Where to get free advice on immigration to United States?

[kiwi]

A friend of mine is undocumented in the US, and is now hoping to become documented via a new law - Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

She's planning on paying a good deal money to an immigration lawyer. I'm not necessarily suspicious of the lawyer, but I'd like to know - are there forums that this friend could go to, for advice and information, in addition to a lawyer?

Kind of like MMM, but for immigration advice?

[zoltani]

When I needed advice back in 2007 I used this site:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/

[KCM5]

When I needed advice back in 2007 I used this site:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/

Seconded.

[DebtFreeBy25]

Many legal aid organizations would be willing to assist her if she's income eligible. I would suggest that she have someone who is a US citizen inquire on her behalf before directly contacting legal aid.

Also, a family member or friend who is US citizen could contact their US Representative or one of their US Senators for information on her behalf. Each Member of Congress employs caseworkers who assist constituents free of charge with matters related to federal agencies. I obviously recommend contacting an immigration-friendly Member of Congress. I would not recommend that your friend contact a caseworker directly unless the third party has confirmed that she is safe to do so. The friend or family member making the inquiry should only contact a Member of Congress who represents their jurisdiction and should only work with one Member of Congress. (By working with multiple Members of Congress, say both US Senators, multiple communications may be sent to an agency on the consistent's behalf and could potentially delay or confuse the agency's response.)

[Daleth]

Do all of the above BEFORE she pays the lawyer. And Google the lawyer she's currently planning to use, and get recommendations on immigration lawyers. There are a lot of shady, fake immigration lawyers out there preying on vulnerable foreigners.

[mucchad]

I would strongly recommend your friend not rely entirely on either a MMM type blog / forum, or on an immigration lawyer. Every immigrant is responsible for their own legal status and path, and all source of information / action are just not as invested as the immigrant themselves.
That said, she can check these sites as well - though they are mainly focused on documented immigrants
http://forum.murthy.com/
http://www.immigration-law.com/
http://www.trackitt.com/
http://dreamact.info/forum/