Senior Associate Attorney, Petula McShiras, Invited to Speak at AILA South Florida’s 46th Annual Conference

On February 20-21, 2025, American Immigration Lawyers Association South Florida chapter hosted its 46^th Annual Conference with over 500 attendees and speakers.

Kolko & Casey, PC’s own Senior Associate Attorney, Petula McShiras, was invited to speak on Complex Pathways to Citizenship: Navigating Advanced Acquisition and Naturalization Challenges.

She was joined by fellow panelists Atara Eig and John Pratt.

The panel discussed the following topics:

• Adoption: automatic acquisition of U.S. citizenship, scenarios where the Child Citizenship Act does not apply; challenges when adopting from non-Hague countries; as well as when an international adoption is not recognized in the United States.
• Impact on good moral character and practical advice for polyamorous applicants.
• Good moral character considerations, including pending criminal charges, impact of owing back taxes, supporting dependents and dealing with delinquencies, rebutting a presumption of abandonment, and (not) aggravated felonies after a 42a grant.

Petula also attended panels on best strategies for those qualifying for Es and Ls, Evolving Crimmigration Strategies, Exploring Employment Based pathways for Individuals who have DACA, TPS, Pending asylum cases or are eligible for I-601A, Extraordinaries and National Interest – Emerging Professions and Trends, Parole Variations, and a panel on Physicians, Academics and Special Handling Panel.

During the conference, Petula was able to interact with experts around the country as the latest updates and changes were announced by the current administration.

Kolko & Casey Attorneys pride themselves on staying up-to-date on the latest immigration policies.  Attending and participating in conferences and CLEs is just one of the ways we do it.

Please reach out to our immigration attorneys at Kolko & Casey, P.C. at (303) 371-1822 if you have any immigration questions or are interested in a consultation with one of our experienced attorneys.