Ropes & Gray, Vertex and Project Citizenship Partner to Help More Than 150 Legal Permanent Residents Apply for Citizenship

In The News
January 20, 2017

More than 30 Ropes & Gray and Vertex Pharmaceuticals attorneys and staff members volunteered with Project Citizenship, joining more than 70 Boston-area attorneys to help 150 legal permanent residents complete their U.S. citizenship applications. The Jan. 20 Project Citizenship workshop was held near Boston’s South Station, where immigrants hoping to become American citizens sat down with Ropes & Gray and Vertex attorney teams, who assisted them with their citizenship applications. Volunteers also provided a quality control check to make sure the applications were complete, mailed the applications and provided the applicants with citizenship packets to answer questions about the process, and help them study for their required English, history and government tests.

“It was a truly inspirational day,” said Ropes & Gray’s director of pro bono legal services, Rosalyn Garbose Nasdor. “The atmosphere in the room was phenomenal – an amazing way to bring together Ropes & Gray and Vertex to help Project Citizenship’s clients with their legal needs – and it was especially moving for all involved to see so many new immigrants and their families begin their path to U.S. citizenship on Inauguration Day.”

Project Citizenship’s mission is to educate immigrants about the benefits of citizenship, and to help eligible, legal permanent residents (LPRs) overcome barriers to naturalization. Since 2011, Project Citizenship has helped more than 16,200 immigrants from 152 countries, holding frequent citizenship workshops like a Dec. 21 event hosted at Ropes & Gray, at which Ropes & Gray attorneys helped 45 LPRs from 24 countries, including China, Vietnam, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Sierra Leone, Peru, Algeria and Kenya.