An Overview of the US Immigration System

Date: Saturday, June 26th, 2021
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. (CST)
Location: ONLINE LIVE WEBINAR
Target Audience: All language interpreters and individuals who wish to know more about this topic.
Cost: $30 • $15 for students • FREE for SWITS staff interpreters
Title: An Overview of the US Immigration System, Terminology, and Procedures
Presenter: Carmel A. Capati, J.D.

Approved for 1.5 Wisconsin Court CE’s

Description:
This 90-minute session will provide an overview of the immigration system in the US with a focus on family-based, humanitarian, and removal proceedings. The speaker will review common terms and procedural aspects of immigration cases of which all interpreters working in this field should be aware.

• • Identify the government agencies responsible for enacting and implementing US immigration laws and regulations.
  • Recognize common terminology used in family-based, humanitarian, and removal cases
  • Compare citizens and non-citizens and the potential immigration benefits and consequences available for each status

About Carmel A. Capati, JD.

Carmel Capati currently serves as immigration staff attorney for Catholic Multicultural Center in Madison Wisconsin focusing on family-based and humanitarian forms of relief for immigrants from over 50 countries. From 2004-2020 Carmel served as full-time Manager for the Court Interpreter Program with the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Director of State Courts Office training and certifying interpreters to work in court. She has given extensive presentations to judges, court staff, clerks of court, attorneys, executive agencies, direct service providers and community advocates on federal and state laws requiring interpreters for the limited English proficient population to ensure equal access state-wide and nationally. During her position with the Supreme Court, she also maintained a part-time immigration practice as the sole-owner of Apeiron Law Group from 2009-2020.

Carmel earned her undergraduate degree in Journalism from Marquette University in 1988 and after a brief stint working in New York for a publishing company served in the US Peace Corps in Liberia. Upon her return to the states, she worked in the non-profit sector in Washington, DC and Madison, WI. In 1995, Carmel obtained a Master’s degree with distinction in Southeast Asian Studies and a law degree from the UW-Madison in 1998. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Wisconsin and the Eastern and Western US District Courts. She is a member in good standing of the Wisconsin State Bar and a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).