Volunteer Guide

Church World Service - Immigration Legal Services Program (Lancaster Office)

  • Location:
    308 E. King St
    Lancaster, PA 17602
  • Phone:
    717-358-9728
  • Fax:
    (717) 381-2896
  • Contact methods:
    Drop-in, Email, Phone calls, Website
  • Appointments accepted:
    Yes

CWS Lancaster is a DOJ-recognized organization and employs attorneys, accredited representatives, and paralegals. CWS offers both pro bono and fee-based services, dependent upon eligibility, in the areas of humanitarian- and family-based immigration law. Legal services are available to anyone in the community, regardless of status. 

State served: Pennsylvania
Detention Facilities Served: Moshannon Valley (PA), Pike County Correctional Facility (PA)

Services Provided

Are immigration legal services provided? Yes
Areas of immigration legal assistance: Adjustment of Status, Asylum applications, Consular Processing, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Employment authorization, Family-based petitions, Habeas Corpus, Humanitarian Parole, NACARA, Naturalization/Citizenship, P1 or P2 for Afghans, Removal hearings, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), T visas, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), U visas, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions
Types of immigration legal services provided: Help completing forms, Filings with USCIS, Representation at Asylum Interviews (Credible Fear Interviews, Reasonable Fear Interviews), Representation before the Immigration Court, Representation before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), Federal court appeals
Other areas of legal assistance: Family & Juvenile
Non-legal services: Administrative advocacy (CIS/ICE/CBP), Employment services, ESL, Language services, Legal Orientation Programs (LOP) / Know Your Rights Presentations (KYR), Legislative advocacy (state or national), Referrals to other services, Social services
Populations served: Detained individuals, Domestic Violence Victims, Human Trafficking Survivors, Individuals who are not in legal immigration status, Individuals with criminal histories, Individuals with physical/mental disabilities, Juveniles, Lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender, Torture survivors
Languages spoken: Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, English, French, Nepali, Somali, Spanish
Access to a commercial interpreting service or language bank: Yes
Nominal fee charged? Yes
Other information: Detained cases accepted on a limited basis.

Staffing Information

Number of attorneys on staff: 4
Is organization BIA recognized? Yes
Number of fully accredited BIA representatives on staff: 5
Number of partially accredited BIA representatives on staff: 3
Number of paralegals/legal workers on staff: 8

Additional Details

Pro Bono opportunities? Yes
Network affiliations: American Immigration Lawyers Association, Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), Church World Service, Detention Watch Network, Immigration Advocates Network

Volunteering

Volunteer Coordinator
Laura Stump Kennedy
717-802-4725
Other Information Pro bono opportunities for representation of unaccompanied children in custody cases.