as an example of the work your agency does.]

Charitable programs must be prepared to respond to new laws that create an earned pathway to citizenship. This is a social justice issue for our local communities and our nation. The scope of work required to support this effort is beyond the regular work conducted by [insert the name of your agency]. For this reason, we are requesting funds to provide services that allow us to prepare our community and immigrants for expected changes in legislation, respond to new legislation when passed, to assist individuals to adjust their status, and to help support their efforts at naturalization, integration, and civic participation.

The Migration Policy Institute, a leading think tank on migration, provides important information about the demographic characteristics of [insert name of your state] as they relate to immigration. [For your state, refer to Migration Policy Institute in Resource Section.]

In a report commissioned by the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Immigration Statistics to estimate the non-citizen population by Catholic diocese and diocesan estimates of the number of undocumented. Based on this report, it is estimated there are [insert number from table from CARA report in appendix of this proposal template] non-citizens in [insert area covered by this proposal] and [insert number] are undocumented. (M. Gray and M. Gautier. “Estimates of the Size and Demography of the Undocumented Non-Citizen Population in U.S. Catholic Dioceses.” March 2006.)

If the funder or donor is Catholic, then you may want to insert a brief explanation of how your work and mission reflect Catholic social teaching. The following will give you some tips.

At [insert name of agency], our mission is rooted in Catholic social teaching – the Old and New Testaments, the teachings of Christ, and Papal messages. Our legal immigration and social services are a reflection of this teaching. [Refer to JFI and Sojourner websites listed in the resource section for quotations and specific Biblical references. Include a quote from your bishop or from your church leaders, if available.]

[Insert the following quotation in the proposal, if appropriate, to your approach in assisting the undocumented prepare for legalization.]

“As a nation we benefit from the fruits of their labor, but we do not extend to them the benefits of the protection of the law, leaving them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.” (Bishop Thomas G. Wenski, before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Citizenship, February 12, 2004.)

III. Approach

The goal of this project is to effectively respond to the legal immigration and integration needs of [insert name of community]

Objectives

1. Develop and implement a comprehensive plan to address legal immigration and integration needs in [insert area]

2. Provide timely, effective, and accurate information to immigrant communities in [insert area] regarding immigration reform

3. Increase and strengthen agency capacity to respond to immigration reform

4. Identify and train volunteers to assist in the implementation of agency and community plans

Objective 1: Develop and implement a comprehensive plan to address legal immigration and integration needs in [insert area]

[Name of agency] will convene a meeting, and bring together as partners, key community stakeholders to address legal immigration and integration needs in [insert name of area or region]. The partnership will be comprised of community stakeholders. [For the list below, add other groups as apply to your particular city. List local names and organizations if you are already partnering with them and how you plan to expand your partnership. Make sure as many ethnic groups are represented as possible, and not just a major one or two.]

· Faith-based organizations;

· Social service providers;

· Teachers (to reach parents of children in ESL classes);

· Adult ESL teachers;

· Legal service community;

· Pro bono attorneys;

· Representatives of ethnic communities or ethnic-based organizations;

· Health care providers;

· Select employers; and

· Municipal government representatives.

The purpose of this partnership will be to: [add in descriptive sentences as the items relate to your partnership and if space permits.]

· Plan an organized response to immigration reform;

· Define roles;

· Share information, training, and resources;

· Conduct public education and disseminate information to a wide and diverse audience;

· Prepare comments on regulations;

· Develop a media approach and contacts; and

· Advocate for the fair and transparent implementation of the law.

This comprehensive plan will be community-wide and community endorsed.

Outcomes for Objective 1

1. Partnership of local agencies will be established

2. Community plan will be developed with clear goals, approach, roles, activities, timeline, and benchmarks

Objective 2: Provide timely, effective, and accurate information to immigrant communities in [insert area] regarding immigration reform

Before legislation is enacted, there is a great deal of information that would be of benefit to immigrants to know and prepare. Once legislation is enacted, timely updates will be necessary. Fliers and public information materials can be developed in multiple languages on such topics as: [Identify the topics to be used in a Communication Plan and include here with descriptions as much as space allows.]

· Importance of avoiding and reporting fraudulent legal services and not paying anyone until legislation is passed;

· Importance of the authorized practice of law (attorney-based and BIA accredited representatives);

· Compilation and distribution of a list of authorized legal practitioners;

· Document collection – government issued ID or passport from home country, collecting documents for past residences and work;

· Saving money for USCIS and legal fees;

· Preserving good moral character; and the

· Importance of learning English.

· [Add in other topics your agency would like to address.]

The outreach planning to diverse immigrant populations includes a myriad of questions to consider such as: [Add in descriptive sentences as the items relate to your partnership and if space permits. The more detailed and thoughtful the answers, the more effective outreach will be. For example - Immigrants generally listen to news from home on cable television. In our community, news is provided in (list languages on cable news channels in your area). Public Service Announcements will be broadcast through this medium.]

· What immigrant groups are present in our community;

· Where they live and work- identify local communities or geographical areas;

· Who are the best messengers to respective populations – community leaders, elders, religious leaders, etc.;

· What are the best ways to reach them –cable television, local ethnic newspapers, other;

· Where are the best places to reach them - places of worship, schools, markets, community events, other; and

· Who from the partner organizations are the best people to relay the message(s) to various communities?

Outcomes for Objective 2

1. Outreach and Communication Plan will be developed and implemented

2. Messages and materials that can be translated into multiple languages will be developed and used as specified in the Outreach and Communication Plan

3. Immigrant community will be well-informed about critical issues related to immigration reform

Objective 3: Increase and strengthen agency capacity to respond to immigration reform

[Name of agency] will develop an internal plan to respond to pending immigration reform legislation and to organize a partnership to address the multiple components of a community-wide response. Immigration reform will allow for millions of people without legal immigration status, many of whom have been living and working here for years, to adjust their status and become recognized members of U.S. society, free of fear and exploitation, and able to engage fully in their communities. Key elements of an internal agency plan will include: [review the list, add any other components that your plan will include, and provide a sentence or two description if space allows.]

· Identification of a Coordinator, Steering Committee Members, and a Volunteer Coordinator at a minimum;

· Estimated demand for immigration services;

· Staffing needed;

· Budget and resource development plan;

· BIA recognition and accreditation applications for new offices and staff

[Place as textbox or footnote:

The BIA is the federal administrative appellate court for immigration law in the United States. It authorizes six categories of people to provide legal representation in immigration cases. Two common categories are attorneys and accredited representatives. Accredited representatives are non-attorneys that have the expertise and training to do this work. A non-profit, religious, charitable, social service, or similar organization that charges only nominal fees and that has adequate knowledge, information, and experience in immigration law can apply to the BIA to receive recognition to provide immigration legal services. In addition, it can apply to the BIA to obtain accreditation for its staff to provide immigration legal services. Accredited representatives working at recognized agencies may represent clients before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and/or the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) to the same extent as attorneys.

This recognition and accreditation are enormously important in the non-profit immigration field because the majority of charitable immigration legal service providers cannot afford to hire full-time attorneys. BIA recognition and accreditation provides assurance to clients of the agency’s experience and knowledge in the area of immigration law.]; and

· Service Delivery Model – one-on-one; group processing, both [specify]. [Explain how your agency plans to provide services to large numbers of people. As a reference, please see CLINIC’s publication on-line, A More Perfect Union: A National Citizenship Plan, Chapter 9, “Naturalization Group Application Workshops.”