JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST -- The Mount Laurel Field Office of The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Citizenship and Immigration Services hosted the first of two preliminary seminars centered around obtaining U.S. citizenship at the Military and Family Support Center on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Feb. 7, 2016.
The forum answered questions about the application process but primarily focused on the benefits provided by Immigration Services to servicemembers and their families, which are designed to help simplify and expedite the immigration process.
“1.2 million people file for U.S. citizenship every year - it’s a long wait,” said Keith Dorr, Mount Laurel CAIS supervisory immigration officer. “We’re giving military members and their families a direct line to us instead of having to go through all the red tape.”
Additional information was provided to those in attendance about citizenship for military spouses and their immediate families as well as information about testing for citizenship and what is expected of a U.S. citizen.
“What we want to do is create these smaller sessions for anyone who might have specific questions so we may more easily answer,” said Dorr,. “If there is anything we can do to benefit the servicemembers who give so much for our country, why wouldn’t we?”
With one seminar down and positive feedback coming in, the Mount Laurel CAIS is planning to provide this seminar more regularly with personalized sessions being available after the class.
“The class really cleared some things up for me that I wasn’t too sure about,” said Logistics Specialist 2 Aljeandro TovarAguila, 305th Operations Support Squadron and native of Columbia who has been working to gain his U.S. citizenship. “I’m looking forward to being a citizen of the United States and the class sent me in the right direction.”