CHINESE NEWCOMERS SERVICE CENTER

"...facilitating their efforts to become self-sufficient,
contributing members of the Community..."

CNSC is all about helping Immigrant Newcomers. Our volunteers help Newcomers with everything from Citizenship and Naturalization issues to Translation, Letter Writing and Form Filing. CNSC also provides Crisis and Emergency Services and Transportation Information. The New Immigrant Information Package, published by United Commercial Bank and provided here online in Chinese and English, is the most comprehensive Bay Area resource guide available to the Chinese Community. Below we have included Immigration Facts, which clearly define how to obtain Permanent Residence Through a Relative. Also, we have provided the Social Security Offices in San Francisco and Daly City and, in Chinese, a Bay Area Community Phone List and Services Information, taken from our CNSC brochure.

We suggest that clients give a Donation for Services Provided at CNSC.

PETITION PREFERENCES & DATES

United States Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs VISA BULLETIN.

INS FORM DOWNLOADS

This link takes you to the INS Web Site, where all the necessary Immigration Forms are available.

Back To Top

IMPORTANT NEWS & LAW CHANGES

CENSUS 2000 - CENSUS FACTS
The Constitution requires that the entire population of the United States be counted once every ten years. On April 1, 2000, every household was asked to fill out a census form that asks questions about the number of people living in the household, their ages, race and other important demographic data. This census data is used to allocate up to $185 billion in Federal funds annually towards state and local programs.
Because there was an undercount in the 1990 Census that could mean a projected loss of $11 billion in Federal funds to state and local governments over the 2002 - 2012 period, the U.S. Census Monitoring Board decided to promote this year's census by aggressively promoting the census through advertising to increase public awareness and participation. In addition funding was made possible to establish community based Questionnaire Assistance Centers (QACs) who has extensive administrative and outreach capacity to reach the hard to enumerate communities. Chinese Newcomers Service Center assisted the U.S. Census Bureau in 1990 and was approved as a QAC to participate in the Census 2000 from February to July 2000.
Chinese Newcomers Service Center's role was to assist individuals in completing Census questionnaires and to educate and motivate hard to enumerate communities who have linguistic or literacy challenges to complete their forms. The staff consisted of I coordinator and I and 1/2 assistants. CNSC also was a site for 4 U.S. Census takers who assisted CNSC in completing questionnaires for over 600 residents. In addition to assistance in filling out forms, we disseminated flyers/posters/brochures door to door to high traffic locations and businesses, senior centers, community centers, public libraries, laundromats and single room residences/hotel buildings. Workshops were presented and a video was shown that explains the census process and the importance of participation to get more federal funding. Press releases were done periodically to educate and encourage the community to fill out their forms, whether it be the long or short version, and to inform the public that census forms may be filled out by telephone. Special outreach efforts to help seniors living in centers, single rooms and at Northbeach Community College campus were especially gratifying because most of these seniors have a difficult time walking and adults who work all day and attend English classes in the evenings were appreciative that we were there.

ESL CLASSES

Chinese Newcomers Service Center assists their clients in attaining their educational and personal goals by offering a variety of classes. English Classes and instruction in preparing for the Citizenship Exam remain in high demand. Learning English continues to be the most frequent request from clients. In 1998 CNSC served approximately 500 individuals. CNSC now offers 30 ESL and Citizenship Classes. The classes are taught by John Sze, Gary Hong and our volunteer, Mr. George T. M. Lee, who has over 20 years of experience in bilingual education.

Back To Top

CITIZENSHIP CLASSES

Becoming a citizen can be a very daunting task for a newcomer in this country. Through our Citizenship Classes and related services we are working to ease fears and doubts and to break misconceptions about the process. The instructor of the citizenship classes, Jane Chan, cares greatly for her students and even accompanies them to the INS office for their interviews. To help spread the word that "It is never too late to become a citizen," CNSC has teamed up with the Commission on the Aging in a joint naturalization project.

NATURALIZATION

U.S. History and Civic Questions

Naturalization is a process by which a lawful permanent resident (LPR) becomes a citizen.

Requirements:
I. Be a LPR (green card holder)
2. Be at least 18 years old
3. Be able to have a fairly simple conversation in English (except qualify for language waiver)
4. Be able to pass a test on US history and government
5. Have made a home in US for at least FIVE years (if married to a US citizen it would be 3 years)
6. Been physically present in the US for at least half of the required years
7. Have not disrupted her continuous residence in the US for any of the last five (or three) years
8. Must have lived in the INS District where she files the petition for at least the last 3 months

Back To Top

Disrupting of continuity of residence:
If a person left the US for a year or more at one time, she will be found to have automatically disrupted her residence (except for certain employees of US government, multinational companies, or certain religious workers, they must go through a process of preserving their residency while abroad).
If a person was found to have disrupted his residency, no matter how long he had lived in the US before his disruption, that time will not count toward his residency requirement. He will have to start counting again on the date when he return from his long trip.
Leaving the US for less than six months at one time does not constitute a disruption of residence.
If some one left for six months or more at one time but less than one year, she will be found to have disrupted her residence unless she can prove she did not do so.
Proof can be:
-whether the applicant terminated her employment in US
- whether her immediate family remained in the US while she left
- whether she retain full access to her home in the US
-whether she work while she was abroad

Whatever the case the total time allowable to remain aboard cannot be more than half of the minimum requirement. (30 months or more, for 5 years, and 18 months or more, for 3 years)

Back To Top

Process
1. Filing of form N400 One can file an application for naturalization (N400) up to three months prior to fulfilling the residency requirement. This means a person could file her application three months before reaching five (three) years of LPR. The date of fulfilling of residency requirement is the date of issuance of the Alien Registration Card, NOT the date of their arrival in the United State. Example, an alien with a KI visa (fianc* visa) arrives the United States to marry a US Citizen, they have to be married within 90 days of the alien's arrival, after getting married, the couple had to go to INS to apply for the temporary Alien Registration Card, the residency requirements count on the date of the issuance of the temporary Green Card and not the date when the alien arrives US.

