Connecticut State Department of Children and Families

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DCF Immigration

Immigration Hub Banner - black background with nebulous shapes in varying shades of blue. DCF logo and butterfly appear in white.

Welcome to DCF's Immigration Hub!  Navigate to:

Resources    Basic Immigration Law   Insights and Updates   DCF Policy   CT State Policy 

 

volunteer_activism Resources
------------------------- Legal Assistance
------------------------- Healthcare Resources
  • Federally Qualified Health Care Centers (FQRCs)
    • FQRCs provide medical, dental and mental health services on a sliding scale to people without health insurance
    • Undocumented people can get treatment there, but it will be necessary to fill out an enrollment form
    • Some FQHCs have more capacity for helping people who speak, read and write languages other than English, so calling ahead to find out what assistance there is for the application process and also interpretation for clinical visits is necessary. 
    • There are 138 FQRCs in Connecticut. All are listed here.
  • Community Health Care Center of Connecticut
  • Fairfield County Health Care Services
  • Building One Hospital
  • Emergency Departments
  • Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS)
  • Department of Public Health (DPH)

------------------------- Immigrant Assistance Programs

 

 

edit Basic Immigration Law 
------------------------- Legal Statuses
  • U Visa Certification
    • The U nonimmigrant status (U visa) is set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.  Read more here.
    • U Visa Info for Government Agencies
  • T Visa Certification
    • T nonimmigrant status is a temporary immigration benefit that enables certain victims of a severe form of human trafficking to remain in the United States for up to 4 years if they have assisted law enforcement in an investigation or prosecution of human trafficking.  It is also available for certain qualifying family members of trafficking victims.  Read more here.
    • T Visa Info for Government Agencies
  • Asylum
    •  A person in the United States may apply for asylum regardless of country of nationality or immigration status if they were persecuted or have a fear that they will be persecuted because of their race, nationality, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.  Read more here.
  • Refugees
    • Under U.S. law, a refugee is someone located outside of the United States who is of special humanitarian concern to the United States and who demonstrates that they were persecuted or fear persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group and is not firmly resettled in another country or admissible to the United States.  Read more here.
    • For the legal definition of refugee, see section 101(a)(42) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
  • Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
    • Those who are in the United States and need to protection of a juvenile court due to abuse, abandonment, or neglect by a parent may be eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification.  If SIJ classification is granted, one may qualify for lawful permanent residency.  Read more here.

 

 

local_library Insights and Updates
------------------------- Federal Court Decisions

 (Coming soon)

------------------------- Newsletters

March 2022
April 2022

------------------------- Newspaper Articles

(Coming soon)

 

 

description DCF Policy

DCF serves all families of Connecticut, regardless of immigration status.  DCF never reports immigration status to ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).  

 

 

location_city CT State Policy

The Connecticut Trust Act limits CT law enforcement cooperation with ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement).  The law was passed in 2013 and strengthened in 2019.  

Read More:

In July 2021, Governor Ned Lamont signed HB-6687, An Act Concerning Medical Assistance for Children and Adults without Healthcare Coverage, into law.  This act extends eligibility for medical assistance (i.e. Medicaid) to certain groups of people, regardless of immigration status, who do not otherwise qualify for healthcare coverage.  There are age and income requirements associated with this act.  Many sections do not immediately go into effect.

Read More:

 

------------------------- Pending Legislation

 (Coming soon)

 

 
Questions?  Contact:

Jennifer Avenia, JD, LCSW
Director of Immigration Practice
Department of Children and Families
505 Hudson Street | Hartford, CT | 06106
Office: 860-560-5096 | Work Cell: 860-505-5751
jennifer.avenia@ct.gov