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Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship

CIRC Logo

Have questions about your immigration status? Call 617-405-5479 

The Cambridge Commission on Immigrant Rights & Citizenship (CIRC), in collaboration with the De Novo Center for Justice and Healing, provides a free monthly Virtual Immigration Legal Screening Clinic. The Clinic is held virtually on the third Wednesday of every month. The next clinic is on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. 

  • Callers can leave a message with their information.
  • De Novo staff will review messages and follow-up with any additional questions.
  • You will receive a call from a volunteer attorneys, based on their practice area and language when possible.
  • Volunteer attorneys can provide brief advice, screen for immigration legal needs, and refer to additional legal resources, if appropriate.

Click here for the English flyer with the 2024 clinic dates.

The flyer is available to download in the following languages:

አማርኛ (Amharic)عربي (Arabic) | বাংলা (Bangla) |简体中文 (Simplified Chinese) |Español (Spanish)Kreyòl ayisyen (Haitian Creole) |Português (Portuguese)


Volunteer Attorneys Needed for Cambridge Immigration Legal Screening Clinic

Follow the link above for more information on how you can get involved!


Are you new to Cambridge?

Read our New Resident Guide for resources for new immigrants in Cambridge.

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.


Have housing questions?

Click below to read our housing frequently asked questions in the following languages.

አማርኛ (Amharic) عربي (Arabic) | বাংলা (Bangla) |简体中文 (Simplified Chinese) |EnglishEspañol (Spanish) Kreyòl ayisyen (Haitian Creole) | Português (Portuguese)


About CIRC

The Commission on Immigrant Rights & Citizenship (CIRC) works to welcome, inform, connect, and support Cambridge’s immigrant community. CIRC staff help immigrant residents with accessing local services and resources for:
  • Housing
  • Benefits
  • ESOL classes
  • Citizenship classes
  • Legal services
  • Counseling

CIRC also has the following services:

  • CIRC can coordinate a “Know Your Rights” (KYR) Training for your organization. They are provided by Immigration Attourneys, along with the American Immigration Lawyers Association – New England (AILA-NE) and the Political Asylum and Immigration/ Representation (PAIR) Project. Schedule a Know Your Rights training by contacting our office.
  • CIRC provides “Red Cards” that list your rights that you can give to immigration officers. Red cards are available in Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish and Somali. Find them at KYR Trainings, in the CIRC Office, and by mail upon request.

Click to view CIRC's video to learn more about how we serve immigrant residents in Cambridge.  

Read the Cambridge Immigrant Rights and Citizenship Commission Ordinance here.


 


Tips and FAQs

Where can I find COVID 19 and Vaccine help in different languages?

  • For COVID 19 multilingual help, click to read the City’s handouts in different languages.
  • Click to access the state’s frequently asked questions in different languages.
  • Go to the CDC website to view COVID resources in other languages.
  • Call 211 Massachusetts Informational and Referral hotline for the COVID-19 Vaccine and other services. You can call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Interpreter services are available in different languages. All calls are free and confidential.
      Toll free: (877) 211-6277
    • TTY (508) 370-4890

I need help with emergency planning for my family.

   Visit the State's website for the Emergency Planning Guide for Families made by the Office of Attorney General. Click to view the guides in English, Kreyòl Ayisyen (Haitian Creole), Español, and Português.

 

The guide explains care and custody options, such as:

  • caregiver authorization
  • temporary agent authorization
  • guardianship of a minor.

The guide explains the process for setting up each arrangement. It also has a checklist of documents that should be available to the child and their caregivers when needed.

How can I find resources to help me know my rights?

How can I schedule a Know Your Rights (KYR) Training?

CIRC can offer KYR trainings at your organization, business, school, place of worship, apartment building, etc.

Contact the CIRC Office at 617-349-4396 or CIRC@Cambridgema.gov at least three weeks before a KYR Training. Let us know your proposed location, desired date(s) and time for the training (allow at least 1.5 hours).

Your host site should be large enough for your intended audience. It should have a projector, screen and laptop for use by the trainer. The host site should be accessible to persons with disabilities. A contact from the host organization must be present during the event.  If the training is during the evening, the host should consider providing food and childcare. CIRC will arrange for the trainer, provide outreach materials and “Red Cards.” CIRC can also provide a .pdf of an event poster for use by the host organization.

What is public charge?

Immigration officials use a "public charge test" to decide if a person can enter the U.S. or get a green card. Officials look at a person's income, employment, health, education, skills, and family situation. They can see whether a sponsor signed a contract, called “affidavit of support” promising to support the person. Officials can also look at whether a person has used specific benefit programs. 

Note: The public charge test does not apply to green card holders who are applying for U.S. citizenship. 

Check the Protecting Immigrant Families website website for updates about changes to immigration policies.Click here to learn more on how to navigate the Public Charge Rule change.

Click here for the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) webpage with localinformation and resources.

Where can I find updates about TPS and DACA?

Where can I find information about U or T visa applications?

Contact the Cambridge Police Department’s Office of the Legal Advisor. Contact Legal Advisor James Mulcahy at jmulcahy@cambridgepolice.org or (617) 349-3344.

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