MEDIA ADVISORY FOR TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 2 PM
RSVP to Linda.Pacheco@qc.cuny.edu
Ribbon-Cutting Event to Mark CUNY Citizenship Now! Expansion to Queens College; Office Will Offer Free Services to the Community
—Members of the college community will have priority access to services two days a week—
WHAT: The official opening of the Queens College office of City University of New York (CUNY) Citizenship Now!, which empowers immigrants to represent themselves through the pro se model of legal assistance. CUNY Citizenship Now! is the largest university legal assistance program in the nation, providing free and confidential citizenship and immigration law services to local communities since 1997.
Among the services available are assistance with naturalization, family-based petitions, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), temporary protected status, certificates of citizenship, renewal and replacement of immigration documents, full and partial fee waiver requests, and Freedom of Information/Privacy Act requests. Members of the college community will have priority access to immigration attorneys two days a week. CUNY Citizenship Now! has partnered with the Queens College Immigrant Student Support Initiative since 2023. The initiative aligns with CUNY’s goals to support programs for undocumented and immigrant students.
WHERE: Queens College | Student Union Staff and Faculty Club | 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, NY 11367
Directions | Campus Map
WHO: Jay Hershenson, vice president and senior advisor to the president, Queens College Office of Communications and Marketing, will act as master of ceremonies. Invited speakers include Queens College President Frank H. Wu; Jennifer Jarvis, vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Queens College; Monique Francis, interim director, CUNY Citizenship Now!; Council Member James Gennaro; a representative for NYS Senator John Liu; Assembly Member Sam Berger; and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Jr. Queens College undergraduates Tao Wu, a native of China, and Kirk Persaud, a native of Guyana, will provide testimonials as the recipients of CUNY Citizenship Now! services.
Background
CUNY Citizenship Now! attorneys and paralegals help thousands of individuals each year pursue the path to citizenship. In addition to one-on-one consultations by appointment, the program offers nationally recognized services to assist large groups of people with completing their immigration applications. Staff members regularly participate in free workshops and informational events to educate the community about immigrant rights, citizenship, and the latest developments in immigration law and policy. They also partner with the New York Historical Society to offer civics classes to green card holders.
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