Resources for Undocumented Students

Legal Consultations

The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), in collaboration with Los Rios Community College District, offers free virtual/telephone immigration consultations to Los Rios students, faculty, and staff. CHIRLA immigration services include:

• Immigration Relief Screenings
• DACA Renewals
• Advance Parole
• Naturalization/Citizenship
• Adjustment of Status
• Family-Based Immigration
• Know Your Rights

Our college offers both in-person and virtual consultations. To make an appointment with CHIRLA, visit Find Your Ally.

Please note: You are not required to state the nature of your case/question to CRC staff to make an appointment with a lawyer.

• California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation – Call (916) 446-7901 or email info@crlaf.org.
• Catholic Charities of California – Call (916) 706-1539.
• Center for Workers Rights – Call (916) 905-5857 or email daniela.urban@rightscenter.org.
• McGeorge School of Law Immigration Clinic – Call (916) 739-7191 or email bnordahl@pacific.edu.
• Mexican Consulate of Sacramento – Call (916) 329-3500 or email sacramento@sre.gob.mx.
• Opening Doors – Call (916) 492-2591 ext. 238 or email gina@openingdoorsinc.org.
• Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services – Call (916) 456-1980 or email communications@sacramentofoodbank.org.
• Sacramento FUEL Network – Call (916) 234-3734 or email info@sacfuelnetwork.org.
• UC Davis Legal Immigration Clinic – Call (530) 752-7996 or email krocha@ucdavis.edu.
• World Relief Sacramento – Call (916) 978-2650 or email klewis@wr.org.

• Amnesty International
• California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office – Resources for Undocumented Students
• California Immigrant Policy Center – Call (916) 448-6762 or email info@caimmigrant.org.
• Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
• Council on American Islamic Council Relations
• International Rescue Committee Sacramento – Call (916) 482-0120 or email NorthernCalifornia@rescue.org.
• Immigrant Legal Resource Center
• Immigrants Rising
• Jewish Community Relations Council
• Immigration Advocates Network
• Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
• My Undocumented Life
• National Immigration Law Center – Call (213) 639-3900 or email reply@nilc.org.
• National Immigrant Justice Center
• United We Dream

• The ACLU website Know Your Rights: Discrimination Against Immigrants and Muslims provides information for individuals who may be stopped by police or other state agents (in multiple languages).
• The Immigrant Legal Resource Center document Know Your Rights & What Immigrant Families Should Know (PDF) provides general information on both rights and how families can prepare.

Call Sacramento Rapid Response Network at (916) 245-6773 to report ICE activity.

Download our informational flyer: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Just Showed Up! Now What?.

The DACA Assistance Fund is a one-time allocation of $3 million to support students, faculty, and staff across the California Community Colleges to pay for the $495 filing fee.

Who is eligible?

• Students
• Faculty
• Staff
• Dual Enrolled students
• Noncredit students
• Adult education

The Fund supports both first-time applicants as well as those renewing their DACA within 150 days of their permit expiring.

What if the USCIS is not accepting applications at this time?

According to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), requests will remain on hold, in "pending" status, while the Southern District of Texas order remains in effect. With respect to individuals who have not yet filed for DACA, under the Court's order, USCIS may continue to accept first-time DACA applications, but may not grant any initial DACA requests at this time. It is unclear whether there is any benefit to applying for initial DACA at this time. Please consult with a licensed immigration attorney or DOJ accredited representative for advice on your case.

How to access benefits:

To access benefits from the Community College Immigration Services Project, students, faculty, and staff need to make an appointment with their region's identified host college, which can be found on the Chancellor's Office website.

Eligible individuals from any California Community College can schedule an appointment within their specific region and must choose a college that is closest to them.

For questions regarding eligibility or issues with scheduling, please email Alonso Garcia at algarcia@foundationccc.org.

If I am already working with an organization that is not listed, can I still get assistance?

In order to be eligible to receive assistance with the USCIS filing fee, eligible individuals must use one of the nine legal service providers contracted to provide services under the Community College Immigration Services Project.

Fee Reimbursement Policy

If you filed before connecting with one of the nine chosen legal services providers, you are not eligible to receive a reimbursement of your fees.

