UC Immigrant Legal Services Center
California is home to approximately 2.5 million undocumented immigrants—more than any other state. Many who have been in the country since they were children now find themselves encountering significant barriers as they pursue higher education. Among other problems, undocumented students face difficulties in applying for work and financial aid, and they often fear that disclosing their status to school administrators will have legal consequences for their families. The state and federal governments offer programs that can help, but successful use of these resources requires a level of legal expertise not readily available in most immigrant communities. The UC Immigrant Legal Services Center helps to fill that need.
In 2014, the UC Immigrant Legal Services Center was created to support and enhance the well-being of the University of California Community and to advance equity and success in higher education through provision of free, high-quality immigration legal representation, outreach, and education.
Campuses: Operating out of UC Davis School of Law on unceded Patwin land, the groundbreaking program serves nine UC campuses: UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Merced, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC San Francisco, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz.
Clients: We serve the immigration-related legal needs of undocumented and immigrant UC students and their immediate family members, as well as mixed-status families.
Services: We offer the following services free of charge:* legal intakes, advice, representation, and/or referrals and legal support for informational and know-your-rights sessions. Types of cases we handle include but are not limited to: DACA, advance parole, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status ("SIJS"), U visa, T visa, Violence Against Women Act ("VAWA"), family-based petitions, adjustment of status (i.e., green card applications), consular processing, naturalization, and Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") requests.
Our clients and their families come from all over the world, and speak many languages. We strive to provide culturally competent services in accessible languages, sometimes working with outside partners. We acknowledge that our clients and their loved ones often face challenges in addition to navigating the US immigration system. When possible, we provide trauma-informed services and holistic referrals to resources both on and off campus.
For additional resources for students, visit undoc.universityofcalifornia.edu or our Campus Resources page.
*Although we do not charge for our legal services, there may be immigration application filing fees.
