The filing fee for Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, is $640 (plus the biometrics fee). For many, this filing fee makes an application for naturalization insurmountable. In this webinar, we will review how to complete successful reduced fee and fee waiver applications for naturalization applicants. We will also discuss the impact of recent policy changes, such as the public charge determination, on the fee waiver application process.

Presenters

Nikki Marquez

Nikki joined the ILRC in October of 2015. Nikki focuses on immigration enforcement issues, including efforts to limit local law enforcement's cooperation with federal immigration agencies. She contributes to ILRC's work with schools and develops know-your-rights resources. Nikki also works on ILRC's manuals, practice advisories, webinars, and other resources. Nikki has co-authored several publications including Hardship in Immigration Law: How to Prepare Winning Applications for Hardship Waivers and Cancellation of Removal (ILRC), Know Your Rights: A Train the Trainer Toolkit, Arming the Community with Education (ILRC), The Rise of Sanctuary: Getting Local Officers out of the Business of Deportations in the Trump Era (ILRC), Searching for Sanctuary: An Analysis of America's Counties & Their Voluntary Assistance with Deportations (ILRC), and Local Options for Protecting Immigrants: A Collection of City and County Policies to Protect Immigrants from Discrimination and Deportation (ILRC).

In law school, Nikki participated in the Immigrants' Rights Clinic and worked at the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project. Prior to law school, Nikki worked at Polaris, an anti-human trafficking organization, where she focused on state policy and worked on their National Human Trafficking Hotline. Nikki has also worked on issues related to economic security for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Nikki earned her law degree from Stanford Law School. She received her undergraduate degree from Stanford University, where she majored in public policy and economics. Nikki also received a master's degree in international relations and international economics from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. She is admitted to the California bar. She is conversant in Spanish.
Melissa Rodgers

Melissa Rodgers is the Director of Programs based in San Francisco. She directs the New Americans Campaign (NAC), a national initiative for which the ILRC serves as the lead agency, which brings together national and local organizations in partnership with a funder collaborative to increase naturalization among eligible lawful permanent residents. She contributes to the ILRC's manual entitled, Naturalization and U.S. Citizenship: The Essential Legal Guide.

Melissa, who joined the ILRC in 2013, started her legal career working with mainly immigrant clients at the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County. She brings to the ILRC more than a decade of non-profit leadership experience. Prior to joining the ILRC, Melissa was the director of Blue Shield of California Foundation's Health Care and Coverage program. Before that, she served as the Directing Attorney of the Child Care Law Center, the Associate Director of the UC Berkeley School of Law Center on Health, Economic & Family Security, and a Directing Attorney and Director of the Health Consumer Center at the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County. She founded a medical-legal collaboration program with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, created and co-taught medical-legal courses at both Stanford Law School/Stanford Medical School and University of California at Berkeley School of Law/University of California at San Francisco. She has authored articles, policy briefs, and reports in the area of health care.

Melissa has a Master's of Education as well as a law degree with honors from Harvard University. She also has a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from the OneJustice Executive Fellowship program. Melissa is a member of the California bar. She is a native speaker of French and is conversant in Spanish.