SIJS refers to Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, a path to permanent residency for immigrant children.  This special status is intended to help protect children who have suffered abuse, neglect or abandonment at the hands of one or both parents. In order to qualify for this status, an authorized state court must find that reunification with one or both of the child’s parents is not viable due to the abuse, abandonment, or neglect and that it is not in the child’s best interest to return to their home country or last country of habitual residence.

Obtaining custody orders for immigrant children from district court is a crucial step in the SIJS immigration process. Pro bono attorneys will learn how to obtain these custody orders so that Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy staff can represent these children for the remainder of their case. In engaging with this training and taking on SIJS custody cases, pro bono attorneys will further Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy’s goal of supporting Charlotte’s immigrant communities and ensuring their safety, security, and stability.

This free CLE also includes one hour of ethics credit–covering representing both custodians and children, working as co-counsel with The Advocacy Center, and advocating across language barriers.

This event is open to potential NC licensed pro bono attorneys interested in training in and taking on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) custody cases with Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy in Mecklenburg county. Attendees should have either previous experience with SIJS or previously watched out September 2020 training.

During this training, attorneys will:

-Gain a broader understanding of the issues, systemic and individual, immigrants and immigrant children face in Mecklenburg county.

-Learn an overview of the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status process and its impact in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

-Understand the process for and be able to file for and obtain custody orders for immigrant children pursuing SIJS.

-Grapple with and consider the various ethical issues that arise with SIJS pro bono cases and representing immigrants including but not limited to representing both custodians and children, working as co-counsel with The Advocacy Center, and advocating across language barriers.

*By attending and receiving credit for the CLE from the NC Bar you agree to take on at least one driver’s license restoration case with Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy.*