Provides legal representation on issues related to: - Benefits - Custody - Family law matters - Housing - Immigration - Orders for protection May help with the following for victims of human trafficking: - Expungements - Housing - HROs ?- OFPs - Other civil legal problems - Public benefit issues

The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Project provides representation for individuals from countries granted TPS from the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). TPS is a temporary immigration status for individuals who are unable to return home safely due to civil war, natural disaster, or other conditions or circumstances preventing their return to their home country. During the designated TPS period, TPS holders cannot be deported from the United States and cannot be detained by DHS on the basis of their immigration status. TPS holders are eligible for an employment authorization document (EAD) and for travel authorization.

Education for Low Income Refugees, Immigrants, and Juveniles: Seeks to clarify what constitutes illegal behavior in the United States and how to avoid criminal behavior when dealing with law enforcement. The education program for juveniles focuses on helping juvenile persons avoid illegal behavior and encourage positive interaction with law enforcement. NJC partners with schools and other human service programs to help low income juveniles of color increase their knowledge of their rights and responsibilities and how to avoid criminal behavior. Expungements: Program seeks to assist persons with a prior criminal record in getting that record sealed by the court through its expungement process; serves Ramsey County residents only Internal Affairs Complaints: Assists people who believe they have been unfairly targeted or mistreated by law enforcement with filing a complaint with law enforcement's Internal Affairs Division for investigation of misconduct Legal Representation and Advice: provides assistance to disadvantaged and undeserved persons who face criminal charges and need legal representation or advice to obtain the best possible outcome. The project seeks to serve populations who are targeted by law enforcement and not always treated equally under the law. Many of the clients represented also face immigration consequences because defendants increasingly are refugees or immigrants with charges against them that could result in deportation proceedings. Staff look beyond the immediate legal problems, helping to arrange such services as chemical dependency or mental health treatment. Bilingual, bi-cultural community advocates fill paralegal and research needs, serve as liaisons between clients and the court system, and help educate clients to avoid future problems.

The Refugee Services Project collaborates with community organizations in providing immigration legal services and advice to Minnesota's newest refugees. ILCM supports refugees and asylees from all over the world in applying for lawful permanent resident status. After refugees have been admitted and lived here as legal permanent residents, ILCM will assist them in naturalization, the process of becoming citizens.

Legal services and representation provided to victims as they interact with the various systems that may be related to sexual assault. These include the criminal justice system, law enforcement, governmental entities, social services, civil attorneys and others. An attorney and legal advocate work specifically with victim/survivors on the sometimes complicated issues that can arise as a result of sexual violence. Legal services for victims of sexual assault including: - Applying for a protection order, known as an Order for Protection (OFP) or Harassment Restraining Orders (HRO) - Applying for Crime Victim Reparations (reimbursement for expenses due to the violence) - Applying for the Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program - Assistance Writing Victim Impact Statements - Attending court and campus hearings - Ending a lease due to sexual violence - Follow up interviews with law enforcement or educational institutions - Legal advice and representation in civil legal matters including: - Divorce, child custody, and paternity - Employment - Housing (landlord/tenant disputes) - Immigration - Orders for Protection/Harassment Restraining Orders - Title IX (prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program) - Provide information about the criminal justice process - Reporting sexual violence, including trafficking and exploitation - Safety planning

The Citizenship Project focuses on increasing the number of lawful permanent residents in Minnesota who become U.S. citizens and collaborating across sectors to promote the importance of citizenship. ILCM works with clients to file the citizenship application and accompanies applicants to the citizenship interview. Many naturalization cases are placed with private attorneys trained and supervised through our Pro Bono Project.

New American Welcome Centers: Provides specialized support and resources for new immigrants. Services include social services, employment referrals, medical assistance, Refugee Hubs: Serve as one-stop shops for newcomers providing Resettlement Network Services in partnership with the state of Minnesota's Refugee Program Office. - Hub services are designed to help immigrants or newcomers, fully integrate into American society and include resolving immediate needs, finding employment, educational guidance and coaching, free classes on how to use public transit, how to help children prepare for college, and provides low-cost legal help and status change applications for permanent residency and citizenship. - Resettlement Network Services include Family Assisters or case managers, Immigration Specialists provide legal services, Employment Specialists help to secure and maintain employment, Family Coaches provide educational and employment goals case management, and Community Orientation provides integration services.

Provides comprehensive immigration legal services in collaboration with Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid

Assists agricultural workers with employment-related legal issues and improving the working and living conditions of agricultural workers. Cases that are generally accepted: - Employer-provided housing concerns - Employment discrimination and retaliation - H-2A contract violations - Labor trafficking - Limited public benefits assistance - Problems during the recruitment process - Wage theft - Workplace health and safety violations

Federal agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States. - Adoption manages the first step in the process for U.S. citizens to adopt children from other countries - Citizenship (Includes the Related Naturalization Process) Processes applications for individuals who wish to become U.S. citizens through naturalization, determine eligibility, and, if approved, schedule the Oath of Allegiance ceremony. Determines eligibility and provides documentation of U.S. citizenship for people who acquired or derived U.S. citizenship through their parents. - Civic Integration Promotes instruction and training on citizenship rights and responsibilities and provide immigrants with the information and tools necessary to successfully integrate into American civic culture - Genealogy A fee-for-service program providing family historians and other researchers with timely access to historical immigration and naturalization records of deceased immigrants - Humanitarian programs administers humanitarian programs that provide protection to individuals inside and outside the United States who are displaced by war, famine and civil and political unrest, and those who are forced to flee their countries to escape the risk of death and torture at the hands of persecutors. - Immigration of Family Members manages the process that allows current permanent residents and U.S. citizens to bring close relatives to live and work in the United States - Information to immigrants eligible for immigration benefits; other general services to immigrants legally in the US - Verifying an Individual's Legal Right to Work in the United States (E-Verify). Manages the system that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. - Working in the U.S. manages the process that allows individuals from other countries to work in the United States. Some of the opportunities are temporary, and some provide a path to a green card (permanent residence).

