O’Melveny Secures Permanent Residency for Survivor of Human Trafficking

A New York-based O’Melveny team obtained permanent residency for a survivor of human trafficking, an Ivory Coast native. The client was sent to the US to marry a man who turned abusive and controlling. When she bore a child, he refused to supply the baby with food and other essentials and threatened to have the woman deported and take the child.

With the assistance of the City Bar Justice Center, she was granted T-nonimmigrant status under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in April 2017. O’Melveny filed her adjustment of status application for permanent residency in 2020, as well as the appropriate work authorization renewals, and also helped her navigate other legal issues she faced during the pandemic. She was granted permanent residency in 2022, giving her and her child greater security and stability.