CUNY Law offers free citizenship clinic

CUNY’s Citizenship Clinic will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the CUNY School of Law in Long Island City. Photo by Evulaj90 via Wikimedia.

By Victoria Merlino

CUNY School of Law and the CUNY Citizenship Now! program have partnered to provide a new, free resource to help New York City immigrants apply for U.S. citizenship.

CUNY Law students and immigration lawyers from Citizenship Now! Will guide permanent residents through the process of applying for full citizenship during a clinic from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 13. The clinic is located in the CUNY Law building at 2 Court Square West in Long Island City.

“As a first generation U.S. citizen, I have witnessed the struggles my family members encountered through the immigration process,” said law student Sindy Mendez in a statement. Mendez said she plans to become an immigration lawyer. “Assisting permanent residents with their citizenship applications is a great opportunity to put my skills into practice and to hopefully make a positive impact in the community.”

The clinic law students include several immigrants and children of immigrants who participate in seminar classes focused on immigration-related issues.

“The partnership between the nation’s premier university-based immigration law service program and the nation’s leading public interest law school is an example of CUNY’s commitment to serving New York’s immigrants,”said CUNY’s Interim Chancellor Vita C. Rabinowitz in a statement. “Pairing the accessible, high-quality education we offer all New Yorkers with free citizenship assistance, CUNY is proud to welcome and support new Americans in our city.”

Those who would like to attend can call 646-664-9400 to make an appointment, or visit cuny.edu/citizenshipnow for more information.