As you may know, hundreds of immigrants were sent to our region around May of last year and sheltered in local hotels. Many are eligible for asylum and need assistance in preparing and filing their applications. Asylum seekers must file an application within 1-year of their arrival or they lose the opportunity to file (except under extremely limited circumstances). Many of last year’s arrivals are approaching that deadline. We anticipate this need to be ongoing, including for area asylum seekers not sheltered in the hotels.

To meet the demand, The Legal Project assists applicants in the preparation of a ‘skeletal’ asylum application which lays out the bare-bones elements of asylum eligibility. The application is filed pro se, with The Legal Project doing the actual mailing of the documents for the client.

We need your help! We are looking for attorney volunteers who can participate in an upcoming training and asylum clinic to help with the preparation of these applications. The training will consist of two parts. The first part is offered “live” via Zoom and will also be recorded, the second part is a workshop that you will need to attend “live” via Zoom and will be offered at 3 separate times to fit peoples’ schedules.

Training Part 1:

A presentation on the essential elements of asylum taking place on Wednesday, April 24 at 5:30 p.m. This training will be recorded but we strongly urge attorneys to attend “live” to get the most out of the presentation. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Training Part 2:

Another (approximately 1 hour) session in which we work together through the preparation of a skeletal asylum application based on hypothetical case information. These sessions will not be recorded, but there will be three separate dates and times available. Please sign up for the session that best fits your schedule. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

ASYLUM CLINIC:

Asylum Clinics are scheduled for Tuesday, May 7, and Thursday, May 9, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (with a break for lunch, which will be provided). Clinics will be held at The Legal Project offices at 24 Aviation Road, Suite 101, Albany, NY. Participants will spend the morning drafting skeletal applications with assistance from TLP staff and meet with clients in the afternoon to finalize. We urge volunteers to take part in the training prior to the clinic. (There will be other opportunities if you cannot participate in this clinic.)

Please contact Carol Anne Donohoe at cdonohoe@legalproject.org if you would like to sign up for a clinic or with any questions.