Follow the link above for more information on how you can get involved!
Need a legal consultation about your immigration situation?
Call: 617-405-5479
Please leave a message with your name and contact number. You can call the message line any time before the third Wednesday of the month.
The next legal clinic date is Wednesday, June 21, 2023 .
First, De Novo Staff will:
Return the call and ask questions to help assign you to an Immigration Attorney.
Offer in-person appointments, when possible, starting in April 2023.
Roll additional calls to the next month if capacity is reached.
Then, you will receive a call from a volunteer Immigration Attorney a few days after the third Wednesday of the month.
Click here to download the English PDF Legal Clinic Flyer.
The flyer will soon be available to download in the following languages:
አማርኛ (Amharic)| عربي (Arabic) | বাংলা (Bengali) (Simplified Chinese)| Español | Kreyòl ayisyen (Haitian Creole) | Soomaali (Somali) | Português
Are you new to Cambridge?
Check out our New Resident Guide for Cambridge-specific resources in the service areas most commonly needed by immigrants new to the City.
Looking for legal resources in the Boston Area?
Use the box to learn about immigrant legal services or click the link to view as a website.
Need information on COVID 19 and the Vaccine in different languages?
The City of Cambridge has handouts translated in multiple languages. Click here to view the information .
English , Español , عربي (Arabic) , 中文 (Chinese , and Other languages can be found here .
You can also contact Massachusetts Informational and Referral hotline 211 for the COVID-19 Vaccine
(877) 211-6277: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are free and confidential. Interpreter services are available in multiple languages. TTY (508) 370-4890: All calls are free and confidential.
To access information from the State in multiple languages, click here .
Need information regarding changes to the Public Charge Rule?
What is public charge? “Public charge” or the “public charge test” is used by immigration officials to decide whether a person can enter the U.S. or get a green card (Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status). In this test, officials look at all of a person’s circumstances, including income, employment, health, education or skills, family situation and whether a sponsor signed a contract (“affidavit of support”) promising to support the person. Officials can also look at whether a person has used specific benefit programs. The public charge test does not apply to green card holders who are applying for U.S. citizenship.
The Cambridge Health Alliance prepared a website with information with information, resources, and where to get the help you need .
Please check the Protecting Immigrant Families website for regular updates regarding changes to immigration policies. Click here to learn more on how to navigate the Public Charge Rule change.
Follow these links for additional legal assistance:
Overview of Basic Rights (Translations available at these websites)
Visit the State's website for the Emergency Planning Guide for Families prepared by the Office of Attorney General
Click here to download the Emergency Planning Guide for Families in English , Kreyòl ayisyen (Haitian Creole ), Español , and Português
The guide outlines care and custody options, including caregiver authorization, temporary agent authorization, and guardianship of a minor. The guide offers a comparison of how these options differ, and outlines the process for setting up each of these arrangements. It also offers a checklist of documents that parents may want to ensure they have in a safe place and available to the child and his or her caregiver as needed, such as passports, medical records, contact information and more.
Are you worried about TPS?
Click here for more information from MIRA.
We do not warranty their information nor have we verified it.
About CIRC
The Commission on Immigrant Rights & Citizenship (CIRC) was formed in September 2016 to address the needs of Cambridge’s immigrant community. It accomplishes this through its work in the following areas:
Providing outreach material regarding immigrant rights and resources, both through its website and in locations throughout the City.
Coordinating “Know Your Rights” (KYR) Trainings, provided by experienced Immigration Attorneys, in conjunction with the American Immigration Lawyers Association – New England (AILA-NE) and the Political Asylum and Immigration/Representation (PAIR) Project. Know Your Rights trainings can be arranged through the CIRC Office, by host organizations with sites located in Cambridge.
Providing “Red Cards” in eight predominant local foreign languages (Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish and Somali). Red Cards are provided at KYR Trainings, in the CIRC Office and by mail (in limited quantities) upon request.
Providing Outreach and Referral Services through a CIRC staff person who will assist Cambridge immigrant residents with identifying, accessing and obtaining City and local services and resources. This CIRC Outreach Worker will reach out to faith-based organizations, community organizations and meeting places that serve immigrant populations, to provide assistance to Cambridge resident immigrants related to housing, benefits, ESOL classes, citizenship classes, legal services and counseling needs. The CIRC Outreach Worker will be available to provide these services starting in fall 2017.
Click here to sign up for our newsletter!
Staff and members of the Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship discuss how their work serves immigrant residents in Cambridge.
News
Pathway for Immigrant Workers (PIW) is a Cambridge-based nonprofit serving the Greater Boston area. PIW represents local employers who would not otherwise have the means to sponsor a minimum wage worker for a green card. PIW will assist low wage workers in employment-sponsored lawful permanent residence applications. After an initial assessment, if appropriate PIW will represent the employer in the immigration process.
This event is co-sponsored by the Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship and the Department of Human Services Programs. We are working with Mass Hire and the African Bridge Network to provide Orientation Workshops for Foreign-Trained Professionals where recent skilled immigrants and refugees can connect with experts, peers, and career resources. These workshops will be hosted throughout the calendar year in Cambridge, Greater Boston, Worcester, Roxbury, Woburn, and North Shore.
The Clinic is held virtually on the third Wednesday of every month. Callers leave a message with their information. De Novo staff screen the messages and assign callers to volunteer attorneys based on practice area and language, when possible. Volunteer attorneys then provide brief advice, screen for immigration legal needs, and refer to additional legal resources if appropriate. De Novo immigration attorneys provide supervisory support.
The Commission acts as a centralizing organization in Cambridge, to address immigrant rights and citizenship issues through providing information, referral, guidance, coordination and technical assistance to other public agencies and private persons, organizations and institutions engaged in activities and programs intended to support immigrant rights and citizenship.
Cambridge welcomes immigrants and wants to encourage their success and access to opportunity and advancement in this country. It is a goal of this Commission to get the message of welcome out, through collaboration with organizations that already provide services and outreach to our immigrant communities.
More News