Legal Assistance

Legal and Immigration Defense Support

Hotline for New Americans: 1-800-566-7636

The New Americans Hotline is a toll-free, multilingual hotline. The hotline provides live assistance in more than 200 languages. Anyone can call the hotline for information and referrals, regardless of citizenship or documented status. Calls to the hotline are confidential and anonymous. The hotline operates from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is managed by Catholic Charities Community Services.

Through the hotline, you can:

• Ask general immigration and naturalization questions.
• Obtain referrals for public and private programs related to immigrants.
• Learn about ONA Opportunity Centers
• Report Fraud and Immigration Assistance Schemes Against Immigrants

Catholic Charities Legal and Advocacy Support
143 Schleigel Blvd., Amityville, NY 11701
631-789-5210


Legal advice
Our advisors currently handle more than 9,000 active cases, including immigration status adjustments, family reunification, work authorizations, political asylum, visa extensions, and citizenship applications. They also offer legal assistance to victims of human trafficking and immigrant victims of various crimes, including domestic violence. Family members of foreign children who are in or released from a shelter receive free legal information about the immigration court process.


Refugee Resettlement
In partnership with the US government, US Catholic Bishops, and New York State, refugee resettlement staff reach out to people arriving on Long Island fleeing war, natural disasters, or personal persecution in their countries of origin. Full-range case management services help these most vulnerable newcomers stabilize their lives by securing food, clothing, housing, health care, English language training, and employment services. Transitional cash assistance is available. Counseling and referral are available for those facing post-traumatic stress, displacement shock, or other anxieties. Resettlement and legal services are also available for victims of human trafficking.

Advocacy and Organization
Advocacy and organizing coordinate to address laws, policies, and practices that are unfair and inhumane to immigrants. Many immigrants, including a growing number of legal, long-term, and elderly immigrants, find the system unresponsive when seeking emergency services and benefits to which they are entitled, such as Medicaid or food stamps. Promotion helps reduce bureaucracy on a case-by-case basis. Working with the US bishops, broad-based community organizing efforts unite the voices of immigrants seeking systemic change to improve immigration laws and access to public benefits. Strong voter registration is critical to the empowered participation of immigrants and their families.

Eligibility and Fees
Any immigrant is eligible to receive services, regardless of status, documentation, or national origin. Rates are based on the ability to pay for some essential services.


Central American Refugee Center
CARECEN has provided high-quality legal assistance to immigrant communities in Nassau and Suffolk counties for over thirty years. We currently offer a variety of legal services in both affirmative and defensive cases, including initial and renewal applications for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), green card renewals, naturalization, adjustment of status, family petitions, unlawful presence waivers, special immigrant juvenile status (SIJS), among others. We detect a wide range of legal relief when we meet with our clients and educate them about the immigration benefits they are eligible to apply for and the implications of applying for them.

Hempstead Office:
91 N. Franklin Street, Ste. 208, Hempstead, NY 11550
516-489-8330

Brentwood Office:
2000 Brentwood Road, Second Floor, Brentwood, NY 11717
631-273-8721


Community Legal Advocates of NY
CLA helps clients with a variety of immigration matters, including:
Naturalization (becoming a US citizen)
Adjustment of status (get a green card)
VAWA and U-Visa Applications
Renewal or replacement of green cards, work authorization cards, and other documents
DACA and TPS renewals
(516) 210-6763
info@cla-ny.org
38 Old Country Road #205 Garden City, NY 11530


National Justice for our neighbors
We assist clients in a variety of immigration-related cases, including naturalization, family reunification, waivers, domestic violence, asylum, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and religious worker petitions.


