Protect yourself and your family by staying informed with trusted information about immigration. This hub is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice.
Understand your immigration options and how to protect yourself and your family. Click on a topic to learn more:
In 2012 President Obama announced a new program, “DACA” (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) for young people who came to the U.S. when they were children and who arrived before June 15, 2007.
On September 5, 2017, President Trump directed the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to end the DACA program. DACA recipients and advocates have challenged Trump’s attempts to end the DACA program in court with a case that made it all the way to the Supreme Court.
While we await a final decision in the court case, individuals with a current, unexpired DACA maintain their protection from deportation and work permit until their current expiration date. As of September 5, 2017 USCIS is no longer accepting new INITIAL DACA applications but it IS accepting DACA RENEWAL applications.
For information about how to renew your DACA if you currently have it, check out these resources from our partners at United We Dream.
To speak with an attorney about whether you should apply for DACA renewal at this time, enter your zip code on the Find Legal Help page to find a legal service provider near you.
If this doesn’t apply to you, click here to explore more options.
U.S. citizens and legal residents (green card holders) can help a family member get a green card and stay in the U.S. legally. Not every family member is eligible. Some people can get a green card soon, and others have to wait for years. Some people can wait in the U.S. for the process, but others have to leave for an interview at a consulate. There are special rules for U.S. military families.
If this doesn’t apply to you, click here to explore more options.
Immigrants who are victims of certain crimes may qualify for a “U Visa” or a “T Visa.” These visas make it safer for immigrants without documents to call the police.
In many places, police collaborate with immigration enforcement such as ICE. People are afraid to call the police, because they are afraid of being deported. The U and T Visas are for people who share information about a crime with the police. People who qualify for a U or T Visa can get a work permit and have permission to stay in the U.S. After that, they can apply for legal residency (a green card). A close family member who qualifies for a U or T Visa might be able to help other family members get one too.
If this is an emergency, call 911. If you are afraid to call the police, get a lawyer or advocate to help you. Enter your zip code on the Find Legal Help page to find a legal service provider near you or learn more about interacting with law enforcement on the Know Your Rights page.
If this doesn’t apply to you, click here to explore more options.
Sometimes an employer or boss who is treating the workers badly is also breaking the law. Employers are not allowed to touch workers abusively or sexually, keep workers locked up, pay little or no money, make workers have sex, trick them into coming to the U.S. by lying about a job, threaten or force workers to lie to investigators about work conditions or records, threaten to call immigration, engage in blackmail, visa fraud, and more. The “U Visa” and “T Visa” protect and help immigrants who have been abused at work.
Immigrants who are abused at work are sometimes afraid to report the problem because they are afraid of being deported. The U and T Visas protect victims who have information for the police. People who qualify for a U or T Visa can get a work permit and have permission to stay in the U.S. After that, they can apply for legal residency (a green card). A close family member who qualifies for a U or T Visa might be able to help other family members get one too.
For more information about rights at work, click here.
If this doesn’t apply to you, click here to explore more options.
VAWA is for immigrants who are harmed or threatened by a family member who is a U.S. citizen or legal resident (green card holder). The abuse can be physical or emotional. VAWA can help people stay legally in the U.S., and not have to stay with the abuser.
People who get VAWA can have a work permit, and apply later for legal residency (green card).
If a relative, spouse, or partner is hurting you, call 1-800-799-7233. It is a nonprofit hotline that helps people. Someone can talk to you in your language, answer your questions, and keep your information private.
If this doesn’t apply to you, click here to explore more options.
“Asylum” is protection for people who are afraid to return to their home country. Asylum helps people who are harmed or threatened because of who they are or what they believe. In some cases, asylum could protect a woman because she does not want to follow the rules for women in her country. (For example, having a traditional gender role or partner, forced marriage, forced sterilization or abortion, and genital mutilation.) Women who were abused by a partner or spouse in their home country sometimes qualify for asylum. It is harder to apply for asylum after living in the U.S. for more than one year.
People who get asylum can have a work permit and apply for legal residency (green card).
If this doesn’t apply to you, click here to explore more options.
This site does not have all the information and all the ways to stay here legally. And not everyone qualifies for permission to stay legally in the U.S. Enter your zip code on the Find Legal Help page to find a legal service provider near you and learn more about your options.
Even if these options do not help you, there are things you can do to protect yourself and your family:
If this doesn’t apply to you, click here to explore more options.