LEGAL IMMIGRATION PROGRAM
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Holy Cross Ministries is dedicated to helping immigrants and their families gain legal status and participate more fully in the community. Recognizing the overwhelming need for low-cost legal services for immigrants in Utah, Sister Kathleen Moroney, J.D., started HCM’s Legal Immigration program in September of 2000. Since then, HCM has served over 27,000 individuals during their journeys to citizenship. HCM also collaborates with numerous community partners to provide affordable legal services, education and advocacy for Utah’s immigrant population.
HCM’S LEGAL IMMIGRATION PROGRAM OFFERS THE FOLLOWING LOW-COST OR NO-COST SERVICES:
- Legal consultations
- Humanitarian support in legal matters including
- Family reunification arrangements
- Citizenship and naturalization services
PROGRAM HOURS AND LOCATION
Services are offered BY APPOINTMENT ONLY at HCM’s Salt Lake City offices. Telephone consultations and virtual appointments are also available. To schedule an appointment, please call HCM’s at 801-261-3440. Because the line is often very busy, it is important to leave a message with your contact information and the reason for your call. We can’t return your call without knowing your name and phone number.
The Legal Immigration Program is located in Holy Cross Ministries’ offices at
860 East 4500 South, Suite 204
Salt Lake City, UT 84107
HCM’s legal team also supports the Consulate of Mexico in Salt Lake City and the Salt Lake Area’s Family Justice Center by providing appointment-free services through these partner organizations.
UTAH IMMIGRATION COLLABORATIVE (UIC)
Holy Cross Ministries is a proud affiliate of the Utah Immigration Collaborative (UIC) along with Catholic Community Services of Utah, Comunidades Unidas, Immigrant Legal Services and the International Rescue Committee in Salt Lake City. Launched on May 1, 2020, the UIC established a centralized, language-accessible legal helpline to better coordinate immigration services by screening and referring inquiries to the appropriate agency.
You can call UIC’s phone helpline at 801-382-9027 and speak to a live person Mondays through Thursdays during regular business hours. Voicemails received outside of hours of operation will be responded to promptly.
RESOURCES
For current information on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) programs, case processing times and filing fees, please visit www.uscis.gov
UtahDACA
UtahDACA was created based on a collaboration of several Utah universities, immigration nonprofits, law firms, technology companies, and the Mexican Consulate of Salt Lake City.
Find tools and resources for DACA recipients and undocumented immigrants throughout the state of Utah at utahdaca.com.
Can you pass the U.S. citizenship test?
- There are 100 civic questions on the naturalization test, but you will only be asked up to ten of them.
- You must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civic test.
HELP SUPPORT OUR FAMILIES
Holy Cross Ministries works to ensure that everyone is able to participate fully in our community. Many individuals and their families face barriers such as language, culture, abuse and location. Your support helps us continue offering low-cost services to a critically underserved population.
LEGAL IMMIGRATION PROGRAM STAFF
Lorina Tester
Director of Immigration Programs, Senior Attorney
Lorina is the Director of Immigration Programs, Senior Attorney for Holy Cross Ministries. She is an accomplished attorney with 20 years of experience in U.S. immigration law, beginning with the recruitment and retention of foreign national employees, to the implementation of immigration strategies and policies, all the way through U.S. Department of Homeland Security compliance investigations.
In 2003, Lorina moved to Utah from a law firm in New York City to join a prominent university and national research institution. In her position as Associate General Counsel, she centralized and managed all immigration and compliance matters for the university and affiliated medical school. Lorina established her own law firm in 2010 where she focused on business immigration, including temporary employment authorization visas, employment-based green cards and matters involving F-1 international students and J-1 researchers and scholars. Lorina also has expertise with marriage-based green cards, affirmative asylum and citizenship and naturalization applications.
As an active Member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Lorina has been elected Chapter Chair and served on the AILA Board of Governors. She has also served on AILA’s Verification & Documentation Liaison Committee and the AILA / U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service Nebraska Service Center Liaison Committee. Lorina frequently engages in pro bono legal services and community engagement. She is excited about shifting to nonprofit work where she will support the mission of Holy Cross Ministries.
