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Citizenship & Immigration
Providing low-cost legal services to immigrants and refugees, and their families
What We Do
Citizenship & Immigration Services staff members provide advice and low-cost representation for citizenship and immigration processes. Our legal representation at U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) is limited to Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut residents. Legal representation at the Immigration Court in Boston is also available on a case-by-case basis.
Who We Are
Our Citizenship & Immigration Services program is one of four programs in RI whose staff members are accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Partial accreditation enables us to represent clients before USCIS; full accreditation additionally allows us to represent clients before the Immigration Court.
Our staff — five attorneys and five accredited representatives — give consultations to thousands of individuals annually and assist an average of more than 1,500 clients each year with applications and legal representation. We are trained to handle a wide variety of immigration matters, including naturalization, permanent residence applications, family petitions, temporary protected status, deferred action, unlawful presence waivers, asylum, deportation defense, and legal services for victims of crime.
We also provide outreach on immigration matters to clients and communities throughout Rhode Island regarding the availability of low-cost services by DOJ accredited agencies as well as the dangers of using the services of Notarios and other practitioners engaged in unlawful practice of immigration law.
Appointments and Consultations
Consultations are available in person at 645 Elmwood Avenue in Providence or by phone 401-784-8607 Monday through Friday to assess eligibility and provide information regarding necessary documents and fees. Please see our hours below:
Monday 9:00am – 1:00pm
Tatyana Tsangarakis-Almeida | Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek
Tuesday 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Danlette Norris / Olga Calheta | Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Liberian dialects
Wednesday 9:00am – 1:00pm
Carlos Ospina / Kinga Peloso | Languages: English, Spanish, Polish
Cecily Ziegler (victims of domestic violence, other crimes) | Languages: English, Spanish
Thursday 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Danlette Norris / Olga Calheta | Languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Liberian dialects
Friday 9:00am – 1:00pm
Carlos Ospina / Kinga Peloso | Languages: English, Spanish, Polish
Cecily Ziegler (victims of domestic violence, other crimes) | Languages: English, Spanish
Consultations may also be scheduled with individual representatives/attorneys (contact list below).
Appointments are required in order to complete and file immigration applications and are scheduled according to individual representative/attorney availability.
Contact Us
Tatyana Tsangarakis-Almeida, Program Director | 401-784-8621 | talmeida@diiri.org
Madonna Micheletti, Managing Staff Attorney | 401-784-8661 | mmicheletti@diiri.org
Isela Aguilar, Caseworker Aide | 401-784-8667 | iaguilar@diiri.org
Olga Calheta, DOJ Accredited Representative | 401-784-8648 | ocalheta@diiri.org
Savannah Jackson, Caseworker Aide | 401-784-8711 | sjackson@diiri.org
Carl Krueger, Staff Attorney | 401-784-8643 | ckrueger@diiri.org
Sedri-Ann Murray, Staff Attorney | 401-784-8614 | smurray@diiri.org
Marcella Narvaes, Staff Attorney | 401-784-8685 | mnarvaes@diiri.org
Nomanullah Niazy, Caseworker Aide | 401-784-8645 | nniazy@diiri.org
Danlette F. Norris, DOJ Accredited Representative | 401-784-8635 | dnorris@diiri.org
Carlos M. Ospina, DOJ Accredited Representative | 401-784-8636 | cospina@diiri.org
Kinga A. Peloso, DOJ Accredited Representative | 401-784-8631 | kpeloso@diiri.org
Hector Perez-Aponte, Caseworker Aide / Coordinator, Immigrant Coalition of RI | 401-784-8650 | hperez@diiri.org
Tethvisal Phan, Caseworker Aide | 401-784-8616 | tphan@diiri.org
Rayanny Thornton, Caseworker Aide | 401-784-8627 | rthornton@diiri.org
Cecily Kerr Ziegler, Staff Attorney, Victims’ Rights | 401-784-8688 | cziegler@diiri.org
Immigration Legal Assistance & COVID-19 Recovery Program
For Providence Residents Only
Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island strives to create a welcoming environment for all, working to empower the most vulnerable among us for more than 100 years. We meet our clients where they are by providing integrated, wraparound programs and services helping those seeking to overcome educational, cultural, economic, and language barriers.