Adjustment, Relief, and Employment Authorization Strategies for Immigrants at Risk of Losing Status
As federal immigration policies shift and protections for certain groups face increasing legal and political uncertainty, many vulnerable immigrants are at risk of losing their lawful status and employment authorization. Expert panelists will explore various adjustment of status, consular processing, and relief pathways available to individuals in programs such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and humanitarian parole (Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV), United for Ukraine (U4U), and Afghans), as well as those seeking relief through asylum. Panelists also will address the unique ethical considerations attorneys must navigate when advising clients with uncertain or expiring options, ensuring that advocacy remains both effective and professionally responsible.
Featured Topics
- Analyzing current and emerging legal options to preserve status and employment authorization
- Recent changes and litigation affecting DACA, TPS, and parole programs, including CHNV, U4U, and Afghan parolees
- Evaluating eligibility and timing strategies for asylum applications, parole renewals, and Cuban Adjustment Act filings
- Ethical dilemmas encountered when representing clients with limited or diminishing options
- Counseling employers on compliance and documentation requirements
- Identifying who is authorized to work among these vulnerable groups
AILA Membership Benefit – Access to Free Seminar Recordings (CLE Credit Available for $35)
Enjoy access to free seminar recordings as an AILA Member. AILA encourages live attendance for those wishing to ask the speaker questions. CLE credit is included with purchase for live participants.
Recordings will be available approximately two weeks after the live event date. AILA members can access these seminars, with no CLE credit, for free. Recordings are CLE eligible in most jurisdictions and a $35 administration fee is required to obtain CLE credit.
Contact us at cle@aila.org or visit AILA’s Web Seminar Recordings page for more information about receiving CLE credit for a web seminar recording.
| Product Details | |
| Event Date | November 7, 2025 |
| Format | Web Seminar |
| Length | 90 minutes |
| CLE Eligible | No CLE Credit. |
| Digital Library | Digital goods (MP3, PDF, ZIP, etc.) are available for download for two years after purchase. |
Elina Magaly Santana (DL), AILA Board of Governors, Coral Gables, FL
Elina Magaly Santana focuses her practice on Waivers, Family-based and Marriage-based Residency, and Deportation Defense. Elina is Chair emeritus of the AILA South Florida Chapter. She is also a Board Member for Capital Good Fund. Elina is one of the administrators of the “Nerdy Immigration Lawyers" Facebook group, and manages 26 WhatsApp mentoring groups containing 3000+ attorneys nationwide. She is AV rated and a Florida "Super Lawyer" since 2017. Elina earned her JD from Boston University (BU) School of Law and her BA at New York University (NYU). She is a fluent Spanish speaker and was raised in Miami, Florida by a proud Cuban-American immigrant family.
John Fay, Phoenix, AZ
John Fay is an immigration attorney and technologist with over 25 years of experience in employer compliance, specializing in Form I-9 and E-Verify. In his current role at Equifax, he supports the development of innovative compliance software solutions used by employers nationwide. John is a member of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey bars and serves on the 2025-2026 AILA Verification and Documentation Liaison Committee.
Sarah B. Pitney, Washington, D.C.
Sarah B. Pitney (they/them) is a partner at Benach Pitney Reilly in Washington, D.C. Their practice includes family-based, deportation defense, asylum, naturalization, and waiver cases, as well as federal litigation. They specialize in LGBTQ+ immigration, not only in seeking relief for clients but also as an advocate for LGBTQ+ attorneys and mentor on LGBTQ+ issues. Sarah is an abolitionist who believes in open borders and an end to detention in all forms.
John P. Pratt, Coral Gables, FL
John Patrick Pratt is a Partner at Kurzban, Kurzban, Tetzeli & Pratt, P.A., in Coral Gables, Florida. Mr. Pratt received his BA from Florida State University & his JD from Tulane University School of Law. Mr. Pratt previously served on the AILA Board of Governors of AILA from 2017-2020, as Director of AILA’s South Florida Chapter from 2003-2017, and as President of AILA’s South Florida Chapter 2010-2011. Mr. Pratt is AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell and Florida Bar Board Certified in Immigration & Nationality Law 2005-2025. Mr. Pratt concentrates in all areas of immigration and nationality law, including corporate immigration matters, employment-based immigrant and nonimmigrant petitions, family-based immigrant and nonimmigrant petitions, deportation or removal, and federal court litigation, including complex employment-based federal court litigation.
