2023 Seed Grant Award Problem Statements
Decent Work and Education
Problem #9: Design a Data Strategy and Collection Framework Related to Community Immigration Needs
Country/Region of execution: United States of America
Collaborating Organization: Immigrant Connection
Immigrant Connection’s main objective is to increase access to high-quality, low-cost immigration legal services. Our programs focus on opening new immigration legal service sites (Local Immigrant Connection Sites) in under-resourced communities across the United States and increasing capacity at current sites (Immigrant Connection Legal Network). Currently, we have 26 immigration legal service sites serving more than 6000 immigrants nationwide.
The legal services of IC help immigrants obtain or maintain lawful immigration status. This status enables immigrants to improve their quality of life by building on a foundation of stability and security, as well as participating in and contributing to the growth of their communities. Department of Justice accredited legal representatives with expertise in immigration law help immigrants apply for and renew green cards and work authorizations and provide legal services for family reunification, citizenship, humanitarian assistance, and DACA renewals.
Problem Statement Description: The demand for immigration legal services far outweighs the availability of such services, especially in rural areas of the country. There are less than 11,000 immigration attorney offices and 800 non-profit immigration legal service providers nationwide. Typical immigration legal service providers often cannot provide services in rural, remote, or small communities due to high start-up and ongoing overhead costs. As a result, legal immigrants lack access to immigration legal services in rural areas leading to a loss of opportunities, income, and education for immigrant families.
The insecurity of a precarious status means that individuals and families are living with fear, heightened anxiety, and chronic high stress - all of which can have severe implications for physical health, performance at work, performance at school, relational health, etc. Access to immigration legal services and finding the support needed to navigate complex immigration situations and processes can alleviate fears and concerns about safety, healthcare, education, finances, food insecurity, family stability, removal, etc. Lawful immigration status restores peace and hope to families so they can move from surviving and enduring to thriving and living fully.
In this context, Immigrant Connection is working to ensure greater access to high-quality, low-cost immigration legal services across the US. We are strategically addressing this critical need with a two-pronged approach:
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by launching more immigration legal service sites (Local Immigrant Connection Sites) around the country - especially in hard-to-reach and under-resourced areas, and
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by multiplying the capacity of current Local Immigrant Connection Sites so they can serve more immigrant families.
The need is to design a data strategy and collection framework that will guide how Immigrant Connection collects and analyzes data related to community immigration needs. Ideally, the framework will also help identify opportunities to scale Immigrant Connection’s response in launching and multiplying new sites to improve service delivery, either digitally or in person.
Determining how to most efficiently and effectively provide access to immigration legal services in underserved communities meets SDG goal #10 related to reducing inequalities. The ability to gain and maintain immigration status also meets SDG #8 by allowing decent work opportunities and mental and physical well-being for the affected individual and, by extension, the entire community. SDG #8, related to education, is also affected by immigration status.