_CORE respects and celebrates America as a nation of immigrants. Citizenship unites Americans of all races, ethnicities, beliefs and religion, or countries of birth. CORE believes in the shared civic principles based on the rights and freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution.
Bringing new life & new hope. Reducing fears. Welcoming new neighbors
The Immigration Services provides counseling and aids immigrants in the preparation of petitions and applications to the USCIS. This enables them to receive benefits for which they are eligible under our nation’s laws. Many immigrants contact the CORE Immigration Services Center, which is open six days a week, seeking assistance. Although many of the immigrants seeking assistance may have a valid legal claim or available legal avenue to obtain legal status in the US, immigration laws and related legal proceedings are complex. In order to make a legal right a reality, low-income immigrants need help to successfully access and navigate our justice system.

Without the aid of trained personnel, it is extremely difficult for individuals to understand the federal immigration bureaucracy and for their petitions to prevail. To overcome these barriers, CORE provides the essential services on a wide variety of family and humanitarian based immigration cases. Types of immigration cases handled may include:

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• Adjustment of Status
• Advanced Parole
• Asylum
• Family Petition
• Green Card Renewals
• Naturalization
  
• Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
  
• Domestic violence Petitions
  
• T Visa (Trafficking)
  
• U Visa (Crime Victims)
• VAWA Petition and  Work Authorization
  
• Translations
• Expedited citizenship for active or recently discharged U.S. Armed Forces personnel
• Expedited naturalization for military spouses stationed overseas
  

_As a civil rights organization, CORE considers the issue of domestic violence as violation of human rights. Domestic violence and sexual assault are serious violations of human rights and seriously endanger the health, safety, financial independence, and dignity of all victims. In addition, domestic violence affects the lives, safety and welfare of children. These crimes are devastating to the self-confidence, family relationships, self-sufficiency and safety of everyone they effect, but the crisis strikes even deeper for low-income immigrants. Immigrant victims rarely report crimes and for many reasons often remain trapped in their abusive situations. Immigrant victims are also generally unfamiliar with the US legal system and unaware of the protections and benefits available to them. Survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking experience extreme physical, emotional, and psychological trauma. Survivors often find themselves alone, with no one to turn to for support, encouragement or assistance. CORE is dedicated to the belief that empowered victims can break the cycle of violence in their homes and communities, thus creating healthy communities and lasting solutions to counter the impact that the trauma of violence has had
on their lives.

CORE provides critical outreach and educational services, encourages increased self-confidence, leadership and social development to assist all victims to overcome the trauma of their abuse and to work towards leading empowered self-sufficient lives free from violence. Victims are also encouraged to seek help from the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224 (TDD), and the National Domestic Violence
website.

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Domestic violence victims who were undocumented had no legal protection from deportation if they reported their abuse until 1994. Laws were needed to help victims to overcome the fear that prevented many of them from reporting these crimes. Immigration laws sheltering domestic violence victims were enacted when Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act, which protects victims of severe domestic violence who are married to a permanent U.S. resident or citizen. In 2000, Congress passed another law, the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. Most undocumented immigrants are unaware of either law. Even many domestic-violence organizations, social workers and lawyers are not familiar with the 2000 law that created a "U visa" for victims of domestic violence and other crimes, including rape, sexual assault, incest, torture, kidnapping and involuntary servitude. CORE receives many applications from U-visa clients who have been victims of domestic violence. USCIS can grant as many as 10,000 U visas a year allowing victims remain in the US for as long as four years, with possible extensions. The process is long and complicated and requires victims to provide backup paperwork through letters from police, domestic-violence shelters and hospitals to prove their claims of abuse. Unfortunately, because of the victims’ undocumented status, there is a lot they cannot prove. In addition, applying for this visa carries risks as undocumented victims who apply make themselves known to immigration authorities. If the application is denied, they run the risk of being deported.