• Assembly Bill (AB 60) - AB 60 driver’s licenses (DL) are for individuals who are unable to provide proof of legal presence in the United States (U.S.), but who meet California DMV requirements and are able to provide proof of identity and California residency.
• Senate Bill (SB) 1159 - SB 1159, approved by Governor Brown in 2014, requires licensing boards within the Department of Consumer Affairs to accept an individual tax identification number in lieu of a social security number for professional licenses. The law enables all California students who qualify to sit for specific licensing exams and to become licensed upon passing the exams. The law also prohibits any entity within the department from denying licensure to an applicant based on his or her citizenship status or immigration status.
• Assembly Bill (AB) 2184 - AB 2184 is a California state law that requires local governments (cities/counties) to accept a California ID/driver's license or ITIN in the place of a SSN in issuing business licenses.
• Senate Bill (SB) 695 - SB 695 is a California state law enacted in September 2018 that prohibit licensing boards from requiring an individual to disclose either citizenship status or immigration status for purposes of licensure, or from denying licensure to an otherwise qualified and eligible individual based solely on his or her citizenship status or immigration.
• Assembly Bill (AB) 1024 - AB 1024 is an assembly bill enacted in October 2013 that authorizes the Supreme Court to admit an applicant as an attorney at law in all the courts of the state, upon certification of the State Bar of California.
• Senate Bill (SB) 788 - SB 788 is a senate bill enacted in February 2021 that prohibits consideration of race, religious creed, color, national origin, gender, marital status, sex, sexual identity, or sexual orientation to determine the approximate percentage of the permanent disability caused by other factors. The bill aims to eliminate bias and discrimination in the workers compensations system.
• Senate Bill (SB) 1139 - SB 1139 is a senate bill enacted in September 2016 that prohibits specified programs administered by any public or private postsecondary educational institution that offers such a program from denying an application based on the citizenship status or immigration status of the applicant.

• Accounting
• Architecture
• Audiology
• Barbering and Cosmetology
• Clinical Psychology
• Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy
• Dentistry
• Dental Hygiene
• Engineering
• Funerary Services
• Law
• Medicine
• Nursing
• Occupational Therapy
• Optometry
• Pharmacy
• Physical Therapy
• Radiology Technician
• Teaching
• Veterinary Medicine

Undocumented students can complete a California DOJ Background Check for professional opportunities, including volunteering, internships, fellowships, and licensure requirements.

The Foundation for California Community Colleges, Immigrants Rising, and the University of California Immigrant Legal Services Center created an FAQ to learn more: Frequently Asked Questions: California Department of Justice (DOJ) Background Checks and Undocumented Students in California Higher Education.

Disclaimer: This document does not aim to provide legal advice or recommendations. This document is intended to support students in making informed decisions based on publicly available information. This is a working document and may be adapted and updated as laws change, and additional information is gathered. 

• Asian Resources, Inc. – Call (916) 454-1892 or email info@asianresources.org.
• California Family Resource Center – Call (916) 993-7781 or email info@frcnca.org.
• La Familia Counseling Center – Call (916) 452-3601 or email info@crlaf.org.
• Latino Coalition for a Healthy California – Call (916) 448-3234 or email lchc@lchc.org.
• NorCal Resist – Call (916) 382-0256 or email norcalresist@gmail.com.
• Sacramento Covered – Call (916) 414-8333.

• Sacramento State Dreamer Resource Center
• UCD Undocumented Student Resource Center
• CSU Undocumented Support
• UC Undocumented Resources

The following websites provide information on scholarships open to undocumented students.

• Los Rios Foundation Scholarship Opportunities
• The DREAM.US
• My Undocumented Life – Scholarships
• MALDEF Scholarship Resources
• Immigrants Rising – Scholarships
  This is a helpful tool to help students find scholarships that do not require proof of citizenship. Criteria can vary, but the common denominator is that a social security number and proof of citizenship or legal residency is not required to apply or receive the scholarship

• Medi-Cal
• My Undocumented Life
• Farmwork Justice
• National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH)
• La Clinica

• Immigrant’s Rising Support Groups
• Latinx Therapy

• Hawk CARES
• UC Davis UndocuHousing Toolkit
• CalFresh
• Food4All

• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) - FERPA is a federal law that prohibits schools from disclosing personally identifiable information in a student’s “education records” to a third party without the consent of the student (or parent, if the student is under 18 years old).
• SB 183 - This law extends existing protection regarding equal rights and opportunities in postsecondary educational institutions in California from being subjected to discrimination on those bases of immigration status.
• SB 54 - The California Values Act (SB 54) declares that immigrants are valuable and essential members of the California community. This law ensures that no state and local resources are used to assist federal immigration enforcement and that our schools and colleges are safe spaces for everyone in our community.