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Tree of Life Immigration Legal Aid
is taking new clients! To contact us or set up an appointment, please email [email protected] or TEXT (574) 307-0561. |
How We Can Help
Are you an immigrant or someone assisting an immigrant? Tree of Life is ready to help you in the following ways:
Legal Services:
Tree of Life Immigration Clinic offers FREE consultations.
Clients who wish to retain our services agree to pay us a small fixed fee. These fees aim at charging about $20 per hour.
Tree of Life normally does not assist in paying for any USCIS fees, though we do help low-income clients apply for fee waivers.
Are you an immigrant or someone assisting an immigrant? Tree of Life is ready to help you in the following ways:
Legal Services:
- Adjustment of Status/ Green Card Application
- Naturalization/Citizenship
- Family Petitions,
- VAWA (for victims of domestic abuse)
- U-Visa (for victims of certain crimes)
- Visa applications
- Disability waivers for citizenship.
- Fee Waiver applications.
- Citizenship test preparation.
- Basic family and trauma counseling
- Christian spiritual care.
- Referring clients to other resources for housing, insurance and non-immigration legal needs.
- Transportation to USCIS offices (upon request and for a fee)
Tree of Life Immigration Clinic offers FREE consultations.
Clients who wish to retain our services agree to pay us a small fixed fee. These fees aim at charging about $20 per hour.
Tree of Life normally does not assist in paying for any USCIS fees, though we do help low-income clients apply for fee waivers.
Our Mission
To provide low-cost legal assistance to our immigrant neighbors as a tangible expression of God's love.
“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:34)
Who we Are
Tree of Life Immigration Legal Aid Clinic is a ministry of Tree of Life Anglican Church. The goal of this legal aid ministry is to assist low-income immigrants in filing government documents that will allow them to work lawfully, let their families reunite and/or stay together, and help them find the stability that comes with legal residency and citizenship. We also raise awareness in the wider community about the needs of our immigrant neighbors. This legal aid ministry gives us a practical way to show the love of Jesus Christ to our immigrant neighbors.
To provide low-cost legal assistance to our immigrant neighbors as a tangible expression of God's love.
“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:34)
Who we Are
Tree of Life Immigration Legal Aid Clinic is a ministry of Tree of Life Anglican Church. The goal of this legal aid ministry is to assist low-income immigrants in filing government documents that will allow them to work lawfully, let their families reunite and/or stay together, and help them find the stability that comes with legal residency and citizenship. We also raise awareness in the wider community about the needs of our immigrant neighbors. This legal aid ministry gives us a practical way to show the love of Jesus Christ to our immigrant neighbors.
Legal Recognition
Tree of Life Legal Clinic is recognized and authorized by the Department of Justice to do basic immigration law. Our legal advocate, Heather Ghormley, is also partially accredited by the Department of Justice (a DOJ Accredited Representative). This recognition allows us to legally assist clients with many immigration issues. No matter what your concern we will do everything in our power to get you the help you need, either here or through a referral.
Why a Church-Based Clinic?
Immigrants are valuable members of our community, but sometimes misunderstand the legal options available to them. For example, notarios, i.e. unauthorized legal practitioners, often target immigrants, making grand promises about getting visas for immigrants and their families and charging exorbitant prices while producing few results, if any.
Churches like ours, however, are rooted in neighborhoods and have a history of loving service for their neighbors, providing accountability and trust. Our legal representative is trained in basic immigration law and certified by the US government (Department of Justice) to offer immigrants low-cost assistance. As such, we are able to provide desperately needed legal assistance to our immigrant neighbors in an environment that is safe and accountable both to our community and the law. As a church we also have the unique opportunity to provide spiritual and social guidance in addition to legal services. Many of our clients also seek counseling and prayer while they go through their immigration process.
Although we serve out of our Christian faith, people of all faiths, nationalities, races, and genders will be served and respected at Tree of Life's legal clinic.
Why This Ministry?
