Lead Government Strategies Specialist
Slava Madorsky
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Languages
- English
- Russian
Contact information
Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP
1101 15th St NW STE 700
Washington DC 20005
United States
Slava is a Government Strategies Immigration Lead in Fragomen’s Washington, DC office, where she works closely with clients to design and scale innovative models for humanitarian support for a range of organizations. Slava assists asylum seekers and their corporate, academic and foundation employers with issues concerning refugee resettlement and other humanitarian benefits, such as humanitarian parole, Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) and family- and sponsorship-based parole programs. She has assisted numerous private companies, universities, nonprofit organizations and individuals from a wide range of countries, backgrounds and immigration situations. Slava strategizes on the best possible humanitarian pathways available; aids in the preparation of filings for asylum, humanitarian parole, TPS, SIV and adjacent benefits; prepares individuals for interviews; counsels attorneys on representation before USCIS; and conducts outreach to USCIS on behalf of her clients, where possible. She also provides consultations to attorneys across the firm when they require assistance with humanitarian pathways.
Slava joined Fragomen after 10 years with the USCIS refugee and asylum corps, where she served as an interviewing and supervisory adjudications officer in numerous overseas refugee processing locations in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, as well as a headquarters training officer and finally as a supervisory officer at San Francisco Asylum. During her years with the U.S. government, Slava interviewed refugees seeking resettlement to the U.S. and made decisions on their eligibility in a range of camp and urban settings, as well as war zones and other remote corners of the world. Prior to that, she was a private sector liaison at the International Organization for Migration, a Holocaust educator at the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation in Poland and a genocide researcher in Rwanda.
Because humanitarian work most often aims to help those who have the least resources, Slava has engaged in pro bono work in both primary and advisory capacities. She has assisted with inquiries related to refugee and asylum processes and has facilitated a training session for Fragomen attorneys who volunteered to represent clients in collaboration with the Church World Services nonprofit organization. Slava has also worked on individual asylum cases with attorneys from several Fragomen offices, ensuring complete and thorough filings.
Slava speaks English and Russian.
Education
- Brandeis University, M.A., 2008
- University of Maryland, College Park, B.A., 2001
More from Slava
Awards
USCIS Refugee Affairs Division HQ Outstanding Team Award for Training, 2015
USCIS Director’s Heritage Award for Exceptional Service in Baghdad, Iraq, 2011
Professional accomplishments
USCIS Asylum Officer Training Certification, November 2018
USCIS Credible Fear Training Certification, February 2017
Law Enforcement Adjunct Instructor Certification, July 2014
USCIS Refugee Officer Training Certification, September 2009
USCIS BASIC Officer Training Certification, August 2009
Experience
Worked on more than 35 asylum cases for individuals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Mexico, Ukraine and Russia, and assisted with numerous others that were prepared by others.
Aided in the drafting and submission of petitions for humanitarian parole as well as extensive responses to requests for additional evidence, which resulted in approvals and the reunification of Afghan families separated during the evacuations in 2021.
Developed and presented an extensive asylum training to pro bono attorneys at a major client company and provided interview preparation for their pro bono clients.
Worked with clients on the Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian parole program and helped in the filing of successful petitions to bring their loved ones to safety in the U.S. When needed, was able to provide consultations in Russian and used the same language skills in assisting new arrivals with work authorizations and general immigration guidance.
Publications and lectures
Speaker, “Supporting Students, Faculty & Staff with Humanitarian Immigration Pathways.” 2023 NAFSA Region X and XI Conference, Montreal, Canada, 26 October 2023.
Speaker, “Refugee Labor Mobility: Tackling the Global Refugee Crisis.” 2023 NAFSA Region X and XI Conference, Montreal, Canada, 24 October 2023.
Speaker, “Afghan Affirmative Asylum Interview Orientation.” VECINA and Welcome.US, Webinar, 2 March 2023.
Speaker, “Asylum Interview Preparation and Representation for Afghan Parolees.” Fragomen and Church World Services, Webinar, 6 January 2023.
Panelist, “Fragomen Webcast: U.S. Asylum Options for those Impacted by Crisis in Ukraine.” Fragomen, Webinar, 25 March 2022.
Panelist, “The Ukraine Crisis: How the Higher Education Community Can Help.” Fragomen, Webinar, 23 March 2022.
Panelist, “Fragomen Webcast: Resources and Crisis Management Pointers for Employers Assisting At-Risk Afghans.” Fragomen, Webinar, 24 August 2021.
Contributing Author, “Saving Compassion.” Finding Unshakable Happiness, 1 August 2021.
