Hudson Valley Justice Center began representing Elia in 2017; a survivor of domestic violence, who fled her abuser with her children and nephew. HVJC assisted in helping Elia obtain her U-Visa protection as victims of crime. During this time, our organization helped Elia secure work authorization so she could help out her family.
During this time, Elia had traveled outside of the country and was detained by immigration authorities upon re-entry. It was thanks to the quick work of HVJC that we were able to prove her U-Visa protection status to authorities and she was released from custody and reunited with her family.
After almost nine years of waiting, Elia was finally granted U-Visa status in February of this year. This is a huge win because it protects Elia in this country and allows her the ability to apply for permanent residency in three years, which puts her on a direct path for citizenship. This case was a huge win for HVJC, as it allowed us to protect a survivor of domestic violence just trying to do what’s best for her children. While it was a long journey, HVJC never stopped advocating for Elia and we are happy to have helped Elia during this time.
