Safeguarding the Path to Permanency for Foreign-Born Youth in Foster Care
Thu, May 21
|Virtual Webinar
Explore the intersection of NC child welfare law and immigration pathways. This webinar covers how to identify foreign-born children in foster care and navigate legal options including SIJS, I-130 petitions, and humanitarian relief such as asylum, U visas, and T visas.
Time & Location
May 21, 2026, 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Virtual Webinar
About the Event
This webinar delivers essential training on the intersection of North Carolina child welfare law and federal immigration pathways for foreign-born youth in foster care. Led by Kelly Dempsey, Esq., Managing Member of Foster + Bloom Family Formation Law Group—a specialist in adoption, family formation, and international-NC domestic law intersections—participants gain practical tools to prevent youth from aging out or entering guradianship/adoption without legal residency.
Why This Training Matters
No national data tracks undocumented children in foster care, and immigration status goes unmonitored in federal systems. Rapidly changing immigration laws and strict age-out deadlines (ages 16, 18, 21) leave thousands vulnerable to deportation or exploitation. Standard permanency plans ignoring immigration status set youth up for instability—this training builds the "bridge" from state courts to federal legal status.
Who Should Attend
Attorneys (Juvenile, Family, Immigration)
Guardians ad Litem (GALs)