Dealing With Immigration Issues In Domestic Relations Cases

What You’ll Learn:

• The Four Classifications of People Living in the U.S.: How citizenship, lawful permanent residence, non-immigrant status, and undocumented status each affect a client's rights, options, and vulnerabilities in a family law matter.

• Jurisdiction Pitfalls in Divorce Filings: Why state courts have dismissed divorce actions brought by non-immigrant spouses, and what an "intent to remain indefinitely" analysis actually requires.

• VAWA Self-Petitions and Removability: How battered spouses can self-petition for status independent of an abusive citizen or LPR spouse, and how a domestic violence conviction can put a client's own status at risk.

• I-864 Support Obligations: The financial support contract most sponsors don't realize survives divorce, who can enforce it, and the narrow list of events that bring it to an end.