by changer | Mar 10, 2015 | Legal Services, News
CMS staff member Mariam Magar led an Arabic presentation on March 8th at St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Long Island City. She discussed CMS services, our Immigrant Tenant Advocacy Program, and housing law. Arabic-speaking representatives from Catholic Charities and Fidelis Care were also there to present and answer questions. Over 50 people attended this presentation. Following the presentation Mariam conducted consultations for around 15 people. Many people expressed gratitude for CMS presenting and serving the community. This programming is made possible in part by the support of New York City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer.
by changer | Mar 1, 2015 | Legal Services
If you would like to attend the Queens town hall meeting on the right to counsel in eviction proceedings, please fill out the form below.
by changer | Feb 25, 2015 | Legal Services
Last Friday February 20th, The National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) and Univision 41 brought together a panel of attorneys and immigration experts to address over 300 community members at the Casita Maria Cultural Center in the Bronx. The panel focused on updates surrounding the executive action programs announced by President Obama in November of last year.
The panel spoke to inform and update community members of all the legal services available to them and their families interested in applying for an immigration status. President Obama’s proposed plan to expand Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and introduce Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) would provide work authorization to and safeguard millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation. The more informed the community is of available services from licensed attorneys, the less likely they will be to fall victim to “notarios” or people not qualified to provide immigration legal services.
CMS and other organizations provided information on their services and hotlines to provide further information on the President’s executive action programs. The overwhelming interest further demonstrated the need for a more comprehensive solution to the existing immigration system and for the growing need for trustworthy legal service providers.
CMS Naturalization Coordinator Zach Shultz with Univision Anchor Jorge Viera.
by changer | Feb 10, 2015 | Immigration, Legal Services, Parish Outreach, Workers' Rights
On Sunday, Feb. 1, CMS staff Rebecca Rybaltowski and Lorena Lopez conducted outreach at St. Benedict Joseph Labre Parish in South Richmond Hill. They discussed CMS programs and the different services we offer after both an English and Spanish mass. In total there were around 150 attendees, after mass Rebecca and Lorena distributed materials to parishioners and answered questions. CMS will be continuing parish outreach throughout the remainder of winter and into the spring season.
by changer | Nov 3, 2014 | Immigration, Legal Services
Catholic Migration Services joins the list of organizations in 24 states and the District of Columbia who will receive nearly $10 million from USCIS for citizenship services
BROOKLYN, NY (November 3, 2014) – Catholic Migration Services (CMS) announced today that it was one of only 40 organizations nationwide chosen to receive a citizenship grant from U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The federal grant is awarded on a highly competitive basis and comes with an award of $250,000 dispersed over a two-year period to fund legal and educational services for lawful permanent residents interested in applying for U.S. citizenship.
Since it began its Citizenship and Integration Grant Program in 2009, USCIS has awarded a total of $43 million to immigrant-serving organizations in 35 states and the District of Columbia, helping more than 93,000 permanent residents prepare for citizenship. Thanks to this grant funding, CMS will expand its existing naturalization legal services, while at the same time its partner and sub-grantee, Brooklyn Public Library, will offer free citizenship instructional courses at several local library branches located throughout the borough.
“We are thrilled and honored to receive this grant from USCIS,” said Rev. Patrick Keating, Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Migration Services. “With this federal funding, and through our partnership with Brooklyn Public Library, we will be able to do so much more to reach the hundreds of thousands of lawful permanent residents that call New York City home. There is a great need for quality citizenship preparation services in this city, and we are very happy to be working toward meeting the needs of our city’s diverse immigrant communities with this program.”
“We are thrilled and honored to receive this grant from USCIS. With this federal funding, we will be able to reach hundreds of thousands of lawful permanent residents that call New York City home,” said Rev. Patrick Keating, CEO of Catholic Migration Services.
If you would like more information about the CMS Citizenship and Integration Program, please visit our website. For information on how to enroll in citizenship courses at Brooklyn Public Libraries or how to receive naturalization application assistance, please call the CMS Citizenship Hotline at (646) 597-8797.
About Catholic Migration Services
Catholic Migration Services (CMS) is a non-profit legal services organization that was established in 1971 by the Most Reverend Francis J. Mugavero to serve the needs of immigrants and refugees in Queens and Brooklyn. Originally operating in a small storefront office as the immigration services arm of the Diocese of Brooklyn, today the organization is a fully independent 501(c)(3) corporation offering a wide range of legal services related to immigration, housing and employment. Since its founding, CMS has served tens of thousands of immigrants—regardless of religion, race or legal status—from at least 167 countries who speak more than 80 languages. For more information about CMS and how to access our legal services, visit us on the web at www.catholicmigration.org.
Acknowledgement of Funding
The services described in this press release are supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number 2014-CS-010-000009. The views and conclusions contained in this press release are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Homeland Security does not endorse any products or commercial services mentioned in this publication.
Contact
To learn more about the CMS Citizenship Program, please contact:
Zachary Shultz, Naturalization Coordinator
191 Joralemon St, 4th Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Office: (718) 236-3000
Fax: (718) 256-9707
zshultz@catholicmigration.org
by changer | Oct 31, 2014 | Legal Services
On October 28th, community members gathered for the Queens Tenant Monthly Meeting. Over 100 people participated in the event and several CMS partner organizations were present such as the Riis Settlement House, Catholic Charities, Fidelis Health Care, and JASA.
We were joined by two presenters: Joby Thovalil, the campaign organizer from the New Economy Project, spoke in regards to passing legislation that prohibits employers from running a credit check on potential and current employees. Bitta Mostofi, the director of the Municipal ID Outreach Campaign, discussed the new Municipal ID program. This program provides a form of photo identification for every New York City resident, despite immigration status. Residents can apply for a Municipal ID beginning January 1, 2015.
