NOTICE: Preliminary injunctions issued on July 31 by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York bar both the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, and the Department of State, or DOS, from enforcing the new public charge rules. It is anticipated that the government agencies will appeal the decisions and seek a stay of their enforcement. We have temporarily closed registration for this webinar series pending further developments related to the injunctions. Please check back for updates on this training.

Sept. 8– 29, 2020 | 2-3:30 p.m. ET | CA MCLE: 1.5 per webinar

If you find the new public charge rules and forms complicated and confusing, you are not alone. The new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Department of State regulations and policy guidance on public charge are both detailed and ambiguous, and the new I-944 and DS-5540 can be hard to navigate. This is on top of the affidavit of support requirements, which have only gotten more onerous. In this four-part webinar series, CLINIC attorneys Susan Schreiber and Charles Wheeler will guide practitioners through the key points in the regulations and agency policy guidance; review best practices in completing the new forms and assembling supporting documents; and discuss strategies for advocating why your client is not likely to become a public charge.

NOTE: Access to recordings of the webinars are included with your purchase of the four-part webinar series. Your complimentary access will be available until Oct. 29, 2020. Certificates of attendance are only issued if you attend live webinars.

Webinar 1: USCIS Assessment of Public Charge Inadmissibility: Regulations, Policy Guidance, Form I-944

Sept. 8 | 2-3:30 p.m. ET | CA MCLE 1.5

In webinar one, presenters will review the new USCIS regulations that went into effect on Feb. 24, 2020, the latest USCIS Policy Manual guidance on the public charge ground of inadmissibility, and the new Form I-944 and instructions. Presenters will also provide tips on gathering the necessary documents and review how the new regulations contrast with the prior public charge policies and procedures.

Webinar 2: DOS Assessment of Public Charge Inadmissibility: Regulations, Policy Guidance, DS-5540

Sept. 15 | 2-3:30 p.m. ET | CA MCLE 1.5

Webinar two will focus on the DOS regulations on public charge inadmissibility, along with the new Foreign Affairs Manual guidance, National Visa Center pre-processing and the Form DS- 5540. Presenters will provide guidance on gathering and presenting the necessary documents and discuss the differences between USCIS and DOS public charge inadmissibility assessments.

Webinar 3: Preparing a Qualifying Affidavit of Support

Sept. 22 | 2-3:30 p.m. ET | CA MCLE 1.5

Under the public charge rules, failure to submit a “legally sufficient” affidavit of support automatically leads to a determination of public charge inadmissibility. New requirements are now placed on sponsors and joint sponsors. In this webinar, presenters will review the role of the affidavit of support in the assessment of public charge inadmissibility and new factors considered by USCIS and DOS to determine if the affidavit of support is sufficient.

Webinar 4: Now What Do You Do? Putting It All Together to Assess Your Client’s Case

Sept. 29 | 2-3:30 p.m. ET | CA MCLE 1.5

The final webinar in the series will build on practitioners’ knowledge of USCIS and DOS policies and procedures in the assessment of public charge inadmissibility. Using hypothetical scenarios, we will apply what we learned to determine how we would counsel our adjustment of status and consular processing clients to make the best case possible for avoiding a finding of public charge inadmissibility.