About Us

For twenty-five years, the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic (HIRC), in partnership with Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS), has focused on direct representation of individuals applying for U.S. asylum and related relief, as well as representation of individuals who have survived domestic violence and other crimes and/or who seek avoidance of forced removal in immigration proceedings.  HIRC is also involved in appellate and policy advocacy at the local, national, and international levels.

HIRC students take the lead in representing clients from all over the world who are seeking protection from being returned to human rights abuses in their country of origin, protection from exile after years of living in the United States, or reunification with their families. Students are placed both at Harvard Law School and at GBLS.

HIRC’s director and supervisors are nationally and internationally known teachers, practitioners, and scholars who have published widely. Clinical teaching and instructional staff have received numerous bar association awards, including the prestigious Founders Award of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, for path-breaking work on behalf of women refugees.