ASISTA One Day Advanced CLE: U Visa Certification Statutes, Strategies, and Advocacy

ASISTA One Day In-Person Advanced CLE Conference

(Live-streaming option, so you can attend virtually too!)  

U Visa Certification Statutes, Strategies, & Advocacy

Wednesday, June 21, 2023, 9:00am - 5:00pm ET (during AILA Conference week)

Location: Delta Hotels Orlando Celebration  2900 Parkway Blvd, Kissimmee, FL, 34747

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OVW Grantees: LAV and JFF grantees may attend with a GAM approved by their grant manager. Grantees from all other OVW grant programs are also required to submit a GAM before they commit or expend any funds related to attending this conference.

During this one-day, in-person conference, participants will learn how to successfully navigate U certification requirements, including identifying characterizing crimes, understanding local policies for requesting and correcting certifications, and using state U visa certification statutes to best serve immigrant survivors.

This one-day conference is intended for advanced attorneys and DOJ Accredited Representatives who already have a basic understanding about U, T, and VAWA related cases, and have experience or interest in working with U visa certification statutes or navigating local certification requirements, and the latest policies to support immigrant survivors. Speakers include ASISTA's national experts.

Session 1: (1.5 hrs.) 9:00 - 10:30 am ET 

Before You Request a Certification 

This session will review important questions that advocates should consider prior to making requests for U visa certifications, including questions surrounding who is the victim, who is the certifier, and what are the qualifying crimes. It will also discuss benefits, drawbacks, and risks of making requests during certain stages of a criminal case.

Speakers:  Lia Ocasio, Staff Attorney, ASISTA; Sonia Parras Konrad, Law Offices of Sonia Parras PLLC

Session 2: (1.5 hrs.) 10:45 am - 12:15 pm ET

U Visa Certification Statutes : Advocacy and Enforcement Strategies

Where are they? What are they? How can you use them to the greatest effect? This session will provide an overview of existing U visa certification statutes and how to use them to advance immigrant survivor relief. It will also examine using state litigation to enforce U visa certification statutes.

Speakers:  Daniel McFadden, Staff Attorney, ACLU of Massachusetts; Rebecca Eissenova, Senior Staff Attorney, ASISTA

Break: 12:15 pm  - 1:15 pm ET

Session 3: (1.5 hrs.) 1:15 - 2:45 pm ET

Advocating for U Visa Certifications in Different Political Enviroments

This session will cover common strategies for advocating for U visa certifications from law enforcement agencies in localities hostile to immigrants and those lacking state certification statutes to compel an LEA response. It will discuss how to navigate various hesitancies and obstacles to certification that LEAs may raise as a matter of internal policy or practice.

Speakers:  Nicole Avila, Immigration Attorney, Florida Legal Services;  Anna Cushman, Staff Attorney at Legal Aid of North Carolina - Battered Immigrant Project; Lia Ocasio, Staff Attorney, ASISTA

Session 4: (1.5 hrs.) 3:00 - 4:30 pm ET

Imperfect Fit/Qualifying Crimes

This session will cover how to use a U-certification to best situate your client for success when the arrest report or charging document is not a perfect fit for a qualifying crime. Focusing on felonious assault and domestic violence, we will discuss two main approaches to this element (the mechanical “similar-to” assertion and the fact-based “detected” argument), when to use each, and how best to document them.

Speakers:  Rebecca Eissenova, Senior Staff Attorney, ASISTA;  Mark Prada, Partner, Prada Urizar Dominguez, PLLC;  Vivianna Stubbe, Immigration lawyer and founding partner of Haratz & Stubbe, LLC.

Prices for full training (4 sessions = 6 CLE credit hrs.)

Early Bird Pricing (through June 10th)

• $375 Non-Profit 
• $475 ASISTA Member 
• $600 Non-ASISTA Member
• Group Discounts: We offer a 10% discount for groups of 5 or more. Please contact manager@asistahelp.org to process your group registration. 

Note: Prices for training will increase $25 starting Wednesday, June 11, 2023.  Processing fees apply for online payments.

Coffee/Tea/Beverages, and Light Snacks will be provided. 

CLE: 6 hrs. of MCLE credits will be applied for this conference. Certificates of attendance will be available upon request after completion on training. (Note: all sessions have a 15-minute break in between). 

Interested in sponsoring this conference? Your support will be highlighted in conference outreach and materials, during  the conference, and includes a FREE registration spot.

Sponsor Details Here

Interested in sponsoring ASISTA all year round? Check out our 2023 annual sponsorship opportunities for even more benefits, and to show your support for ASISTA all year long to over 7,500 advocates, attorneys, law firms, organizations, and more!

Questions: Contact Maria Lazzarino at manager@asistahelp.org with any questions.

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