Background: This webpage offers a series of legal reference guides on the complex intersection of family court issues and federal immigration laws, policy, and enforcement.
Although these guides are organized based on NY statutes, the intersection has parallels in state courts across the country. State laws may vary but every court’s actions may impact immigrants’ rights under federal law.
How To Use: The guides are accessible from a desktop, laptop, smart phone, or tablet. You may browse through a guide, pick a subject area, search for a term, or view a slideshow. We suggest browsing through each guide to get the full impact of the information. As similar issues may arise under different legal proceedings, you may notice redundancies in the content. We organized these by Family Law subject areas as well as providing guides on specific federal immigration proceedings or consequences in which state courts have a direct role.
Who are these for? These legal reference guides are created for all who use the courts. We focus on providing members of the NYS judiciary and court personnel with an accessible resource that presents the important role of state court judges. The materials are also useful for attorneys, community organizations, nonprofits, government agencies and the public.
Also linked here at these thoroughly researched and critically important memos:
The New York State Unified Court System Advisory Council Memos on Immigration and Family Court
Guidance on Guardianship Matters and Applications for Special Immigrant Juvenile (“SIJ”) Findings
Guidance on Family Court Role in U Nonimmigrant Status Certification
Guidance on Adverse Consequences, Glossary and Chart
Guidance on International Service Requirements and Foreign Documents
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We welcome attorneys to use the materials but when representing a client in family court, more training is necessary to fully understand the particular role of counsel in family court, especially when representing immigrants.
These materials may guide community members, government agencies, and nonprofits in finding out the impact family court decisions have on immigrants. Again, these are not a substitute for having counsel who is knowledgeable of the law.
We hope you find this website helpful and easy to navigate. Your feedback is welcome.
CLICK HERE for easy instructions on how to add a quick launch link to this website on your phone or tablet.
Sponsored by the Fund for Modern Courts
Supported by The New York Community Trust
