FBCS Citizenship program assists and prepares legal permanent residents in our community to become US citizens. Our students are taught the basic history and the civics of our nation covered by the naturalization exam. Our goal is to not only have our students pass their examination and receive their citizenship but that they become excellent citizens for our community. Many of our students want to become US citizens for different reasons. Some of our students have done so to obtain government jobs, public notary, to petition for their alien relatives, and through their own citizenship have their children become US citizens.
Our program is in session throughout the entire year. Our classes meet once a week for an hour and a half of instruction. Class size varies from week to week as we have an open enrollment policy. In the past two years, our program has assisted over 200 hundred students obtain their naturalization certificate through our program. Currently, there are 30 students enrolled in the program.
For more information please contact William Sanchez at wsanchez@fordham-bedford.org or
call (917) 645-9557.
English as a Second Language Classes
Since 1996, we have provided free ESL instruction to the greater Fordham Bedford community. Currently, we have three levels of instruction; Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. Each class has an average of 20-25 students attend every Tuesday and Thursday. The classes are held from October through May. Most of our students attend our classes so that can improve their quality of life. They don't want to depend on others to communicate their most basic needs. They want to be able to give directions on the subway or order a meal on their own. They dream of being able to help their children with their homework. Some even aspire to get better paying jobs.
Immigration Services
Our immigration services are offered to the community during regular business hours. On average, we service 4-5 walk-in clients daily. We provide free consultations and assist our clients on most immigration issues. We offer help with: Citizenship, translations, Petitions for alien family members, visas, adjustment of status and most of the forms required by USCIS. We have helped over 1,500 community members become American citizens.
Heiskell Technology Center
FBCS operates the Heiskell Enterprise Technology Center. The mission of the Heiskell Enterprise Technology Center is to improve the access to technology and information which is beyond the reach for many our families. The HETC provides FREE internet and computing access to our users, a service that is in high demand in our community. Many of the families we serve cannot afford to buy a personal computer and pay a monthly service charge for internet service. Over 1,000 children and adults benefit from using our center. The center is equipped with 24 Dell PC’s connected to the internet through our wireless broadband network. The HETC also serves other local non-profits so that they can conduct workshops and trainings using the latest presentation technology. Additionally, we have utilized the center to provide Free or low cost tax preparation services to over 800 individuals every tax season.