About Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project

 

The Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project is a dynamic, first-of-its-kind statewide project in New York. 

We identify cases through our Immigration Legal Intake Clinics and our coordinated Community Legal Clinics held throughout the Archdiocese of New York.   Most cases are in dense and regionally isolated immigrant communities.

The Pro Bono Project is a key component of the core immigration legal services provided by Catholic Charities.  It is part of a statewide project to bring legal services to low-income immigrants seeking justice.

We focus on areas of immigrant representation for the most vulnerable.

We teach pro bono volunteer advocates to:

  • Prepare affirmative asylum applications for individuals afraid to return to their homes
  • Litigate asylum cases for mothers and children fleeing gang violence in Central America
  • Help unaccompanied immigrant children obtain special humanitarian protection due to abuse, neglect or abandonment
  • Empower survivors of violence to find safety, stability, and status through US immigration laws designed to protect victims of crime, trafficking, and familial abuse
  • Assist immigrants to reunify with family members, both here and through oversees processing

Every Pro Bono Project volunteer advocate will receive expert legal training and mentorship in each stage of a case and at each service event they choose to participate.  This ensures that each immigrant will receive the highest quality, competent, and professional assistance, in furtherance of our mission to welcome the stranger, recognize the dignity of each person, and strive for a just and compassionate society.

Immigrant & Refugee Services

Immigrant and Refugee Services of Catholic Charities welcomes and integrates immigrants, refugees, and vulnerable newcomers through:

  • Traditional and community-based immigration legal services
  • Refugee resettlement
  • English instruction at our International Center
  • Legal support and care for unaccompanied minors, and through information services, including the NYS Office of New Americans Hotline. 

Our services help immigrants:

  • Reunite legally with their families
  • Find a safe-haven from violence and persecution
  • Obtain proper work authorization
  • Learn English and civics
  • Prepare to pass citizenship exams

We also guide immigrants to avoid exploitation by unscrupulous practitioners and providers engaging in the unauthorized practice of immigration law.

Striving to holistically meet the needs of immigrants, Immigrant and Refugee Services brings hope and dignity to the most vulnerable and isolated. We ensure that immigrants across New York have access to legal counsel, human services, and a helping hand integrating into their communities and navigating challenges and opportunities in their new homes.

Catholic Charities Archdiocese of NY

Inspired by faith and moved to action, Catholic Charities reaches out to the poor and vulnerable. It serves the homeless, the hungry and the physically, mentally and emotionally challenged. Catholic Charities offers a comprehensive range of human and legal services to all individuals in need who reside in New York City (NYC) and the seven counties of the Lower Hudson Valley (LHV), including youth, neglected children, the elderly, immigrants, and others.