Three new legal service grants are now available for New York’s immigrant community.
On Nov. 30, Governor Kathy Hochul announced that a total of $3 million will be administered over three years by the New York State Office for New Americans (ONA) to provide immigrants arriving in New York City with free immigration-related legal services and assistance with critical application filings and required appearances. The initiative aims to help thousands of immigrants who have arrived in New York City this year.
The announcement builds upon Governor Hochul’s commitment to helping incoming immigrants with increased funding, with the ONA currently providing $13 million in annual funding for community-based nonprofit providers to give free legal assistance to immigrants in need.
“New York State has always been a beacon of hope, welcoming newly arrived immigrants with the promise of opportunity,” Governor Hochul said. “By providing them with the legal tools and resources they need to thrive, New York State will continue to uplift those who are trying to build better lives for themselves and their families.”
ONA will immediately dedicate $3,000,000 in new grant funding over a three-year period for the provision of such free immigrant legal services through Catholic Charities Community Services (CCCS), Archdiocese of New York, New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) and Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative (I-ARC). These providers already operate within ONA’s network of nonprofits and have been providing their expertise to immigrants that arrived in New York City.
With these new grants, ONA will be able to expand upon its existing contracts and build its capacity to support ongoing services, including ensuring that the legal needs of new arrivals are urgently addressed and supported throughout the immigration process. These resources will help more immigrants complete asylum applications and other immigration-related legal matters quickly and efficiently, including providing representation to recent arrivals. Through CCCS and NYLAG, newly arrived immigrants can access free legal services including but not limited to: change of address; change of venue; asylum applications; assistance with their employment authorization document (EAD); and deportation defense.
Additionally, this new initiative will boost the coordination and training efforts of I-ARC while also helping CCCS recruit support volunteer pro bono attorneys to provide additional capacity and legal assistance to new arrivals in addition to non-legal services.
As it currently stands, once an asylum application is filed with the federal government, the applicant is not eligible for employment authorization until their asylum application has been pending for 180 days. An asylum applicant may apply for their employment authorization document 150 days after filing their asylum application in an effort to allow for the possibility of receiving employment authorization approval at the 180-day mark. Once they receive their EAD approval, they will be allowed to seek employment to support themselves and their families.
“The safety and well-being of migrants coming to our state is a priority as individuals and families find themselves in unfamiliar territory trying to acclimate to an entirely new world,” New York Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez said. “This additional funding for legal services will assist our partners in helping the incoming migrant population understand and navigate the various government programs aimed at helping them. New York has always been a welcoming place for people from all over the world. It’s what makes our state such a vibrant and cultural place to be.”
“There’s never been a greater need for immigrant legal services in New York. As new Americans arrive in our great State from all over the world, New York continues to be a beacon of hope and humanity,” said Assemblymember Catalina Cruz. “I am thrilled at the Governor’s commitment of an additional 3 million dollars to help address the already existing backlog of cases and assist immigrants secure legal services so that they can continue to call New York home.”
To access these services, individuals can call the New Americans Hotline at 1-800-566-7636 to be referred to their nearest legal provider or legal clinic. The New Americans Hotline operates from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday. All calls are confidential. Assistance is available in over 200 languages.
For more information, visit dos.ny.gov/office-new-