Shoulder by Shoulder
Leaders Moving Business Forward with Lance Bartholomeusz of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
Firmwide response to travel bans
MoFo recently won asylum for an Afghan woman and her young son, after nearly a year of waiting for the Asylum Office to issue its decision following the asylum interview. The firm’s pro bono client is a widow from a religious...more
September 2023 saw major changes and updates in the United States and around the world. The Cozen O’Connor Immigration Catch-Up this month highlights these changes and provides the details you need to determine how or if...more
The public charge provisions in the Immigration Nationality Ac (INA) have been part of U.S. immigration law for decades. We recently reported that on December 23, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began using a...more
Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul Launch “Making New York Work for Everyone”- Last Wednesday, Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul released “’New’ New York: Making New York Work for Everyone.” The plan consists of a set of 40...more
To mark UK National Pro Bono Week, A&O volunteers talk about their work to support asylum seekers at risk of removal from the UK to Rwanda....more
The number of people forcibly displaced in the world has reached over 100 million for the first time, with sudden and large scale crises in Afghanistan and Ukraine intensifying an already growing problem. Around half of...more
Starting April 25, 2022, the “Uniting for Ukraine” program for Ukrainians seeking to enter the United States will allow Ukrainians who are sponsored by family members or non-governmental agencies to come to the United States...more
When the Russian army entered Ukraine on February 24, 2022, that set in motion panic for family and friends in the U.S. and the need to quickly explore visa options for their loved ones in the Ukraine, Russia, and neighboring...more
During the pandemic, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has scaled up to keep refugees and internally displaced people safe across the globe. The Head of the Legal Affairs Service at UNHCR, Lance Bartholomeusz, explains how...more
On June 1, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Garland v. Ming Dai, overruling the Ninth Circuit’s longstanding “deemed-true-or-credible” rule that required reviewing courts to treat noncitizens’ testimony as credible and...more
Last week, Proskauer — along with co-counsel Democracy Forward, and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. — filed a complaint on behalf of seven asylum seekers, their minor children and the legal services organization...more
Over the last week, we have been looking at various changes in policy and procedure related to immigration law. We have covered the travel ban, changes to advance parole, and deference to prior determinations and today, we...more
There is currently a debate in Canada regarding the pros and cons of the bilateral Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA). When the number of individuals leaving the U.S. to seek asylum in Canada increased in September 2017,...more
Those seeking to escape immediate danger or imminent persecution often rely on false documents when fleeing to a safe country. But can a fraudulent or illegal entry into the U.S. pose an issue for asylum?...more
When can domestic violence form the basis of a successful asylum claim? A New York City immigration judge recently granted asylum to one of our pro bono clients who was found to have suffered past persecution on account of...more
Government Confirms New Guidelines -- Interview Requirement for Those Seeking Permanent Residence - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) issued a Press Release, which confirms the implementation of a new policy...more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that, effective October 1, 2017, it will begin expanding in-person interviews for certain immigration benefit applications that currently do not require...more
On August 28, 2017, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security agency responsible for adjudicating immigration benefits, announced that it will begin expanding the...more
On August 25, 2017, Politico reported that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) intends to implement a new policy to require interviews for all employment-based adjustment of status applicants and will be...more
As the U.S. unemployment continues to drop to pre-recession levels, the supply of motivated and qualified workers is tightening. Gig economy businesses competing for a shrinking supply of labor may want to consider turning to...more
Many Cubans who were making the long and dangerous trek through jungles and other countries to the United States before the inauguration of President Donald Trump on January 20 are waiting at the U.S. border for word from the...more
I have the opportunity in recent months to speak to Immigration and Customs and Enforcement (ICE) officers who work along the border. No doubt there is a surge on the Border. Immigration Detention Centers are at full...more
Leading the News - Tanzania: On October 25th, voters in Tanzania went to the polls to vote for a candidate to replace outgoing President Jakaya Kikwete, who was unable to run for a third term under the country’s...more
Leading the News - Burkina Faso: On September 16th, elements of Burkina Faso’s military declared they were in control of the nation after presidential guards stormed a cabinet and seized President Michel Kafando,...more