Procedures

Free immigration legal help in Florida — organizations and directories

Name: LSC-funded free civil legal aid programs by state (188 service areas)
Creator: MigrantUSA
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Free or low-cost immigration legal help in Florida: Americans for Immigrant Justice, Catholic Legal Services of Miami, Gulfcoast Legal and FLIC.

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The Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee.

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Free immigration legal help in Florida

These nonprofit organizations in Florida offer FREE or low-cost immigration legal help. If you need help with DACA, asylum, citizenship, deportation, or any immigration case, contact these options BEFORE paying private fees.

Florida immigration legal-aid organizations

These nonprofits provide free or low-cost immigration legal services to Florida residents. Capacity is limited — call first; some accept walk-ins.

Americans for Immigrant Justice (AI Justice) — 6355 NW 36th St., Suite 309, Miami, FL 33166 · (305) 573-1106. Free not-for-profit law firm (founded 1996, formerly the Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center); services in English, Spanish, and Creole.
Catholic Legal Services, Archdiocese of Miami — Free immigration legal services and attorney representation for South Florida’s low-income immigrant and refugee community. Offices listed on its website as of October 15, 2026:
- Downtown office (Civic Park / River Landing) — 1469 NW 13th Terr, Suite 100, Miami, FL 33125 · 305-373-1073 · Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., closed Saturday and Sunday. CCLS says to call 305-373-1073 for site services and legal clinics.
- Hollywood office (City College Building) — 6565 Taft St, 4th Floor, Hollywood, FL 33024 · 954-306-9537 · walk-in intake Monday-Tuesday 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.; Wednesday walk-ins 9 a.m.-12 p.m. for work permit and LPR renewal; Thursday-Friday by appointment only.
Gulfcoast Legal Services — free immigration legal aid for low-income residents; its immigration page says GLS serves clients across the Greater Tampa Bay area, including Manatee, Pinellas, Wimauma and Sarasota. Walk-ins Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., except that GLS closes to walk-ins Monday-Thursday 12:30-1:30 p.m. and takes no walk-ins after 12:30 p.m. on Fridays (as of October 15, 2026). Offices: Manatee — 1111 3rd Ave. W., Suite 100, Bradenton, FL 34205 · 941-746-6151; Pinellas — 501 1st Ave N, Suite 420, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 · 727-821-0726; Sarasota — 1750 17th Street, Building C-3, Sarasota, FL 34234 · 800-230-5920. Gulfcoast Legal Services says applications for legal services are available 24/7 through its online form (checked October 23, 2026).
Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC) — statewide coalition; immigration hotline 1-888-600-5762 plus Protect-the-People pro-bono clinics.

FLIC — Free Immigration Legal Services in Florida is the best statewide place to find a free provider near you. The U.S. Department of Justice (EOIR) List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers covers the Miami and Orlando immigration courts and is updated quarterly. None of the organizations on this page pay us — these are public-interest referrals, not sponsored links.

National resources (available to Florida residents)

Directories and hotlines

Immigration Advocates Network — Find Help — national searchable directory by state and case type
CLINIC (Catholic Legal Immigration Network): cliniclegal.org
NILC (National Immigration Law Center): nilc.org
ILRC (Immigrant Legal Resource Center): ilrc.org
United We Dream: unitedwedream.org — DACA specific

Specific-case hotlines

Asylum: RAICES 1-833-372-4237 (the number RAICES publishes on its own contact page), CLINIC asylum line
Detention: National Immigration Project (NIPNLG) (617) 227-9727 — ICE ERO Detention Reporting and Information Line 1-888-351-4024
VAWA / domestic violence: National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-7233 (1-800-799-SAFE), TTY 1-800-787-3224, as listed by the DOJ Office on Violence Against Women
Human trafficking victims: National Human Trafficking Hotline 1-888-373-7888, or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733); to report suspected trafficking to federal law enforcement, 1-866-347-2423 (both per DHS Blue Campaign)

⚠️ Important: Avoid fraudulent “notarios”

AVOID PEOPLE CALLING THEMSELVES “NOTARIO PÚBLICO” FOR IMMIGRATION if not attorneys or BIA-accredited reps. US notary publics are NOT attorneys (unlike Latin America). Federal rules (8 CFR 292.1) limit who may represent you before immigration authorities to attorneys, BIA-accredited representatives and a few other listed categories.

Verify credentials:

Attorney: State Bar of practicing state + AILA directory
BIA-Accredited Representative: BIA Recognition Roster

How to prepare for consultation

Bring ALL documents: passport, green card if any, USCIS letters, criminal records, tax returns, evidence of family relationship, immigration status history
Be HONEST: even about criminal records or past issues. Attorney needs FULL truth to defend you well.
Ask about timelines and possible outcomes
Confirm cost (if applicable) in writing before committing
Bring translator if your English is limited

Last verified: 2026-09-24.

General procedural information for educational purposes. Not legal, tax, or immigration advice. Laws and fees change — verify with the issuing agency before taking action. For case-specific guidance, consult a licensed immigration attorney or other appropriate professional.

