Immigration Services

The We Are One New Jersey Hudson County Center provides assistance to (LPRs) living and working in Hudson County who are eligible to apply for U.S. Citizenship. We also provide assistance to immigrants living in Hudson County who qualify to apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Our services are provided in an accessible, culturally competent, responsive and trustworthy environment where all participants are treated as respected members of the community with individual needs and concerns.

Preparation for U.S. Citizenship Test

The We are One New Jersey Hudson County Center provides citizenship test preparation to clients whose English skills are sufficient to pass the literacy portion of the U.S. citizenship test (reading, writing and speaking). Students whose English language skills are insufficient to pass the English literacy component of the U.S. citizenship test will be referred to allied nonprofit organizations in Hudson County for English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction.

Preparation for the citizenship test consists of 20 hours of instruction, in two-hour classes, designed to provide clients with basic knowledge in the following areas:

• The Naturalization Process
  The emphasis in this section is on vocabulary-building, with many opportunities for clients to practice answering the questions they will be asked about their N-400 applications.
   
• Interview Preparation
  Clients are introduced to the seven sections of the U.S. citizenship interview, and tutored in best practices for passing each section.
   
• American History
  Clients are taught four major topics in American History: the colonial period and independence; the 1800s; recent American history; and American Indians/Native Americans.  Instructors help clients master this knowledge through the lens of immigration, helping them see themselves as part of the American story.
   
• American Government
  This section provides aspiring citizens with a required understanding of the American system of government, the principles on which it was founded, and their individual rights and responsibilities within this system.
   
• Integrated Civics
  This section includes essential knowledge of U.S. geography, symbols and holidays. This knowledge helps new citizens connect with their adopted country.

Building Stronger Communities

The We Are One New Jersey Hudson County Center will assist tens of thousands of LPRs achieve their dream of citizenship, register thousands of new voters, and build stronger communities by increasing the number of citizens able to exercise their voting and labor rights. This effort is part of a national campaign led by the AFL-CIO in cooperation with the National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) to build stronger communities by empowering millions of immigrants to become citizens and fully engage in the Democratic process.

Linkages

The We are One New Jersey Hudson County Center is part of the community it serves. We are developing deep and lasting connections with a broad range of nonprofit organizations, government entities and municipalities throughout Hudson County. Many of our program participants come to us through these community partners.  We hope to learn from each other’s experiences and benefit from each other’s best practices.