Austin, Texas, is lucky to have a lot of nonprofits and legal service providers which can assist with certain types of cases. Unfortunately, the demand for services still often exceeds the available resources, and many nonprofits can only accept clients below a certain level of income. Many attorneys help with cases on a volunteer capacity as well, but those can be harder to find.
Here are some of the best immigration law offices and nonprofits available in Austin, as well as some other general notes and contact information for non-immigration legal services and other helpful organizations. Information may go out of date from time to time, but most of these organizations have been in operation for a long time and can be found with a quick search.
Free and Low Cost Immigration Legal Resources in Austin Texas
Austin has a number of nonprofits that provide direct legal representation by attorneys or accredited representatives. Most have their own guidelines, income thresholds, and sometimes waitlists. Some only accept a narrow range of cases, for example they may not accept immigration court cases or work visa applications. The best strategy is to contact all of them to assess whether they can take a case, and to be persistent in calling or inquiring if the first attempt does not yield results.
Catholic Charities of Central Texas
Catholic Charities (CCCTX) offers low-cost immigration services in a variety of case types. Contact the office for current intake and consultation procedures.
- Main website: https://www.ccctx.org/
- Immigration Department: https://www.ccctx.org/immigration-legal-services/
- Address: 1625 Rutherford Ln., Austin, Texas 78754
- Contact Number: (512) 651-6125
- Services are also provided at the Bryan, Texas office, which can be reached by calling (979) 822-9340
American Gateways
American Gateways provides a range of immigration legal services for free or low cost, depending on the benefit type.
- Services Provided: https://www.americangateways.org/about/
- Main Contact Number: (512) 478-0546 ext. 200
- Address: 314 E. Highland Mall Boulevard, Suite 501, Austin, TX 78752-3733
- Other Offices: Waco and San Antonio
RAICES
RAICES offers free or low cost legal services and is located in South Austin, among other locations.
- Services Provided: https://www.raicestexas.org/contact-us/locations/
- Main Contact Number: (512)-994-2199 ext. 160
- Address: 2101 S IH 35 Frontage Rd, Suite 300, Austin, TX 78741
- Other Offices: Corpus Christi, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio
Bernardo-Kohler Center
The Bernardo-Kohler Center offers limited immigration services including Special Immigrant Juvenile cases and applications for victims of criminal activities.
- Services Provided: https://bernardokohler.org/services%2Fservicios
- Main Contact Number: (512) 831-4272
- Address: 409 W. Ben White Blvd., Austin, Texas 78704
Casa Marianella
Casa Marianella offers housing, ESL, and immigration representation in certain cases.
- Services Provided: https://www.casamarianella.org/legal-services/
- Main Contact Number: (512) 385-5571 (Office)
- Address: 821 Gunter Street, Austin, TX 78702
Equal Justice Center
The Equal Justice Center provides limited immigration assistance in requesting DACA, as well as legal assistance in workplace and employee rights cases.
- Services Provided: https://www.equaljusticecenter.org/legal-help/
- Main Contact Number: (512) 474-0007
- Address: 314 E Highland Mall Blvd Suite 401, Austin, TX 78752
- Other Offices: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio
Lone Star Victims Advocacy Project
The Lone Star Victims Advocacy Project focuses on cases involving victims of domestic violence and other crime, as well as associated immigration benefit applications.
- Services Provided: https://www.lsvap.org/services
- Main Contact Number: (512) 715-4831
- Mailing Address: PO BOX 6539, Austin, TX, 78762
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid has several locations and offers some immigration legal services.
- Services Provided: https://www.trla.org/individual-rights#immigration
- Main Contact Number: 888-988-9996
- Address: 4920 North I-35, Austin, TX 78751
UT Austin Immigration Law Clinic
The UT Austin immigration law clinic accepts limited clients for direct legal representation. The clinic accepts referrals from other legal service providers and may be contacted directly to see if it will be able to assist in other cases at (512) 232-1292.
Services for Refugees in Austin Texas
These organizations offer specific services for refugees and asylum seekers:
- Refugee Services of Texas
- Casa Marianella
- Refugee Health Screening Clinic of Austin
- Austin Independent School District Refugee Services
Austin Free and Low Cost Family Law Services, Divorces, Orders of Protection
- Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas provides clinics and referrals to pro-bono attorneys for family law matters
- The Texas Advocacy Project provides free services for victims of domestic violence
- The Travis County Law Library offers free services aimed at assisting people in completing their own cases rather than direct representation
- SAFE Austin provides numerous services related to family violence and related issues
- TexasLawHelp.org offers resources for many family law cases, including seeking orders of protection