San Francisco Public Library relaunches free citizenship workshop program in 2024

(SAN FRANCISCO) The San Francisco Public Library announced to relaunch Lawyers in the Library program in 2024 to help eligible green card holders apply for U.S. citizenship. The first free workshop in the program will be held on January 16.

Lawyers in the Library program is part of the San Francisco Pathways to Citizenship Initiative (SF Pathways) which was established in 2013 by the late Mayor Edwin M. Lee as a public-private partnership between local foundations and the City and County of San Francisco’s Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA). The initiative was to promote citizenship and civic participation among immigrants in San Francisco. It celebrated its 10th year milestone in 2013.

The initiative has been funded by the City and local foundation partners for the past decade. It has held over 70 free workshops across the city, provided legal screenings for over 17,000 immigrants, and saved applicants over $5 million in application fees since 2013.

On January 8, the San Francisco Public Library announced the partnership with SF Pathways to relaunch Lawyers in the Library project in the Main Library in 2024. The first free workshops will be held on January 16, Tuesday, at the Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Main Library located at Civic Center, 100 Larkin Street in San Francisco.

At the upcoming workshop on January 16, the Lawyers in the Library workshop will help 30 eligible immigrants with their citizenship application using the online tool CitizenshipWorks. Interested applicants can make an appointment by leaving a message on one of the SF Pathways multilingual hotlines:

English: 415-662-8901

Spanish: 415-662-8902;

Chinese: 415-295-5894

Filipino: 415-692-6798

Vietnamese: 415-644-8392

Russian: 415-754-381

“We are proud to partner on such an impactful program,” says City Librarian Michael Lambert. “This is what San Francisco Public Library is all about, providing the space, expertise and support so that residents can pursue their goals and dreams. We look forward to hosting the upcoming Pathways to Citizenship program, and we look forward to hosting many more in the future.”

“SF Pathways makes becoming a U.S. citizen easy, accessible, and affordable,” said Jorge Rivas, director of the Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) and secretary of the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission. “We are committed to expanding civic engagement for all communities, and providing free, high-quality services to help immigrants take the next step to become U.S. citizens.”

Lawyers in the Library is a partnership program between the San Francisco Public Library and volunteers from a law firm, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP, starting in 2017 to help San Franciscans apply for citizenship through computer-based workshops.

The volunteers from the Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP will support participants with screening for citizenship eligibility and filling out their naturalization applications.

Lawyers in the Library program stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the partnership resumed workshops at the Main Library starting first on October 24, 2023.

In addition to getting application support, participants can also get help covering the cost of the application through the City’s partnership with local non-profit organization Mission Asset Fund. The City provides a 50% match through Mission Asset Fund for applicants who live, work, or attend school in San Francisco.

For more information about the free citizenship workshop on January 16, 2024, please visit the website at: sfcitizenship.org.