Free Immigration Legal Help for Immigrant Survivors of Violence
The Immigrant Survivors Project of the Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center (PIRC) provides free immigration legal services to immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and other violent crime.
The project's clients are people who have been victimized by criminal and violent elements but who may stay silent rather than report the crime, because of the possibility of losing immigration status, retribution from perpetrators, or lack of knowledge and access to available resources. The project began in 2010 and once covered a 9 county region in south central Pennsylvania; today it serves the entire commonwealth, so Berks County residents can be helped. Staff operate throughout the state and will meet individuals where they are, using the language and location in which the survivor feels most comfortable.
Attorneys and advocates work with each survivor to determine the appropriate, and safest, form of relief through in depth screenings and intakes, thorough communication, and legal advocacy. The forms of relief the project helps people apply for are:
- A VAWA self petition, for someone subjected to physical, emotional, sexual or psychological abuse by a family member (spouse, parent or adult child), so they can petition for their own immigration status instead of relying on the abuser.
- A U Visa, for people who have been the victim of serious crimes, including domestic violence and sexual assault. Survivors who cooperate with the investigation or prosecution may be eligible, and may ultimately apply for lawful permanent residency.
- A T Visa, for people brought to the U.S. through force, fraud or coercion, including commercial sex trafficking and labor trafficking, who have cooperated with law enforcement. Eligible survivors gain the ability to work in the United States and eventually apply for residency for themselves and certain family members.
- A battered spouse waiver on Form I-751, for conditional permanent residents subjected to battery or extreme cruelty by a U.S. citizen spouse. The survivor must show they married in good faith but that because of the abuse the spouse is unwilling, or it is unsafe, to file jointly. If the waiver is approved, the survivor receives full permanent residency without any reliance on the abusive spouse.
The legal services are free. To ask for help, call 717-600-8099 or email info@pirclaw.org. PIRC also takes mail at PIRC, PO Box 20339, York, PA 17402, which is a mailing address and not a walk in office.
PIRC has been accredited by the Department of Justice Board of Immigration Appeals since 2001 to provide immigration legal services, and project staff are either licensed attorneys or accredited representatives. Written information about the project is posted in Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Creole, Russian, Urdu, French, Kurdish, Vietnamese and Korean.
The page does not give office hours, how long a case takes, or whether there is a wait to be screened, so ask when you call.
Source: pirclaw.org/programs/immigrant-survivors-project, read September 18, 2026.
The details
In Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center’s words
This project provides free immigration legal services to immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and other violent crime. We are a team of committed legal staff and advocates who are dedicated to breaking down the barriers to accessing life-changing legal services that can assist survivors with obtaining secure legal status, work authorization, and most importantly, safety and a chance for a new beginning for themselves and their families. We operate…
En español: la página del proveedor →
Organization
Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center
About this listing
This listing summarizes publicly available information from pirclaw.org/programs/immigrant-survivors-project. Last recorded review: September 18, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.