Wednesday, July 5 2006 10:29 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: A large number of immigrants from India, China, Taiwan and El Salvador among others turned up at a Citizenship Day workshop in California to learn the right way to get American citizenship in view of the new US Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) guidelines.

Organized by Seva, an NGO run by an Indian lawyer, at the Family Resource Center in Fremont, California, on Friday, it even had interpreters to help hard of hearing immigrants. One such person was a deaf woman from El Salvador who has had trouble gaining citizenship for 14 years.

As immigration in the US is in the process of being changed, founder Anu Peshawaria, Harsh Chabra, an attorney of Immigration and Business Services, and other volunteers advised the immigrants to educate themselves so they understand their situation more clearly, a Seva release said.

It's a good time for green-card holders to get their citizenship too in case the laws change in a way that would affect them negatively, said Peshawaria a Supreme Court lawyer and state bonded immigration specialist.

Drawing attention to a recent USCIS notice warning customers of potential immigration fraud, she advised the community to be wary of any organizations that claim they can assist in applying for benefits that do not exist.

They should also desist from paying any fees or fines to any person or organization claiming they can help apply for or receive benefits for a temporary worker programme, she said.

The workshop included a Citizenship Presentation, a question/answer room, a raffle to benefit ongoing Seva Legal Aid Projects, and games and prizes.