Grant programme updates: USCIS announces new funding opportunity

May 21 :
The Citizenship and Integration Training Academy (CITA) is a new programme that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced as part of the Citizenship and Integration Grant Programme. The application process for CITA has been begun. Those public or nonprofit organisations that have never received grant financing from the USCIS are eligible to apply for CITA, a technical assistance award that grants competitive funding of up to $2.6 million.

Financial assistance and comprehensive training are two of the goals of this opportunity, which is to encourage groups to develop innovative citizenship programmes. Director of USCIS Ur M. Jaddou stated, "The CITA grant provides increased capacity-building and additional citizenship instruction resources for organisations that otherwise may not qualify for a grant." "By supporting organisations through this programme, we can ensure that immigrants have the resources they need to become productive and productive citizens of the United States, including better command of the English language, education in American history and government, and the ability to build a life for themselves here."

By receiving the CITA grant, USCIS is following President Joe Biden's order to "remove barriers in the naturalisation process" and "make it more accessible to all eligible individuals," as stated in Executive Order 14012 (Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration Systems and Strengthening Integration and Inclusion Efforts for New Americans).

To further its goals under the Interagency Strategy for Promoting Naturalisation, USCIS also helps out vulnerable, isolated, and geographically dispersed persons by facilitating the work of other groups that provide aid to these areas.

Seven groups may get funding from USCIS, with each programme potentially receiving up to $400,000 over three years. Announcement of awardees will be made in September 2024. The financing term will begin on October 1, 2024, and end on September 30, 2027.

About 644 groups that help immigrants have received a total of $155 million in funds from the USCIS Citizenship and Integration Grant Programme since 2009. The awardees have provided citizenship preparation services to more than 350,000 immigrants in 41 states plus DC. In order to provide this new opportunity to communities, USCIS will utilise the leftover cash for fiscal year 2023, which was properly allocated by Congress.