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Find authorized immigration help and ask for language support

Check a provider’s authority, prepare a notice and request interpretation through the right service.

Practical options and next steps

Start with the name of the agency or court on your document. A qualified adviser, an interpreter and a benefits office do different jobs. Choose the help for your next task.

Start with this

Write the agency or court name, the next date on the notice and the language you need. Keep case numbers private.

Who this helps

People seeking authorized immigration assistance, families with different immigration statuses and anyone needing help communicating with a service.

Where this guidance applies

The national directories help you search from any state or DC. Providers limit their geographic area, case types and capacity. This page does not decide immigration status, public-charge consequences or eligibility for a particular benefit.

What to prepare

Steps to take

  1. Identify the task Separate a benefits application, an immigration filing and a court notice. Tell the helper which one you have.
  2. Check authority and fit Check the attorney’s licensing authority or the DOJ organization and representative roster. Ask about the specific agency or court and case type.
  3. Confirm the next action in writing Ask who will prepare, submit and follow the response. Confirm language arrangements, fees and whether representation has actually been accepted.

How do I check whether an immigration helper is authorized?

Ask for the person’s full name and professional authority before sharing case documents or paying.

What to prepare

  • Keep the organization name and whether your matter is with USCIS, an immigration court or the BIA.

Steps to take

  1. For a DOJ-accredited representative, check both the person and the recognized organization in the official roster.
  2. Read the accreditation scope: partial or “DHS only” covers USCIS; full accreditation also includes EOIR courts and BIA.

What to check before relying on this: Accreditation belongs to the representative’s work with that recognized organization. A notary title or translated business card does not establish immigration authority.

If that route does not work: If credentials cannot be confirmed, choose another listed organization or check an attorney’s license with the issuing authority.

Official and service sources: DOJ: recognized organizations and accredited representatives · DOJ: partial and full immigration accreditation

Continue with a related guide: Prepare to contact legal aid

Where can I seek free immigration court representation?

Open EOIR’s pro bono directory and use the court location shown on your notice.

What to prepare

  • Prepare the hearing notice, court name, type of matter and any nearby dates for the intake office.

Steps to take

  1. Read the provider’s geographic and case restrictions, then ask whether it can consider your case now.
  2. Confirm whether the offer includes representation, a referral or only a consultation, and who handles any filing.

What to check before relying on this: A directory entry does not assign a lawyer or postpone a hearing. Free legal work can still leave filing, copying or mailing expenses.

If that route does not work: If a provider cannot help, ask for another court-specific contact while continuing to follow your official notices.

Official and service sources: EOIR: immigration court pro bono providers · DOJ: partial and full immigration accreditation

Continue with a related guide: If legal aid cannot take your case

How do I ask for an interpreter?

Tell the service which spoken language you use and that you need an interpreter before the appointment begins.

What to prepare

  • Have the appointment details and any letter you need explained; note whether you also need a translated document.

Steps to take

  1. Ask how to arrange a qualified interpreter and whether interpretation will be by telephone, video or in person.
  2. For covered health or human-service programs, ask for the free language assistance described by HHS; confirm the arrangement with staff.

What to check before relying on this: HHS guidance applies to covered services; it does not guarantee every agency offers every language. Written Chinese is different from specifying a spoken language.

If that route does not work: If communication still fails, ask for the language-access contact, a written next step or the service’s complaint procedure.

Official and service sources: HHS: language assistance in covered services

Can household members seek help separately?

Identify the exact benefit and which family members are applying for it before answering household questions.

What to prepare

  • Prepare the program’s form and income questions; keep any immigration documents for a verified private consultation.

Steps to take

  1. For Marketplace, Medicaid and CHIP, HealthCare.gov says non-applicants do not have to provide their citizenship or immigration status.
  2. Ask the agency how to list non-applicants and whose income must still be included for that program.

What to check before relying on this: This health-coverage rule is not a promise about every benefit or about immigration consequences. Household members can have different eligibility.

If that route does not work: If worried about public charge or another immigration effect, bring the exact program and planned immigration step to an authorized adviser before deciding.

Official and service sources: HealthCare.gov: families with different immigration statuses · DOJ: recognized organizations and accredited representatives

Continue with a related guide: Prepare a Medicaid application

How do I get help understanding an immigration notice?

Keep the complete notice and locate its issuing agency, document title and any date requiring action.

What to prepare

  • Bring the envelope, related filings and a short list of questions to an authorized legal provider.

Steps to take

  1. Ask the adviser to distinguish an acknowledgment, information request, appointment or decision and explain the required response.
  2. Confirm who will submit anything, through which channel, and how you will keep proof of receipt.

What to check before relying on this: A translated summary or online case-status result does not replace the notice or qualified advice. A processing-time estimate is not extra response time.

If that route does not work: For a USCIS status question, use USA.gov’s official case-status route; for legal meaning or court action, seek the appropriately authorized provider.

Official and service sources: USA.gov: official immigration case-status routes · DOJ: partial and full immigration accreditation · EOIR: immigration court pro bono providers

Continue with a related guide: Prepare your legal-help appointment

Where can I ask about refugee support programs?

Use ORR’s state-contact directory to seek the office coordinating refugee services where you live.

What to prepare

  • Prepare your current state, the help needed and relevant arrival or status documents for the verified service to review privately.

Steps to take

  1. Ask which local organization handles intake for your situation and whether it currently offers the service you need.
  2. Confirm required records, time limits, language help and any referral or follow-up before traveling.

What to check before relying on this: ORR supports specified eligible groups; being an immigrant or having a pending case alone does not establish eligibility. Direct access to the state-contact page was partial in this review.

If that route does not work: If the directory will not open, use USA.gov’s ORR entry and its local-resources/contact links to ask for the correct state route.

Official and service sources: ORR: state refugee contacts — partial access · USA.gov: ORR and local resource contacts

Words you can use when asking for help

My document is from [agency or court], and it shows [date]. Are you authorized to help with this kind of case? I need [language]. What can you do, what could it cost and what do I need to do now?

Prepare my next task

Your choices stay in this open page. They are not sent to us or saved in this browser. Closing or reloading the page clears them. A downloaded file remains on your device; only download it where you can keep it private.

The guides and source links work without JavaScript. You can print the page and mark the steps on paper. The interactive checklist needs JavaScript.

Choose one task

This is your own follow-up date, not an official deadline. Check any deadline in the agency's notice. The calendar file creates an all-day event; choose notification settings in your calendar.

Follow up

  • Keep the agreed scope, costs and next action in a private place. Ask directly whether your case has been accepted.
  • Report new notices and safe-contact changes to the accepted representative; continue checking the actual agency or court instructions.

Common questions

Does this guide tell me whether benefits will affect immigration?

No. Bring the exact benefit, immigration process and relevant dates to an authorized adviser. This page provides access routes, not a personal public-charge or eligibility decision.

Does reading in Chinese or Spanish guarantee an interpreter at the agency?

No. Ask the service about its language arrangements and identify your spoken language. Covered HHS programs have language-access duties, but the practical arrangement must be confirmed.

Official and service sources

These sections explain access using the sources below. They do not confirm that a provider has openings, that you qualify, or that a professional has reviewed your case. Professional language and reader review of this edition remain pending.