UAO aims to serve as the African Community Resource Clearinghouse wherein constituents gather, access information, share experiences, exchange views, and coordinate organizational capacity development. UAO's hub of resources on this website is intended to assist community members in navigating services, programs and resources that are available to help them cope better in the United States.
Governor Rauner’s Budget Eliminates Immigrant Integration Service Line Item
Are You from Liberia, Guinea or Sierra Leone?
Sondra Furcajg discusses Temporary Protected Status for Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone
TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS (TPS): LIBERIA, GUINEA, SIERRA LEONE
WHAT IS TPS?
- On November 20 2014, USCIS designated Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to Ebola, which is making it unsafe for citizens of those countries to return.
- TPS designation is effective November 21, 2014 and remains in effect for 18 months. You can register for TPS between November 21, 2014 and May 20, 2015.
Ghana’s 58th Independence Essay Contest
HACC Opens Senior Housing Wait Lists
The Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) is now accepting pre-applications for persons who are 62 years of age or older, for public housing wait lists for one (1) bedroom units at the following Elderly Only Designated Communities. The Head of Household or Co-Head of Household/Spouse must be 62 years of age or older.
Franklin Apartments 9535 W. Franklin Avenue Franklin Park, IL 60131 Brochure
The annual income* for a one person household cannot exceed $40,550, and the annual income for a two person household cannot exceed $46,350.
Click here for more information and to download the pre-application.
*income limits are subject to change per HUD Guidelines.
Why Beatrice is Giving!
Beatrice Blahoua, heard about United African Organization (UAO) from a friend in her church, who advised her to come to UAO for help with applying to become a United States citizen. Beatrice says, ”The process of getting my citizenship with UAO was wonderful, they helped me and made it easy”. Beatrice is now a United States citizen. She is so happy that she came to the office to share the good news. Beatrice says she appreciated the service so much that she decided to give back. She signed up to volunteer.
President Obama’s Executive Actions on Immigration
On November 20, 2014, the President announced a series of executive actions to crack down on illegal immigration at the border, prioritize deporting felons not families, and require certain undocumented immigrants to pass a criminal background check and pay taxes in order to temporarily stay in the U.S. without fear of deportation.
These initiatives include:
- Expanding the population eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to young people who came to this country before turning 16 years old and have been present since January 1, 2010, and extending the period of DACA and work authorization from two years to three years | Details
- Allowing parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who have been in the country since January 1, 2010, to request deferred action and employment authorization for three years, in a new Deferred Action for Parental Accountability program, provided they pass required background checks | Details
- Expanding the use of provisional waivers of unlawful presence to include the spouses and sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents and the sons and daughters of U.S. citizens | Details
- Modernizing, improving and clarifying immigrant and nonimmigrant programs to grow our economy and create jobs | Details
- Promoting citizenship education and public awareness for lawful permanent residents and providing an option for naturalization applicants to use credit cards to pay the application fee | Details
Important notice: These initiatives have not yet been implemented, and USCIS is not accepting any requests or applications at this time. Beware of anyone who offers to help you submit an application or a request for any of these actions before they are available. You could become a victim of an immigration scam. Subscribe to this page to get updates when new information is posted.
Temporary Protected Status Designations for Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone
Department of Homeland Security Announces Temporary Protected Status Designations for Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone
WASHINGTON— Due to the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson has announced his decision to designate Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months. As a result, eligible nationals of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone who are currently residing in the United States may apply for TPS with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The Federal Register notices provide details and procedures for applying for TPS and are available at www.uscis.gov/tps.
The TPS designations for the three countries are effective Nov. 21, 2014 and will be in effect for 18 months. The designations mean that eligible nationals of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone (and people without nationality who last habitually resided in one of those three countries) will not be removed from the United States and are authorized to work and obtain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). The 180-day TPS registration period begins Nov. 21, 2014 and runs through May 20, 2015.
To be eligible for TPS, applicants must demonstrate that they satisfy all eligibility criteria, including that they have been “continuously residing” in the United States since Nov. 20, 2014 and “continuously physically present in” the United States since Nov. 21, 2014. Applicants also undergo thorough security checks. Individuals with certain criminal records or who pose a threat to national security are not eligible for TPS. The eligibility requirements are fully described in the Federal Register notices and on the TPS Web page at www.uscis.gov/tps
Liberians currently covered under the two-year extension of Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) based on President Obama’s Sept. 26, 2014 memorandum may apply for TPS. If they do not apply for TPS within the initial 180-day registration period, they risk being ineligible for TPS because they will have missed the initial registration period. Liberians covered by DED who already possess or have applied for an EAD do not need to also apply for one related to this TPS designation. However, such individuals who are granted TPS may request a TPS-related EAD at a later date as long as the TPS designation for Liberia remains in effect.
Applicants may request that USCIS waive any or all fees based on demonstrated inability to pay by filing Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, or by submitting a written request. Fee-waiver requests must be accompanied by supporting documentation. USCIS will reject any TPS application that does not include the required filing fee or a properly documented fee-waiver request.
All USCIS forms are free. Applicants can download these forms from the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov/forms or request them by calling USCIS toll-free at 1-800-870-3676.
Applicants seeking information about the status of their individual cases can check My Case Status Online or call the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833).
For more information about USCIS and its programs, please visit www.uscis.gov or follow us on Twitter (@uscis), YouTube (/uscis), Facebook(/uscis), and the USCIS blog The Beacon.
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