Maribel Real
Immigration Services Manager
Maribel began working at Holy Cross Ministries in April of 1998 as a Promotora based in the Holy Cross Ministries office of Midvale, UT. In December of 1998, she was transferred to the South Main Clinic in Salt Lake City to initiate HCM’s Promotora Program within a clinical setting; this was a pilot program under the partnership of Karen Buchi, MD, the University of Utah Pediatrics Program and the Salt Lake County Health Department Prenatal Program. Maribel transitioned to the Director of the Promotora Program in January of 2004, as well as becoming a Legal Assistance in the Immigration Department of HCM working alongside attorney Sister Sharlet Wagner with the commencement of the U Visa program. Maribel became a BIA Accredited Legal Representative, under the sponsorship of HCM, in March of 2010 allowing her to file and legally represent clients, thus ensuring the continuation of the U Visa program at HCM.
Ingrid Golon
Legal Representative
Ingrid joined Holy Cross Ministries as a Legal Representative in January 2020 with previous experience working as a domestic violence victim advocate for West Valley City and as a paralegal with the Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake. She has a degree in paralegal studies from Salt Lake Community College and has been living in the Salt Lake area since 1990, although she is from Guatemala originally.
Ingrid came to Holy Cross Ministries because she was very interested in the broad range of services HCM offers clients and loves working with women committed to empowering other women. In her free time, Ingrid enjoys making jewelry, meditating, gardening and going on nature walks with her dog.
Lorena Cardenas
Legal Representative
Lorena is currently a student in Salt Lake Community College’s Legal Studies Program, where she is studying to become a paralegal. Lorena has lived in Utah since age 11, but she is from Mexico originally and immigrated to Arizona when she was five years old.
Lorena’s first interaction with Holy Cross Ministries was as a client receiving legal immigration assistance. Once Lorena received her visa and learned of a job opening in HCM’s Legal Immigration Program, she was eager to share her knowledge and draw on her own experience to help others with the immigration process. She understands firsthand the feelings of confusion and frustration immigrant families can face, and she is happy to be in a position where she can help and empower these clients. When she isn’t working or studying, Lorena is kept very busy by her three-year-old son, who loves watching movies and going to the park.
Luzmila Zepeda
Legal Representative
Luzmila began working for Holy Cross Ministries in March 2005, starting as a legal assistant. She worked especially with immigrant clients, assisting with their immigration challenges or giving them appropriate referrals. In 2010, Luzmila became a BIA Legal Representative. As a BIA, Luzmila started to represent clients before the U. S. Department of Homeland Security/USCIS. Later, she became a Department of Justice (DOJ) representative for Holy Cross Ministries. In 2019, Luzmila moved to California where she had the opportunity to continue working as a DOJ for Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego. In 2021, Luzmila returned to Holy Cross Ministries. Serving the community with justice and equality is her calling. Luzmila is always grateful for the opportunity to serve others with the dignity and compassion that they deserve. The solid principles and experience she gained as an attorney in Peru have carried over to her career in the United States as she continues to work with issues related to the protection of victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes. She maintains the same level of dedication and commitment here in the United States.
Teresa González
Legal Representative
Teresa began working for Holy Cross Ministries in 2001, helping individuals navigate the health care system as a Promotora and also providing legal immigration assistance. As of September 2019, she works solely with the Legal Immigration Program as a legal representative. In both areas, Teresa has had the pleasure of serving families by informing them of the resources they have access to in the community or by assisting them with the immigration process. She feels blessed to have contributed to HCM’s mission in this way, helping individuals and families achieve independence and total participation in the community.
Teresa was born in El Salvador. As a teenager, she migrated to Costa Rica as a refugee, where she formed her family. She graduated with a degree in social work from the University of Costa Rica. Teresa loves Utah and enjoys dancing, reading and spending time with friends.