RIF Asylum Support

What RIF Asylum Support does

RIF Asylum Support (legally Refugee & Immigrant Fund) is a New York City-based non-profit organization founded in 2003 by Maria Blacque-Belair. It provides free legal orientation and support services to asylum seekers in the United States, delivering content in English, Spanish, French, and Russian. Core offerings include weekly free online legal consultations via Zoom with immigration attorneys, a weekly emotional support group led by a licensed clinical psychologist (Dr. Madelyn Miller), a Mock Asylum Interview Practice service ($200 flat fee), and an Asylum Application Review Service ($60/hour). The organization also produces downloadable guides, a YouTube video series, a weekly newsletter, and maintains a WhatsApp community for rapid immigration orientation.

RIF operates as a small (~6 employees, ~8-10 core team including consulting attorneys and volunteers) direct-to-consumer service organization. It sustains itself through individual donations (one-time, weekly, monthly) processed via standard payment methods, plus modest earned income from low-bono services. Technology is limited to standard collaboration and communication platforms (Zoom, WhatsApp, a Squarespace-hosted website). The go-to-market is community-driven: free value delivery via multilingual content, partnerships with immigrant-serving organizations (NYC Department of Health, CoCounsel NYC, Hofstra University pro bono), and a referral network of free psychological evaluation providers.

The business model is grant- and donation-dependent with no disclosed funding rounds, no institutional investors, no parent company, and no disclosed financial figures. Strategic positioning emphasizes filling gaps in affordable legal aid for asylum seekers, countering predatory immigration attorney fraud, and providing practical orientation through every stage of the affirmative and defensive asylum process, including ICE detentions, work permits, and pretermission.

Name

RIF Asylum Support

Legal name

Refugee & Immigrant Fund

Website

https://rifnyc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RIF Asylum Support is a New York City non-profit providing free multilingual legal orientation, emotional support, and low-cost application services to asylum seekers in English, Spanish, French, and Russian.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immigration Legal Services (Nonprofit)

NAICS

Social Assistance (624), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Health Care and Social Assistance (62)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Asylum & Refugee Status Determination (RSD) Support (BPADAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE), Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Refugee & Humanitarian Newcomer Orientation (Resettlement Support) (EDAAADAI)

Keywords

• Asylum legal orientation
• Immigration support services
• Pro bono legal help
• Asylum application review
• Immigration psychosocial support

Headquarters

HQ city

Astoria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: RIF operates primarily through donations from individuals and organizations. The donation page offers one-time, weekly, and monthly giving options with preset amounts ($100, $250, $500) and custom amounts. Donations can be made via Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Google Pay, or Apple Pay, or by mail to Refugee & Immigrant Fund, 32-13 37th Street, Astoria, NY, 11103.
2. Low-Bono Services: Low-cost services including Mock Asylum Interview Practice at $200 flat fee and Asylum Application Review at $60/hour (3-4 hours typical). These services supplement free offerings and are designed to be affordable for asylum seekers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RIF Asylum Support provides free multilingual legal orientation, weekly live consultations with immigration attorneys, asylum interview preparation, low-cost asylum application review, and emotional support groups for asylum seekers in the United States. The organization supplements live services with a multilingual online resource library covering affirmative asylum, defensive asylum, ICE detentions, work permits, and pretermission. Core customers are individual asylum seekers navigating the U.S. immigration system, with services delivered in English, Spanish, French, and Russian.

