To sign up to volunteer for citizenship clinic, please click here!
The link will lead you to our new volunteer management system, Initlive!
Citizenship Days and smaller Roving Citizenship Clinics are events where Legal Permanent Residents (“green card” holders) can get free assistance filling out their application for U.S. citizenship. Citizenship Days take place twice a year in three different cities each time. Roving Clinics take place four to five times a year around Washington State.
The events are completely staffed by volunteers, and there are a number of ways that you can help:
Attorney: Meet one on one with clients to determine eligibility for naturalization, answer questions, review applications for accuracy, and provide further instructions for follow up or filing. Attorneys may also review the work of other attorneys during client checkout. You must be a licensed immigration attorney or accredited Department of Justice Representative to fulfill this role.
We are a WSBA Qualified Legal Service provider, which means that attorney volunteers are eligible to receive up to 24 hours of credit per year for volunteer hours at our Citizenship Days and Clinics.
AILA attorney requirements:
- have been in practice for at least 2 years; and
- have completed at least five (5) Naturalization applications; and
- have malpractice insurance.
Trained Perkins Coie attorneys may serve as eligibility screeners at Perkins Coie/OneAmerica-sponsored naturalization clinics, under the supervision of the OneAmerica attorney.
If you would like to volunteer as an attorney with us, but do not fulfill the minimum requirements, we would still like to find a way for you to volunteer. For more information please contact:
Ashlen Olmsted, Program Associate, Washington New Americans Program
E-Mail: ashlen@weareoneamerica.org
DOJ Accredited Representative: Meet one on one with clients to determine eligibility for naturalization, answer questions, review applications for accuracy, provide further instructions for follow up or filing.
Form Completer: Meet one on one with clients to help complete naturalization forms. Paralegals may NOT provide legal advice. This is a great role for certified paralegals as well as attorneys and law students seeking to gain experience in immigration law, though anyone willing to complete the online video training may serve in the paralegal role.
Interpreter: Interpret verbatim between clients and paralegals or attorneys and other volunteer staff. Insure clients and paralegals/attorneys understand each other and the contents of all forms and documents needed for naturalization. Interpreters may NOT provide legal advice except as direct translation of advice given by attorney. Interpreters of all languages are welcome, particularly those with Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Somali, and Vietnamese skills, among other languages.
General Support: As directed by Site Coordinators, help with set up/take down at facility, signage, client intake, routing of clients through the facility, copying and assembling documents, answering non-legal questions, passing out information documents, and helping with food and drinks for volunteers. These volunteers perform the tasks needed to make Citizenship Days successful!