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CIELOCIELOCenter for Immigration
Empowerment and Legal OrientationEnglish · EspañolGet Started

Your future is too important to leave to guesswork.

You can't control every decision in your immigration journey. You can control how prepared you are. CIELO gives you clear, attorney-created guidance for each step, so you can stop worrying about what you don't know and start moving forward.

Explore the programsWhy preparation matters
Created by an immigration attorneyEnglish & EspañolSelf-pacedEducational, not legal advice
The CIELO emblem: a sunrise over the ocean framed by wings, above a globe

cielo·Spanish for “sky”

The same sky over every family.

Wherever you were born, whatever brought you here, you live under the same sky as everyone else, and you deserve the same chance to understand your future. That belief is in our name.

Center for Immigration Empowerment & Legal Orientation

We understand

Late at night, the questions don't stop.

If you are facing an immigration process, you are probably carrying more than paperwork. You are carrying your family's future.

What if I make one mistake and lose everything?

What happens to my children if something goes wrong?

Who can I trust to tell me the truth?

You are not alone, and you are not powerless. Fear grows in the dark. CIELO turns the unknown into a clear sequence of steps you can understand, prepare for and work through, at your own pace.

How it works

Start with the level of support that fits you.

Each CIELO topic gives you a clear place to begin, with additional tools and training available as you need more support.

Start free → Step-by-step help → Go deeper

1

Start Free

Understand your situation and what comes next.

2

Get Step-by-Step Help

Use practical guides, kits and tools to prepare with more structure.

3

Go Deeper

Access more comprehensive training and resources when you need them.

I need help with

Whatever you're facing, start here.

These are the immigration topics CIELO is building full programs for. Topics marked in development or coming soon are shown so you know what is planned, and are not yet available to open. Shorter standalone guides are listed further down under Additional Resources & Guides.

Available now

Asylum Self-Help Training

You survived what brought you here. Now tell your story in a way that is understood.

Explore asylum training

In development

Know Your Rights & ICE Preparedness

Make a plan while you’re calm, so your children and your family are protected if something happens.

In development

In development

Work Permits

Find out if you qualify, then file Form I-765 with confidence and get back to providing for your family.

In development

In development

Bond / Detention

When someone you love is detained, every day counts. Know what to gather and how to help bring them home.

In development

Coming soon

Family Green Cards

You already know your relationship is real. Learn how to show it on paper and keep your family together.

Coming soon

Coming soon

Citizenship (N-400)

You’ve worked for this for years. Walk into your interview ready, in English and Spanish.

Coming soon

Coming soon

Consular Processing

Bring your family home through the National Visa Center and the embassy interview, one step at a time.

Coming soon

Coming soon

Green Card Renewal

Keep your status secure and your peace of mind. Renew or replace your card the right way.

Coming soon

Coming soon

Removal of Conditions

Your conditional green card has an end date. File Form I-751 on time and protect the life you’ve built.

Coming soon

Not sure where to begin?

See what’s inside each program.

Choose your immigration topic to see what its program includes.

Select a topic above to see what it includes.

Additional resources & guides

Not Ready for a Full Program Yet? Don’t Risk a Costly Mistake.

Immigration forms, supporting evidence, and deadlines can be overwhelming. Our practical guides break down complex topics into clear, easy-to-follow steps so you can make informed decisions about your case.

Start with one of our affordable guides. You’ll learn the fundamentals, understand the process, and be in a better position to decide whether our Kit or Comprehensive Program is right for you.

Start Learning Today

Why preparation matters

In immigration, small mistakes have big consequences.

The forms look simple. The consequences are not. Most problems we see could have been prevented by someone who knew what to look for.

A rejected form can cost months

A wrong category, a missing signature or an outdated form edition can send your application back, and the waiting starts over.

Inconsistencies raise doubts

When your dates, documents and story don't line up, officers notice. Preparation keeps every piece telling the same story.

Deadlines don't wait

Some filing windows close for good. Knowing your deadline before it arrives protects options you can't get back.

Emergencies don't announce themselves

The families who handle a detention or a crisis best are the ones who made a plan while things were calm.