Volunteer attorneys spend about 15-20 minutes per client providing legal advice and/or brief services on most legal issues in combination with services provided by court Self-Help Center staff. Services include: - Brief legal services from volunteer attorneys - Please note that persons receive free legal advice, not representation, from an attorney. The attorneys are volunteers and may have emergencies that may require them to cancel at the last minute. - Forms and written instructions (some fees may apply) - Guardianship assistance is targeted to adults who are disabled or elderly and who lack capacity to make decisions for themselves. - Videos on how to represent yourself in court - Online tools for filling out forms - One-on-one help to learn court procedures - One-on-one review of court forms - Referrals to community resources and legal services

Provides legal representation in immigration related legal matters throughout the state of Minnesota. These may include deportation defense, family based petitions, applications for lawful permanent residency, visa processing, waivers, TPS, asylum, U Visa, T Visa, VAWA and SIJS cases, DACA renewals, citizenship and naturalization. ILCM does not represent tourist or student related visas, nor employment based or religious worker visas.

Provides legal representation in immigration related legal matters throughout the state of Minnesota. These may include deportation defense, family based petitions, applications for lawful permanent residency, visa processing, waivers, TPS, asylum, U Visa, T Visa, VAWA and SIJS cases, DACA renewals, citizenship and naturalization. ILCM does not represent tourist or student related visas, nor employment based or religious worker visas.

Assists refugees, asylees, U or T visa holders, or Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders in adjusting status to a lawful permanent resident. Helps immigrant survivors of domestic violence and violent crimes and their qualified family members obtain legal immigration status. Also helps permanent residents apply to become US citizens and assists in replacing lost, stolen, or expiring documents.

Immigration services including citizenship classes, citizenship coaching, INS interviews, sponsoring families and reunification, citizenship for children, applying for a green card, public benefits assistance, and other legal advice

Free legal advice and basic services on a variety of civil issues including immigration, housing, and debt collection

Private attorneys agree to take cases for clients who have been screened through the intake process and either need representation in a matter that is not an area of Legal Assistance of Olmsted County's expertise, or where there is a conflict of interest. Areas of available legal assistance may include: - Consumer/financial law - Elder law/wills - Employment law - Family law - Guardianship/conservatorship law - Immigration law - Landlord/tenant housing law - Property/real estate law

The Dreamers Project provides legal representation and outreach for current recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program who are eligible to renew their DACA status.

Provides legal advice, advocacy and representation to immigrants seeking help with issues related to family violence, adjustment of status and citizenship. Examples of cases include, but are not limited to: U-Visa, adjustment of status to Lawful Permanent Resident/applying for a Green Card, Naturalization/Citizenship, VAWA applications, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SUS), Temporary Protected Status, employment authorization documents, etc.

Programs geared toward helping Cambodian elders and other southeast Asians in the following areas: - Applying for public benefits - English instruction - Citizenship classes, INS interviews and immigration assistance - Healthy eating promotion which reconnects participants with the eating habits of their home countries through nutrition education, development of community gardens, and meals served three days a week from a local restaurant. Serves elders from the Cambodian, Chinese, and Karen communities. - Physical activities and active living - Cultural and traditional ceremonies - Health education - Medicare application - Housing assistance - Funeral assistance - Recreational activities - Group shopping and medical appointment transportation - Translation

Helps new refugees, especially those in their first year in the United States, adjust and become self-sufficient in American society. This program is a collaboration between Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and Vietnamese Social Services. - Help in receiving public assistance benefits - Housing assistance - Immigration status adjustment (green card, etc.) - Refugee resettlement - Transportation to services (on a limited basis)

Provides legal representation in immigration related legal matters throughout the state of Minnesota. These may include deportation defense, family based petitions, applications for lawful permanent residency, visa processing, waivers, TPS, asylum, U Visa, T Visa, VAWA and SIJS cases, DACA renewals, citizenship and naturalization. ILCM does not represent tourist or student related visas, nor employment based or religious worker visas.

New American Welcome Centers: Provides specialized support and resources for new immigrants. Services include social services, employment referrals, medical assistance, Refugee Hubs: Serve as one-stop shops for newcomers providing Resettlement Network Services in partnership with the state of Minnesota's Refugee Program Office. - Hub services are designed to help immigrants or newcomers, fully integrate into American society and include resolving immediate needs, finding employment, educational guidance and coaching, free classes on how to use public transit, how to help children prepare for college, and provides low-cost legal help and status change applications for permanent residency and citizenship. - Resettlement Network Services include Family Assisters or case managers, Immigration Specialists provide legal services, Employment Specialists help to secure and maintain employment, Family Coaches provide educational and employment goals case management, and Community Orientation provides integration services.

New American Welcome Centers: Provides specialized support and resources for new immigrants. Services include social services, employment referrals, medical assistance, Refugee Hubs: Serve as one-stop shops for newcomers providing Resettlement Network Services in partnership with the state of Minnesota's Refugee Program Office. - Hub services are designed to help immigrants or newcomers, fully integrate into American society and include resolving immediate needs, finding employment, educational guidance and coaching, free classes on how to use public transit, how to help children prepare for college, and provides low-cost legal help and status change applications for permanent residency and citizenship. - Resettlement Network Services include Family Assisters or case managers, Immigration Specialists provide legal services, Employment Specialists help to secure and maintain employment, Family Coaches provide educational and employment goals case management, and Community Orientation provides integration services.

Advice, consultation, and representation for a wide range of legal problems commonly encountered by students. Also conducts educational programs.