A Department of Justice (DOJ) accredited representative is a non-attorney who has demonstrated to the Department of Justice that they have enough education and experience in immigration law to provide immigration legal services.

It is crucial that clients seeking immigration legal services from non-profits, like CCCNMO, work with DOJ accredited representatives because:

1. US Immigration law is complicated and changes frequently. DOJ accreditation requires that accredited non-profit staff keep up-to-date with the changing landscape of immigration law. The accreditation program does this by ongoing educational opportunities and extensive trainings.
2. DOJ accreditation allows non-profit representatives to practice law. Many immigration clients seeking services at CCCNMO are here because a traditional licensed attorney may not be accessible to them, due to cost, location or availability. DOJ accredited representatives can practice law to the same extent as a licensed attorney, whereas non-accredited staff can only advise and refer for legal help.
3. DOJ accreditation ensures quality services are delivered to clients. Accreditation is a rigorous process, renewing every three years for individuals and every five years for our agency. The ability to maintain our accreditation speaks to our experience and expertise in immigration law, ensuring you receive top-quality services from our staff.

If you are seeking immigration legal services, we urge you to work with DOJ accredited representatives. Our office has encountered clients who have been misguided and whose cases have been negatively impacted by working with non-accredited service providers in the past. If you are seeking immigration legal help, call us today to schedule a consultation and get started.

Because families are at the heart of society, we seek to reunite and preserve immigrant families by offering a broad range of legal support services. Our program allows immigrants to integrate into our community with support across our agency including financial, social, emotional, and mental health help — preserving and strengthening these family units. Immigrants make up our rich, vibrant communities, and our legal services help them flourish.

Immigrants with a desire to follow the law of the United States need access to quality and affordable legal services, but often lack the financial resources needed to obtain them. This unmet need is addressed within our program, which is vital to immigrants on the journey to legal permanent resident status.

We provide immigration legal services that respect the inherent dignity of individuals and families. We most commonly provide services regarding legal status and family reunification. 

We do not provide criminal defense services for immigrants or refugees.

While this question is very nuanced, immigrants we serve are not necessarily here illegally. Most individuals and families seeking immigration legal services are looking for support to extend existing documentation, renew existing legal status or change their status. Oftentimes, immigrants seeking support from our program do not know how to legally apply for status changes, which our consultations can help with.

Family Immigration Services clients pay a nominal fee for our services. Clients of CCCNMO may pay as little as 1/10 the cost of legal services provided by an attorney or practice. Because needs vary greatly from client to client and situation to situation, fee schedules are available for clients during consultations or by phone.

It is important to know that immigration legal fees outside of our agency are set at state and federal levels and may not be able to be changed. Our staff work with clients one-on-one to determine if fee waivers are applicable to individuals seeking status changes or other legal services. 

Supporting Catholic Charities directly supports aiding our clients in successfully achieving their status changes and opening doors on the pathway to citizenship. Our work is humanitarian and focused on journeying with clients as they navigate the complex and sometimes discouraging system in hopes of citizenship and lawful permanent residence. Our office has served citizens, immigrants, and migrants for generations, forming deep bonds with those who we serve.

We welcome your support and invite you to join us in our work to reunite families and serve those on the edges of a startlingly complex system.

While the following pastoral letters are a few decades old, their relevance is still alive and well today. The first linked document, Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity, was written by the U.S. bishops in 2000. The second linked document was written a few years later by both the U.S. and Mexican bishops.

• Welcoming the Stranger Among Us Unity in Diversity
• Strangers No Longer Together On The Journey of Hope

Pope Francis has voiced his continued support for compassionate services for citizens, migrants and immigrants alike. We've collected here a few messages related to migration from the Pope:

• World Migrants and Refugees Day
• Border Mass Homily

Finally, below is a trusted resource that regularly shares immigration updates through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching:

• The Ignatian Solidarity Network

If you are interested in learning more about how the Catholic Church in the U.S. serves immigrants, we welcome you to check out the USCCB Committee on Migration.