Immigration advice

We offer free legal advice on immigration status cases.

We offer free legal advice and representation on immigration status cases.

If you live in London and cannot afford to pay for legal advice on immigration, asylum and nationality law, we may be able to help. Download the Cardinal Hume Centre Immigration leaflet.

We can provide free accredited immigration advice and representation. We can also represent clients at appeals and judicial review if this is needed.

At the moment we are having to offer a reduced service in line with government advice on COVID-19. We are therefore prioritising the following types of case:

  • Where people need to renew their leave to remain or need to obtain leave to remain for the first time
  • For people who have no recourse to public funds and need a change to the conditions of their leave so that they are eligible to claim benefits.

Cases include applications based on:

  • Asylum
  • EUSS late applications
  • Family and private life
  • Long stay in the UK - we are only able to take these cases on behalf of families and/or young people unless there are exceptional circumstances.

We cannot help with the cases listed below:

  • Any points based applications — work visas, student visas
  • Entry clearance
  • Citizenship applications where this is the only issue
  • Indefinite leave to remain unless cases unless the client has additional vulnerabilities such as health issues
  • Applications for passports or travel documents

Before we can agree to help you, we will need to speak to you over the phone about your situation. We normally hold new clients' assessments over the phone every two weeks on a Monday between 10am and 12pm. Due to staff capacity, our last triage for 2022 will be on the Monday 5th December 2022. Our first triage in 2023 will be on Monday 16th January 2023.

Please call our welcome hub on 0207 227 1673 for information on the next available assessment date. Once you have confirmed the next available date, you can reach the immigration team for an assessment on 020 7227 1670.

We will always try to help as many people as we can but demand for our services is very high.

Our immigration advice service is accredited by OISC and SQM.

We also have a legal aid contract to do asylum and immigration work.

Need help? Contact our advice team

Family services

Our family centre also offers a range of free services for children and families.

Learn more

Employment

We are here to help to you find work and help improve your in-work prospects. 

Learn more

Welfare benefits and housing

Our expert team may be able to help you with your housing or welfare problem.

Learn more