News & Updates
On April 7, 2020, ASISTA supplemented its initial letter to USCIS regarding its recommendations in light of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. Immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and other serious crimes already face myriad barriers accessing services and assistance, and these barriers have been exacerbated during this unprecedented emergency.…
Read MoreWhile we continue to advocate and await further guidance, we have prepared this Practice Pointer, Filing Deadlines for RFEs, NOIDs, NOIRs and I-290Bs, to assist you in meeting deadlines during this national emergency. We encourage you to also visit ASISTA’s COVID-19 Resource Page and that of our partners, CLINIC and CAST.
Read MoreOn behalf of ASISTA organizational and individual members nationwide, ASISTA expressed our concerns regarding the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on USCIS’ survivor-based benefits operations. ASISTA called on USCIS to adopt measures that address the additional limitations faced by immigrant survivors’ of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and other serious crimes. Read…
Read MoreASISTA (https://asistahelp.org) is looking for a new Executive Director following the retirement of its co-founder and Executive Director, Gail Pendleton, in the fall of 2020. ASISTA’s mission is to advance the dignity, rights, and liberty of immigrant survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The Executive Director will report to ASISTA’s 7-member Board of Directors. ASISTA…
Read MoreMay 14th, 2020 in Detroit, MI (before the FBA conference) REGISTER NOW for Detroit! & June 16th, 2020 in San Diego, CA (before the AILA conference) REGISTER NOW for San Diego! __________________________________________________________________________ Join ASISTA for a one-day training where we will discuss administrative, judicial, and collaborative strategies for protecting immigrant survivors of violence in light of the current…
Read MoreIn this practice pointer, ASISTA addresses what to do if your case was denied as abandoned because you did not respond to an RFE that was never received. In the Appendix, we include a sample keystroke FOIA request and redacted keystroke FOIA response. Click here to download the document in Word version.
Read MoreThe Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in Hernandez v. Mesa this week is inhumane and unjust. The decision insulates a border guard who shot and killed a child on Mexican soil. With numerous other groups advancing the rights of survivors, ASISTA filed an amicus brief highlighting the problem of sexual assaults committed by federal officers and…
Read MoreASISTA has updated its practice advisory regarding U visa application rejections due to blank spaces on the Form I-918 and I-918A. This updated advisory has filing practice pointers, as well as suggestions for re-filing rejected forms. As this is an emerging issue, please keep ASISTA informed of any new trends not addressed in this advisory.…
Read More(New York, February 25, 2020) – Safe Horizon and ASISTA have filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for immigration policy data on the adjudication of U-visa petitions and adjustment of status (permanent residence) applications for those granted U visa status. U visas were created…
Read MoreOn February 6, 2020, ASISTA sent a letter to USCIS and to the CIS Ombudsman’s office regarding the December 30, 2019 announcement that USCIS may reject Form I-918 U visa forms if there is a blank field. This significant shift in policy and practice creates enormous hardship for survivors and their families, and strains valuable…
Read MoreFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 13, 2020 Contact: Ahlam Moussa, ahlam@asistahelp.org Changes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy were announced August 2, 2019 that create significant additional barriers for victims of crime who cooperate with law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of their crimes. ASISTA, represented by Protect Democracy and the Constitutional Accountability Center, filed suit today…
Read MoreYesterday, ASISTA, along with our partners, submitted an amicus brief challenging EOIR’s erosion of docketing tools like continuances and administrative closures. This errosion results in limiting access to critical immigration relief for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and other serious crimes. ASISTA was joined in this brief by American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (API-GBV), National Immigrant Justice…
Read MoreASISTA has developed this Practice Advisory: The Impact of Matter of L-N-Y-, 27 I&N 755 (BIA 2020), which provides a detailed overview of provisions in this precedential decision, discusses its intersection with other BIA decisions on continuances, and provides best practices for requesting continuances for U visa applicants in removal proceedings. We’ve also summarized our key…
Read MoreThis week, ASISTA, along with our partners, submitted an amicus brief in the case Northwest Immigrant Rights Project v. U.S.Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. This brief challenges USCIS’s sweeping changes to fee waiver policies which limit access to critical immigration relief for immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human…
Read MoreOn January 21, 2020, ASISTA submitted comments in response to a proposed rule issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security establishing several new bars to asylum, including creating barriers for immigrant survivors of gender-based violence. Read ASISTA’s comment here.
Read MoreOn December 30, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) placed an alert on their website for Form I-918, Petition for U Nonimmigrant Status, stating: Alert: We may reject your Form I-918 or your Form I-918 Supplement A if you leave a field blank, unless the field is optional. Optional fields include the safe mailing address as well…
Read MoreThis amicus brief, submitted to the Southern District of Florida, addresses USCIS’s requirement that self-petitioners show shared residence with their abuser during the marriage. With deep gratitude to Prof. Rebecca Sharpless and law students Meredith Hoffman and Olivia Parise from the University of Miami School of Law’s Immigration Clinic for their hard work on this…
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As 2019 comes to close, we’ve taken a look back at the work we’ve done this year, and all we can do with your support in 2020. Learn more about our work this year here.
Read MoreOn Friday November 22, 2019, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals published a decision reversing the district court’s dismissal of a suit challenging a U visa petition denial for lack of jurisdiction. The panel held that § 701(a)(2) of the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”) and 8 U.S.C. § 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii) do not bar judicial review of…
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ASISTA Comment on USCIS’ Harmful Proposed Rule on Fees
On December 30, 2019, ASISTA submitted its organizational comment in response to USCIS’ new proposed rule which increases immigration fees, further limits the criteria and availability of fee waivers, and includes a transfer of millions of dollars from USCIS to ICE. You can read ASISTA’s comprehensive comment here.
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