Washington Provides Leave for Immigration Hearings

Employees in Washington will soon be allowed to use paid sick leave to attend immigration-related proceedings.

Washington’s paid sick leave law currently allows employees to use paid sick leave to attend to their own mental or physical health, to care for a family member and for other qualifying reasons.

Effective July 27, HB 1875 will expand that list to allow employees to use their leave to prepare for, or participate in, any judicial or administrative immigration proceeding involving the employee or a family member.

“This law ensures that no one has to choose between job security and standing by their loved ones in moments of legal vulnerability,” said one of the bill’s authors, Rep. Osman Salahuddin. “It’s about dignity, fairness, and recognizing the real-life barriers that too many immigrant families face. Washington is once again leading with compassion and common sense.”

Employers may require employees to provide documents to verify that they are using paid sick leave for an authorized purpose when employees are absent for more than three consecutive days. The new law outlines the types of acceptable documentation and requires the documentation not to disclose any personally identifiable information about a person’s immigration status or underlying immigration protection.

The first-of-its-kind law could serve as a template for other states and localities to expand their own leave requirements.