KIAC WELCOMES A NEW ACCREDITED REPRESENTATIVE

KIAC’s volunteer Accredited Representatives are with our immigration legal clients every step of the process. And earlier this month, we welcomed Doug H to the Accredited Representative (AR) team! Becoming a DOJ Accredited Representative is not an easy task and requires a lengthy process of both study and shadowing. We could not be more proud to have Doug join our team of ARs.

We asked Doug to share a bit about his process of becoming an AR, and he had this to say:

In 2019, I became concerned with news of Trump’s separation of immigrant families at the US-Mexican border.  Meanwhile, a friend of mine (Libby Palmer, former KIAC Board Member) was active with the Jefferson County Immigrant Rights Activists (JCIRA). We discussed ways to help, and I decided the Accredited Representative (AR) Program sounded like the best way for me to get involved.  After a trip to the KIAC office to meet (Board members & volunteers) Ray and Althea, I signed up for the first of many trainings in immigration law, and began observing and assisting some of our ARs.  After a little over a year of training (averaging about 10 hrs/wk), I decided in January 2021 to start assembling my AR application, and a year later it was approved! I hope to focus on clients who want to became citizens.  My hope is that the more immigrant-citizens we have in the U.S. — bringing new energy, diverse talents and perspectives — the better chance we have of solving our national problems. Immigration law is very complicated, and the application process for immigrants seeking visas, green cards, or citizenship is arduous, but there is a nationwide support-system of immigrant-advocates who can help ARs with legal questions. Best of all, it is a pleasure to work with the dedicated KIAC legal team.

-Doug H

We are so excited to welcome Doug to our team of ARs! Thank you for your dedication to our mission, and we look forward to working with you, too!

Feeling inspired and want to become an AR yourself? Check out: https://kitsapiac.org/volunteer/