News & Updates
LGBTQ+ Immigrant Survivors at Greater Risk At ASISTA, we see all too often how LGBTQ+ immigrant survivors of violence are subject to increased vulnerability on the path to safety and justice in the US. Homophobia and transphobia, whether “casual” or institutionalized, result in additional barriers to services, decreased access to justice, and a greater risk…
Read MoreFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 25, 2024 Contact: Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.org ASISTA Welcomes New Board Member Valarie Williams! ASISTA Immigration Assistance is pleased to announce the addition of Valarie Williams to its Board of Directors. Learn more about our newest board member in our press release here.
Read MoreASISTA Denounces President Biden’s Dangerous Border Proclamation Today, President Biden issued a proclamation to “secure the border” between the US and Mexico, to take effect at midnight tonight. This action, unfortunately, will accomplish just the opposite, sowing chaos and further compounding the trauma of those who arrive here urgently seeking safety. Deterrence policies like these…
Read MoreFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 15, 2024 Contact: Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.org ASISTA Welcomes New Board Member Ulrike Buchwald ASISTA Immigration Assistance is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Ulrike Buchwald to its Board of Directors. Learn more about our newest board member in our press release here.
Read MoreIn conjunction with the new fee rule that went into effect on April 1, 2024, USCIS updated immigration forms, including the I-918 and related forms. Starting June 3, 2024, USCIS will only accept the new version of the form. This short grace period will create significant hardships and hurdles for those who have sought or…
Read MoreOn March 27, 2024, USCIS held a One-Year Anniversary Engagement for the HART Service Center, which was scheduled to share updates from HART and for USCIS to get feedback, comments, and questions from stakeholders. These are ASISTA’s notes from that engagement. Please note that USCIS stated that they collected questions submitted to them, but did…
Read MoreOn February 22, 2024, USCIS held a national engagement to discuss the 2024 Final Fee Rule. These are ASISTA’s notes from that engagement, which focus on the portions of the engagement most relevant to practitioners representing immigrant survivors.
Read MoreMany 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…
Read MoreDear Members, On January 31, 2024, USCIS published its Final Rule Adjusting the USCIS Fee Schedule. The new regulation, which goes into effect on April 1, 2024, is a significant victory for immigrants applying for survivor-based benefits. ASISTA and our partners pushed for the rule to be as expansive as possible in its humanitarian fee…
Read MoreFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 6, 2024 Contact: Cristina Velez, cristina@asistahelp.org ASISTA Urges Senators to Reject Border Deal that Exposes Immigrant Survivors to Further Trauma, Hardship, and Violence After months of opaque negotiations, a small group of senators released a bill on Sunday, February 4, 2024 that would eviscerate access to asylum, create a dangerous new…
Read MoreThis 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 MoreOn 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…
Read MoreOn 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 MoreThis checklist suggests documents that social workers and advocates working with immigrant survivors may wish to help the survivors to gather. They may become useful for pending or future immigration application. Most people will not have all of these, but if your client has them, see if you can help obtain a copy. This project…
Read MoreFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 30, 2023 Contact: Kirsten Rambo, kirsten@asistahelp.org ASISTA Welcomes New Board Members ASISTA Immigration Assistance is pleased to announce the addition of two new members to its Board of Directors: Melissa Desgrottes and Derek Foran. Learn more about our new board members in our press release here.
Read MoreWhen 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.
Read MoreNew York Times Bestselling Memoirist Javier Zamora & Award-Winning Journalist Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! to Speak at ASISTA’s 15-Year Anniversary Celebration Join us on October 18th for our online celebration, Honoring our Past, Igniting our Future, to hear these two internationally-recognized luminaries share their wisdom and experience, inspiring us all in the fight for safety, justice, and dignity for immigrant…
Read MoreOn September 22, 2023, USCIS held an engagement to provide an update on the Humanitarian, Adjustment, Removing Conditions and Travel Documents (HART) Service Center, which included a Q&A portion. These are ASISTA’s notes from that engagement.
Read MoreFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 21, 2023 Contact: Cristina Velez, cristina@asistahelp.org Yasmine Farhang, yasmine@immdefense.org Advocates for Immigrant Survivors of Violence Urge Governor Hochul to Sign Fair Courts for Immigrant New Yorkers Bill Into Law ALBANY, N.Y.— Over two dozen national and New York-based advocates for immigrant survivors of violence today called on Governor Hochul to sign…
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