A free app to understand your immigration options

This page explains free tools. It is general information, not legal advice. A tool can show you possibilities. Only a lawyer or a DOJ accredited representative can tell you what applies to you.

Is there a free app that explains my options?

Yes. Two free tools stand out because nonprofits that serve immigrants built them:

Both say they are not legal advice.

What does MIJA do?

MIJA stands for My Immigration Journey App. Mission Asset Fund (MAF) describes it this way:

• A personal action plan. You answer questions and MIJA suggests next steps for your situation.
• A resource guide that connects you with legal and financial help.
• Learning tools on topics including advance parole, renewing DACA, work based, humanitarian and family based immigration, and U.S. citizenship.
• Progress tracking, so you can mark steps as you finish them.
• "Chat With MIJA," an AI chatbot open 24/7 in the Explore tab. MAF says it is not a substitute for legal advice.

How to use it: go to mafmija.app in your phone or computer browser. MAF's page does not mention an app store version. You need an internet connection, because MIJA does not work offline. You create an account, and you can choose how often it sends you notices.

Language: English and Spanish. You can switch in your settings.

MAF also runs other immigration programs, like zero interest loans for some USCIS fees in California. See DACA fee help.

What does Immi do?

Immi calls itself "free and simple information for immigrants." Its site says it was made by nonprofit legal experts to help immigrants understand their rights and options. It offers:

• An interview, or quiz, called Immigration Paths, to learn about options that may apply to you. The site says more than 1.5 million people are eligible for immigration benefits and do not know it.
• A legal help finder, to connect with legal experts in your area once you understand your options (Get legal help).
• Information in Spanish. A quote on the site says you can answer in Spanish anonymously.

MIJA's own page points people who want free legal help to Immi.

Is my information safe?

Think before you type. Both tools say they protect what you share, and each gives you some control:

MIJA (Mission Asset Fund):

• Encrypts sensitive information when it is stored and when it is sent
• Lets you turn on two step verification
• Lets you permanently delete your account and data in your settings. MAF says this cannot be undone.

MAF's general privacy policy (marked updated October 2020) says MAF does not rent or sell personal information. It also says MAF may share data with service providers, with partners that fund its programs, and when it believes the law requires it, including law enforcement demands in criminal investigations and requests from civil or administrative authorities. The policy does not name MIJA. When we opened the app's privacy page (mafmija.app/privacy) on October 21, 2026, it showed placeholder text for another app, not a MIJA policy. Before you sign up, ask MAF at privacy@missionassetfund.org what MIJA collects and who it shares it with.

Immi says on its home page, "Your answers are safe and private."

Tips for any app or website:

• Use only the official address. Type it yourself: missionassetfund.org, mafmija.app or immi.org. Fake sites and apps copy real ones.
• You can learn without giving your A number, passport number or Social Security number. If a tool asks for them early, stop and ask why.
• Use a private device if you can, and log out when you finish on a shared phone or library computer.
• Never pay a site or app that says it can "guarantee" a visa or work permit. See Warning signs of an immigration scam.

What can an app not do?

A lot. Be clear on the limits:

• It cannot give legal advice. Only a lawyer or a DOJ accredited representative at a recognized organization can. See Find a lawyer you can trust.
• It can miss things. Arrests, old deportation orders, past entries and exits, and family details can change everything. A screening by a lawyer asks follow up questions an app cannot.
• It cannot file for you or speak for you to USCIS or the immigration court.
• Laws and rules are changing fast in 2026. A tool may not have the newest fee, form or court ruling. Always check the date of any information.

Do not use an app as your only step if you have a court date, an order of removal, someone detained or an ICE check in. Get legal help now. See What happens at my first immigration court hearing? and Free legal help in the Bay Area.

What do I do with my results?

Treat your results as a list of questions for a lawyer, not as answers.

1. Save them. Take a screenshot, print them or write them down.
2. Write down your story in a few lines: when you came, how you entered, any trips out, family members who are citizens or green card holders, any arrests or court cases, any past applications.
3. Gather papers you already have: passport, any USCIS notices, court papers, birth and marriage certificates.
4. Book a free or low cost screening with a nonprofit legal provider. Bring your results and papers.
5. Ask direct questions: "The app said I might qualify for X. Do I? What are the risks of applying? What would it cost?"

See What should I bring to my first meeting? for a full list.

Are there other free tools?

• USCIS runs an official "Explore my Options" tool (uscis.gov/forms/explore-my-options, checked October 21, 2026). You pick who you are, and it shows options you might be eligible for. USCIS says it cannot guarantee approval. It is not a legal screening.
• Find a legal provider: the Immi legal help finder, and DNLH's Finding honest immigration help: the complete guide.

Questions people ask

Is MIJA really free? Yes. MAF says it is completely free to use.

Will using an app report me to immigration? These are nonprofit tools, not government systems. Still, any organization can receive a legal demand for records, and MAF's policy says it may share data when it believes the law requires it. Share only what you need to.

Can I use the app for someone else? You can help a family member use it, with their permission. Let them answer for themselves when they can.

What if the app says I have no options? Do not give up. Talk to a lawyer anyway. Many people have options an app does not catch.

Who can help?

Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

• Mission Asset Fund (San Francisco): MIJA questions at programs@missionassetfund.org. Privacy questions at privacy@missionassetfund.org or (888) 274-4808.
• Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto (CLSEPA) (low income residents of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties): walk ins Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. See Free legal help in the Bay Area.
• Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (Redwood City): free first consultation by appointment, (650) 587-1558.
• Outside the Bay Area: use the Immi legal help finder.