These nonprofit organizations in Vermont 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.

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

  • Vermont Asylum Assistance Project (VAAP) — P.O. Box 814, Burlington, VT 05402 · 802-999-5654. Statewide nonprofit providing no-cost immigration legal help to Vermont noncitizens facing detention or removal or seeking to regularize their status, through direct representation, pro bono coordination, and community education. Help is requested through a single online intake form; VAAP aims to respond within about 5 business days and triages by urgency (upcoming court dates and active detention are prioritized). Demand exceeds capacity — VAAP states there are not enough immigration lawyers to meet the need, so it cannot guarantee representation for everyone, and may refer requests to partner organizations. Visits are by appointment only. Detained individuals are referred to the New England Habeas Project, and active ICE arrests or checkpoints to Migrant Justice’s rapid-response line, 802-881-7229.
  • Association of Africans Living in Vermont (AALV) — 20 Allen Street, 3rd Floor, Burlington, VT 05401 · 802-985-3106. Burlington-based refugee-and-immigrant services nonprofit whose legal program provides free (pro bono) assistance and representation across a wide range of immigration matters, including adjustment of status to lawful permanent residence, asylum, citizenship/naturalization, family reunification, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), victims’ (U) visas, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petitions, and work and travel authorization. Staff also help noncitizens facing criminal charges mitigate the immigration consequences of a conviction.
  • USCRI Vermont (U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants) — 462 Hegeman Avenue, Suite 101, Colchester, VT 05446 · 802-654-1704. Vermont field office of the national U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. Its Immigration Legal Services Program offers low-cost professional legal representation to low-income refugees and immigrants and their families in family-based and humanitarian immigration matters, such as green-card and citizenship applications, family-reunification petitions, and asylum. Contact the office to ask about eligibility and current availability.
  • Center for Justice Reform Clinic — Vermont Law and Graduate School — P.O. Box 1404, Burlington, VT 05402 · 802-540-0398. Law-school clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School and Vermont’s primary provider of immigration removal-defense representation, offering free humanitarian immigration legal services to low-income Vermont residents in removal proceedings. IMPORTANT: effective July 1, 2024 its immigration intake is CLOSED because the clinic reached capacity — it is NOT accepting new immigration cases. Its callback line (802-540-0398) or CJRClinic@vermontlaw.edu still provides an initial eligibility screen, a conflicts check, and referrals to other organizations.

VTLawHelp.org (Vermont Legal Aid / Legal Services Vermont) — Statewide free-legal-help portal run by Vermont Legal Aid and Legal Services Vermont. Its immigration and citizenship page does not handle immigration cases in-house; it routes Vermonters to the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project (VAAP) intake and to other community immigration providers (the Association of Africans Living in Vermont and the Center for Justice Reform Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School).

Vermont has no immigration (EOIR) court of its own. Removal cases for Vermont residents are heard by the Hartford Immigration Court in Hartford, Connecticut (A.A. Ribicoff Federal Building, 450 Main Street, Suite 628, Hartford, CT 06103); many Vermont hearings are conducted by video (WebEx). Across New England, immigration hearings are held only in Hartford, CT and in Boston and Chelmsford, MA. There is no “Burlington Immigration Court” — it does not exist on the EOIR court list. The U.S. Department of Justice (EOIR) publishes a List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers for that court. None of the organizations on this page pay us — these are public-interest referrals, not sponsored links.

National resources (available to Vermont residents)

Directories and hotlines

Specific-case hotlines

  • Asylum: RAICES (1-866-RAICES-4), CLINIC asylum line
  • Detention: NIPNLG (1-800-867-2924)
  • 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). People without legal credentials practicing immigration are violating federal law.

Verify credentials:

How to prepare for consultation

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

Last verified: 2026-06-20.

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.