- Call us at (612) 341-9845 on Tuesdays from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and Thursdays from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm to talk with one of our non-lawyer staff members. Due to the high volume of calls, please be prepared to wait on hold while our staff assists other callers.
- A non-lawyer staff member will ask questions about you and your immigration case to see if we can help you.
- After the phone intake, our team will review your case. This process may take a few weeks. Thank you for your patience. During this time, we may contact you to ask more questions or request documents.
- If we can help you, we will contact you to provide an update on your case and the next steps. If we cannot help, you will be directed to free or low-cost help when possible.
- Fill out our online intake form which is only available during our intake hours on Tuesdays from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and Thursdays from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Links to the form will appear below at these times. Be prepared to answer questions about yourself and your immigration case.
- After filling out the form, a non-lawyer staff member will contact you to ask more questions or request documents to help us assess your situation.
- Once we have all the information we need, our team will review your case. This process may take a few weeks. Thank you for your patience.
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If we can help you, we will contact you to provide an update on your case and information about the next steps. If we cannot help, you will be directed to free or low-cost help when possible.
No, our office is closed for walk-ins.
No, everything you tell us is confidential and will not be shared without your permission.
- Your asylum application (Form I-589), if you have already filed it with USCIS or immigration court.
- Your I-589 Receipt Notice (if filed with USCIS)
- Form I-94
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Your work permit
- What date did you enter the United States?
- Have you submitted any applications for relief with the immigration court or USCIS?
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Why did you leave your home country?
The time it takes to receive a decision varies from case to case, but the process generally takes several weeks and can last up to a few months. There are many factors that may affect how long it takes to receive a decision, including but not limited to: the complexity of an individual’s immigration history; our staff’s capacity to respond to a high number of requests for assistance; changing immigration law; and extreme circumstances outside of our control. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to evaluate your request as efficiently as possible.
No, we do not charge any money for the services we provide. For this reason, we are not able to offer legal assistance to every person that contacts our office. Going through our intake process will allow us to determine if we can offer you our legal services.
Everybody’s case is different. The fact that we cannot offer you free legal services does not mean you do not have legal option(s) available to you. Some of the factors we consider when deciding whether we can accept a case include: the kind of legal assistance you are seeking; the amount of financial and other resources you may have to hire a private attorney; the complexity of your case and whether it would be a good fit for a volunteer attorney; our internal capacity to assist; and the strength of your legal claim and the likelihood it would be successful.
If The Advocates cannot accept your case, we will send you a letter notifying you of this decision by email or postal mail. This letter will provide self-help legal resources and/or contact information to seek other free or low-cost legal assistance when possible.
If The Advocates accepts your case, we will notify you of this decision by email or phone call. Please note that even after we accept your case, it may take several months before your case is placed with a volunteer attorney. Thank you for your patience in this process as we try to connect clients with volunteer attorneys as efficiently as possible. Once we have placed your case with a volunteer attorney, we will send you an acceptance letter through email or postal mail and contact you to explain the next steps.