According to the 2010 American Community Survey, there are as many as 22 million immigrants in the US who need immigration legal aid (because they have no visas, they have visas that need to be renewed regularly, or they have not yet become US citizens). While some can afford immigration attorneys, many cannot. Recent immigration reform has heightened the demand for high quality, low-cost legal assistance.
According to the US Census Bureau, St. Joseph County has as many as 10,000 immigrants in need of immigration legal aid. Within 50 miles of this area, there are only a handful of immigration attorneys and accredited staff able to help those in need. Thus, Tree of Life provides low-cost services that our community desperately needs.
Tree of Life Legal Clinic is recognized and authorized by the Department of Justice to do basic immigration law. Our legal advocate, Heather Ghormley, is also partially accredited by the Department of Justice (a DOJ Accredited Representative). This recognition allows us to legally assist clients with many immigration issues. No matter what your concern we will do everything in our power to get you the help you need, either here or through a referral.
Why a Church-Based Clinic?
Immigrants are valuable members of our community, but sometimes misunderstand the legal options available to them. For example, notarios, i.e. unauthorized legal practitioners, often target immigrants, making grand promises about getting visas for immigrants and their families and charging exorbitant prices while producing few results, if any.
Churches like ours, however, are rooted in neighborhoods and have a history of loving service for their neighbors, providing accountability and trust. Our legal representative is trained in basic immigration law and certified by the US government (Department of Justice) to offer immigrants low-cost assistance. As such, we are able to provide desperately needed legal assistance to our immigrant neighbors in an environment that is safe and accountable both to our community and the law. As a church we also have the unique opportunity to provide spiritual and social guidance in addition to legal services. Many of our clients also seek counseling and prayer while they go through their immigration process.
Although we serve out of our Christian faith, people of all faiths, nationalities, races, and genders will be served and respected at Tree of Life's legal clinic.
Why This Ministry?
According to the 2010 American Community Survey, there are as many as 22 million immigrants in the US who need immigration legal aid (because they have no visas, they have visas that need to be renewed regularly, or they have not yet become US citizens). While some can afford immigration attorneys, many cannot. Recent immigration reform has heightened the demand for high quality, low-cost legal assistance.
According to the US Census Bureau, St. Joseph County has as many as 10,000 immigrants in need of immigration legal aid. Within 50 miles of this area, there are only a handful of immigration attorneys and accredited staff able to help those in need. Thus, Tree of Life provides low-cost services that our community desperately needs.
Want to Help or Volunteer?
In order for this ministry to be truly successful, it must have support from the community at large, not only the community of the church. Please contact us about doing any of the following.
Volunteer:
Spread the news:
In order for this ministry to be truly successful, it must have support from the community at large, not only the community of the church. Please contact us about doing any of the following.
Volunteer:
- Translation services.
- Perform secretarial and clerical work
- Greet and visit with clients while they wait
- Help clients study for the citizenship test
- Lead basic English lessons.
- Take pro bono casework (lawyers only)
- Help with fundraising
- Be available to drive clients go to appointments
Spread the news:
- Tell people about us,
- Pass out fliers and pamphlets,
- Invite us to come speak at your church or group.
- Pray for our staff and clients.
Support and Funding
In order to keep our legal fees low for our clients, Tree of Life Immigration Clinic requires outside grants and donations.
Please consider supporting the work of Tree of Life Immigration Legal Aid Clinic.
Checks can be sent to Tree of Life Anglican Church, 424 S. Michigan St, #1203, South Bend, IN 46624.
Simply write "Immigration" in the memo line.
Or you may donate through PayPal. Please be sure to select "immigration legal aid clinic" in the comments section, so that we can honor the intentions of your gift.
In order to keep our legal fees low for our clients, Tree of Life Immigration Clinic requires outside grants and donations.
Please consider supporting the work of Tree of Life Immigration Legal Aid Clinic.
Checks can be sent to Tree of Life Anglican Church, 424 S. Michigan St, #1203, South Bend, IN 46624.
Simply write "Immigration" in the memo line.
Or you may donate through PayPal. Please be sure to select "immigration legal aid clinic" in the comments section, so that we can honor the intentions of your gift.