ASISTA One Day In-Person Advanced CLE Conference

U Visa Certification Statutes, Strategies, and Advocacy

  Thursday, May 4, 2023, 9:00am – 5:00pm ET

1800 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20036 (Dupont Circle)

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During this one day in-person conference, participants will learn how to successfully navigate U certification requirements, including identification of qualifying crimes, local policies for requesting and correcting certifications, and more about U visa certification statutes and how to use them to 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.

Speakers: Kelly Head, Staff Attorney, ASISTA; Alison Kamhi, Legal Director, Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)  

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

U Visa Certification Statutes:  Where are they? What are they? And what do they say? This session will provide an overview of existing U visa certification statutes and how to use them to advance immigrant survivor relief.

Speakers: Cristina Velez, Legal and Policy Director, ASISTA; Viviana Westbrook, State and Local Advocacy Attorney, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) 

Break: 12:15 pm  – 1:15 pm ET

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

Enforcing U Visa Certification Statutes: This session will focus on using state litigation to enforce U visa certification statutes, with case studies from Massachusetts and Virginia. Panelists will discuss underlying litigation theories and experiences using litigation to advance the goals of the statutes.  

Speakers: Emily Leung, Supervising Immigration Attorney, Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts; Madeline Taylor-Diaz, Taylor Diaz & Soltis, PLLC

Moderator: Cristina Velez, Legal and Policy Director, ASISTA

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

Advocating for U visa certifications:  This session will cover common strategies for advocating for U visa certifications from law enforcement agencies in the absence of certification statutes, and how to navigate various obstacles to certificationSpeakers: Kelly Head, Staff Attorney, ASISTA; Rocio Molina, Deputy Director, National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project, American University Washington College of Law (NIWAP)

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

Early Bird Pricing (through April 16th)

• $375 Non-Profit 
• $475 ASISTA Member 
• $600 Non-ASISTA Member

Note: Prices for training will increase $25 starting Tuesday, April 17, 2023.  Processing fees apply for online payments.

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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