What Immigrant Justice Corps does

Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC) is a New York-based nonprofit founded in 2014 by the late Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. It operates the nation's first and only fellowship program dedicated to ensuring quality legal counsel for immigrants, recruiting promising recent law school graduates (Justice Fellows) and recent college graduates (Community Fellows) who serve two-year terms as staff attorneys and Department of Justice partially Accredited Representatives at more than 100 host organizations across 30+ U.S. states and Washington, D.C. Since founding, IJC has served more than 135,000 immigrants and family members, trained more than 500 Fellows (with over 90% of alumni remaining in immigration law), and reports a 90%+ success rate on the immigration cases its Fellows handle, with Community Fellows filing more than 6,000 fee waiver applications and saving clients $4.7 million in application fees. The organization also operates an Unaccompanied Children Program as part of a 90+ provider consortium serving approximately 26,000 children in immigration court proceedings.

Name

Immigrant Justice Corps

Legal name

Immigrant Justice Corps

Website

https://justicecorps.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Immigrant Justice Corps is a nonprofit fellowship organization that trains and deploys new lawyers and college graduates as two-year Fellows at 100+ host organizations across 30+ U.S. states, providing free immigration legal representation to low-income immigrants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Immigration Law (BPAHAAAL), Refugee & Migrant Integration Enterprises (Livelihoods, Services) (BPAGALAN)

Keywords

• Immigration legal services
• Legal fellowship program
• Nonprofit advocacy
• Pro bono representation
• Immigration law training

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Foundation & Philanthropic Grants: IJC is primarily funded by foundations and individual philanthropists. It was initially incubated and funded by the Robin Hood Foundation and continues to rely on charitable giving from foundations, corporations, and individuals to sustain operations and pay Fellow salaries.
2. Individual & Corporate Donations: The organization solicits donations through its website and fundraising campaigns, including volunteer campaigns, community fundraising, and direct donor engagement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Immigrant Justice Corps is a nonprofit fellowship organization that recruits, trains, and places two-year Fellows (Justice Fellows for lawyers and Community Fellows for college graduates) at host legal services providers across 30+ U.S. states. Fellows deliver free, high-quality legal representation to low-income immigrants in removal defense, asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, T/U visas, and related immigration matters. IJC also operates the Unaccompanied Children Program, providing legal counsel to immigrant children in immigration court proceedings.

Product overview

Immigrant Justice Corps (IJC) operates as a nonprofit fellowship organization, not a technology product company. It offers two distinct fellowship programs: the Justice Fellowship for law school graduates (attorneys) and the Community Fellowship for college graduates (accredited representatives). The organization places Fellows at host organizations across 30+ states to provide free legal representation to low-income immigrants. IJC also operates the Unaccompanied Children Program, which provides legal services to detained and non-detained immigrant children. The programs work together to address the legal representation crisis in immigration proceedings, with Fellows handling cases including deportation defense, asylum applications, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), and other immigration benefits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% case success rate on immigration cases taken by Fellows
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Acacia Center for JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2025IJC is part of a consortium of over 90 legal service providers funded through the Acacia Center for Justice's Unaccompanied Children Program, which provides legal representation to unaccompanied immigrant children in immigration court proceedings. The federal stop-work order issued in February 2025 affected this program and impacted over 160 IJC Fellows.
• CAIR CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIJC partnered with the CAIR Coalition in Maryland to develop an innovative infusion model of representation, deploying larger numbers of Fellows in a particular geography. This partnership helped advocates end detention in Maryland and unlocked $3.2 million in state funding for statewide representation to all detained Maryland residents. IJC and CAIR Coalition also launched the Access to Counsel Initiative for immigrants in Maryland.
• 100+ Host Organizations (Legal Services Providers & Community-Based Organizations)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIJC places Justice Fellows and Community Fellows at over 100 legal services providers and community-based organizations across 30+ states. These host organizations serve as the service delivery points where IJC Fellows provide free legal representation to low-income immigrants. Host organizations include legal aid societies, Catholic Charities affiliates, immigrant rights centers, law school clinics, and community nonprofits.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HIAS: Global Jewish nonprofit providing refugee resettlement and legal services, including asylum representation in the U.S. Directly comparable as a mission-driven immigration legal services provider.
• RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services): One of the largest immigration legal services organizations in the U.S., providing free and low-cost legal representation to immigrants in Texas and beyond. Directly comparable to IJC in mission, service model, and target population.
• Americans for Immigrant Justice: Florida-based nonprofit providing immigration legal services to low-income immigrants, including children and asylum seekers. Directly comparable in service mix and pro bono delivery model.
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC): National network of immigration legal services programs affiliated with Catholic Charities. Directly comparable as a nationwide immigration legal aid infrastructure with affiliated local providers.
• The Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights: National organization focused on advocating for immigrant children, including as court-appointed Child Advocate. Directly comparable to IJC's Unaccompanied Children Program in target population and child welfare focus.
• Justice for Our Neighbors: Network of immigration legal aid clinics hosted by faith communities across the U.S. Highly comparable in its hosted-clinic model and free legal services for low-income immigrants.
• Kids in Need of Defense (KIND): National nonprofit providing pro bono legal representation to unaccompanied immigrant children — the same population IJC serves through its Unaccompanied Children Program. Highly comparable mission and federal funding exposure.
• CASA: Mid-Atlantic-based immigrant advocacy and legal services organization serving working-class immigrants. Comparable as a state-level direct legal services provider serving low-income immigrant populations.
• Immigration Equality: National organization providing free legal services to LGBTQ and HIV-positive immigrants. Comparable as a specialty immigration legal aid nonprofit providing free representation in asylum and other immigration matters.

Broad incumbents

• National Immigration Law Center (NILC): National advocacy and legal support organization focused on immigration policy and impact litigation. Comparable in the broader immigration legal ecosystem but operates primarily through policy and litigation rather than direct client representation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IJCorps
• Facebookfacebook.com/ijcorps
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/immigrant-justice-corps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Immigrant Justice Corps