catholic charities community services, new york
what we do
hotline
CCNY administers three hotlines that respond to the needs of immigrant New Yorkers.
know your rights
CCNY provides Know Your Rights (KYR) presentations and materials throughout the year.
pro se legal clinics
CCNY holds regular, large-scale clinics throughout New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley to provide consultations, information, and individualized pro se application assistance.
OUR STORY
Catholic Charities Community Services of NY (CCNY) provides immigration legal services throughout New York City and the seven counties of the Lower Hudson Valley. Through a variety of legal programs, CCNY assists documented and undocumented immigrants of all ages, including long-term residents of New York as well as newly-arrived immigrants. Its legal services include legal representation, pro se case assistance, Know Your Rights presentations, legal consultations, pro bono attorney assignments, and community legal clinics. CCNY helps people understand, access, and navigate the complexities of the immigration legal system; avoid fraud by unscrupulous actors; and achieve stability, community integration, and economic self-sufficiency through access to immigration relief and benefits.
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CCNY responds rapidly to the changing immigration landscape through the provision of large-scale services designed to increase access to legal assistance for unrepresented immigrants. CCNY’s attorneys and accredited representatives represent thousands of clients seeking lawful immigration status before USCIS and the immigration court system. However, there are far more people in need of assistance than CCNY or New York’s nonprofit community are able to help through direct representation. CCNY also works with thousands of individuals each year with individualized information and pro se assistance in their immigration applications.
CCNY’s large-scale programming has been, and remains, uniquely situated to develop and provide a rapid response to the constantly evolving challenges immigrants face as they attempt to seek lawful status. CCNY is on the frontlines in explaining the ever-changing immigration system so that pro se respondents can understand the policies and effectively advocate for themselves before the immigration courts and USCIS.
CCNY provides consultations, application assistance, direct representation, and mentorship to pro bono attorneys through the New York Legal Response Program (NYLR). Through these services, CCNY staff assist newly arrived New Yorkers in meeting important deadlines and navigating the confusing and complex legal system, often even before their first hearing in court. NYLR assists immigrants throughout New York state who have recently arrived in the United States. Newly arrived New Yorkers may be eligible for NYLR services whether they currently have a case in immigration court.
In particular, the Haitian immigrant community has traditionally been underserved, leading Haitian immigrants to be targeted by unscrupulous practitioners. Through the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs-funded Haitian Response Initiative, CCNY provides Know Your Rights programs directly to Haitian communities as well as to community-based organizations and other organizations that work with Haitian immigrants. Further, CCNY attorneys found that the legal community was generally unfamiliar with Haitian asylum claims and its complex political background. CCNY staff have therefore taken on dozens of asylum cases, for which they must educate adjudicators on the Haitian socio-political landscape.