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U Visa/T Visa/VAWA
Date and Time:
10/16/2024 11:00am to 12:30pm PDT
Recorded Date:
10/16/2024
Place:
Online
Registration Deadline:
Wednesday, October 16, 2024 - 11:00am
Presenter:
Andrew Craycroft
Jennefer Canales-Pelaez
Veronica Garcia
MCLE:
1.5 CA (Qualifies for Legal Specialization Credit) & 1.5 TX
Level: Beginner

This training will give an overview of T visa relief and cover the latest updates, including the April 2024 rule, which represents the most significant overhaul of T visa regulations since 2016. It is intended for practitioners who may be familiar with other humanitarian forms of relief but are new to the T visa. The webinar will cover how to screen for eligibility while looking out for potential red flags, discuss the elements of a T visa in light of the new regulations and USCIS’s policy guidance, and go over the T visa application process and waivers.

Presenters

Andrew Craycroft

Andrew joined the ILRC in May 2019 as a Staff Attorney focusing on immigrant youth issues. Prior to joining the ILRC, he worked at Staten Island Legal Services representing clients in a variety of affirmative and defensive immigration matters. Previously, Andrew worked at the Unaccompanied Minors Program of Catholic Charities Community Services in New York, representing detained and released unaccompanied minors in removal defense.

Andrew received his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he participated in the Center for Applied Legal Studies Clinic. Andrew earned his B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley, where he majored in Political Economy of Industrial Societies. Andrew is admitted to the bar in New Jersey and New York. He is fluent in French and Spanish with some knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, and Arabic.

Jennefer Canales-Pelaez

Jennefer joined the ILRC in 2022. Jennefer has advocated for immigrant rights from the age of 11 when she advocated for her father’s immigration status to the President at the time, George W. Bush. Although her father was ultimately deported, Jennefer dedicated her life and career to ensuring that no one else experiences the trauma she felt at the age of 11.

She graduated from Occidental College with a B.A. in Sociology in 2012 and earned her Juris Doctor from Southwestern Law School in 2016. Jennefer is a member of the State Bar of California and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Jennefer has been involved with ICE out of LA, Southwestern Immigration Law Clinic, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, Immigrant Defenders Law Center (IMMDEF), Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and worked with the Los Angeles Immigration Court. Jennefer is a former board member and co-president of the National Lawyers Guild-LA Chapter, former Apen Ideas Scholar and KIPP Accelerator. After moving back to her hometown, Houston, Texas in 2019, she represented survivors of gender-based violence at Tahirih Justice Center prior to joining the ILRC. Jennefer was nominated as one of Houston’s Unsung Heros in 2020 and is a current KIPP Texas board member.

Veronica Garcia

Veronica joined the ILRC in December 2017 as a San Joaquin Valley Law Fellow.  Prior to joining ILRC, Veronica completed an Equal Justice Works Fellowship at Centro Legal de La Raza as an DACA/DAPA Emerson Fellow.  Veronica is a graduate of Howard University School of Law.  During Law school, Veronica interned at various immigrant right organizations, including Kids in Need of Defense and New York Legal Aid. Additionally, Veronica was recognized by the Hispanic Bar Association of Washington D.C. (HBA-DC) for her commitment to the advancement of the Hispanic community by being awarded the inaugural HBA-DC Foundation Scholarship.

As an immigrant who grew up in Oakland California, Veronica strives to use her legal education and experience working directly with immigrant communities.