US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced a media campaign as a part of the Citizenship Public Education and Awareness Initiative. The initiative aims to promote awareness of the importance of US citizenship and provide information about the naturalization process, including free educational resources available to permanent residents preparing for citizenship.
USCIS launched this initiative to broaden its efforts in educating permanent residents about the rights and responsibilities of US citizenship and helping those eligible for citizenship through the naturalization process. The media campaign guides these permanent residents to the USCIS Citizenship Resource Center, where they can find official information about citizenship and naturalization and free citizenship preparation tools.
Media support includes print advertisements, digital advertisements, radio public service announcements (PSAs), and video PSAs, all of which will include multiple languages such as English, Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese. Online digital advertisements will also be running from July 1 to August 15, 2015, with a second phase beginning in September.
Supporting the Initiative
Organizations serving the immigrant community can choose to support the initiative through any of the following ways.
- Sharing digital and print campaign materials
- Placing banners on their website
- Registering for a free copy of the Civics and Citizenship Toolkit
- Placing campaign posters in visible areas
- Requesting to download and use the available PSAs
- Adding their English language/citizenship education programs to America’s Literacy Directory
A Look at US Citizenship Eligibility
It is estimated that 8.8 million lawful permanent residents are eligible to apply for US citizenship, spending a median time of seven years before becoming a US citizen. Green cardholders may apply for citizenship after five years if they meet all eligibility requirements, and those who marry a US citizen may apply after only three years.
For more information about the campaign and to find widgets, print ads, and PSAs, visit the Citizenship Public Education and Awareness Initiative page.
