Catholic Charities Community Services – Department of Immigration Services

Who We Are

The Immigration Services Department of Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York serves indigent and low-income immigrants and refugees in the New York boroughs of Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island and seven counties of the Lower Hudson Valley. The Department provides low-cost immigration counseling and legal representation to documented and undocumented immigrants. Agency fees are waived for those who qualify. Services are provided to people of all countries and religious beliefs.

Catholic Charities Community Services operates the New Americans Hotline – a statewide information and referral hotline that gives general information and referrals to appropriate service agencies in response to immigration and citizenship-related questions. The Hotline, which can be accessed at 1-800-566-7636, operates from 9AM to 8PM on weekdays, excluding holidays. Hotline operators speak English, Spanish, French, Chinese (Mandarin & Shanghainese), Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi, but through the use of a language service line, they can answer calls in up to 200 languages.

The New York State Immigration Hotline accepts toll-free calls from anyone residing within the state of New York and paid calls from callers from other states, or abroad (at 1-212-419-3737). All calls are anonymous. Hotline operators provide callers with general information about benefits and other immigration-related topics. Legal advice is not given, but hotline operators can provide up to three referrals for legal services located in proximity to the zip code of the caller.

New York State Immigration Hotline counselors can also assist callers who have been scammed by unscrupulous practitioners, or who want to report immigration services fraud, or file complaints with local law enforcement agencies.

Catholic Charities Community Services also operates the national Legal Orientation Program for Custodians (LOPC) Call Center, which provides informational packets and telephonic orientations to custodians who assume responsibility for unaccompanied minors released from federal custody. Since 2013, the Call Center has played an important role in linking custodians (and the minors entrusted to their care) with sources of legal information about the immigration court process, eligibility for immigration benefits, and ways to protect minors from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and trafficking. The Call Center can be accessed at 888-996-3848, from 9AM to 8PM on weekdays, excluding holidays. Operators speak English and Spanish and have access to interpreter services for other languages.

At this time we are offering remote services. Reach us by email at immigration.services@archny.org, or by calling us at (212) 419-3700 (NYC) or (845) 288-2662 (Hudson Valley).

Who We Serve

Area(s): Bronx County, Dutchess County, Kings (Brooklyn) County, New York (Manhattan) County, Orange County, Putnam County, Queens County, Richmond (Staten Island) County, Rockland County, Sullivan County, Ulster County, Westchester County

Language(s) Spoken

• Albanian / Shqip
• Arabic / العربية
• Chinese / 中文
• English
• French / Français
• Italian / Italiano
• Mandarin Chinese / 官話
• Spanish / Español

Circumstances and languages in which interpreters are provided

Also have staff who can interpret for Romanian language speakers.

Income Guidelines

There is a $50 fee for a consultation with a paralegal ($85 for a consultation with an attorney), however no one is denied services if he/she cannot afford to pay.

Fee reductions and fee waivers available for those whose household income is less than 200% of the current poverty guideline.

Is this organization accessible by wheelchair?: YES

Does this organization provide access for the hearing impaired?: YES

Type of Help

This group provides the following types of services based on your legal needs and its resources:

• Full Legal Representation
• Brief Advice