Trafficking
ASISTA Notes: USCIS Stakeholder Engagement on the T Visa Final Rule (Aug. 15, 2024)
On August 15, 2024, USCIS held a stakeholder engagement on the T Visa Final Rule, which is in effect as of August 28, 2024. These are our notes from that engagement. USCIS will also post a transcript to their electronic reading room. ASISTA will monitor the implementation of and compliance with these changes. If your clients experience…
Read MoreAmicus brief in Bouarfa v. Mayorkas (Supreme Court, July 2024), on importance of judicial review for survivor-based relief revocations
In July 2024, ASISTA and partners joined an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in the case of Bouarfa v. Mayorkas. The case centers on the judicial reviewability of DHS’s revocation authority in the family-based immigration context, and the brief aims to highlight how any decision on such reviewability could also impact justice for survivors…
Read MoreASISTA 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…
Read MoreASISTA 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.
Read MoreASISTA 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…
Read MoreAdvisory on new T Visa sections of the USCIS Policy Manual (November 2021)
ASISTA and CAST developed this advisory to highlight significant changes to the T visa section of the USCIS Policy Manual that went into effect on October 20, 2021. Changes include: Additional guidance on the intersections between trafficking/domestic violence and trafficking/smuggling; Physical presence on account of trafficking; Extended work authorization when filing a timely I-485 under…
Read MoreASISTA Practice Pointer: Filing Form I-290B When Multiple Interrelated Forms are Denied (July 2020)
When a petitioner files multiple interrelated forms for one case, such as a U visa, the denial of one form generally leads to the denial of all ancillary forms as well. In this practice pointer, we will address how many Form I-290Bs to file in this scenario, whether derivatives need to file their own Form…
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