In 2019, Pars Equality Center (Pars) achieved the following milestones at its centers in San Jose and Los Angeles. Overall, Pars met its five-year Public Support Test to remain a 501(c)(3) organization thanks to generous donations from supporters like you.
Legal Services
* Expanded legal immigration services by serving 3,800 individuals with their immigration needs
* Assisted more than 500 individuals with complex naturalization applications by providing legal representation and offering English proficiency, U.S. Constitution, and American history classes
* Filed 300 immigration applications with the Department of Homeland Security, often involving complex immigration relief including but not limited to I-601 waiver of inadmissibility, U visa, VAWA and Humanitarian Reinstatement
* Provided legal consultations to hundreds of applicants in the U.S., Iran and around the world affected by the Travel Ban
* Assisted 150 applicants with filing Travel Ban waivers since the effective date of the Ban in December 2017, and engaged in advocacy efforts to increase chances of favorable adjudication
* Conducted at least 3 Know Your Rights workshops each month with over 1,000 attendees across multiple counties to increase awareness of latest immigration challenges
* Engaged in advocacy on the national level by bringing a class action lawsuit in partnership with Iranian American Bar Association (IABA), Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, CAIR and other advocacy groups challenging the Travel Ban waiver process
* Endorsed by the State of California Department of Social Services and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as a trusted immigration legal service provider