How it works
How a case moves through the clinic
Five steps, in the same order for every family.
- 01
Step 1: A first conversation
Thirty minutes, by phone or in person, in English or Spanish. We listen, tell you whether we can help, and say so honestly if we cannot.
- 02
Step 2: Eligibility and fee
We look at your papers and your household and set a fee on our sliding scale. You see it in writing before you decide.
- 03
Step 3: A plan in writing
A short letter lists what we will do, the deadlines, and what we need from you.
- 04
Step 4: Preparing and filing
We draft, you review every page, and we file together on a date we agree on.
- 05
Step 5: After we file
We watch for notices, prepare you for interviews or hearings, and call when something changes.
A word of caution
Check who is helping with your forms
In many countries a notario is a lawyer. In the United States a notary public is not, and cannot advise you on immigration. People lose money, and sometimes their cases, to those who say otherwise.
Union Colony Legal Clinic is a clinic of licensed lawyers. We are not notarios, and we never ask you to sign a blank form.
Before you pay anyone, ask for their bar number, and ask for the fee and the plan in writing.
Four rules
Ask for the lawyer's name and bar number
Never sign a blank form
Keep a copy of everything you file
Get the fee and the plan in writing
