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Heartland Alliance National Immigrant Justice Center

The Heartland Alliance National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) is dedicated to ensuring human rights protections and access to justice for all immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. NIJC provides direct legal services to and advocates for these populations through policy reform, impact litigation, and public education. With the support of hundreds of pro bono attorneys, NIJC provides legal services to more than 8,000 individuals each year and maintains a success rate of 90 percent in obtaining asylum for those fleeing persecution in their home countries.  Since its founding twenty-five years ago, NIJC has been unique in blending individual client advocacy with broad-based systemic change.



Services Offered:

Immigration legal services for:

  • General immigration issues
  • Citizenship/naturalization
  • Asylum
  • Trafficking
  • Immigrant victims of domestic violence
  • Victims of violent crimes
  • Deportation defense
  • Immigrants in detention
   
Eligibility Criteria:

Must be low income.

   
Fees:
  • $50 first consultation fee
  • $30 subsequent consultation fee
  • Services free for asylum seekers and detained immigrants 
   
Applying for Services:

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Referral and Intake:

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Contact Information:

Phone: 312.660.1370
Fax: 312.660.1505
E-mail: nijc@heartlandalliance.org

   
Address:

208 South LaSalle Street, Suite 1818
Chicago IL 60604

   
Directions:

Loop
The Chicago Loop office is located near the Quincy CTA Brown/Purple/Pink/Orange Line station.

The Pilsen office is located near #18 16th/18th Street, #160 and #168 UIC/Pilsen bus stops. It is also walking distance from the 18th Street CTA Orange Line station.

   
Hours:

Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. (Initial consultations during intake hours only; please see below)

Legal consultation hours:

Pilsen
1817 South Loomis Street
Second Floor, Chicago
Tuesday and First Saturday of the month
8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m.
(Not handicap accessible; please visit our Downtown or Waukegan offices)

Downtown
208 South LaSalle Street. Suite 1818
Chicago
Wednesday
8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m.
(Handicap accessible)

Waukegan
33 North County Avenue, Suite 520
Waukegan
Monday
8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m.
(Handicap accessible)

Asylum information
Chicago Loop
Wednesday
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Trafficking information
Chicago Loop
312.660.1322
Monday – Friday
8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Detained immigrants information via telephone only:
Tuesday
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
312.660.1370 or 312.263.0901 for collect calls only

   
Languages:

Languages spoken by staff:  English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Urdu, Punjabi, Hebrew, Kashmiri

Services provided in the following languages: English, Spanish, others languages with advanced notice

   
Appointments:

All individuals, with the exception of those in detention, must come to our regular intake in the Chicago Loop, Pilsen, or Waukegan to receive services.

   
Walk In Accepted: --
   
Program Aliases:
  • Midwest Immigrant Human Rights Center
  • Heartland Alliance's National Immigrant Justice Center
  • MIHRC
  • NIJC
  • Midwest Immigration Human Rights Center
  • National Immigration Justice Center
  • Immigrant Justice
  • Midwest Immigrant and Human Rights Center
  • Midwest Immigration and Human Rights Center
   
Additional Information:

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