Capturing the Immigrant Experience

CAPTURING TH

E

IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE

D IGI T I Z

I NG T

HE REAL I T Y O

F

NATURAL I ZAT IO

N WI TH H

OGAR

IMM IG

RANT SERV I C

ES

Sujin HongMarch 14th, 2012

Branch Out National ‘12

PHOTO ESSAY

HOGAR IMMIGRANT SERVICESCATHOLIC CHARITIES DIOCESE OF ARLINGTON

Monday, March 5th, 2012 @ Hogar for the first day Mondays are “staff-in-service” day at Hogar,

meaning no client appointments.

Cindy Brown, BIA Accredited Representative & a W&M alumna filled us in with basic immigration myths and facts.

U Visa

for victim of a crime which occurred in the US.

Must have been helpful to police, suffered

substantial harm

Temporary Protected Status (TPS)El Salvador Honduras Nicaragua

Sudan Somalia Haiti Liberia

T Visa for victims of human trafficking

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

Family ALL MEXICO 

PHILIPPINES

1- Unmarried adult children of citizens

1FEB05

1MAY93

22 JUN 97

2A – Spouses & Unmarried Minior Children of LPRs

22JUL 09

1 JUL 09

2B – Unmarried Adult Children of LPRs

15 NOV 03

1 DEC92

8 DEC 01

3rd – Married Children, and their families, of

USCs

1JAN02 8 JAN 93

22 JUL 92

4th – Siblings, and their families, of USCs

8 OCT 00

22 MAY 96

22 DEC 88

March 2012 Priority Dates

If you are inside the U.S.– apply for Greencard at USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and

Immigration Services). $1,070 fee

FIRST DAY WORKING WITH OLD LEGAL DOCUMENTS

Digitalizing all the legal and confidential documents that Hogar has been working with in the past thirty years took some time for us to figure out the system that worked the best: from the filing room to two different types of letters to digitally recording the information before destroying the files.

Daily reflection time after dinner allowed the team members to share and elaborate on each other’s thoughts. During the time, every opinion was valid and guaranteed protection. As a result, we could ensure that the next day would be a more fulfilling and rewarding day for us.

We had the opportunities to interview a handful of current TPS holders. Hearing their side of the stories was refreshing and enlightening to re-examine the current immigration policies, especially in comparison to what the media and mainstream stereotypes portray.

Waking up early to beat the traffic congestion during the morning commute and coming home late, followed by cooking dinner and the reflection time were not all that easy. Yet, we knew how to entertain ourselves to keep the day enjoyable.

We tried switching up between the tasks, so we get to have variety of experiences. We also shared some stories that stood out as we were going through the old case files. Happy moment: when the record indicated that the client was granted with the status s/he was seeking.

All the unorganized, old case files cleaned up by a team of W&M active citizens!

By the last day, everyone was pretty comfortable with the work and seemed even more focused to make as much last minute progress as possible.

We’ve used all the materials Hogar had prepared for us to use

and had to ask for more space and supplies because our work

exceeded the expectation!

Mary, one of the lawyers we have

worked with closely for questions, was impressed with us.

Hogar staff surprised us with ice cream party on the last day of work!

Our babies from the week of volunteering work!

We were happily exhausted and proud of our service.

Hogar staffs have been very hospitable and patient with us, agreeing to do interviews, answering questions, and really making us feel appreciated.

We learned how to make the tiring daily

commutes fun.

During the week, we gained a lot of priceless

things, including friendship.

Cooking every meal on a budget turned out to be much more successful than initially expected. Our fearless team leaders brought a surprise stop by the Georgetown cupcakes.

On Saturday, March 10th, 2012, we volunteered at the Naturalization Workshop. Chelsea, the Hogar lawyer, led information sessions for the regular volunteers and volunteer lawyers.

We helped with individual

clients to fill the forms correctly.

We had to be cautious with every

question on the form before it was

ready to be reviewed by

lawyers.

The Flores’ generous hospitality

further enhanced our abilities to

create a remarkable Spring Break 2012

Branch Out National!