Product overview

RIF Asylum Support is a non-profit legal services organization offering a portfolio of human-driven asylum support services. The core offerings include free weekly legal consultations with immigration attorneys (available in Spanish, French, and Russian), a Mock Asylum Interview Practice service for USCIS interview preparation, and a low-cost Asylum Application Review Service. Additional services include an Emotional Support Group led by a licensed clinical psychologist, psychological evaluation referrals, translation service referrals, ICE detention guidance, and work permit assistance. The organization is structured around providing clear legal orientation and practical support for asylum seekers, service providers, and community groups in New York City, delivered through both online platforms (Zoom) and in-person sessions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free Legal Consultations Weekly free online legal consultations held every Thursday from 12-1 PM NYC time via Zoom with immigration attorneys, offering interpretation in Spanish, French, and Russian. Available to asylum seekers seeking practical legal guidance without forming an attorney-client relationship.
• Mock Asylum Interview Practice Online practice sessions for asylum seekers preparing for USCIS affirmative asylum interviews, conducted via Zoom by RIF legal team members with document review (2-3 hours), personalized questions (0-1 hour), simulated interview (1-2 hours), and feedback (0-1 hour). $200 flat fee.
• Asylum Application Review Service Low-cost service helping pro se asylum seekers review and strengthen their Form I-589 applications and personal statements, led by Mariella Cárdenas with attorney oversight. Pricing is $60 per hour, with most cases requiring 3-4 hours total (approximately $180-240). Includes free initial review.
• Emotional Support Group Weekly support group every Monday 10-11 AM NYC time via Zoom, led by Dr. Madelyn Miller, PhD, LCSW, providing a safe space for asylum seekers to share challenges and celebrate accomplishments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hofstra University accepted to represent RIF client's case pro bono following application support

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NYC Department of HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIF partnered with NYC Department of Health to host informational sessions about upcoming federal and state health insurance changes affecting Medicaid, Essential Plan, and ACA Marketplace coverage for immigrants, asylum seekers, DACA recipients, and low-income communities.
• CoCounsel NYCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRIF collaborated with CoCounsel NYC to develop and provide a basic opposition template for asylum seekers to formally oppose DHS's request for pretermission while cases remain in Immigration Court.
• Libertas CenterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFree psychological evaluation referral partner for asylum seekers requiring mental health documentation for immigration cases.
• Physicians for Human RightsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFree psychological evaluation referral partner providing forensic evaluations for asylum seekers.
• Weill Cornell Human Rights CenterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFree psychological evaluation referral partner for asylum seekers at Weill Cornell Medical Center.
• HealthRight InternationalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFree psychological evaluation referral partner for asylum seekers.
• Mount Sinai Human Rights ProgramminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFree psychological evaluation referral partner for asylum seekers at Mount Sinai.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Immigration Equality: National organization providing free legal services to LGBTQ asylum seekers — directly comparable niche and service model, with similar size and resource constraints as RIF.
• HIAS: Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society provides legal aid, resettlement, and asylum support to refugees and asylum seekers across the U.S. — directly comparable mission and service mix to RIF, though operating at significantly greater national scale.
• Catholic Charities Community Services (Archdiocese of New York): Operates the New York Archdiocese's immigration legal services program providing free and low-cost legal representation to asylum seekers and immigrants in NYC — directly overlapping service territory and target population.
• Make the Road New York: NYC-based immigrant and worker rights organization providing legal services, including asylum support, education, and community organizing to immigrant communities — directly comparable mission and geography to RIF.
• Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP): Community-based organization providing free legal assistance and representation to asylum seekers nationwide — directly comparable mission, free-service model, and target demographic.

Regional players

• African Services Committee: NYC-based nonprofit providing legal, health, and social services to African immigrants including asylum seekers — directly overlapping geography and target population with RIF.

Broad incumbents

• New York Immigration Coalition: Umbrella policy and advocacy organization for over 200 immigrant-serving groups in New York — relevant ecosystem participant but focuses on advocacy and coordination rather than direct legal service delivery.
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC): National network supporting immigration legal services programs with training, technical assistance, and capacity building — comparable end beneficiaries but operates as an umbrella network rather than direct service provider.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Major international humanitarian organization providing refugee resettlement, asylum support, and integration services — overlapping mission with RIF but operating at vastly larger scale with global reach and federal funding contracts.
• Refugees International: Advocacy and policy organization focused on displaced populations globally — overlapping beneficiary population with RIF but operating primarily through advocacy rather than direct service.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/refugee-&-immigrant-fund-rif-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 RIF Asylum Support