Why CIELO exists

Built by an attorney who has seen what's really at stake.

For over a decade, the attorney behind CIELO has practiced both immigration and criminal law. She has stood beside families in immigration court, in criminal courtrooms, in USCIS interviews, and through the hardest phone calls of their lives. That rare combination matters. In immigration, a single arrest, a plea deal, or an old charge can change everything, and most guides online never tell you that.

Good attorneys wish they could help every family. They can't. There are only so many hours in a day, and far more people need help than any office can take. Those families don't stop needing answers. They just go looking somewhere else.

Too often, what they find hurts them. A wrong box checked. A deadline missed by a week. A document nobody told them to bring. These mistakes cost months, money, and sometimes a family's chance to stay, and almost all of them could have been avoided.

Some families hand their savings to a notario or "immigration consultant" who promises a green card and disappears. Others are quoted fees so high that real help feels out of reach.

CIELO was created to change that. More than a decade of courtroom and case experience now goes into clear, step-by-step guidance, in English and Spanish, at a price working families can afford.

Not internet advice. Real experience, from someone who has seen how these cases are won and lost.

Created by CIELO

Built from real immigration practice. Written so you can actually use it.

Attorney Rosina C. Stambaugh

Rosina C. Stambaugh, Esq., LL.M.

Founder, CIELO

CIELO was created to make high-quality immigration education more accessible to people who may be preparing their cases without full legal representation.

Attorney Stambaugh has represented clients before the Department of Homeland Security (USCIS), the Department of State, in immigration court, before the Board of Immigration Appeals and before the Circuit Court, as well as in criminal matters. She has also spent years providing pro bono representation to families who otherwise may not have had access to legal help.

The materials inside CIELO are built from the frameworks, preparation steps, and practical considerations used in real immigration practice, translated into a format that self-filers can follow.

  • 2019–2026Selected to the Pennsylvania Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers
  • 2022Immigration Law Pro Bono Award, Pennsylvania Bar Association
  • 2020Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, Pennsylvania Bar Association
  • MemberAmerican Immigration Lawyers Association

Taught in two languages

ENGLISH&ESPAÑOL

CIELO is being developed in both English and Spanish. The core asylum programs have separate English and Spanish versions, with updated Spanish lessons and resources being added as the programs are completed.

The other CIELO guides, including the N-400, I-864 and Notice to Appear materials, are currently available in English.

Questions before you start?

What is CIELO, exactly?
CIELO is an immigration education platform founded by an immigration attorney. It publishes courses, worksheets and guides that explain how different immigration processes work and how to prepare your own paperwork for them. It is not a law firm and does not represent anyone.
Is this legal advice?
No. CIELO provides educational materials about the U.S. immigration process. Purchasing a course or downloading a guide does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing here is advice about your individual case.
Can this replace a lawyer?
No. These are educational self-help materials designed to help people better understand immigration processes and prepare their own paperwork. If your situation involves a prior denial, a missed deadline, criminal history or time already spent in removal proceedings, speak with a qualified immigration attorney or a BIA-accredited representative.
Which topics does CIELO cover right now?
Asylum is the most developed area, with a free guide, two full courses and focused resources. There are also guides for U.S. citizenship (N-400), the affidavit of support (I-864), Notices to Appear in immigration court, and particular social group claims. Other topics are listed on the homepage as in development or coming soon, and are not yet available.
Is everything available in Spanish?
The two core asylum courses are taught in full in both English and Spanish. The shorter guides are currently in English. The topic list shows the languages for each item.
Does this guarantee my case will be approved?
No. No education and no attorney can promise an outcome. Every case turns on its own facts. These materials help you understand what the process asks of you and prepare a complete, truthful and well organized filing.
How do I access what I buy?
Your course or guide opens in CIELOā€™s private customer area. You sign in with the email you used at checkout, and your lessons and downloads stay available to you.

Immigration education · Bilingual asylum courses

You do not have to understand all of it. Just your part of it.

Find the topic that matches where you are, and start there.

Find your programBrowse Downloadable Resources

Educational information, not legal advice.
No immigration outcome is promised or implied.