Immigration Law Help For Military Families
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Immigration law is a complex area of the law that affects everyone. It covers everything from the types of visas available to foreign nationals to the process for gaining legal status in the United States to the rights of undocumented individuals.
If you are a foreign national, getting help with your immigration case can make a big difference in the outcome. Whether you are filing an application for a new type of visa or changing your immigration status, it’s important to get the advice of an experienced lawyer.
Military OneSource
As the military continues to diversify, many non-citizen service members and their families must navigate the immigration system. AILA has partnered with the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Assistance Offices (LAO) to provide free immigration law help to active duty service members and their families in need.
As a result, a growing number of JAG attorneys have been inundated with questions from their service members and their families. These complicated and time-consuming cases require the knowledge of experienced immigration attorneys.
You can find free resources and support to help you with your immigration law issues at Military OneSource, the Department of Defense’s call center for service members and their families. They can offer real-time language interpretation, document translations and immigration counseling.
ActionNYC
ActionNYC is a Citywide program that provides immigration law help to all New Yorkers, regardless of their documented status. Across a network of trusted community-based organizations, the program offers free immigration legal consultations and referrals to other government services in a language that is spoken by the person seeking help.
In her role as an organizer, Pura Cruz often visits schools and public libraries to share information on individual rights and available immigration services. She also dispels misconceptions about immigration law and helps people set up appointments to obtain further help.
For Pura, the most rewarding aspect of her work is knowing that she is helping individuals who have been mistreated by unscrupulous lawyers or who may be unsure about their immigration status. As the daughter of two immigrants, she is driven by her desire to serve immigrant communities.
CLINIC
A clinic is an organized medical service offering diagnostic, therapeutic or preventive outpatient services. It may be a group practice or a medical institution such as a hospital or an outpatient department of a hospital.
The Immigrant Rights Clinic offers students the opportunity to apply lawyering skills to cases of importance to low-income immigrants. Working under close faculty supervision, clinic students represent clients on a variety of immigration law matters including deportation defense, petitions for asylum and community legal education.
Whether drafting complex legal briefs, arguing cases or conducting fact investigation, students gain real-life, hands-on experience. They also learn important lawyering skills such as client interviewing and counseling, fact-gathering, problem-solving, cultural awareness, witness preparation, negotiation, litigation and policy analysis.
AILA
AILA is a non-profit organization that works to help immigrant families with immigration law issues. Their network of over 39 chapters and 50 national committees across the country connects families to legal assistance.
AILA also advocates for legislative and policy reforms that are in line with their principles and priorities. For example, they recently urged Congress to provide more funding for USCIS to address its backlogs and processing delays.
Members also urge Congress to reform the immigration courts to guarantee judicial independence, fairness, and consistency in decision-making. Use the template below to contact your member of Congress and ask them to cosponsor legislation that establishes an independent, Article I immigration court system.
AILA also provides Know Your Rights brochures to LPRs to inform them of their rights when ICE stops them at ports of entry and other scenarios. They are available in three versions: one with a link to the Immigration Lawyer Search, a version that members can co-brand with their contact information, and a completely customizable version.
