Catholic Charities of Northwest Florida - Immigration & Refugee Services

IMMIGRATION & REFUGEE SERVICES

Service Philosophy
As we face each of the above changes, through manmade or natural causes, our philosophy remains the same. The Office of Immigration/Refugee Services serves all individuals regardless of race, religion, country of origin, or ability to pay who are experiencing problems in seeking admission into the country, seeking permanent residence, citizenship, family reunification or assistance while temporarily here in the U.S., as well as those seeking to avoid deportation or fleeing persecution. Our multilingual/multicultural staff anticipates the needs of our client population and responds accordingly providing assistance in translating, completing intake forms, and assimilating to cross-cultural differences.
Delivery of Services
Clients are seen by appointment except on Wednesday mornings which is our designated walk-in day. This is a new service which was added in 2001 to meet the needs of clients who need urgent assistance and cannot wait for a first available appointment. On Wednesdays, clients arrive early and sign up in the order in which they arrived. Caseworkers attend the first ten cases, but make every effort to accommodate overflow by scheduling a first available appointment, or asking walk-ins to return later in the day if the matter is urgent. Each new client completes an in-take, rights and responsibilities form and pre-immigration questionnaire for consultations. When filing petitions through our office, each client completes the post-immigration survey, a service plan, and signs a service agreement specifying fees due to USCIS as well as the nominal fees payable to Catholic Charities for services rendered.
Resettlement Practice
Resettlement practices refer to services provided through Catholic Charities as well as community organizations that assist refugees and their families to assimilate and acculturate into their new surroundings. Under the guidelines established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, refugees families’ progress in assimilating must be followed at 30, 60 and 90 day intervals requiring home visits and documentation of the progress.
Sponsoring Families and Groups
Catholic Charities of NW Florida has a liaison with the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops in order to sponsor refugee families. The sponsoring family member, known as the anchor, can petition for qualified relatives residing in countries designated by the USCCB as those whose citizens are in danger due to conditions within the country. Sponsoring relatives must understand the financial and personal commitment involved in this process.
Transition Assistance
Catholic Charities works closely with the sponsoring family and community organizations in order to ease the transition of the refugee. These services include but are not limited to, an initial housing allowance to allow refugees to find appropriate housing, as well as formal and informal networking within the local ethnic community.
Citizenship Assistance
In the case of application for citizenship, the organization’s services will include information about citizenship classes offered at local educational facilities which provide orientation on the process. Staff will assist clients in obtaining the necessary preparation during the process of gaining citizenship, including providing the study guide or citizenship test. This includes, but is not limited to, referral to appropriate agencies, educational institutions, and direct assistance. Clients are informed of the process from initial application, until the swearing in ceremony.
Volunteer Staff
Catholic Charities Office of Immigration/Refugee Services is fortunate to have a highly skilled, multilingual volunteer staff of three part-time volunteers, who work approximately 15 -21 hours per week. Our data entry volunteer is a retired military officer who is knowledgeable in computer software and programming. Our two volunteer receptionists are native Spanish speakers who are highly literate in Spanish. One has a bachelor’s degree and is planning to pursue graduate work. Both assist with translations and respond effectively to Spanish speaking clients who walk-in or call the office requesting information.
Available in Pensacola and Tallahassee.

The values which guide Catholic Charities in its work are rooted in the Gospel and affirm the intrinsic dignity and rights of the human person.
p(Quotation). Catholic Charities welcomes the participation of people of other faiths, and indeed, all people of good will in our mission.

h4=. Changing Lives
p>.

“Because of their help, my family has been reunited after over 15 years of separation. I have now met aunts, uncles, and cousins that I barely knew existed.”

“The immigration interview went very well. They gave me a stamp in my passport and told me I will have my green card coming in my mail in few months. Now we’re settled in Niceville. My husband found a job a few weeks before the interview and now I can look for a job too! Thank you very much for your help and support. You made a whole family really happy!”
“The staff exceeded my expectations. They patiently guided me through the process and handled everything. It was a relief to get so much help with something I knew nothing about.”
“I am very impressed by the efficient operation of this office and by the courtesy and professionalism of the staff!”

