Training Materials
- U Visa Certification and T Visa Declaration Toolkit for Federal, State, and Local Judges, Commissioners, Magistrates, and other Judicial Officers (August 12, 2020)
- The Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Bench Book: A National Guide to Best Practice for Judges and Courts (April 2018)
Webinars for Judges or Helpful to Judges
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
- Special Immigrant Juvenile Status – Best Practices of Drafting Findings (May 14, 2019)
- State Court Findings for Youth Seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (July 13, 2015)
U and T Visa Certification by Judges
- U Visa Certifications and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: A Judge’s Role (November 30, 2018)
- Expert Advice for Judges: How to Handle U Visa Certification Requests (December 1, 2014)
- Obtaining U Visa Certification from Judges in Protection Order, Family, Criminal, and Other State Court Proceedings (February 20, 2014)
- DHS U and T Visa Certification Videos for Law Enforcement (Helpful to courts and all certifiers) (September 26, 2013)
VAWA Confidentiality, Discovery and Courthouse Enforcement
- VAWA Self-Petition: Protections for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Abuse by Abusive Spouses and Parents (April 22, 2020)
- Protections for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence Under the Violence Against Women Act Confidentiality Protections (October 22, 2018)
- Impact of DHS Enforcement Priorities on Courts: VAWA Confidentiality and Enforcement (August 21, 2018)
- VAWA Confidentiality Webinar (February 9, 2015)
- VAWA Confidentiality: Understanding the Three Safeguards and Limited Discovery Exceptions When Advocating for Survivors in Family and Criminal State Courts (February 5, 2015)
Forms of Immigration Relief
U and T Visa Certification
- U Visa Certification and T Visa Declaration Toolkit for Federal, State, and Local Judges, Commissioners, Magistrates, and other Judicial Officers (August 12, 2020)
- Model U and T Visa certification Protocol for State Courts (October 29, 2020)
- U Visa Quick Reference for Judges (October 14, 2020)
- T Visa Quick Reference Guide for Judges (October 14, 2020)
- U-Visa Application Flow Chart for Judges (October 14, 2020)
- T Visa Application Flow Chart for Judges (June 21, 2021)
- U Visa Protections for Family Members (July 3, 2020)
- T Visa Protections for Family Members (July 3, 2020)
- U-Visa: “Helpfulness” Checklist (October 21, 2019)
- DHS U and T Visa Law Enforcement Resource Guide (November, 2015)
- DHS Policy Answers to Law Enforcement Reasons for Not Certifying
- Bench Card: U and T Visa Certification Reporting Requirements in California (June 25, 2020)
- U and T Visa Certifications and Certification Reporting Requirements in California (June 25, 2020)
- USCIS U Visa Certification Factsheet Q&A
- Stories From the Field: the Crime Fighting Effectiveness of the U Visa (August 27, 2020)
- Collection of U Visa News Articles
- The Importance of the U-visa as a Crime-Fighting Tool for Law Enforcement Officials – Views from Around the Country
- Protecting Our Communities and Officer Safety
- Overcoming Fear and Building Trust With Immigrant Communities and Crime Victims (Police Chief Magazine April 2018)
- Bench Card: DHS Enforcement Priorities, Courthouse Enforcement and Sensitive Location Policies and Memoranda: Information for State Court Judges
- Understanding the Judicial Role in U-Visa Certification, American Journal of Family Law
- New U and T Visa Application and Certification Forms (January and February 2017)
- Immigrant Crime Victims and U Visa Certification – What is it and Why Should Judges Care? (National)
- Immigrant Crime Victims and U Visa Certification – What is it and Why Should Judges Care? (Minnesota)
- U Visa Certification by Judges: Minnesota Board of Judicial Standards Opinion
- National Survey on Types of Criminal Activities: Experienced By U-Visa Recipients
- Expert Advice for Judges: How to Handle U Visa Certification Requests (Webinar)
- State Laws
Forms and Instructions
- DHS: Instructions for Form I-914, Supplement B
- DHS: Form I-914, Supplement B for T visa Endorsement
- DHS: Instructions for Form I-918, Supplement B, for U visa Certification
- DHS: Form I-918, Supplement B, for U visa Certification
- T Visa Declaration (Certification) I-914 Supplement B Instructions (January 18, 2017)
- T Visa Declaration (Certification) Form I-914 Supplement B (January 18, 2017)
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Child Abuse & Protective Battered Immigrant Parents
Full Training Manual
SIJS Bench Book Table of Contents
- Chapter I – Introduction to Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
- Chapter II – Details About Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) Findings
