Immigration Legal Services
Our legal team represents clients on a range of issues and aids them in seeking the most appropriate relief, including: family petitions, adjustments of status, consular processing, inadmissibilty and deportability waivers, removal/deportation defense, motions to suppress evidence, administrative closure based on prosecutorial discretion, asylum, withholding of removal, relief under the Convention Against Torture, cancellation of removal, U-visas for victims of certain crimes, relief under Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), T-visas for victims of trafficking, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Lawful Permanent Resident status, citizenship and naturalization, and other family based and humanitarian relief. NSC also advises clients and criminal defense attorneys of the potential immigration consequences stemming from an immigrant's contact with the criminal justice system.
Eligibility and Access:
To receive legal services at Nationalities Service Center (NSC), you must first attend an initial consultation. Consultations will be limited to twelve persons during each walk-in hours session. Consultations are not first-come first-served.
Walk-in hours for initial consultations:
Please note: The legal clinic will be closed on March 22nd and 29th. Consults on Fridays will open again in April. Starting April 16th, consultations will be held on Tuesday afternoons at 1pm except for the last Tuesday of every month.
You must arrive by the start time to be considered for a consultation. Consultations limited to 12 individuals per session.
Fees - There is a $60 initial consultation fee for legal services. Fees must be paid by money order or credit card. No cash or personal checks accepted.
Please bring all documents related to your immigration legal needs.
Confidentiality:
All information received from a client is strictly confidential. Your information will not be released to any third party without your consent.
Immigration Policy
Access to a lawyer and advocacy in the halls of government are essential as immigrants in Philadelphia wade through unfamiliar court systems and constantly changing government policies. NSC engages in advocacy and educational efforts with elected officials, government agencies, and the media. By working on NSC specific initiatives and within regional and national coalitions, we seek to protect and promote laws and policies to benefit immigrants at the federal, state, and local level.
NSC’s Legal Services and Immigration Policy program works on behalf of immigrant clients through these specialties:
Special Initiatives
Legal Services for Victims of Domestic Violence
Both temporary and permanent immigration relief may be available to immigrants victims of domestic violence and other qualifying crimes. NSC staff partners with agencies throughout the region to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to immigrant victims of trauma and violence. NSC staff also works with immigrants who have suffered other types of gender-based violence. Upon meeting eligibility requirements, many survivors of domestic violence will be eligible for free legal services at NSC.
The Bienvenidos Project for Unaccompanied Children
Bienvenidos is the Spanish word for welcome. NSC welcomes children to the United States who have fled violence and extreme poverty by representing them in state and immigration court proceedings in order to seek lawful immigration status. Additionally, NSC connects unaccompanied children to social services focusing on access to education and healthcare.
The Anti-Human Trafficking Project
Our Anti-Human Trafficking Project leverages NSC’s established immigration legal services to assist survivors obtain long-term immigration status, most commonly U or T Nonimmigrant status. Survivors are served through a combination of direct representation by NSC staff and a pro bono network of attorneys. Project staff also aid survivors in their cooperation with law enforcement and evaluate other legal needs.
Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience (PPR)
PPR provides legal services to individuals in the Greater Philadelphia region who are torture suvivors. PPR will provide free legal services internally or through a pro bono referral to eligible torture survivors through an integrated approach that includes coordination with case management, interpretation, forensic and other mental health service providers.