Description
For those of you who missed our March 2025, conference on "Strategizing for Complex U Visa Petitions: The Quagmire of Qualifying Criminal Activity," the session recordings are now available for purchase. The online training is composed of five separate sessions. You can buy all five sessions together and save $100 or buy individual sessions.
This conference is intended for intermediate to advanced attorneys and DOJ Accredited Representatives who have experience or interest in working with immigrant survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and other serious crimes that may qualify them for U nonimmigrant status. See below the agenda for additional information.
Session 1: Qualifying Criminal Activities: The Lay of the Land (2 hrs.)
In Session One, we set the stage for the rest of the conference by reviewing the legal authorities on qualifying criminal activity (QCA). Drawing on adjudication patterns and materials produced through FOIA requests, we will examine how USCIS fleshes out this requirement and employs two primary analyses to QCA claims – often leading to two different results in similar situations. This session will emphasize the importance of strategizing to determine the most effective framing for your QCA claim.
Speakers:
- Alison Kamhi, ILRC
- Rocio Molina, ValorUS
- Rebecca Eissenova, ASISTA.
Session 2: Certifications and Some Sticky Scenarios (2 hrs.)
Building on Session One, this session will focus on the areas of the U certification Form I-918 Supplement B that are essential to get right. We’ll discuss nuances in completing the form for atypical applicants (like indirect and bystander victims), as well as how to turn to atypical entities for the certification (like judges or child protective services). Speakers will share tips on procuring certifications from reluctant certifiers and, where they exist, harnessing state statutes on certifications.
Speakers:
- Blair Craddock, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid
- Gabriela Parra, Layde & Parra S.C.
- Izumi Miyake, Central California Legal Services
- Klara Ng, Her Justice
- Lia Ocasio, ASISTA
Session 3: All About Felonious Assault (1.5 hrs.)
Session Four will focus on one of the most-used and most troublesome QCAs: felonious assault. What does it take to succeed with this claim? What are the trends in cases that are approved and those that are not? What are some state-level crimes that USCIS has acknowledged can count? Speakers will walk through examples to bring clarity to this QCA that has long required guesswork for certifiers and representatives alike.
Speakers:
- Jessica Farb, ICWC
- Kelly Byrne, ASISTA
Session 4: All About Domestic Violence (1 hr.)
Session Five brings you another deep dive into a single QCA: domestic violence. This is perhaps the most flexible of the QCAs and seems to enjoy unique adjudication patterns, which speakers will describe. Not only is the analysis slightly more favorable but there are often more certifiers available than with other types of criminal activity. Learn what you need to know to harness this flexibility and find survivors the protections they deserve.
Speakers:
- Keighly Rector, Volunteers of Legal Services (VOLS)
- Rebecca Eissenova, ASISTA
Session 5: All About Imperfect Fits (1.5 hrs.)
In the final session, we turn to events that do not fit squarely into any of the QCAs on the statutory list and are not great candidates for the felonious assault or domestic violence claims discussed earlier in the conference. Among other things we will examine creative options for robberies and incidents of notario fraud. We will review other lesser-used QCAs in the statute. Speakers will share examples of difficult cases, to illuminate where they went wrong and how they could have gone right.
Speakers:
- Rachel Levenson, Make the Road NY
- Schuyler Pisha, Greater Boston Legal Services
- Cristina Velez, ASISTA.
Disclaimer: Content is current as of date of recording. It is your responsibility to ensure content is up to date. Written materials accompany the recording. Please note that you will not receive CLE credit for watching the recording.
