October 4 & 11, 2022 | 2-3:30 p.m. ET | CLE: N/A

U visa certifications are central to filing U visa applications for immigrant victims of crime. Without certification from the police, the State Attorney's Office, a judge, the Department of Labor, or some other investigatory agency, victims cannot file an application. Unfortunately, there are varying practices for certification not only across states, but within agencies and counties as well. Inconsistencies in policies as well as turnaround times lead to confusion and often dissuade immigrant victims from reporting crimes. 

This two-part training will explain the importance of U visa certifications and shed light on the best policies for facilitating certification. It will also highlight a new advocacy toolkit to help with U visa certification. The webinars will address the following questions: Why should you care about good bills and policies on U visa certification? What do you do when a certain agency has policies which are harming victims of crime? What are different strategies for engaging with these agencies? What does a good bill on U visa certification contain? If you are a certifier, what should your internal and external policies include?

NOTE: Access to recordings of the webinars is included with your purchase of the two-part webinar series. Your complimentary access will be available until Nov.11. Certificates of attendance are only issued if you attend live webinars.

Webinar One: U Visa Certification Advocacy for Community Members

October 4 | 2-3:30 p.m. ET | CLE: N/A

The first webinar of this two-part training will focus on introducing the importance of obtaining U visa certifications and the ramifications that arise when certification is refused in certain localities. It will also delve into how advocates can collaborate with other organizations, collect data and engage certifiers who do not have helpful policies around certification. This panel will also touch on how the community can support good bills that allow for efficient certification.

Webinar Two: U Visa Certification Advocacy for Certifiers and Lawmakers (Free and Open to All)

October 11 | 2-3:30 p.m. | CLE: N/A

The second webinar of the two-part training will go into detail on what good bills and policies on U visa certification should include. It will explain why certain provisions are vital to the process and will also discuss the problems when there are no U visa certification protections in place for immigrant victims of crime.