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Legal Services

Individual Consultations

In a consultation, we listen to the person and discuss what possible options a person might have. A consultation is not the same as a caseWe might make referrals to legal services, social services organizations, or private attorneys, and we may give advice. We may also consider accepting a case if it fits our priority areas.

Immigration Legal Representation

When we accept a client, that often means we are representing the person in a USCIS process, or in immigration or state court, or that we are getting ready to do so.

Who do we represent?

We represent refugees and immigrants who are already in removal proceedings. “Removal” is the legal term for what most people call “deportation.” This means the government is actively seeking to remove this person from the country.

Most of the families who come to us are seeking asylum. Because asylum has a 43% success rate in the San Antonio court we check if children or teenagers may qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJ). Children who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by one or both parents qualify for SIJ. This path requires going to state court before applying through U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS). However, we have a near-100% success rate for protection through SIJ and can secure it much faster than the backlog of asylum cases.

For adults, our primary areas through which clients qualify for our services are:

  • Persons seeking asylum, who are afraid of returning to their home countries for fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, or torture by the government, or with the consent of the government, of the home country.  

  • Persons in removal proceedings who have lived in the U.S. for over ten years continuously, who have not committed certain crimes, and whose removal would cause exceptional and extreme hardship to their U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident spouse, child, or parent.  

Clients who have a strong case for asylum may also qualify for T nonimmigrant status (T-Visa) or U nonimmigrant status (U-Visa). T-visas are for victims of human trafficking, and U-visas are for victims of certain crimes who help with the apprehension and/or prosecution of criminals. Law enforcement agencies sign off on U-visa applications before they go onto the waiting list.

Please call 512.326.1988 to make an appointment.

Emergency Preparedness

How can we prepare for raids, arrests, and worst case scenarios of detention and deportation or removal?

We are eager to consult with individual immigrants as well as immigrant families and communities regarding emergency preparedness. This is a great option for school groups to host - all families can benefit from emergency preparedness and hosting as a school group can build in some safety and anonymity for those who are concerned about exposure attending an event focused on immigrants.

To obtain a consultation or appointment please call 512.326.1988

JFON Austin seeks to provide representation and emergency preparedness to individuals whose total annual household income is no more than 200% of the current federal poverty line.

We serve the Austin area, including persons living in Travis County and the counties which border Travis County - Bastrop, Blanco, Burnet, Caldwell, Hays, and Williamson.

We are not experienced in employment or investment-based visas and do not consult with anyone about these issues.

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