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City of Cambridge

Know Your Rights / Video Presentation

Whether you’re a U.S. citizen, green card holder, student on a visa, undocumented, you have legal rights. See our helpful resources.
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Have Questions About Your Immigration Status?

CIRC offers a free monthly clinic for immigration legal assistance
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New Resident Guide

A listing of resources for new immigrants in Cambridge.
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The Commission on Immigrant Rights & Citizenship (CIRC) works to support Cambridge’s immigrant community. The Commission includes 11 volunteer Commissioners who are themselves immigrants or have experience serving immigrant communities. CIRC provides resources, organizes trainings and informational programs, and partners with other City departments and community providers. To support this work, the Immigrant Services Liaison conducts outreach across Cambridge, and meets regularly with service providers, immigrant groups, and individuals to inform them about the broad range of City and nonprofit resources available. View the Cambridge Immigrant Rights and Citizenship Commission Ordinance.

CIRC staff help immigrant residents with accessing local services and resources for:

  • Housing
  • Benefits
  • ESOL classes
  • Citizenship classes
  • Legal services
  • Counseling

CIRC also offers the following services:

  • CIRC can coordinate a “Know Your Rights” (KYR) Training for your organization. They are provided by Immigration Attorneys from organization such as the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), the Political Asylum and Immigration/ Representation (PAIR) Project, and De Novo Center for Justice and Healing. Schedule a Know Your Rights training by contacting our office.
  • CIRC provides “Red Cards” that list your rights that you can give to immigration officers. Red cards are available in Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish and Somali. Find them at KYR Trainings, in the CIRC Office, and by mail upon request. Please note: This guidance is not legal advice or a legal opinion of the City of Cambridge. You should consult with legal counsel about specific questions and concerns and to determine how the information in this material affects you. 

Monthly Meetings

CIRC meets on the fourth Tuesday of most months at 6 p.m. Meetings are held virtually and are open to the public.

Click here to register for the next meeting.
Click here to review minutes from previous meetings.

 

Coming Up

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Frequently Asked Questions

I need help with emergency planning for my family.

Visit the State's website for the Emergency Planning Guide for Families made by the Office of Attorney General. Click to view the guides in English, Kreyòl Ayisyen (Haitian Creole), Español, and Português.

The guide explains care and custody options, such as:

  • caregiver authorization
  • temporary agent authorization
  • guardianship of a minor.

The guide explains the process for setting up each arrangement. It also has a checklist of documents that should be available to the child and their caregivers when needed.

How can I find resources to help me know my rights?

How can I schedule a Know Your Rights (KYR) Training?

CIRC can offer KYR trainings at your organization, business, school, place of worship, apartment building, etc.

Contact the CIRC Office at 617-349-4396 or CIRC@CambridgeMA.Gov at least three weeks before a KYR Training. Let us know your proposed location, desired date(s) and time for the training (allow at least 1.5 hours).

Your host site should be large enough for your intended audience. It should have a projector, screen and laptop for use by the trainer. The host site should be accessible to persons with disabilities. A contact from the host organization must be present during the event.  If the training is during the evening, the host should consider providing food and childcare. CIRC will arrange for the trainer, provide outreach materials and “Red Cards.” CIRC can also provide a .pdf of an event poster for use by the host organization.

What is public charge?

Immigration officials use a "public charge test" to decide if a person can enter the U.S. or get a green card. Officials look at a person's income, employment, health, education, skills, and family situation. They can see whether a sponsor signed a contract, called “affidavit of support” promising to support the person. Officials can also look at whether a person has used specific benefit programs.

Note: The public charge test does not apply to green card holders who are applying for U.S. citizenship.

Check the Protecting Immigrant Families website website for updates about changes to immigration policies.Click here to learn more on how to navigate the Public Charge Rule change.

View the Immigration and Health Care webpage of the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) for helpful healthcare information and resources.

Where can I find updates about Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

Click here for updates about Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Learn more on the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) website. MIRA works with Massachusetts legal services to provide up-to-date resources.

Where can I find information about U or T visa applications?

Contact the Cambridge Police Department’s Office of the Legal Advisor. Contact Legal Advisor James Mulcahy at jmulcahy@cambridgepolice.org or (617) 349-3344.

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