2. Submit the following together with the N400 Filing fee - 75 years or under $250 over 75 years $225 (no finger-print required):
-On the face of the check write down applicant's name, A# and the purpose of the check i.e. N400 filing fee and fingerprint charge.)
- Two photos (with name and A# written on the back)
- Copies of green card/social security card
- Any additional information required (Spouse,Former spouse etc.)
- Request to have interview taken on the same day with another applicant.
- Any parts in the N400 form that don't have enough space, you should continue on a separate paper, on top of the continuing paper you should write down client's name and A# If necessary, N-648 disability wavier form. This form must be completed by the applicant's doctor or hospital where she was treated , and the date of the form must be less than 6 months when she filed the N400 application form.

Back To Top

3. Language Waiver There are 3 rules to be qualified for language waiver (i.e. interviews to be taken in their native language). An alien had to meet either one of the rules to qualify. (a) Over 50 years old and lived in the US for 20 years or over (b) Over 55 years old and lived in the US for 15 years or over (c) Over 65 years old and lived in the US for 20 years or over For category (a) and (b) the alien had to take 100 history questions in their native language. For (c) the alien have to take 25 history questions in their native language. An alien had to live in the US for the above-specified time when he/she applies for naturalization, i.e. when they submit the N400 form, NOT three months before the required time.

An Alien has to be living in the US for the above specified time when he/she applies for the Naturalization, i.e. when they submit the N-400 form, NOT three months before the required time

HOW DO I OBTAIN PERMANENT RESIDENCE THROUGH A RELATIVE?

Prior to the Immigration Act of 1990, approximately 440,000 individuals immigrated to the U.S. annually based upon petitions submitted on their behalf by close relatives who were U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. Of this total, 216,000 persons immigrated through four family preference categories (1st Preference - unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, 2nd Preference - spouses and unmarried sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents, 4th Preference - married sons and daughters of U .S. citizens, and 5th Preference - brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens). The rest immigrated as "immediate relatives" of U.S. citizens (parents, spouses, and children of U.S. citizens - children being unmarried and under 21 years of age, and, in the case of a parent of a U.S. citizen, the petitioning son or daughter being at least 21 years of age). The law placed no numerical restrictions on the immigration of immediate relatives.

The 1990 law retained and renumbered the four family preference categories. The number of visas allocated to family-sponsored immigrants, including immediate relatives, rose from 440,000 to 465,000 in fiscal year 1992, and increased to 480,000 on October 1, 1993. If there are any unused visas from the employment- based categories, they may be used in the family preference categories.

Immediate relatives remain exempt from numerical limitations, and have first claim on family preference visas. For the first time, however, the number of immediate relatives who obtain visas are subtracted from the total number of family-sponsored visas available.

The formula works as follows: Total number of family-sponsored visas less the number of immediate relatives who immigrated during the previous year equals the number of visas available to the four family preference categories. However, the law provides that no matter how many immediate relatives immigrate to the U.S. in a single year, a floor of at least 226, 000 visas will remain available to persons in the four family preference categories.

The definition of immediate relative has been expanded to include widows and widowers of U.S. citizens provided that the widow(er) was the spouse of the citizen for at least two years prior to the citizen's death and was not legally separated from the citizen at the time of his or her death. To remain eligible for immediate relative status, the immigrant spouse is required to file a petition for permanent residence within two years after the citizen's death and before remarriage.

Most of the increase in the number of family preference visas was allocated to individuals qualifying under the 2nd preference category. The number rose from 70,000 under prior law to at least 114,200 in fiscal year 1992. Of this number, 77% of the visas are specifically reserved for spouses and children (unmarried and under 21 years of age) of lawful permanent residents. Also, 75% of the visas granted to them are distributed without regard to individual country quotas. Prior to October 1991, such quotas resulted in a 10-year wait for 2nd preference visas for persons born in Mexico and seven years for those born in the Philippines. These backlogs have been alleviated , while the worldwide backlog has increased dramatically.

The family preference categories are as follows:

1st Preference - Unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens 23,400 per year, PLUS unused visas from the 4th Preference category, if any.

2nd Preference - Spouses and unmarried sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents 114,200 per year, PLUS the amount by which visas allocated to the family preference categories exceeds 226,000, PLUS unused visas from the 1st Preference category, if any. 77% of visas are reserved for spouses and children (defined as unmarried sons and daughters under 21 years of age) of lawful permanent residents.

3rd Preference - Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens (formerly 4th Preference) 23,400 per year, PLUS unused visas from the 1st and 2nd Preference categories, if any.

4th Preference - Brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens (formerly 5th Preference) 65,000 per year, PLUS unused visas from the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Preference categories, if any.

Back To Top

SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICES
(IN SAN FRANCISCO AND DALY CITY)

SUGGESTED DONATIONS FOR CNSC SERVICES

What are they saying about CNSC?

Back To Top

Home > Services > Immigrant Resources

About CNSC    Services    Calendar    Newsletter    Donate    Volunteer    Resources