The first time I came across an immigrant resource center it was the Immigration Clinic. It was housed in a renovated historic building on Wisconsin Avenue. This clinic provided services to immigrants and was run by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INSA). At that time there were only a few immigration lawyers and no one else like me. In fact, there were not many lawyers at all! So what is so different about this Immigration Resource Center?
First, there are many programs that they provide to immigrants. These include basic legal assistance, such as filing for an immigration petition. There are also workshops that teach immigrants how to properly adjust to life in the USA after arrival. Also, there are social service programs to assist immigrant children and their families, and there are employment and language skills development programs for newcomers.
Another difference is that there is only one Immigration Resource Center. Instead of multiple Immigration Resources Offices scattered around the country, there is only one for each location. I would call that a geographic information system (GIS). In essence, the Immigration Resource Center would serve as the central hub of information for immigrants to the United States. They would gather all the data that you need to know about immigration, such as where to find legal help, and other resources.
Now, I should mention that there are two distinctions in the way that the Immigration Resource Center would collect information. First, they collect data directly from the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Homeland Security will hand over all of the data on individuals who are in the country illegally to the Immigration Resource Center for analysis. That is information that has been analyzed and is constantly being updated.
Then, the Resource Center would also access government databases on immigrants. It has access to private databases from the government that are not made available to the general public. Private databases can include things like birth records. These are vital resources because they contain crucial information that an Immigration Resource Center cannot just walk by and take. Immigrants may have moved many times in their life and some documents may be old.
As you can see, the Immigrant Resource Center is very important and it is absolutely necessary that the US government pay attention to what the general public needs. As a direct result, the government has set up specific agencies and departments that handle these matters. That includes the USCIS. Now you understand why the USCIS needs to hire the best people!
This content is contributed by Guestomatic
