One Napa Valley Initiative - Citizenship Program

Geographic Scope: Napa County, California

Focus Areas:

• Helping legal immigrants become U.S. citizens
• Citizenship outreach and services
• Naturalization interview and exam preparation
• Low-cost application services

Background & Context:

• Announced April 23, 2013
• Based on comprehensive analysis of Napa County's immigrant community by Migration Policy Institute (Washington, D.C.)
• Analysis released 2012, commissioned by NVCF
• Findings revealed only 30% of Napa County's foreign-born population had become citizens vs. 37% in California overall
• Approximately 9,000 eligible immigrants in Napa County targeted
• County heavily dependent on immigrant labor: immigrants account for up to $1 billion annually of region's GDP
• Immigrants comprise 23% of county population but 33% of overall workforce
• Immigrants comprise 73% of agricultural workforce

Funding Timeline:

• 2013: Initial $1 million commitment over 3 years announced
• 2013-2014: Approximately $285,000 distributed
• 2014: $295,000 grant (largest discretionary grant that year)

Program Results (First Year - 2013-2014):

• Helped more than 500 residents with legal assistance or classroom help
• 165 citizenship applications submitted
• 65 people became U.S. citizens
• Services became available within 3 months of announcement

Service Components:

• Outreach to eligible immigrants
• Low-cost application services
• Naturalization interview preparation
• Citizenship exam preparation

Eligible Recipients:

• Legal permanent residents of Napa County

Impact & Benefits:

• Citizenship correlates with higher educational attainment for children
• Higher family income
• Higher proficiency in English
• More active community engagement
• Nearly half of Napa Valley school children are children of immigrants

Additional Context:

• Scarcity of legitimate immigration services in county contributed to low naturalization rates
• Immigration reform expectations made program timing important
• Potential for thousands of additional people to gain lawful pathway to citizenship, including long-time residents in agriculture, hospitality, and construction

Contact Information:

• Phone: (707) 254-9565 ext. 16 (Get a Grant)
• Email: hello@napavalleycf.org
• Address: 3299 Claremont Way, Suite 4, Napa, CA 94558