Immigration resources
Immigration help: non-profit organizations and laws that protect immigrants
Whether you are studying for the citizenship test or have another question about immigration, these are the places to ask for help and the main federal laws that protect people who live in the United States. Every item links to its source.
Start practicing →Get legal help safely
Only a licensed lawyer or an accredited representative may give legal advice about your immigration case. Some people pretend to be able to help and then take money. Before you pay or share documents, ask to see a license or an accreditation, and never sign a form you do not understand. Many non-profit groups give help for free or for a low fee.
- Department of Justice: Recognition and Accreditation Program
Explains how non-profits and their staff become approved to give immigration legal advice. Ask if an organization or person is approved.
- Department of Justice: list of pro bono legal service providers
Free legal service providers by state, for people in immigration court.
- USCIS: Find legal services
How to find a licensed lawyer or an accredited representative.
- USCIS: Common scams
Signs of immigration scams. A notario or notary public is not a lawyer in the United States and may not give legal advice about immigration.
Well-known non-profit organizations
These groups have helped immigrants and refugees for years. The list is short and is not a ranking. Some have religious roots, and they serve people of every faith. Each group has its own rules about who it can help, so check the website. We are not affiliated with any of them.
Free and low-cost legal help
These groups give legal help, or list lawyers who do. Most have limits on who they can help and where, so contact more than one.
Immigration Advocates Network
Runs a national directory of free and low-cost non-profit immigration legal help. You can search by place and by the kind of help you need. It is a project of Pro Bono Net.
Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC)
A network of Catholic and community programs that give low-cost immigration legal help. It trains and supports many programs that are approved by the Department of Justice. Help is open to people of every faith.
Official website of Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC)
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) · since 1979
Provides training, legal guides and information for lawyers, community groups and immigrants. Based in California.
National Immigrant Justice Center
A non-profit in Chicago that gives free legal services to immigrants, refugees and people who ask for asylum, and works on laws and policies.
Tahirih Justice Center · since 1997
Gives free legal and social services to immigrant women and girls who are survivors of violence.
Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)
Finds free lawyers for children who come to the United States without a parent or guardian.
Immigration Equality
Gives free legal help to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer immigrants and people with HIV who seek safety or status in the United States.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)
A national civil rights group that offers information and help for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, including for people who want to become citizens.
Official website of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)
Refugee resettlement and early help
These groups help refugees and other newcomers find a home, school and work in the first months.
HIAS · since 1881
A Jewish non-profit that helps refugees and other immigrants of any faith or background. It offers legal help and resettlement services.
International Rescue Committee · since 1933
Helps refugees in many countries and resettles refugees in cities across the United States. It was founded in 1933 at the suggestion of Albert Einstein.
Church World Service · since 1946
A group of Christian communities that resettles refugees in the United States and helps with their first months, including housing, school and jobs.
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service · since 1939
Welcomes refugees and other newcomers through local partners across the country, and gives help with settling in and with legal questions.
Official website of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Helps refugees and other immigrants settle in the United States through a network of local offices. It also gives information and legal help.
Official website of U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Community support and English classes
Local offices differ. Call or search the website for the closest one.
Catholic Charities USA
A network of local agencies that serve people of every faith. Many offer help for immigrants, such as English classes, legal clinics and food.
ProLiteracy
A non-profit with local programs that teach adults to read and speak English. Its programs can help you get ready for the English part of the citizenship interview.
California and the San Francisco Bay Area
These groups serve people who live in California. Several are in the East Bay, around Oakland and Fremont.
Asian Law Caucus · since 1972
A legal and civil rights group in San Francisco for low-income Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. It gives free legal information and referrals, and in some cases free help with immigration detention and deportation.
California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ)
An Oakland non-profit that gives legal help and advocacy to people held in immigration detention in California. Its website has a guide for families after someone is detained, and a list of rapid response hotlines.
Official website of California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice (CCIJ)
Alameda County Health: Immigrant Health and Rights
The county health agency's page for immigrant families. It has family preparedness plans in several languages, know-your-rights posters, guidance on public benefits and data privacy, and a list of free legal help in Alameda County.
Official website of Alameda County Health: Immigrant Health and Rights
Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay · since 1877
Resettles refugees in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, with help finding housing, school, English classes, health care and legal services. Staff speak Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Ukrainian and other languages.
Official website of Jewish Family & Community Services East Bay
Afghan Coalition · since 1996
A Fremont non-profit for Afghan refugees and immigrants. It helps with housing, food, public benefits, health care, translation, citizenship and crises, and runs groups for women and young people.
Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants (CERI)
An Oakland non-profit that offers mental health care for refugee and immigrant families, with counseling and support groups in several languages. Its care coordinators help people find services and offer interpretation, and it runs programs for young people.
Official website of Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants (CERI)
Asian Immigrant Women Advocates (AIWA) · since 1983
An Oakland group for low-income Asian immigrant women and young people who are still learning English. It offers education, leadership training and a way to work together on the issues that affect them.
Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) · since 2006
A national group founded in Oakland for Black immigrants and African Americans. It offers legal advocacy, organizing and policy work on immigration and racial justice.
Official website of Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI)
Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE)
A statewide community organization that works on housing and immigrant rights. Local chapters hold free know-your-rights workshops about tenant protections and immigration.
