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- Ogden officials have approved creation of a program meant to help immigrants become U.S. citizens.
- Nearly 60,000 legal permanent residents in Utah are eligible to apply for U.S. naturalization, including around 3,300 in Weber County
- Path to Citizenship, launched in 2024 as a pilot program, offers participants civics classes and legal assistance.
OGDEN — Ogden leaders have formalized a pilot program aimed at helping legal immigrants navigate the next steps required to become full-fledged U.S. citizens.
Nearly 60,000 legal permanent residents in Utah are eligible to apply for U.S. naturalization. Of those, around 3,300 are in Weber County, said Linda Lartigue, who heads Ogden's Office of Community Engagement, the driving force behind the program. On average, though, immigrants spend seven years as legal residents before seeking U.S. citizenship, and the PATH to Citizenship program is designed to encourage the naturalization process.
"The goal of the PATH program is to remove obstacles to obtaining citizenship and to educate new citizens on their civic responsibilities," reads a city memo on the program.
The unique Ogden initiative — "the first of its kind," said Lartigue — launched as a pilot program last year, leading 17 Weber County residents to become U.S. citizens. The Ogden City Council on Tuesday unanimously formalized its conversion into an annual program.
"It was neat to be part of this last year, watching those go through the program and the graduation ceremony, and then ultimately doing the citizenship (ceremony) in these chambers was a neat opportunity, as well," said City Council Chairman Ken Richey. The new citizens came from Germany, Mexico, Bolivia, Brazil and South Africa.
As part of the program, participants take part in a citizenship and civics class offered by the Weber County Library System and can tap the help of immigration experts from Catholic Community Services, an immigrant advocacy group. Those in the class also receive visits from a cross-section of community leaders — from law enforcement, the local judiciary, Weber County government and Ogden government.
The program has a budget of $21,000 for 2025, with most of that — $14,200 — earmarked to cover the cost of the U.S. citizenship application for class members. Aside from the Weber County Library System and Catholic Community Services, partners include My Hometown Ogden, a civic organization, and United Way of Northern Utah. The plan is to turn the Path to Citizenship program into an annual effort with up to 30 class members per cycle.
Lartigue said applications to take part in the 2025 installment of the citizenship initiative will be accepted, probably starting Monday, with more information on the program website. Classes are to start in March. Applicants for citizenship must be lawful permanent residents for the past three to five years, have basic English reading, writing and speaking skills and be willing to take the oath of allegiance to the United States, among other things.
