Immigration Legal Services to Expand

In the fall of 2018 New Hope launched a ministry offering low cost immigration legal services to help families and individuals navigate the complexities of US immigration law. Forced to flee their countries of origin, they were offered opportunities to restart their lives in the US. Grateful, they uprooted from all they had known and resettled on foreign soil with little more than some clothes and cherished mementos. Yet as soon as they arrived, and with little understanding or resources on their part to comply, the clock started ticking on legal requirements they must meet to transition their status from refugee to that of legal resident and fully integrate into American society.

Recognizing the need for these services and with the prompting of the Free Methodist Church, Rev. Patricia Welch earned accreditation to practice immigration law under the Department of Justice; New Hope became recognized as a site to offer a full range of family-based immigration legal services. Interceding between constantly changing immigration laws and the cultural dialogue that has fueled bitter debate, clients have received warm, pastoral, and professional care. Now, only three years in, the need has continued to grow.

With an astounding record of zero (0) denials in over 400 petitions and applications submitted, more and more people are turning to New Hope Immigration Legal Services (NHILS).

Growth has placed significant stress on our completely volunteer staff. What started out as a 15-20 hour per week effort of Patricia to support a few families has become a double-time commitment for her and many hours more each week for other volunteers. The leaders of New Hope have had to decide whether to make a bigger investment or pull back and allow the effort to sunset over the next year. Based on the great need, the commitment of our staff and volunteers, and on the connection of this ministry to the heart of our church and mission, we have decided to double down and make the bigger investment for at least the next five years. The work is too vital, and the complexities of immigration too overwhelming to step out of the mix at this point in time. We also know that our community in particular is going to need even more services as Afghan humanitarian parolees have begun to relocate into our country as well, many of whom need immediate immigration legal services.

In keeping with U.S. immigration law governing clinics like ours we must partially or fully waive our service fees according to income. Each year the client fees have done little more than pay for the administrative costs of copying all required supporting documentation, filing and shipping the applications, and some incidental office overhead. New Hope simply cannot support this expansion effort on our own.

We need partners! New Hope FMC is committing to fund 1/3 of the budget as part of our normal operational expenses, but that leaves 2/3 of a $45-$60K budget as yet uncovered. Our goal is to find the equivalent of 40 individual donors willing to support the NHILS at a rate of $100/month for the next 3-5 years. We also hope to increase the base of churches generously donating.

 The expanded budget anticipates two more partially accredited representatives. This would allow us to build a sustainable succession plan for our founding visionary, Patricia. In addition, it would add much-needed capacity to handle increasing case volume, currently being managed with a waiting list. New Hope will continue to host the clinic onsite and will continue to build bridges within the community to make sure that everyone’s needs are met. For instance, we are building a growing partnership with World Relief of Western NY based in Rochester as we support their efforts to resettle up to 25 new Afghan families in the next 6 months. The director of the Afghan Society of Rochester is in dialogue with Patricia and we have begun the work of assessing the immigration needs of Afghan families--especially ones who have family members left behind in need of relocation to the U.S. These are two ways we are working to meet increased and urgent needs.

Why would you support New Hope ILS? Our operational integrity and our commitment to the clients we serve are second to none. Our services are offered with pastoral support that no other agency offers. We pray with our clients when they are open to that and we let them know we will be praying when they are not. We work extra hours, off-hours, and go the extra mile in researching difficult cases. We work hard to be sure that people obtain immigration benefits for which they are eligible. And we do it all professionally for very little to no cost, depending on their ability to pay. It is truly a ministry that is leaving a profound impact on many lives. Our success rate speaks for itself, but so do the testimonials.

“I really feel cared for here. I went to another place and I would have had to wait many months for an appointment. And I am no one to them. Here I am known and cared about. I will always come back to New Hope Immigration,” spoken by a Congolese mother of two.

Immigration is one of many matters of justice that we are currently trying to address. It is a pressing need in so many communities, but particularly acute here in Rochester. Many new immigrants understand that one misstep in the process or error on an application could separate them from their loved ones and potentially force them to return to war-torn situations in their countries of origin or prevent a family member from being able to immigrate. Our geography of service extends across Western NY, and when and where possible we will serve just about anyone that reaches out to us or will find for them equivalent services in their city and state. 

Would you consider partnering with us as we commit to meeting these legal needs?

Thank you for considering this significant ask. We hope that you will partner with us financially and then commit to join us in prayer. Pray for the Lord to fulfill our needs for resources, and to lead us to the right staff willing to become accredited. Then pray for our church and its leaders, that we will be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as we minister and advocate in this space. If you’d like to talk with us or host an evening where we could present our ministry in more detail with a client expressing gratitude and witness to our services, please don’t hesitate to reach out. May God bless you this upcoming holiday season, and into 2022.

Blessings,

Pastor Scott