CITY OF CAMBRIDGE Quick Links Subscribe Translate Services I Want To Departments COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT RIGHTS AND CITIZENSHIP Department Menu Contact Virtual Immigration Legal Screening Clinic Limited Consultations: The City of Cambridge and De Novo will hold their next Virtual Immigration Legal Screening Clinic on Wednesday, December 15, 2021, providing limited consultations, while City and De Novo offices are closed to public gatherings. Callers to the Virtual Clinic Message Line at (617) 405-5479 should leave their name and contact number any time before the 12 p.m. deadline on December 15, 2021. Calls received by 12 p.m. will be returned within 3-4 business days. A return call from De Novo staff will ask some pertinent questions to enable assignment to an Immigration Attorney, who will contact callers for a limited consultation. Attorneys will return their assigned calls within a few days of receiving their assignments. Once capacity for this clinic is reached, additional callers will be assigned to next month's Virtual Clinic. Click here for the English flyer with the 2021 clinic dates. The flyer is also available to download in the following languages: Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Haitian Kreyol, Somali, Spanish, and Portuguese Are you looking for information on COVID 19 and the Vaccine in differently languages? The City of Cambridge has handouts translated in multiple languages. Click here to view the information. Visit the CDC website for "What to Expect Handout" in various languages: Here it is in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, and Other languages can be found here. You can also contact Massachusetts Informational and Referral hotline 211 for the COVID-19 Vaccine (877) 211-6277: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are free and confidential. Interpreter services are available in multiple languages. TTY (508) 370-4890: All calls are free and confidential. To access information from the State in multiple languages, click here. Need information regarding changes to the Public Charge Rule? What is public charge? “Public charge” or the “public charge test” is used by immigration officials to decide whether a person can enter the U.S. or get a green card (Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status). In this test, officials look at all of a person’s circumstances, including income, employment, health, education or skills, family situation and whether a sponsor signed a contract (“affidavit of support”) promising to support the person. Officials can also look at whether a person has used specific benefit programs. The public charge test does not apply to green card holders who are applying for U.S. citizenship. The Cambridge Health Alliance prepared a website with information with information, resources, and where to get the help you need. Please check the Protecting Immigrant Families website for regular updates regarding changes to immigration policies. Click here to learn more on how to navigate the Public Charge Rule change. Follow these links for additional legal assistance: Overview of Basic Rights (Translations available at these websites) Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition - Know Your Rights Resources, 617-350-5480 American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts - Know Your Rights Resources, 617-482-3170 National Immigration Law Center - Know Your Rights Resources, 213-639-3900 Visit the State's website for the Emergency Planning Guide for Families prepared by the Office of Attorney General Click here to download the Emergency Planning Guide for Families in English, Haitian Creole, Spanish, and Portuguese. The guide outlines care and custody options, including caregiver authorization, temporary agent authorization, and guardianship of a minor. The guide offers a comparison of how these options differ, and outlines the process for setting up each of these arrangements. It also offers a checklist of documents that parents may want to ensure they have in a safe place and available to the child and his or her caregiver as needed, such as passports, medical records, contact information and more. Are you worried about TPS? Click here for more information from MIRA. We do not warranty their information nor have we verified it. About CIRC The Commission on Immigrant Rights & Citizenship (CIRC) was formed in September 2016 to address the needs of Cambridge’s immigrant community. It accomplishes this through its work in the following areas: Providing outreach material regarding immigrant rights and resources, both through its website and in locations throughout the City. Coordinating “Know Your Rights” (KYR) Trainings, provided by experienced Immigration Attorneys, in conjunction with the American Immigration Lawyers Association – New England (AILA-NE) and the Political Asylum and Immigration/Representation (PAIR) Project. Know Your Rights trainings can be arranged through the CIRC Office, by host organizations with sites located in