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	IMMIGRATION & REFUGEE SERVICES Service Philosophy As we face each of the above changes, through manmade or natural causes, our philosophy remains the same. The Office of Immigration/Refugee Services serves all individuals regardless of race, religion, country of origin, or ability to pay who are experiencing problems in seeking admission into the country, seeking permanent residence, citizenship, family reunification or assistance while temporarily here in the U.S., as well as those seeking to avoid deportation or fleeing persecution. Our multilingual/multicultural staff anticipates the needs of our client population and responds accordingly providing assistance in translating, completing intake forms, and assimilating to cross-cultural differences. Delivery of Services Clients are seen by appointment except on Wednesday mornings which is our designated walk-in day. This is a new service which was added in 2001 to meet the needs of clients who need urgent assistance and cannot wait for a first available appointment. On Wednesdays, clients arrive early and sign up in the order in which they arrived. Caseworkers attend the first ten cases, but make every effort to accommodate overflow by scheduling a first available appointment, or asking walk-ins to return later in the day if the matter is urgent. Each new client completes an in-take, rights and responsibilities form and pre-immigration questionnaire for consultations. When filing petitions through our office, each client completes the post-immigration survey, a service plan, and signs a service agreement specifying fees due to USCIS as well as the nominal fees payable to Catholic Charities for services rendered. Resettlement Practice Resettlement practices refer to services provided through Catholic Charities as well as community organizations that assist refugees and their families to assimilate and acculturate into their new surroundings. Under the guidelines established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, refugees families’ progress in assimilating must be followed at 30, 60 and 90 day intervals requiring home visits and documentation of the progress. Sponsoring Families and Groups Catholic Charities of NW Florida has a liaison with the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops in order to sponsor refugee families. The sponsoring family member, known as the anchor, can petition for qualified relatives residing in countries designated by the USCCB as those whose citizens are in danger due to conditions within the country. Sponsoring relatives must understand the financial and personal commitment involved in this process. Transition Assistance Catholic Charities works closely with the sponsoring family and community organizations in order to ease the transition of the refugee. These services include but are not limited to, an initial housing allowance to allow refugees to find appropriate housing, as well as formal and informal networking within the local ethnic community. Citizenship Assistance In the case of application for citizenship, the organization’s services will include information about citizenship classes offered at local educational facilities which provide orientation on the process. Staff will assist clients in obtaining the necessary preparation during the process of gaining citizenship, including providing the study guide or citizenship test. This includes, but is not limited to, referral to appropriate agencies, educational institutions, and direct assistance. Clients are informed of the process from initial application, until the swearing in ceremony. Volunteer Staff Catholic Charities Office of Immigration/Refugee Services is fortunate to have a highly skilled, multilingual volunteer staff of three part-time volunteers, who work approximately 15 -21 hours per week. Our data entry volunteer is a retired military officer who is knowledgeable in computer software and programming. Our two volunteer receptionists are native Spanish speakers who are highly literate in Spanish. One has a bachelor’s degree and is planning to pursue graduate work. Both assist with translations and respond effectively to Spanish speaking clients who walk-in or call the office requesting information. Available in Pensacola and Tallahassee.	The values which guide Catholic Charities in its work are rooted in the Gospel and affirm the intrinsic dignity and rights of the human person. p(Quotation). Catholic Charities welcomes the participation of people of other faiths, and indeed, all people of good will in our mission. h4=. Changing Lives p>. “Because of their help, my family has been reunited after over 15 years of separation. I have now met aunts, uncles, and cousins that I barely knew existed.” “The immigration interview went very well. They gave me a stamp in my passport and told me I will have my green card coming in my mail in few months. Now we’re settled in Niceville. My husband found a job a few weeks before the interview and now I can look for a job too! Thank you very much for your help and support. You made a whole family really happy!” “The staff exceeded my expectations. They patiently guided me through the process and handled everything. It was a relief to get so much help with something I knew nothing about.” “I am very impressed by the efficient operation of this office and by the courtesy and professionalism of the staff!” h4=. Resources p>. United States Citizenship Immigration Service US Embassies, Consulates, & Diplomatic Missions US Passport Social Security Information Internal Revenue Service Selective Services System US Dept. of Justice US Dept. of State Welcome to the US Welcome to Florida The Florida Bar FL Dept. of Revenue Florida DMV FL Legal Assistance to the Poor Programs US Conference of Catholic Bishops Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.