Pathway for Immigrant Workers

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Many people who are in the U.S. lawfully have no avenue to a green card because they are in low-skilled, minimum wage occupations where employers are unable to spend the legal fees necessary to sponsor them. We address this problem by providing pro bono legal services to the small local employers who are providing jobs but cannot afford green card sponsorship.

What We Do

Pathway for Immigrant Workers (PIW) Is a Cambridge-based nonprofit serving the Greater Boston area initially, with plans to grow to other metropolitan areas. We assist low-skilled workers in employment-sponsored lawful permanent residence applications. We represent small employers who would not otherwise have the means to sponsor a minimum wage position for a green card. We complete an initial assessment of the immigration options for the employee, and if appropriate we then will represent the employer in the PERM labor certification and immigrant visa petition processes. The legal work will be provided pro bono – there will be no charge for legal services. At the completion of the process, the foreign national will receive an approved immigrant visa petition. If eligible, the individual will then complete the green card process through consular processing abroad or adjustment of status in the U.S. Foreign nationals, if they wish legal representation at this stage, will be referred to other area nonprofits and low-fee attorneys willing to assist.

There are millions of foreign-born workers in the U.S. Permanent residence is available to individuals in family and employment-based categories. Some also obtain permanent residence through the diversity lottery or as an asylee or refugee. However, many people are in the U.S. lawfully and may be eligible to adjust status to lawful permanent resident or to consular process an immigrant visa but have no avenue to a green card because they are in low-skilled, minimum wage occupations where employers are unable to spend the legal fees necessary to sponsor them. Many such workers have temporary statuses or permission to remain in the U.S. and work such as DACA, TPS, and pending asylum applications. Some are student and exchange visitor overstays. What they lack is a pathway to a secure immigration status. We aim to address this problem by providing pro bono legal services to the small local employers who are providing jobs but cannot afford green card sponsorship.


The Pathway for Immigrant Workers Fund, is a Fund at the Cambridge Community Foundation.

(EIN #: 046012492)

If you would like to mail a check, please write "Pathway for Immigrant Workers" in the memo and send it to: Cambridge Community Foundation, 99 Bishop Allen Drive, Cambridge, MA 02139.

For more information, or for other ways to donate, please contact Michal Rubin at mrubin@Cambridgecf.org.

We are grateful to partner with community partners on the Pathway for Immigrant Workers Fund. They may contact donors to the fund with notes of gratitude and periodic updates. If you do not wish to be contacted in this regard, please email: eackerson@Cambridgecf.org

Header photo provided by Pathway for Immigrant Workers.