Official website of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE)
California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) · since 1996
A statewide immigrant rights group with offices in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Oakland. It works on state policies such as health care, food help and driver's licenses for people of any immigration status.
Official website of California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC)
Information and research
These groups publish guides, fact sheets and research.
American Immigration Council
A non-profit that publishes research and fact sheets about immigration and the people who come to the United States, and offers legal resources.
National Immigration Law Center · since 1979
Works on the rights of low-income immigrants through legal cases, research and information guides.
Finding a lawyer
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
A professional association of immigration lawyers. Its website lets you search for a lawyer. Lawyers charge fees unless they work for a non-profit.
Official website of American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
Key federal laws that protect immigrants
This is a short list of well-known federal laws and court decisions. Some protect every person in the United States, and some are for particular groups, such as refugees or survivors of crime. We say what each one does. We link to a government source for each one. Laws and policies change, and states have their own laws.
Fifth and 14th Amendments: due process and equal protection · 1791 and 1868
The 14th Amendment says a state may not deny to "any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws" and may not take a person's life, liberty or property without due process of law. The Fifth Amendment says a similar thing about the federal government. These words say "person," not "citizen," and the Supreme Court has applied them to people in the United States who are not citizens.
Plyler v. Doe · 1982
A Supreme Court decision. A state may not deny a free public school education to children because of their immigration status or their parents' status. The Department of Education explains how schools apply it.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act · 1964
Bars discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs and activities that receive federal money, such as many schools, hospitals and social service agencies.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (national origin and work) · 1964
Bars employers with 15 or more workers from treating workers differently because of their national origin, race, color, religion or sex.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: national origin discrimination
Anti-discrimination rule in the Immigration and Nationality Act · 1986
Bars most employers from treating job applicants and workers differently because of citizenship status or national origin, and from asking for more or different documents than the law requires. The Department of Justice enforces it.
Department of Justice: Immigrant and Employee Rights Section
Fair Labor Standards Act · 1938
Sets the federal minimum wage and overtime pay. The Department of Labor says it enforces these rules without regard to a worker's immigration status.
Department of Labor: Wage and Hour Division, questions from workers
Fair Housing Act · 1968
Bars discrimination in renting, buying and financing a home because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability or family status.
Department of Housing and Urban Development: Fair Housing Act overview
Refugee Act and asylum law · 1980
Sets the process to admit refugees from other countries and the process to ask for asylum for people who are already in the United States or at the border. Both are for people who fear harm in their home country for certain reasons, such as race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.
Temporary Protected Status · 1990
Lets the Department of Homeland Security allow people from certain countries to stay and work in the United States for a limited time when conditions at home, such as war or a natural disaster, make return unsafe. The countries on the list change.
Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petition · 1994
Allows some abused spouses, children and parents of US citizens and permanent residents to ask for legal status on their own, without the abuser's knowledge or help. USCIS updates its guidance from time to time, so check it before you file.
Child Citizenship Act · 2000
Gives automatic US citizenship to some children born outside the United States when they live in the United States with a parent who is a citizen and have a green card. The child must be under 18.
USCIS Policy Manual: automatic acquisition of citizenship after birth
T and U visas (Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act) · 2000
The T visa is for victims of human trafficking. The U visa is for victims of certain crimes who help law enforcement. Both can lead to permission to stay and work.
The right to a lawyer in immigration court · Immigration and Nationality Act, section 240
A person in removal proceedings has the right to be represented by a lawyer. The government does not pay for the lawyer, but the Department of Justice lists free legal service providers by state.
Department of Justice: list of pro bono legal service providers
Checked in October 2026. This page is general education and is not legal advice. For news about current rules, see the USCIS alerts and the Federal Register. To see how these laws grew over time, read the history of immigration to the United States. If something here is out of date, use Report a problem in the footer.
Getting ready for citizenship
If you plan to apply for citizenship, a legal clinic or an accredited representative can check your forms. For the civics test and the English test, you can practice at home. WelcomeOath asks every question out loud, in your language and in English, and brings back the ones you still miss.
Questions people ask
Where can I find free immigration legal help?
Non-profit groups give free or low-cost help, and the Immigration Advocates Network keeps a search directory of them. The Department of Justice also lists free legal service providers by state for people in immigration court. Ask any group if it is approved to give immigration legal advice.
What is an accredited representative?
An accredited representative works for a non-profit that the Department of Justice has recognized. The person is approved to give immigration legal advice and to represent people before DHS and the immigration courts, usually for a low fee or no fee.
Is a notario the same as a lawyer?
No. In many countries a notario is a lawyer. In the United States a notary public is not allowed to give legal advice about immigration. USCIS warns people to ask for the license of a lawyer or the approval of an accredited representative.
Do laws protect immigrants who are not citizens?
Yes, in many areas. For example, the Fifth and 14th Amendments use the word "person," public schools must enroll children whatever their immigration status, and federal laws bar discrimination at work, in housing and in programs that receive federal money. The list on this page gives the details and sources.
Are these the only laws that matter?
No. This is a short list of well-known federal laws. States have their own laws, and laws and policies change. For your own case, ask a licensed immigration lawyer or an accredited representative, and check USCIS for current rules.
Does WelcomeOath recommend these organizations?
We list well-known organizations so you know where to look. We do not rate them, and we are not affiliated with any of them or with USCIS. Check for yourself that an organization can help with your situation.
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