In A Time Of Uncertain Immigration Laws And Employment, Finally A Ray Of Hope.

WEST ORANGE, N.J. - April 8, 2013 - PRLog -- In October 2012, a young lady approached the office of Trust Mediation seeking information regarding the "deferred action for childhood arrivals" program introduced by the department of homeland security and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on June 15, 2012.

The young lady was a product of an immigrant family who had arrived in her infant years and attended school in the United States.  The fact that she was from an immigrant family meant that she had no access to financial aid or in-state tuition.  When the young lady was a student in college her family paid her tuition in cash for all four years of her education.  Thankfully the young lady had many professionals and hard working non-professionals in her family who realized the importance of her education and contributed to her tuition from her country of origin.  After the young lady completed her college degree she graduated with honors with a teaching degree.

The young graduate student was elated but knew that immigration laws would not allow her to work in her field.  Instead she was forced to work as a caterer for a company that exploited her unlawful status to pay her below the minimum wage.  When she asked for a raise, the company would decline because of her unlawful status.  When she asked to be promoted, she was told that even though she was more than qualified, she could not be promoted because of her unlawful status.

TRUST MEDIATION

59 MAIN STREET, SUITE 341

WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY 07052

(862) 233-6228

www.trustmediation1.com

ebiasotti@trustmediation1.com

Imagine how it must feel to earned a professional degree in an American college and to then be told you cannot earn the minimum wage or be promoted to manager in a catering company?  I know most of you out there, know what it's like to be out of luck in the employment department, despite earning your college degree.  Some of you may have been turned down for a position, been told that you are "over qualified" whatever that means, and maybe you've had to take up other work not related to your field of study.  It's tough, I know.  I do not mean to diminish that in any way.  After all, why do you think I started Trust Mediation?  Plain and simple, I was hearing the same noise all of you are hearing out there.  "Over qualified", "we feel you will get bored in this position", or the ever popular "we'll contact you if we see that you match our needs" I've heard it all.  However, just like most of you, when I was turned down, it was for a position promising a decent salary and there was no disregard for my credentials.  However, this particular young lady was not only being exploited wage wise for her unlawful status (which the company knew all about) they were also treating her as a second class citizen in a job she was never meant to do.

When the young lady came to Trust Mediation we explained the new immigration program entitled, "deferred action for childhood arrivals" and we told her she could apply on her own.  She asked if we could help her fill out some of the entries to the forms and to identify the documents she would need to present to the department of homeland security.  At that point, we deferred to our partner attorneys in the field of immigration.  Once the young lady had a good grasp of what would be required of her to move forward with her application, she was able to complete her forms and submit same to the department of homeland security.  This is the portion of Trust Mediation where we educate and empower individuals.

After the young lady's deferred action petition was approved she was given a date to complete the biometrics portion of the application.  (That is the part where the government takes your fingerprints).  The date was October 31, 2012, Halloween, or as it was known last year, the "week of Hurricane Sandy".  Hurricane Sandy caused the biometrics location to be closed.  The young lady seeking her deferred action status was kept from making her appointment, which led to some delay in the processing of her petition.

A few months later, with the support of Trust Mediation, the young lady was approved for deferred action status.  Trust Mediation helped with communicating the young lady with the immigration offices, in the sense that we provided a phone number and a translator to facilitate her communication with the express permission of the young lady.

Upon receiving her approval for deferred action, the young lady sought out a social security and a driver's license because now she had been issued an employment authorization card.  Trust Mediation encouraged the young lady once again to seek out employment opportunities and set up interview appointments.  

A few weeks later, the young lady, was called in to interview at a local school.  She was hired on the spot.  This came as no surprise to Trust Mediation, we knew all along this young lady was bright and deserving of a better future.  The young lady can now work in her field of study without the specter of unlawful status looming over her head or the exploitation imposed on her by her previous employer.  Her new employer is very happy to have such a bright young lady working for them, they offered her a decent salary and opportunities to attend educational workshops around the country.

And that is what Trust Mediation does, we educate, empower and encourage individuals to flourish.  If you would like more information, please call our office at (862) 233-6228. www.trustmediation1.com