Immigration Legal Services
Immigration Legal Counseling
Immigrants and refugees have many complicated and expensive legal hurdles on the path to protection, citizenship, and reuniting with their families. CWS Lancaster’s Immigration Legal Counseling staff provide low-cost legal advice and representation to refugees, asylum-seekers, and other immigrants in central PA. Our program offers an alternative to the high cost of private immigration lawyers in central Pennsylvania. Church World Service/Lancaster is recognized by the Executive Office for Immigration Review of the U.S. Department of Justice.
To schedule a legal consultation, please call the legal services intake line at 717.358.9728. To make a payment, visit https://cwsglobal.org/legal-service-payments/.
Citizenship & Integration
The Citizenship & Integration Program provides free citizenship classes and legal services for eligible permanent residents who are interested in becoming U.S. citizens. Morning and evening classes are offered through the Intermediate Unit 13 (IU13) in Lancaster and Lebanon. Initial screenings for naturalization are provided by CWS legal program staff at no charge.
To get more information or register for classes, please contact: Yvonne Cabrol, (717) 358-9274, ycabrol@cwsglobal.org
Immigrant Children’s Program
With funding from the VERA Institute of Justice, our Immigrant Children’s Program provides legal screenings and support for unaccompanied minors residing in Office of Refugee Resettlement shelters.
CWS staff members are licensed attorneys and/or accredited to practice Immigration law before the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Immigration Courts.
NOTE: Beware of Immigration Scams. Only attorneys or accredited representatives can give you legal advice about which forms to submit, explain immigration options you may have, communicate with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) about your case. “Notarios,” notary publics, immigration consultants and businesses cannot give you legal immigration advice. In many other countries, the word “notario” means that the individual is an attorney, but that is not true in the United States. If you need help with immigration issues, be very careful before paying money to anyone who is neither an attorney nor a DOJ-accredited representative of a recognized organization. To find more information about how to avoid immigration scams, please visit www.uscis.gov/avoidscams.