- Chapter III – Abuse, Abandonment, or Neglect – The Role of State Law Definitions in Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Findings
- Chapter IV – Application of the Best Interest of the Child Standard in SIJS
- Chapter V-1 – Adoption Quick Reference
- Chapter V-2 – Civil Protection Orders Quick Reference Guide
- Chapter V-3 – Custody Quick Reference Guide
- Chapter V-4 – SIJS in Declaratory Judgment Cases Quick Reference
- Chapter V-5 – Delinquency Quick Reference
- Chapter V-6 – Dependency Quick Reference
- Chapter V-7 – Guardianship Quick Reference
- Chapter V-8 – Paternity Quick Reference Guide
- Chapter VI – Inadmissibility in SIJS
- Chapter VII – Service of Process in SIJS
- Appendix A – SIJS Statutory and Regulatory Provisions
- Appendix B – SIJS Legislative History
- Appendix C – TVPRA-SIJ Neufeld Memo
- Appendix D1 – USCIS SIJS Policy Manual Full – Vol 6
- Appendix D2 – USCIS SIJS Policy Manual Full – Vol 7
- Appendix E – Understanding the Significance of a Minor’s Trauma History in Family Court Rulings
- Appendix F – DHS Interactive Infographic on Protections for Immigrant Victims
- Appendix G – DHS Immigrants Options for Victims of Crime (English)
- Appendix H – DHS SIJS Brochure
- Appendix I – DOJ Language Access Letter to Courts
- Appendix J – Types of Proceedings SIJS Findings
- Appendix K – State Law Definitions of Child Abuse
- Appendix L – Abandonment of Children Statutes Definitions
- Appendix M – State Law Definitions of Child Neglect
- Appendix N – Domestic Violence Includes Child Abuse and Child Neglect
- Appendix O – States Definitions of Child Endangerment as More Severe Than Neglect
- Appendix P – State Law Definitions of Forced Marriage as Child Abuse
- Appendix Q – Best Interests of the Child Matrix
- Appendix Q-1 – Best Interests of the Child All Factors
- Appendix Q-2 – Best Interests – Catch All
- Appendix Q-3 – Best Interests – Child’s Family Relationships
- Appendix Q-4 – Best Interests – Child’s Needs
- Appendix Q-5 – Best Interests – Child’s Wishes
- Appendix Q-6 – Best Interests Continuity and Stability of Child Factor
- Appendix Q-7 – Best Interests of the Child – Family Violence
- Appendix Q-8 – Best Interests – Joint Custody
- Appendix Q-9 – Best Interests – Parental Cooperation Conflict
- Appendix Q-10 – Best Interests – Parental Fitness
- Appendix Q-11 – Best Interests – Parental Wishes
- Appendix Q-12 – Best Interests – Substance Abuse, Mental Illness, and Criminal History Factor
- Appendix R – Custody in Protection Orders Proceedings
- Appendix S – Using Declaratory Judgment in Family Law Matters
- Appendix T – Declaratory Judgments – Cases By Topic & State
- Appendix U – SIJS and State Declaratory Judgment Statutes – State by State
- Appendix V – Guardianship Appointment of Guardian Chart
- Appendix W – When Guardianship Terminates
- Appendix X – SIJS Case Law Chart
- Appendix Y – States with Rules Identical to FRCP 4
- Appendix Z – Glossary of Terms for Work with Immigrant Survivors
SIJS Training Materials
- New Practice Advisory on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Applications Published: Additional Information for Judges and Attorneys
- Factors That Can Demonstrate That It is Not in a Child’s Best Interests to be Returned to Their Home Country (October 2018)
- Immigration Protection Screening Checklist: Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
- Abused, Abandoned, or Neglected: Legal Options for Recent Immigrant Women and Girls (August 2016)
- Types of Proceedings in Which State Courts Can Make Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Findings
- Immigration Relief for Abused Children
- Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: Information for Juvenile Courts
- Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: Information for Child Welfare Workers
- Comparison Chart of VAWA, U, and SIJS
- Representing Undocumented Children Who Have Been Abused, Neglected, or Abandoned (Special Immigrant Juvenile Status)**
- Special Immigrant Juveniles- Memorandum #2: Clarification of Interim Field Guidance
- Grounds of Inadmissibility for Special Immigrant Juveniles
- Webinar: Special Immigrant Juvenile Status – Best Practices of Drafting Findings
VAWA Self-Petition
- Introduction to VAWA Self-Petitioning and Flow Charts
- VAWA Self-Petitioning Flow Chart for Child Applicants
- Flowchart: VAWA Self-Petitioning Eligibility for Elder Abuse Survivors
- Flowchart: VAWA Self-Petitioning Eligibility for Adults
- Public Benefits Flow Charts: VAWA Self‐Petition and Cancellation, U-Visas, T-Visas, and SIJS
- Battering or Extreme Cruelty: Drawing Examples from Civil Protection Order and Family Law Cases
- Information on the Legal Rights Available to Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence in the US and Facts about Immigrating on a Marriage-based Visa
**If you have difficulty accessing this publication please contact for assistance NIWAP at (202) 274-4457 or info@niwap.org