Procedures

Free immigration legal help in North Carolina — organizations and directories

Name: LSC-funded free civil legal aid programs by state (188 service areas)
Creator: MigrantUSA
License: https://migrantusa.com/terms/

Free or low-cost immigration legal help in North Carolina: the Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy, Carolina Migrant Network and Legal Aid of North Carolina.

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The North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh.

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Free immigration legal help in North Carolina

These nonprofit organizations in North Carolina 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.

North Carolina immigration legal-aid organizations

These nonprofits provide free or low-cost immigration legal services to North Carolina residents. Capacity is limited — call first; most require an appointment.

Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy — 5535 Albemarle Rd., Charlotte, NC 28212 · 704-376-1600 (Mecklenburg), 800-438-1254 (outside Mecklenburg), Spanish line 800-247-1931. Asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, U and T visas, family-based petitions, cancellation of removal, and Immigration Court representation.
Carolina Migrant Network — Charlotte, NC. Free removal/deportation defense and detention representation — one of the few Carolinas organizations offering free representation in removal proceedings — plus asylum applications and BIA appeals. Contact through the website for current intake.
Catholic Charities, Diocese of Raleigh — Immigration Legal Services — offices in Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville, Greenville, and Wilmington · 984-900-3114. Citizenship, family petitions, TPS, U visas, VAWA, adjustment of status, work permits, and DACA renewals (refers out asylum).
Church World Service — Durham — 504 W. Chapel Hill St., Suite 106, Durham, NC 27701 · 919-680-3585. Citizenship/naturalization, green cards and adjustment, family reunification, and humanitarian parole (by appointment).
Legal Aid of North Carolina — IMMPAV — helpline 1-866-204-7612. Free immigration help for immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking (U / T / VAWA pathways only).

Legal Aid of North Carolina is the statewide civil legal-aid intake: 1-866-219-5262 (1-866-219-LANC), Mon–Fri, or apply online through JusticeHub. The directory LawHelpNC.org lists additional free and low-cost legal help across the state.

Several of these organizations provide pro bono representation before the Charlotte Immigration Court; the U.S. Department of Justice (EOIR) List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers is updated quarterly. None of the organizations on this page pay us — these are public-interest referrals, not sponsored links.

Catholic Charities Raleigh: consultation payment and intake

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh publishes these new-client intake details (checked October 23, 2026):

Payment before scheduling: the organization asks new clients to pay the $50 consultation fee before scheduling an immigration consultation. It states that this fee is non-refundable and that submitting payment through its form automatically redirects to its online intake.
Contact after the questionnaire: Catholic Charities Raleigh says that after the online questionnaire “you can allow 48 to 72 hours for a representative to contact you.”

National resources (available to North Carolina 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: 1-800-799-SAFE (national line)
Human trafficking victims: National Human Trafficking Hotline 1-888-373-7888

⚠️ 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 North Carolina

2 locations/organizations on record in North Carolina. Always verify directly before visiting.

North Carolina
Statewide total · 18.6% LSC-eligible · eligible population fell 4.2% (2017–2018) · 92.4 cases closed per 10,000 eligible residents (2018)
Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc.
18.6% LSC-eligible · eligible population fell 4.2% (2017–2018) · 92.4 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 North Carolina verify my immigration status before helping?

They will usually ask about your status, because it decides 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; we do not quote a range because no authoritative source publishes one nationally. 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?

Depends on organization. Most prefer appointments (capacity limited). Call first. In emergencies (recent detention, soon court date), they may see walk-ins.

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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.