WELCOME!

Thank you for visiting our Clinic’s website! 2023 will be an exciting and challenging year. Learn more about the important mission and work of the Clinic being accomplished by its dedicated staff, students, and volunteers and supported by the generosity of donors and community partners. Meet the members of our staff and Advisory Committee, keep up with our latest news, explore the immigration law curricula offered to WSRSL students and learn how to contact us if you need information or assistance about an immigration law matter, are interested in volunteering or would like to know more about the Clinic.

refugee & immigration law clinic

The Refugee & Immigration Law Clinic is part of the Clinical Law Program at the William S. Richardson School of Law. We provide free, specialized legal services to underserved immigrants in Hawaii and we train law students in the delivery of those services.

IMMIGRANTS IN HAWAI'I

According to the American Immigration Council, nearly one in five people who live in Hawai’i was born in another country. Foreign-born residents represent a vital share of the state’s labor force: over a third of healthcare support workers are immigrants, as are nearly two-fifths of the state’s farmers, fishers, and foresters. Immigrants own over a quarter of businesses in Hawai’i. As neighbors, business owners, taxpayers, and workers, immigrants are an integral part of Hawai’i’s diverse and thriving communities. The Clinic was established to ensure that Hawaii’s most vulnerable immigrants would have access to legal services.

FREE DACA ASSISTANCE

The Clinic assists with the preparation of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) forms free of charge. We can help determine eligibility and provide guidance on the collection of necessary evidence. Assistance will be provided by student volunteers who are working under the supervision of the clinic’s attorneys.

Although our assistance is free, there is no waiver available for the USCIS application filing fee, which is $495 and must be paid by the applicant.