This page includes information about where to find legal updates, basic information and resources on immigration benefits and relief, listservs to join, preventing notario fraud and more. Please click on the subject area below or scroll through the page:

Table of Contents

USCIS and BIA updates

Immigration Legal Sources

Organizations that Provide Practice Materials

Notario Fraud

Practice Areas:

  • Citizenship and Naturalization
  • Family-based Adjustment
  • Removal Proceedings
  • Asylum
  • Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) & Working with Children
  • Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
  • U- and T- visas, and VAWA

Listservs to Join

USCIS/EOIR Updates

It is important that attorneys and BIA accredited representatives are aware of recent updates from USCIS and the BIA. To view and sign up for updates, go to:

Please note: you should review the USCIS/BIA websites and not rely on this page as a source for the most up-to-date information.

Basic Legal Resources

Organizations that provide practice materials

  • ABA’s Children’s Immigration Law Academy (ABA-CILA) is an excellent resource based out of Houston. CILA provides webinars, trainings, and has online and physical libraries. CILA also provides working groups on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and children’s asylum law.
  • Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC): provides both free and reasonably priced webinars and practice manuals devoted to immigration law. They provide many services and resources available to immigration attorneys, including technical assistance. You do not need to be a member to access their services.
  • National Immigration Law Center is a great community resource for toolkits, trainings, and more. They also provide a fairly comprehensive list of immigrant resource coalitions throughout the U.S. available here. You do not need to be a member to access their services.
  • National Immigrant Justice Center provides a host of attorney resources along with client services and immigrant resources, including trainings, legal advisories, webinars and practice tips. Valuable training provided to pro bono attorneys interested in assisting NIJC. Registration is Required for Pro Bono Attorneys
  • National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild provides legal assistance to practitioners and advocates in the immigration community through practice advisories, briefs, listservs, technical assistance, seminars, and more. You must be a member to access their services, though some materials are available to the public.
  • Immigrant Defense Project provides assistance to immigrants facing criminal issues and resources related to immigration consequences of crimes, as well as practice tips, checklists, publications, and more. You do not need to be a member to access their services.
  • Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) is a great resource for many non-profit organizations, community-organizations as well as private immigration attorneys. CLINIC serves its affiliates by providing a variety of resources, such as publications, training Webinars, toolkits, in-Person Trainings, conferences, and more. Some materials are available to non-members, while members have access to more services.
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) requires membership in order to access most documents, list serves, webinars, and message centers. It is the leading professional organization for immigration lawyers
  • American Immigration Council provides multiple programs that focus on advocacy, education, resources, litigation and more in the immigration field. AIC’s Legal Action Center provides a wealth of resources to immigration practitioners, such as practice Advisories, Litigation Resources, Research Publications, and Statistics. You do not need to be a member to access their services.
  • Florence Project’s Resources for Pro Bono Attorneys: resources designed to assist pro bono attorneys when representing detainees in immigration proceedings.

Notario Fraud

Pratice Areas

Naturalization
  • ILRC provides support to organizations helping immigrants navigate the naturalization process. They provide trainings and technical assistance, engage in federal and local advocacy, and develop and disseminate best practices in providing access to naturalization services.
  • Practice Advisory: Naturalization Application Reduced Fee Option & Fee Waiver. This practice advisory reviews options for naturalization applicants who cannot afford the filing fee, with resources and tips for completing the application. (ILRC, April 2017)
Family-based Adjustment
  • The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) provides ongoing trainings on the family-based immigration process, answers case-specific questions from practitioners, authors a comprehensive manual, and advocates locally and federally in support of immigrant families.
Removal
  • This guide for practitioners, “Getting Off the Assembly Line: Overcoming Immigration Court Obstacles in Individual Cases” offers guidance for attorneys representing individuals in Immigration Court, both detained and non-detained. It focuses on obstacles common in immigration court: translation, videoconference hearings, lack of discovery and pre-hearing conferences, and IJ and DHS attorney misconduct (Appleseed Immigration Collaborative, Feb. 2017)
  • VIDEO recording of “Preparing Clients for potential detention and deportation,” a CLE sponsored by the Randall O. Sorrells Legal Clinics at South Texas College of Law Houston on March 30, 2017.  The agenda included Immigration Policy Updates (Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative); Preparing Immigration Clients from a Family Law Perspective (Houston Volunteer Lawyers); Bond Hearings (Benton Law); and Habeas petitions (Rushton Law Firm).
  • Practice Advisory: Administrative Closure and Motions to Recalendar  (AIC)
  • Practice Advisory: Understanding Allegations of Gang Membership/Affiliation in Immigration Cases (ILRC). Understand how law enforcement documents and alleges gang association and prepare to work with clients to assess possible risks in filing for relief.
Asylum
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) & Working with Children
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
U- and T- visas, and VAWA

Important Listservs to Join

  • Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) case alerts: get updates on precedent decisions
  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services updates: get updates on USCIS events, changes procedures and forms, and more
  • Detention Watch Network listserv: a listserv where information about detention, removals, and general immigration updates are shared. This listserv allows participants to post
  • Immigration Advocates Network maintains a list of several listservs from a variety of non-profit immigration organizations
  • The National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild maintains several listservs, including discussions of casework, the intersection of immigration and criminal law, mental competency and representation; and VAWA updates. Some lists require NLG membership
  • Immigrant Legal Resource Center hosts a variety of listservs on topics such as: DREAMers, family-based immigration, asylum, and immigration activism
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association maintains several lists, including local updates, Houston list, and a list where new attorneys can ask more experienced practitioners for advice. Membership to AILA is required. Learn how to join
  • CLINIC maintains a weekly listserv with updates about webinars and news
  • State-wide listserv run by the ABA’s Children’s Immigration Law Academy on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and Unaccompanied Alien Children Asylum listserv: contact ABA-CILA to join
Last updated: September 2017

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