GET legal HELP

🆕 Need Immigration Legal Help? Contact this "Cold Line"

We’re coordinating with state partners to streamline who to call for immigration legal assistance and will be updating this page accordingly.

To request immediate help with an ICE arrest that is currently taking place or has just taken place:

📞 Call 1-802-881-7229, the Migrant Justice emergency rapid response line to report what you have personally witnessed. Migrant Justice has a direct line to the two law firms providing free detained legal defense representation in Vermont, VAAP and the Center for Justice Reform Clinic (see below), OR

📲Submit a report to the ICE Tracker so VAAP can verify the activity and adjust their community education talking points accordingly: https://www.vaapvt.org/report-an-ice-activity.

To request immigration legal help for someone who is NOT detained:

📞 Call 1-800-889-2047, the statewide civil legal services intake line managed by Legal Services Vermont (LSV). Leave a message in any language and expect a call back with interpretation assistance available in any language, OR

📲Submit a quick referral webform to LSV if you are a fellow advocate or other community partner: https://vtlawhelp.org/partners, OR 

🏢 Call or walk-in to a community-based organization with embedded immigration attorneys, listed below (scroll down). 

⚠️ What to Expect When Seeking Help

We know the need is growing — and we’re growing with it. VAAP is training volunteer lawyers and building new systems to meet shifting legal needs, especially around detention defense, parole terminations, and complex filings. While our capacity is limited, we’re working hard to make sure our time and energy are used where they’ll have the greatest impact.

With our partners, we’re setting clear intake priorities to promote equitable access to legally urgent, high-impact assistance. These guidelines are being coordinated with statewide civil Intake "cold line" coordinator Legal Services Vermont and immigration legal service partners — and will be published soon.

Free Immigration Lawyers Serving Vermont

  • Vermont Asylum Assistance Project

    Focus: Detained Removal Defense.

    Technical assistance provider and pro bono coordinator pivoting from initial asylum filings to removal defense legal work—including asylum, withholding, CAT, cancellation of removal, and other relief—and education. Request VAAP’s legal help for non-detained cases by calling 1-800-889-2047 or visiting vtlawhelp.org and for detained cases by calling the Migrant Justice rapid response line at 802-881-7229.

    No walk-ins. By appointment only.

  • Center for Justice Reform Clinic

    Focus: Detained Removal Defense.

    Teaching clinic staffed by law students providing detained and nondetained removal defense—including asylum, withholding, CAT, cancellation of removal, and other relief—as well as criminal-immigration consultations. Request CJRC’s legal help for non-detained cases by calling 1-800-889-2047 or visiting vtlawhelp.org and for detained cases by calling the Migrant Justice rapid response line at 802-881-7229.

    No walk-ins. By appointment only.

  • Association of Africans Living in VT

    Focus: Affirmative Immigration Applications.

    Community-based organization with on-site legal team offering “affirmative” immigration application assistance including family petitions, work permits, green cards, asylum applications, naturalization, and other forms of humantiarian relief. Request AALV’s legal help by calling 802-985-3106 or visiting aalv-vt.org/.

    Walk-ins welcome at 20 Allen St 3rd Fl, Burlington.

  • Vermont Afghan Alliance

    Focus: Afghan Asylum and Green Cards

    Community-based organization with on-site legal team offering immigration legal assistance to Afghan Nationals living in Vermont. Request VAA’s legal help by calling 802-999-7182 or visiting vtafghanalliance.org/.

    Walk-ins welcome at 60 Main St, Burlington.

  • WISE Upper Valley

    Focus: Immigration Relief for Survivors

    Upper Valley gender-based violence service provider with an on-site legal team offering “affirmative” immigration application assistance including visas for survivors of trafficking and or violent crimes, Violence Against Women Act self-petitioners, asylum, and more. Request WISE’s legal help by contacting 603-448-5922 or visiting https://wiseuv.org/i-need-help/

    Walk-ins welcome at 38 Bank St., Lebanon NH.

  • Committee for Refugees & Immigrants

    Focus: Refugee Green Cards, Citizenship

    Vermont field office of national refugee resettlment organization with on-site legal team offering asylum help for Afghan nationals and family reunification, green card, and citizenship applications for refugees. Request USCRI’s legal help by calling 802-654-1704 or visiting https://refugees.org/uscri-vermont/.

    Walk-ins welcome at 462 Hegeman Ave, Colchester.

  • Canada-U.S. Border Rights Clinic

    Focus: Canada-U.S. border crossing

    Looking for guidance about asylum seeking in Canada versus the U.S.?

    https://canadaborderclinic.org/

  • Immigrant Advocates Network

    Focus: National Directory

    Looking for free help in a state besides Vermont?

    https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/legaldirectory/

Private Immigration Lawyers Serving Vermont

other free lawyers serving vermont

  • Legal Services VT & Vermont Legal Aid

    Focus: Civil Legal Services (Housing, Benefits, Healthcare)

    https://vtlawhelp.org/

    T: 1-800-889-2047

  • South Royalton Legal Clinic at VLGS

    Focus: Civil Legal Services for Orange and Windsor Counties

    https://www.vermontlaw.edu

    T: 802-831-1000

  • Vermont Network to End Domestic Violence

    Focus: Civil Legal Services for Survivors of Gender Violence

    https://www.vtnetwork.org/

    T: 802-223-1302

  • Have Justice Will Travel

    Focus: Family, Civil Legal Services for Southern Vermont

    havejusticewilltravel.org

    T: 802-447-8500

  • Disability Rights VT

    Focus: Civil Rights in Institutional Mental Health Treatment

    https://disabilityrightsvt.org/

    T: 802-229-1355

  • VT Public Defender

    Focus: Criminal Defense and Immigration Consequences

    https://defgen.vermont.gov/

    T: 802-828-3168

  • Federal Public Defender

    Focus: Criminal Defense and Immigration Consequences

    https://vt.fd.org/

    T: 802-862-6990

  • American Civil Liberties Union Vermont

    Focus: Plaintiff-Side Civil Rights Litigation in Federal, State Courts

    https://www.acluvt.org/

    T: 802-223-6304