How a Mobile App Helps Bypass Border Bureaucracy
The US government gets a pretty bad rap for its traditional slowness in getting things done, but to their credit, they are taking proactive measures to combat their history of foot-dragging.
When it comes to the contentious topic of immigration, the government takes heat from both sides of the fence. A recent Wall Street Journal article noted, “more than eight million permanent residents, or green-card holders, are eligible to become citizens, according to the federal government.” These people are “discouraged by a labyrinthine process involving steep fees and red tape that can take years to complete.”
This certainly explains why immigration in particular has such an overwhelming backlog. Thirty-nine of our fifty states have fewer residents than are currently in line to complete the immigration process.
Help could be on its way.
The Wall Street Journal went on to detail how CitizenshipWorks, a multifaceted nonprofit organization with numerous backers, is fully embracing technology to help people out—or, rather, in:
An interactive website helps providers of legal assistance and other services efficiently prescreen immigrants for citizenship eligibility and then guide them through the application. A free mobile app, available in English and Spanish, walks individuals through the process and helps with preparation for a required civics exam.
The hope is that the mobile app will “turbocharge” the road to citizenship. Emily Deruy at ABC News reports on how the nonprofit organization hopes the app will help clear a path for those who’ve grown tired of the waiting game:
The app allows immigrants to provide a bit of information about their specific situation and then go through a customized checklist of the documents they need to provide. It also includes a game that people can play to study for the tests, and a way for people to see whether they've established residency by inputting and tracking trips abroad.
CitizenshipWorks Project Coordinator Tony Lu goes into greater detail about what separates this app from any other released to date.
For those for whom CitizenshipWorks is unable to secure permanent citizen status, Pro Bono Net, one of CitizenshipWorks’ backers that provides legal assistance for users of the app, is working on another app called Pocket DACA, "which will be aimed at young undocumented immigrants applying for deportation relief.”