Immigration court by state (EOIR) — judges, Webex links, telephonic access codes
Find an immigration attorney — pro bono lists, AILA, BIA-recognized providers
Find a notary public (NOT a “notario”) — avoid notario fraud
Know Your Rights — ICE encounters — constitutional protections during arrests
Consulate of your country in the US — many consulates maintain pro-bono attorney referral lists

Legal-aid programs in Florida

8 locations/organizations on record in Florida. Always verify directly before visiting.

Florida
Statewide total · 18.3% LSC-eligible · eligible population fell 2.2% (2017–2018) · 82.9 cases closed per 10,000 eligible residents (2018)
Legal Services of North Florida, Inc.
19.4% LSC-eligible · eligible population rose 0.1% (2017–2018) · 102.8 cases closed per 10,000 eligible residents (2018)
Three Rivers Legal Services, Inc.
18.4% LSC-eligible · eligible population fell 4.3% (2017–2018) · 80.3 cases closed per 10,000 eligible residents (2018)
Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, Inc.
18.1% LSC-eligible · eligible population fell 3.8% (2017–2018) · 73.3 cases closed per 10,000 eligible residents (2018)
Bay Area Legal Services, Inc.
16.6% LSC-eligible · eligible population fell 4.4% (2017–2018) · 113.6 cases closed per 10,000 eligible residents (2018)
Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc.
18.3% LSC-eligible · eligible population rose 4.5% (2017–2018) · 91.6 cases closed per 10,000 eligible residents (2018)
Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida, Inc.
16.2% LSC-eligible · eligible population fell 8.1% (2017–2018) · 65.9 cases closed per 10,000 eligible residents (2018)
Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc.
22.2% LSC-eligible · eligible population fell 0.7% (2017–2018) · 58.4 cases closed per 10,000 eligible residents (2018)

Per-area figures from the Legal Services Corporation grantee map. “LSC-eligible” means household income below 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines; population figures are 2018 American Community Survey 1-year estimates and the change compares 2017 with 2018. Cases are Basic Field Grant cases closed in the 2018 Grantee Activity Reports. Across all LSC service areas the national medians are 17.4% eligible, -2.2% change, and 129.2 cases per 10,000. Retrieved from LSC on 2026-05-27; field definitions verified 2026-09-01.

Frequently asked questions

Do immigration legal aid organizations in Florida verify my immigration status before helping?

An organization may ask about your status, because it bears on which forms of relief you may be eligible for — and nonprofit immigration programs serve people regardless of status. What protects you is confidentiality: what you tell an attorney in order to get legal advice is covered by the confidentiality duty in the rules of professional conduct that each state’s courts or bar have adopted (modeled on ABA Model Rule 1.6), which bar disclosure without your informed consent except in narrow listed situations. Those rules bind lawyers. A DOJ-accredited representative who is not an attorney is instead bound by EOIR practitioner conduct rules (8 CFR 1003.102), which set no equivalent codified confidentiality duty — so ask the organization directly what its policy is. Nothing in the LSC rules requires an organization to report anyone to ICE or DHS: 45 CFR 1626 restricts whom a program funded by the Legal Services Corporation may represent (1626.3) and asks it to verify eligibility (1626.6-1626.7), and that restriction reaches only LSC-funded programs, not nonprofit immigration programs generally. Survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking are eligible under the anti-abuse laws (45 CFR 1626.4), and under 1626.4(e) LSC-funded programs need not keep immigration-status records for those clients, but if a program relies on an immigration document to decide eligibility, it must note that the client presented one. No federal rule categorically bars an organization from all contact with ICE, so ask each organization about its confidentiality and records policy before you share details.

How much do consultations cost?

It varies by organization — confirm before you go. Many of the nonprofits listed offer a free or reduced-fee first consultation; others charge a nominal or sliding-scale fee, and a DOJ-recognized nonprofit that charges fees must have a written policy for accommodating clients who cannot pay (8 CFR 1292.11(a)(1)). Private immigration attorneys set their own consultation fees, and this page quotes no fee range for them. Ask what a consultation costs when you call, and get any fee agreement in writing before you commit.

Do they accept walk-ins or do I need appointment?

It depends on the organization and the office. As of October 15, 2026, Gulfcoast Legal Services says it accepts walk-ins Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., closes to walk-ins Monday through Thursday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and takes no walk-ins after 12:30 p.m. on Fridays. The Hollywood office of Catholic Legal Services lists walk-in intake Monday-Tuesday 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Wednesday walk-ins 9 a.m.-12 p.m. for work permit and LPR renewal, and appointment only Thursday-Friday. Schedules change, so call the office before you go.

The rules change. Hear about it first.

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General information, not legal advice. MigrantUSA is an independent publisher and is not a law firm; using this site does not create an attorney-client relationship, and this content is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney about your specific situation. US federal, state, and local government procedures, fees, and forms change. Always verify current details directly with the relevant agency before acting. For immigration, tax, or other legal matters specific to your situation, consult a licensed attorney or BIA-accredited representative.

Free immigration legal help in Florida — organizations and directories

Free immigration legal help in Florida

Florida immigration legal-aid organizations

National resources (available to Florida residents)

Directories and hotlines

Specific-case hotlines

⚠️ Important: Avoid fraudulent “notarios”

How to prepare for consultation

Related information

Related procedural information

Legal-aid programs in Florida

Frequently asked questions

Related resources

Major federal procedures

Detention and constitutional rights

Finances for immigrants

The rules change. Hear about it first.