Cambridge. Providing “Red Cards” in eight predominant local foreign languages (Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish and Somali). Red Cards are provided at KYR Trainings, in the CIRC Office and by mail (in limited quantities) upon request. Providing Outreach and Referral Services through a CIRC staff person who will assist Cambridge immigrant residents with identifying, accessing and obtaining City and local services and resources. This CIRC Outreach Worker will reach out to faith-based organizations, community organizations and meeting places that serve immigrant populations, to provide assistance to Cambridge resident immigrants related to housing, benefits, ESOL classes, citizenship classes, legal services and counseling needs. The CIRC Outreach Worker will be available to provide these services starting in fall 2017. Click here to sign up for our newsletter! Click here to view CIRC's informational video Staff and members of the Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship discuss how their work serves immigrant residents in Cambridge. News Members Sought to Serve on Cambridge Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship - deadline Oct 15 2021 The Commission acts as a centralizing organization in Cambridge, to address immigrant rights and citizenship issues through providing information, referral, guidance, coordination and technical assistance to other public agencies and private persons, organizations and institutions engaged in activities and programs intended to support immigrant rights and citizenship. Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship Vacancy - Oct 2020 Cambridge welcomes immigrants and wants to encourage their success and access to opportunity and advancement in this country. It is a goal of this Commission to get the message of welcome out, through collaboration with organizations that already provide services and outreach to our immigrant communities. Virtual Immigration Legal Screening Clinic Limited Consultations The City of Cambridge and De Novo are offering a Virtual Immigration Legal Screening Clinic providing limited consultations, while City and De Novo offices are closed to the public. City Manager Seeks Members for Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship. Application Deadline Extended to 9-13-19 Cambridge City Manager Louis DePasquale is seeking persons interested in serving on the Cambridge Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship (CIRC). Stay updated on DACA and follow Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) is working with legal services organizations throughout Massachusetts to provide up-to-date information about DACA. For more up-to-date information about DACA, look at MIRA’s DACA information page. For general information about the impacts of DACA, consult the Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s (ILRC) Community Advisory or an immigration attorney. More News Upcoming Events Zing Laser Cutting 101 (Main) November 27, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Outdoor Baby Lapsit (Main) November 29, 10:00 AM - 10:20 AM Outdoor Sing-Along (O'Neill Branch) November 29, 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM Wellness for Seniors: Zumba Gold (Virtual) November 29, 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Nonfiction Book Group (Main/Virtual) November 29, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM More Events Useful Documents & Resources Immigration Legal Screening Clinic flyer Legal Screening Referral List Boston Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement Referral List ILRC Safety Plan for Families AILA Know Your Rights: Home AILA Know Your Rights: Public AILA Know Your Rights: Work PAIR Know Your Rights Handout Needs Assessment [PDF] Commission on Immigrant Rights & Citizenship Ordinance CIRC Membership View Document Library Monthly Meetings The Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship meets on the fourth Thursday of most months at 6 p.m., at 51 Inman St., 2nd Floor Conference Room, Cambridge. Click here to review minutes from previous meetings. View membership information on Open Meeting Portal. Tips and FAQs Are there additional languages available for the legal screening clinic flyer? Yes! Click below for the following languages: Amharic Arabic Bengali Chinese Haitian Kreyol Spanish Somali Portuguese How can I arrange a Know Your Rights (KYR) training at my church, mosque, school, apartment building, organization, business, etc.? Do you want more information about U or T visa applications? CONTACT CITY HALL 795 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA 02139 Ph: 617-349-4000 TTY: 617-349-4242 HOURS OF SERVICE Mon: 8:30AM - 8PM Tue - Thu: 8:30AM - 5PM Fri: 8:30AM - 12PM PAY BILLS ONLINE PROPERTY DATABASE WATCH CITY COUNCIL CALENDAR VIEW CITY DIRECTORY FIND FORMS & DOCUMENTS Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager Public Records Request Disclaimer Jobs Privacy Statement Social Media Contact Us © 2021 City of Cambridge Contact Us