SAN JOSE, Calif. – June 24, 2008 – A $1.85 million grant by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will help Opportunity Fund launch Saving for Citizenship—a new program that will help 500 low-income legal immigrants in Silicon Valley save money to apply for naturalization and become US citizens.

Saving for Citizenship is a direct response to the near doubling of citizenship application fees that has raised concern among groups working with immigrants that see rising application costs as a barrier to obtaining citizenship. Opportunity Fund (formerly Lenders for Community Development) will use the grant to offer a 2:1 match for money saved toward naturalization. Saving for Citizenship will:

 “By providing eligible immigrants a combination of financial education and matched savings for naturalization expenses, this program will broaden access to the benefits of citizenship for low-income families while preparing them to take charge of their financial lives,” said David Mills, Program Director for the Knight Foundation in San Jose. “Immigration fee increases have made the prospect of citizenship unattainable for some low-income families at exactly the time we want to accelerate the pace.”

In mid-2007, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a fee-based agency, raised fees for work permits, residency, and citizenship applications to recover costs and improve service delivery.  Citizenship applications costs increased by 80%, from $330 to $595.

“Increased fees represent a significant barrier to obtaining citizenship,” said Teresa Castellanos, who coordinates Santa Clara County’s Immigrant Relations and Integration Services programs.

Findings/results from last November’s Citizenship Day showed that eligible candidates who moved forward with their citizenship application after an initial appointment dropped from 75% to 15% after the rate increase.  In an informal telephone survey conducted by the SCC Citizenship Collaborative, she discovered that the vast majority did not move forward with their citizenship application because they were unable to afford the application.

Opportunity Fund will partner with the County and other social service agencies, all of whom have confirmed a demand from their clients for financial assistance with citizenship applications.  Through the Savings for Citizenship program, families will complete twelve hours of education about the American financial system, save $500 towards their citizenship costs, and receive $1,000 in matching funds to cover application expenses, including fees and fingerprinting costs, for two adults.

 “Low-wage, immigrant workers are a vital part of the San Jose community’s infrastructure—as childcare providers, service workers, and more—yet they often fall outside of the civic and financial mainstream, making it harder for them to participate fully in society and build a better life for their families,” says Eric Weaver, Opportunity Fund CEO. “Since 1995, Opportunity Fund has demonstrated that assets—a home, business, or education—are key to creating opportunities for these families to move out of poverty in Silicon Valley. Citizenship represents a similarly transformative asset.”