To schedule an appointment with an immigration attorney, call one of our clinic coordinators at:
Hicksville United Methodist Church

130 W Old Country Road, Hicksville, NY 11801
516-342-1871
Clinical Coordinator: Ellen Giuffrida



Pro-Bono/Low-Cost Legal Services

Nassau County Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project
1 Helen Keller Way, Hempstead, NY 11550
516-747-4070
Attorneys are encouraged to volunteer to provide free legal assistance to the poor in Nassau County through the Volunteer Lawyers Project. NCBA partners with the Nassau/Suffolk Law Services Committee to support VLP, which helps maximize the quantity and quality of pro bono assistance provided for the county’s low-income community.
What programs are part of the VLP?
Volunteer attorneys handle a wide array of cases including matrimonial matters, individual bankruptcy, personal injury and negligence defense, estate matters, release of accounts blocked by judgment creditors, and various other civil matters.
The Landlord/Tenant Project’s Attorney of the Day Program assists thousands of men, women and children in court to prevent homelessness.
The Bankruptcy Clinics assist families either with advice or the filing for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, when appropriate.
The Matrimonial Project assists hundreds of individuals in obtaining divorces, child support and custody.
How does it work?
An attorney based at VLP’s offices in Hempstead conducts client intake interviews and refers clients to appropriate volunteer attorneys. The VLP attorney also recruits and trains volunteer attorneys to handle cases.


2. Legal Aid Society
40 Main St, Hempstead, NY 11550
Ph: 516-560-6400

The mission of the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County is to provide high-quality legal representation to those individuals facing criminal prosecution who cannot afford to retain an attorney. Similarly, we provide parental representation in Nassau County Family Court for litigants who are unable to afford counsel in child custody/visitation, child support, neglect, paternity, and family offense proceedings. Our staff of specialized attorneys, social workers, investigators, paralegals, and administrative personnel are expertly trained in their respective areas of practice and deliver excellent representation to our clients.
Our clients receive the services required to defend their criminal case, including the assistance of investigators to track down witnesses and recover evidence, social workers who work tirelessly to secure suitable services, counseling, and treatment to mitigate the severe consequences of a criminal prosecution, and excellent attorneys trained to analyze the facts and legal issues in a case, negotiate an appropriate resolution or represent the client at trial.
Individuals who are arrested for criminal offenses face many obstacles including but not limited to loss of their freedom, loss of employment, forfeiture of property, eviction from housing, deportation, and loss of licenses. While we are not authorized to provide direct representation with respect to many collateral matters, our office will direct our clients to the applicable agency(s) or to the relevant resources to assist the client in resolving such issues.

3. Suffolk County Bar Association
The Suffolk County Bar Association is one of the largest voluntary bar associations in the State. We are a private organization representing lawyers of Suffolk County. For over a century, our organization and the legal profession it represents have assisted the community through charitable services, pro bono representation, scholarship programs and legal education.
Main Telephone Number: 631-234-5511
General e-mail address: scba@scba.org
Suffolk Academy of Law: 631-234-5588
Lawyer Referral and Information Service: 631-234-5577
Lawyer Assistance Program: 631-697-2499
560 Wheeler Road, Hauppauge, NY 11788-4357

Nassau County CASA
Facebook: Nassau County CASA
Community Resource & Referral
Provide bilingual assistance to constituents seeking information about existing community and/or state and federal agency services related to employment, health, housing, and educational concerns. Provide Intake, needs assessment, assistance in filling out county/other government agency forms, provide referral, and follow-up to appropriate resources

Integration/Citizenship
Promote full participation in civic life in Nassau County by providing resources on how to apply for U.S. Citizenship (if eligible), help with basic Citizenship applications, and referrals to legal service providers on other complex cases Promote civic engagement by helping to reduce barriers to participation through education, partnership with community organizations, and other key stakeholders

Advocacy/Policy
Support county departments in strategic planning to address the needs of the Hispanic community, including outreach mechanisms. Provide analysis of existing/emerging trends or needs in the Hispanic community. Assist in the identification of best practices in the delivery of services and implementation of programs that serve our Hispanic constituency

Legal Services Provided
Civil Rights
Consumer Law
Employment Law
Immigration Law
Public Benefits
Real Estate Law