Piloting an Immigration Workshop for Survivors of Domestic Violence
By Sarah R. Ropelato
Legal Services of Northern California has been assisting survivors of domestic violence obtain lawful immigration status under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) for a number of years. In doing so, we have focused primarily on working with local community organizations devoted to assisting such survivors who could identify those among their clientele who potentially qualify for relief under VAWA and who, with training, could begin the legwork involved in commencing the VAWA petition process, such as gathering the necessary supporting documents. This partnership with community organizations has been both an effective and efficient way for us to process VAWA cases without overwhelming our regular intake process, and has also built the capacity of partner organizations that provide critical services to our clients and community. Over the last six months, we decided to expand on the work we are doing by piloting an immigration workshop for survivors of domestic violence. This article will discuss what we did, how we did it, and what we learned in the process.
