A NEW ERA OF ACCESS
Explore our Impact Report by clicking on any of the buttons below.
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OASIS BY THE NUMBERS
An overview of our client demographics, revenue, and spending
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Remarks from our Executive Director and Board Chair
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PARTNERING FOR JUSTICE
Interns, volunteers, and pro bono attorneys
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FROM TRAUMA TO TRIUMPH
Empowering queer and trans immigrants
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STRENGTHENING SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Training providers to advocate for queer and trans immigrants
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A NEW ERA OF ACCESS
Free asylum services for low-income LGBTQ+ immigrants
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IMMIGRATION STATUS IS A SOCIAL DETERMINANT OF HEALTH
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FROM ADVOCACY TO ACTION
Securing rights and benefits for LGBTQ+ immigrants
Free Asylum Services for Low-Income LGBTQ+ Immigrants
Oasis’ vision is that all low-income LGBTQ+ immigrants have access to high quality free legal immigration services. When we founded the organization in mid-2017, we recognized from a budgetary standpoint that this goal would take years to implement. In order to create a financially sound and sustainable model, we implemented a low sliding-scale fee structure for some of our services based on our clients’ income. As our funding streams increased and stabilized over the years, we have increasingly been able to offer more and more services pro bono or for lower fees.
We’re proud to have recently taken a substantial step in making our dream a reality. In 2024, Oasis went through the rigorous process of qualifying to become a California State Bar funded legal services organization, a program that supports high quality free legal services for indigent California residents. These new funds, coupled with our award from McKenzie Scott’s Yield Giving, finally allowed Oasis to make our Asylum Program 100% free, and in 2024, Oasis supported more than 200 new asylum seekers. Providing these services for free ensures that financial barriers do not prevent even the most marginalized LGBTQ+ asylum seekers from obtaining the legal assistance they need.
With ongoing government delays in processing asylum applications, our roster of clients with pending cases grew from 706 in 2023 to 900 in 2024. For all of our affirmative asylum cases, we are committed to representing our clients from start to finish and will continue to provide legal and social services support as clients wait for the asylum interview dates.
Our Two Year Pilot to Support LGBTQ+ Immigrants Facing Deportation
As a result of ongoing homophobic and transphobic persecution around the world and changes in immigration policies nationally, immigration providers in California are unable to keep up with the demand for immigration legal services. For providers who serve LGBTQ+ clients, capacity is further stretched. Many LGBTQ+ asylum seekers find themselves navigating their asylum case without representation, or they are unable to file an asylum application at all despite being eligible. Currently, Oasis receives five to seven inquiries a day from LGBTQ+ asylum seekers located in Northern and Central California who are in deportation proceedings and who need support with a defensive asylum application. Many queer and trans immigrants hope that Oasis will represent their case due to our reputation for being attentive and sensitive to their needs. Since our capacity and focus have been on affirmative asylum applications (for those not in deportation proceedings), we’ve historically had to refer these individuals to other organizations who may also be at capacity, or to private law firms, despite clients’ critical need for free, high-quality culturally competent representation. In 2024, through the generosity of The Victor & Lorraine Honig Initiative for Bay Area Social and Economic Justice at the Tides Foundation, we launched a two year pilot to expand our ability to support LGBTQ+ asylum seekers facing deportation.