Humanitarian-based Immigration Resources

The Ombudsman’s Office strives to provide the public with quick links to information and resources to help you find the information you need. Is there something missing? Is there information that you are still not able to find?

Please visit General Immigration Resources or Employment-based Immigration Resources, or if you still need more information, let us know at CIS Ombudsman.feedback@dhs.gov.

Finding Legal Service Providers

The Office of the Chief Immigration Judge with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) maintains information about organizations and attorneys that provide free or low cost legal services and/or referrals for such services to indigent individuals in immigration proceedings.

• Free Legal Service Providers 
• Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) Pro Bono Project 
• List of Currently Disciplined Attorneys and Representatives who are Ineligible to Practice Immigration Law 

Online Forms

• USCIS Humanitarian Benefits-based Forms 
• EOIR Forms 
• Customs and Border Protection Form I-94 

Resources for Asylum Seekers and Refugees

For Asylum Seekers

• USCIS "How Do I" Guide for Asylees
• USCIS Asylum Information

For Refugees

• USCIS Refugee Information
• The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) Consultation & Worldwide Processing Priorities
  The USRAP is an interagency effort involving a number of governmental and non-governmental partners both overseas and in the U.S.

Resources for Other Humanitarian Benefit-based Relief

• USCIS Resources for Battered Spouses, Children, and Parents
• USCIS Resources for Victims of Human Trafficking and Other Crimes
• USCIS Humanitarian Parole Information
• USCIS Temporary Protected Status & Deferred Enforced Departure Information

Additional Government Resources by Agency

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

• DHS Blue Campaign
  The DHS Blue Campaign harnesses and leverages the varied authorities and resources of the Department of Homeland Security to deter human trafficking by increasing awareness, protecting victims, and contributing to a robust criminal justice response.
• DHS Human Trafficking Resource Page
  The DHS Human Trafficking Resource Page maintains information for all DHS resources related to trafficking.
• Victim Assistance Program
  The Victim Assistance Program at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) helps coordinate services to help human trafficking victims, such as crisis intervention, counseling and emotional support.
• Online Detainee Locator System
  Locate a detainee who is currently in ICE custody, or who was released from ICE custody for any reason within the last 60 days.
• The DHS U Visa Law Enforcement Certification Resource Guide
  This Guide provides law enforcement officials information about U visa requirements, the law enforcement certification process, and answers to frequently asked questions in an effort to better support investigations and prosecutions involving qualified immigrant victims of crime.

U.S. Department of State

• Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 
• Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration 
  Information on what the U.S is doing to assist persons displaced by the war in Iraq and how to apply for U.S. resettlement from Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon or Turkey.
• Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report
  The TIP Report is the U.S. government’s principal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on human trafficking, and it is also the world’s most comprehensive resource of governmental anti-human trafficking efforts.

U.S. Department of Justice

• Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR)
  Provides links to immigration courts nationwide and to the Immigration Court Practice Manual.
• EOIR Virtual Law Library
  The EOIR Virtual Law Library includes links to essential legal resources for immigration legal research and links to related agencies.
• Immigration Judge Benchbook 
  The Immigration Judge Benchbook is a tool for immigration judges that shares useful information to assist immigration judges with the adjudication of immigration cases.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

• Office of Refugee Resettlement 
  Assistance to refugees and other eligible persons through its various programs and grants so that they can achieve self-sufficiency and integration within the shortest time period after arriving in the United States.
• State Refugee Coordinators
  Contact information for State-administered and State-alternative programs for refugee resettlement and assistance.

U.S. Department of Labor

• Work Authorization for Non-U.S. Citizens 

U.S. Social Security Administration

• Social Security and Entering the United States 
  Information on the social security card application process.
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) For Noncitizens 

U.S. Department of the Treasury (Internal Revenue Service)

• International Taxpayers

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 
  The UNHCR serves persons who are stateless or internally displaced by finding durable solutions for them. Among those options are applying for refugee status in the United States.
• Refworld 
  A collection of reports relating to situations in countries of origin, policy documents and positions, and documents relating to international and national legal frameworks.