One-Stop Immigration Center Opens in Chatsworth

A new immigration center opened in Chatsworth Thursday offering one-stop service to clients who no longer need to travel downtown and go from one building to another to another.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services center at 19809 Prairie St. will serve Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

The agency oversees lawful immigration into the United States.

“This is an effort to bring services closest to the community we serve,” said
spokeswoman Mariana Gitomer. “We are happy to be in the Valley and servicing the community.”

Naturalization tests, photographs, green cards, work permits and passports are some of the services offered at the new center.

“(Clients) can get fingerprinted here, ask questions about their cases and there’s free parking in a modern, high-tech location,” Gitomer added.

About 100 of the employees at the new center transferred from downtown Los Angeles .

Gitomer said finding a location for the new center was a long process.

She didn’t know why Chatsworth was selected, but speculated it would result in less travel time for those from other counties and, of course, elsewhere in the San Fernando Valley.

Immigration services also include adopting children from other countries; aid to those displaced by war, famine and civil and political unrest; assistance to those forced to flee their countries to escape death and torture; and a free genealogy program providing researchers access to historical immigration and naturalization records of deceased immigrants.

For more information visit www.uscis.gov, or call 800-375-5283.

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