In 2014, Mark moved to the United States to be closer to his son. At 85 years old, Mark spoke Mandarin, and his English is very poor, and for the next five years, he creatively navigated life in the U.S. without accessing government support, including Medicaid or energy and food assistance. In 2019, Mark met with CMAA’s multilingual Social Services team to learn about his benefits options. In Mandarin, Mark’s native language, CMAA Social Services team members informed him of the available programs.
Despite the team’s assurances that he could safely apply for benefits, as stated by government agencies, Mark was skeptical of the process. He did not want to do anything that might jeopardize his immigration status. Because many state and federal immigration processes are high-stakes, confusing, and time-sensitive, mistrust is a familiar feeling for immigrants who navigate the restrictions and complex steps.
In 2024, after ten years of living in the U.S., Mark put his trust in CMAA’s guidance and returned to our offices asking for help to renew his green card. CMAA’s Citizenship Manager worked closely with the Social Services team to sign Mark up for benefits assistance and apply for a waiver for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ $760 green card renewal fee. CMAA supported Mark throughout the process, successfully receiving the fee waiver and submitting his green card application. Mark is prepared and looking forward to passing his interview.
When asked why Mark returned to CMAA and allowed the team to help him sign up for benefits, he responded, “Because I only speak Mandarin, My English is very poor, and I trust CMAA.”
Chinese Mutual Aid Association’s Social Services team supports all who walk through our doors. The Social Services team speaks five languages–English, Burmese, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese–to provide language access, resources, and community support to immigrant families in their native languages.
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