Michele Pistone, a professor of law at Villanova University in Pennsylvania and an immigration lawyer for nearly 30 years, has founded the first university-based online certificate program that trains immigrant advocates to serve migrants and refugees.
Six out of 10 migrants confront the immigration system without a lawyer, according to experts and immigration research cited on Villanova University’s website. In addition, a report by the Committee on Immigration Reform (CIRI) estimates conservatively that at least one million authorized immigrants living in the U.S. and eligible for the legal form of relief would have been granted status if they had opportunities to access legal representation.
“Reality confronts me every time I go into court, and I just needed to become part of the solution,” said Pistone. “I needed to figure out how to address this huge problem to access justice in immigration.”
Unlike the U.S. criminal justice system, immigrants in the U.S. aren’t automatically entitled to or provided a free lawyer — or a low-cost one for that matter, said Pistone. Sometimes immigrants don’t know how to find affordable lawyers. Currently, there just aren’t enough attorneys to meet the demand, she said.
VIISTA: Villanova Interdisciplinary Immigration Studies Training for Advocates is an asynchronous online program where students can take one, two or all three modules across three semesters (14-weeks each) to complete the entire program.
Each module builds on the other. Students who complete module one receive the certificate in immigrant accompaniment where they learn foundational knowledge about why immigrants migrate including history; government structure and ecosystem; cultural differences and sensitivities; ethical advocacy for the client; and more.
Module two and three focus on migration law and lead to the certificate in immigrant advocacy and immigrational trial advocacy. Completing one or both of these modules provides students eligibility — under existing federal regulations — to apply to become partially or fully Department of Justice “accredited representatives.” These are non-lawyers authorized to provide low-cost legal representation to migrant and refugee families via non-profit organizations in immigration court proceedings and before the Department of Homeland Security.
