ASISTA Practice Pointer: Correctly Identifying the Expiration Date of U Nonimmigrant Status (Updated February 8, 2024)

Many practitioners report uncertainty about the date their client’s U status expires because the client has multiple documents defining the validity of their status. For instance, a U derivative may have: (1) the I-797 approval notice for the principal’s I-918, (2) the I-797 approval notice for their own I-918A, (3) a U-3 (or other derivative…

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ASISTA Practice Pointer: Hot Tips for Using Service Center Hotlines and Supplementing Pending Petitions (Updated Jan. 22, 2024)

This practice pointer synthesizes the current recommendations for using USCIS “hotline emails” for customer service inquiries on cases protected by 8 USC § 1367 privacy requirements, i.e., survivor-based relief applications. This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-23-GK-05161-MUMU awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and…

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ASISTA Federal Policy Update (December 2023)

On December 22, 2023, ASISTA published an update of our federal policy activities from October to December of 2023, including legislative advocacy, stakeholder meetings and advocacy letters, submitted comments, and provided notification of upcoming deadlines for comments to form revisions, and an update regarding the final and proposed regulations for survivor-based relief expected in early…

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ASISTA I-485 Comment (11/7/2023)

On September 8, 2023, USCIS published a revision of Form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status greatly expanding the number and type of questions for applicants to complete. On November 7, 2023, ASISTA submitted a comment emphasizing the impact of these form changes on beneficiaries of survivor-based relief.

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ASISTA New Resource: Top Ten Things Criminal Defense Attorneys Should Know About Criminalized Survivors (Oct. 9, 2023)

When a noncitizen survivor faces criminal charges, their immigration prospects will be best preserved if their criminal defense attorney is well-informed about immigration fundamentals. This resource is designed to inform criminal defense attorneys and advocates of key immigration concepts and equip them with useful tips and resources to put them into action.

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ASISTA Celebrates the Launch of US’s First-Ever National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV)(May 25, 2023)

Click here to access release in PDF format. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 25, 2023 Contact: Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.org ASISTA Celebrates the Launch of US’s First-Ever National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV) ASISTA is pleased to be at the White House complex today to witness the historic launch of the first-ever National Action Plan…

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Immigrant Visa Flowcharts for Derivatives of VAWA and U Principals

These four flowcharts were created by Esther Limb, Supervising Attorney at Her Justice, in connection with ASISTA’s March 2023 Virtual CLE Conference, “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Derivatives.” They are current as of March 2023. The flowcharts depict the processes to follow for derivative beneficiaries and other relatives of VAWA and U petitioners,…

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ASISTA and collaborators AILA, ICWC, CAST, and ILRC delivered a letter to USCIS Re: Biometrics for U and T Visa Applicants Abroad (Feb. 2023)

On February 14, 2023 ASISTA and collaborators AILA, ICWC, CAST, and ILRC delivered a letter to USCIS raising concerns about the unavailability of biometrics appointments for U and T visa petitioners and their derivatives abroad, and the negative consequences resulting from their inability to complete application requirements, including prolonged family separation and even unfair denials…

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Letter to DOJ from anti-violence community (Dec. 2022)

ASISTA and the Alliance for Immigrant Survivors led a sign on letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to vacate and overrule three precedents that prevent immigration adjudicators from respecting post-conviction or sentencing relief granted to immigrant survivors under state and federal law.  The letter, which was joined by 68 organizations and 13 individuals,…

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Recommendations to the EOIR and BIA practice manuals (June 2022)

Recommendations for Updates to the EOIR Immigration Court Practice Manual and Board of Immigration Appeals Practice Manual, were submitted on June 7, 2022, by the following organizations: ASISTA Immigration Assistance, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, Freedom Network USA, National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project (NIWAP), Ujima Inc., The National Center on Violence Against Women in…

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VAWA Practice Advisory: VAWA Self-Petition Policy Updates (June 2022)

ASISTA, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (“ILRC”), and Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (“CLINIC”) co-authored the VAWA Practice Advisory: VAWA Self-Petition Policy Updates. Click here to access the Executive Summary: VAWA Self-Petition Policy Updates (June 2022), and here to download the practice advisory in Word version. This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-21-GK-02240-MUMU awarded…

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BIA Amicus Brief of Motions to Reopen Based on Criminal Vacatur (April 27, 2022)

Brief of Amici Curiae ASISTA Immigration Assistance, Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, Esperanza United, and Tahirih Justice Center in support of the BIA’s consideration of the impacts of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, or other forms of gender-based violence when determining whether to grant and untimely motion to reopen premised on a vacatur…

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ASISTA’s comment on the I-751 (April 20, 2022)

On April 20, 2022, ASISTA submitted this comment in response to the “Agency Information Collection Activities; Extension, Without a Change, of a Currently Approved Collection: Petition To Remove the Conditions on Residence,” initially published in the Federal Register on October 15, 20211 and reopened for 30 days for additional public comments on March 21, 2022.

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