“We all come into contact with our residents who need these sorts of services really desperately,” said Dayton City Commissioner Matt Joseph.
The new clinic will be part of Immigration Connection’s national network, which has more than 30 sites around the country that have helped more than 24,000 immigrant families since 2014, said Steve Saltar, site director of Immigrant Connection Dayton.
Immigration Connection Dayton will review immigrants’ cases to make sure they understand their legal situations, what kinds of challenges they face and opportunities they have when it comes to their immigration status, Saltar said.
Staff with the organization will provide advice about immigrants’ options.
If the immigrant community members have an obvious path forward, the clinic will represent the individuals, including by helping fill out and submit important paperwork, Saltar said.
Clinic services could include assistance with the green card process, employment authorization renewals, naturalization petitions and family- and marriage-based petitions.
The clinic will specialize in less complex immigration cases, Saltar said, and it will charge about one-tenth of what law offices typically ask for in fees. An initial consultation fee is expected to run about $40.
The clinic’s services are meant to help “under-resourced” immigrants who cannot afford both federal filing fees and attorney costs.
Local immigration law offices and legal aid groups already are struggling to keep up with the demand for their services, Saltar said.
Immigration Connection Dayton expects to have a soft opening on Oct. 3. Clinic work will start by appointment only.
Valens Solutions, which is funded by grants and private donations, seeks to add “value to people by confronting inequities, removing barriers, breaking the chains of poverty and helping them realize their fullest potential,” said Tom Thompson, co-founder and executive director of the organization.
Immigration Connection Dayton contact info
Phone: 937-802-2012; Email: ic.daytonohio@gmail.com
Address: 3634 Watertower Lane, West Carrollton
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