‘A Very Special Moment:' New Citizens Take Oath as USCIS Unveils Vermont Field Office

The new facility was designed with efficiency and video conferencing in mind, the agency said By Jack Thurston • Published June 22, 2022 • Updated on June 22, 2022 at 5:41 pm Some of the country’s newest citizens joined in a celebration Wednesday for an unveiling of the new Vermont field office for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — which is a design the agency says will be used as a model for future buildings nationwide. The USCIS Burlington Field Office, located close to Interstate 89 in Colchester, replaces a facility in St. Albans. It serves all of Vermont and part of northern New York. Inspired by what it learned throughout the pandemic, the agency said its buildings will now better incorporate space for video meetings and be more streamlined for efficiency. "We won’t have to lead people back through a maze of cubicles to perform a private interview," USCIS Deputy Director Jennifer Higgins told the audience gathered for Wednesday’s dedication ceremony. Naturalization interviews, permanent resident processing, in-person appointments, fingerprinting, and official photography are among the services that will be offered in the new facility. More Vermont news NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE POLICE JUN 22 Vt. Man Dead After Truck Drifts Off I-93 in NH, Plunges Into Connecticut River VERMONT JUN 21 Horses, Other Animals Seized During Vermont Cruelty Investigation HARPOON JUN 19 Maker of Harpoon Beers to Acquire Vermont’s Long Trail After USCIS cut the ribbon on the field office, officials administered the oath of allegiance to a dozen new citizens. "It’s a really important day," said Paola Bayne, a Brazilian-American who works in finance in Rutland. "It’s a country of opportunities." "It’s a very special moment," added Lucero Mullins, a Peruvian-American who first came to Vermont under a student visa to work at a ski resort — that industry really depends on young people like her. Mullins at first thought she’d just be here a short while, she said. "Life brought me here, and I met the love of my life and I have a beautiful family and my life is here," Mullins told NECN & NBC10 Boston. "I did (work visa trips) twice and I fell in love with Vermont right away." Mullins and Bayne both said their first order of business is registering to vote in Vermont’s primary election in August and in the general in November, with Bayne adding she looks forward to proudly wearing her "I voted" sticker. For more information, please contact us at: http://www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com/index.html