The USCIS Citizenship and Assimilation grant program exist to provide educational materials and resources to assist the naturalization process and to facilitate partnerships to raise awareness of the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship. USCIS awarded $9.4 million inCitizenship and Assimilation grants to 40 organizations for FY 2018. The grants were awards through two competitive funding opportunities that involve:
- Organizations with missions to provide naturalization assistance to Legal Permanent Residents; and
- Organizations who extend assimilation services to U.S. refugees or asylees.
Based on the FY 2017 program, which continues until September 30, 2019, USCIS estimates 25,000 Legal Permanent Residents will have increased access to citizenship preparation services due to the awarded grants.
Wright State University Fined for H-1B Visa Fraud. Wright State University’s Board of Trustees was fined $1 Million for H-1B visa fraud. The University engaged in hiring software engineers using its “cap exempt” status claiming the engineers would work for the University, but in fact, the employees were working with an off-site contractor in Atlanta, Orlando, and New York City. The University invoiced $1.8 million in fees from the contractor for salaries, benefits, and administrative costs.