Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence Immigrant Legal Clinic

The TCADSV Immigrant Legal Clinic provides legal advice and representation to immigrant and trafficked victims of domestic or sexual violence throughout Tennessee.

Tennessee is home to more than 160,000 immigrants and has one of the fastest growing rates of immigrant population in the country. The Clinic was created to address the unique problems faced by immigrant victims of domestic or sexual violence. The Clinic anticipates that it will serve about 280 clients within a two-year span. There are no restrictions on what type of immigration case the Clinic takes, nor are there strict income guidelines. However all the clients must be victims of domestic or sexual violence and unable to afford an attorney on their own. Case acceptance is handled on a case-by-case basis and determined on the merits of the case and whether relief is available.

To refer a case to the Clinic, please send the victim to his or her respective local domestic violence or sexual assault program. At the local program, the victim will receive necessary crisis and supportive services. To address the victim’s immigration matter, the local service provider will complete an initial screening form, which will be sent to one of our eight Regional Intake Centers across the state. The intake center will contact the victim to schedule an intake and submit the completed intake to the Clinic. Once the Clinic receives the intake, the Clinic will review the case and inform the victim whether his or her case has been accepted.