Neoliberal welfare reforms and limited pathways to permanent residency have left migrant women, among other groups, with little or no access to public social protection, contributing to their precarious legal status. As a result, civil society actors (CSA) have become the main providers of support and deliver micro-level social protection beyond the boundaries of public authorities. At the same time, CSA's resources remain tied to collaborations with government actors in the delivery of services. Within this context, this study examines how CSAs use different forms of knowledge to frame the situations of migrant women with precarious legal status who experience gender-based violence (GBV). In a dynamic process of framing GBV situations and constantly reshaping the meanings of administrative categories, CSAs create temporary micro-practices of social protection. Data are based on a vignette method, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals from 31 CSAs operating in Italy and Sweden. Findings show that CSAs strategically produce and mobilise knowledge that frames the legal and humanitarian dimensions of precarious situations of migrant women experiencing GBV, legitimising their actions, securing resources, and navigating tensions with public authorities. Through this, CSAs reshape the architecture of social protection for migrant women confronting GBV within neoliberal bureaucratic frameworks.