This session will cover a variety of situations where your client is in removal proceedings but is eligible for family-related relief. We will cover eligibility for I-130 petitions and how to navigate the petition process while the beneficiary is in proceedings, adjustment of status in immigration court, administratively closing proceedings pending the adjudication of an I-601A provisional waiver, and considerations for respondents who are eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.

As more immigrants arrive in different communities across the United States, states and localities have created programs, policies, and funding opportunities in order to assist their new neighbors. This panel, which will include partners from state and local government, will focus on how communities can welcome immigrants. Learn about collaboration efforts that have occurred in Minnesota and elsewhere in order to integrate new Americans into the workforce, expand their access to immigration legal services, language access, educational opportunities, and many other vital resources.

What’s the significance of an extension or a re-designation? Who needs to re-register and when? Will my client benefit from an automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) extension? Can you pursue Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and a more permanent immigration status at the same time? Presenters will provide an overview of TPS and share tips on navigating the registration process, addressing firm resettlement questions, avoiding gaps in employment authorization, as well as identifying eligibility for adjustment of status and other permanent relief.

All naturalization applicants must show that they are of “good moral character” in order to be granted U.S. citizenship. However, it is not always easy to determine which acts may bar an applicant from showing good moral character. This workshop will explain the temporary and permanent bars to showing good moral character. We will work with common examples relating to crimes, taxes, and false claims to U.S. citizenship to help practitioners determine what they need to screen for and how they can best advocate for their clients.

This session provides information and insight about how to identify and work through vicarious trauma and prevent burnout. Participants will have the opportunity to identify burnout or trauma and establish an individualized plan for a healthy lifestyle using strategies and solutions discussed throughout the session. This session will provide answers to questions like: What leads to burn out? What is vicarious trauma? How can someone recognize burnout or vicarious trauma? What can someone do to deal with and prevent vicarious trauma or burnout?

As legal representatives, we share responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the justice system and the legal profession. As immigration legal practitioners, we encounter some of the most complex issues any legal representative will encounter. And, while it is important we stay up to date on substantive immigration law, ensuring ethical compliance with the law is just as important. Virtual practice, language access, choice of law, fee structure, and ethical nonlawyer assistance are top of mind for today's immigration practitioners.

Every stage of the application process for seeking U status and adjustment can present significant eligibility challenges, from obtaining a law enforcement certification and identifying a qualifying crime to how to determine when a U status holder has sufficient time in U status to apply for adjustment. Advocates constantly face new challenges as wait times increase from filing to the bona fide determination process, to U approval and adjustment. Along the way, USCIS frequently shifts its policies and procedures and new issues emerge.

Panelists will cover the basics of consular processing: communicating with the NVC, uploading documents onto the CEAC website, preparing the client for the consular interview, and dealing with visa refusals. They will also cover topics such as consular jurisdiction, the role of the Visa Office, and paying the immigrant fee with USCIS.

Immigration court practice in 2024 presents unique challenges and opportunities. For noncitizens who are not priorities for immigration court enforcement, dismissing removal proceedings has never been easier. However, navigating court procedures and properly advising our clients continues to be complex. We will discuss hot topics and trends including unilateral motions filed by DHS and how to oppose them when appropriate; seeking a motion to reopen or termination based on defective NTAs; how to proceed when ICE OPLA doesn’t show up to court; and important updates to asylum law.