Iraqi and Afghan Citizens Entitled to Special Refugee Status
March 10, 2010
Effective December 19, 2009, the five year bar for food stamps, TANF, SSI and federal Medicaid eligibility no longer applies to Iraqi and Afghan citizens who entered the U.S. with Special Immigrant Visas rather than as refugees or asylees. Read More

New Birth Certificate Policy Affects Puerto Ricans
March 10, 2010
There are some major changes coming for identity measures if a person was born in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rican birth certificates will become void as of July 1, 2010 - part of a new law designed to reduce identity theft and passport fraud. Read More

Haitian TPS and Medical Assistance Eligibility
January 28, 2010
Haitian applicants for Temporary Protected Status will be eligible for New York's publicly funded medical assistance program if they meet all other financial and non-financial eligibility requirements. Read More

Survivor Stories
A Look into the Lives of Immigrant Clients
January 16, 2010
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was passed by Congress in 1994. Among many other protections, VAWA created special provisions in United States immigration law to protect immigrant victims of domestic violence. The VAWA Self-Petitioning process allows a battered spouse of a United States citizen or Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) to break free from the sponsorship control that an abusive spouse may have over the undocumented immigrant and petition on their own (self-petition) to gain legal status in the United States. Read More

Empire Justice Center's Legislative Agenda 2009-2011
January 16, 2010
The Summer issue of the Legal Services Journal highlighted many legislative initiatives for 2009-2011 and provided a “Legislative Scorecard” on those initiatives with detailed articles on a broad array of issue areas. This article will review those initiatives and add to the Legislative Scorecard as we move into the New Year. Read More