Montgomery College Secures Ninth U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Grant to Support Citizenship Instruction and Naturalization Services for MoCo Residents

USCIS announced $22 million in FY2023 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program awards to 65 public and private non-profit organizations across the country that prepare lawful permanent residents (LPRs) for naturalization. Montgomery College, Maryland, was awarded $450,000 over two years to serve 500 learners.

Per Montgomery College: Learners will have beginning to intermediate levels of English proficiency and will come from 80 different countries including, but not limited to, El Salvador, Honduras, Peru, Iran, India, and Ethiopia.

The College’s Citizenship Preparation Program uses the Enhanced Integration Tasks (EIT) model to help learners integrate into the receiving community. The program also works with local libraries and community-based organizations to enhance LPRs knowledge of available naturalization services.

Montgomery College will continue to partner with Immigration Legal Services (ILS) of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington D.C. ILS will provide naturalization application assistance to approximately 500 LPRs and will help at least 240 LPRs apply for naturalization over the next two years.

“We are grateful that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services continues to support the Montgomery College Citizenship Preparation Program,” said Dr. Jermaine F. Williams, president of Montgomery College. “Since 2010, Montgomery College has served more than 3,300 learners through this grant-funded program, helping individuals increase their knowledge of English, as well as U.S. history and civics in preparation for becoming U.S. citizens. The College is proud to support these immigrants, who enrich the culture and communities of Montgomery County.”

The Washington, D.C. area is fourth in the nation of immigration destinations for LPRs, ranked only behind New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. Maryland’s foreign-born population of 922,441 represents 15.3% of the total population of Maryland. Montgomery County is home to 346,586 foreign-born of these residents.

Since 2009, the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program has awarded approximately $155 million through 644 competitive grants to immigrant-serving organizations in 41 states and the District of Columbia. The program has helped more than 300,000 lawful permanent residents (LPRs) prepare for U.S. citizenship.

The Citizenship Preparation Program is part of Montgomery College’s Workforce Development & Continuing Education unit. For more information, please contact Dean of Instruction Dr. Donna Kinerney at [email protected].