Dealing With Immigration Issues In Domestic Relations Cases

(12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. PT)

 

 

A divorce petition filed by a non-immigrant spouse can be dismissed outright for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. A domestic violence conviction can trigger deportation for a lawful permanent resident. A support order can collide with a federal I-864 obligation the family law attorney never knew existed. Immigration status touches nearly every corner of a domestic relations practice, and the family law bar is rarely trained to spot it.

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This session breaks down the immigration issues most likely to surface in divorce, custody, and support matters, and gives you a practical framework for handling them before they become a malpractice exposure.

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What You'll Learn:

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• 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.​

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Presented by:

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Charles F. Hollis, III, J.D., LL.M.

Founding Member | The Hollis Law Firm, LLC