Webinar
Now that the new Department of Homeland Security rule on public charge inadmissibility has gone into effect, practitioners must include a new form, the I-944 "Declaration of Self-Sufficiency," for adjustment applicants who are subject to public charge. This webinar will discuss who needs to submit the I-944 and what information and evidence is required, go over the new USCIS policy guidance on public charge to understand how adjudicators will use the I-944 as part of the public charge test, and provide practice tips and other suggestions for completing this form and collecting the supporting evidence. The new public charge rule places less emphasis on the affidavit of support and instead encourages officers to rely on other factors, covered more comprehensively in the I-944. Thus, the I-944 is now a critical piece of evidence in deciding whether an applicant for adjustment of status is inadmissible based on the public charge ground.
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ICE detainers are a central tool of immigration enforcement that affect many or most non-citizen defendants. This webinar will discuss the many state law and constitutional limitations of ICE detainers, including the recent class action and injunction from the Gonzalez v. ICE litigation in central California. We will also cover ICE detainers’ impact on the criminal case and the particular risks for clients subject to detainers. Finally, we’ll discuss methods to challenge detainers or mitigate the potential harms on clients.
Webinar
This advanced webinar will discuss FOIA requests in immigration cases and provide tips for filing FOIA requests with the Department of Homeland Security, including USCIS, OBIM, ICE, and CBP. We will also cover FOIA strategies for specific scenarios, including concerns for individuals in removal proceedings and appeal and litigation options.
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This beginner webinar will describe the elements of a U visa with a discussion of current adjudication trends and how to evaluate the strength of a U visa case, including how to analyze the qualifying crime, discuss strategy with clients, and prepare the U visa filing.
Webinar
With new public charge rules in place and new forms in use at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State (DOS), the time is now to brush up on public charge law and policy and retool to zealously represent immigrant clients navigating public charge inadmissibility under the Trump administration. In this webinar, we will outline the current public charge landscape, share policy updates, and explain how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped implementation of the new public charge rules and exacerbated many community members’ fears about public charge and accessing public benefits. We will review the new totality of the circumstances test under the DHS and DOS rules and offer tips for preparing and gathering evidence to complete new Forms I-944 and DS-5540. We will also offer other case preparation strategies to guide your representation from initial client consultation to green card interview.
Webinar
This webinar will review the legal requirements for non-LPR cancellation and how to build a winning case. We will cover some of the common obstacles to eligibility, such as crime bars and the stop-time rule. We will also discuss practice tips for proving continuous physical presence and screening for interruptions in continuous presence. Our discussion regarding the hardship requirement will be brief, so we encourage practitioners who are seeking detailed information about meeting the requisite hardship standard to view our previous webinar, Non-LPR Cancellation of Removal: Bars to Eligibility & Proving Hardship.
Webinar
This webinar will provide updates on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) and share strategies for pursuing SIJS and SIJS-based adjustment of status for young people in removal proceedings in light of the various challenges that immigration court respondents face. This webinar is intended for those with some prior familiarity with SIJS.
Webinar
This advanced webinar will walk practitioners through how to handle complex issues in U visa cases, including complicated inadmissibility waivers and practice tips for when and why to apply for an extension of status. The webinar will also discuss current adjudication trends and strategies for responding to RFEs, NOIDs and denials in U visa, U adjustment, and I-929 family petitions.
Webinar
This webinar is geared toward those who are new (or newer) to presenting cases to the immigration judge at the “merits” or “individual” hearing, which is like the trial in a removal case. Through the lens of a non-LPR cancellation case, this webinar will focus on how to present your client’s application for relief to the immigration judge. We will discuss building your case through witnesses, written evidence, and the theory of the case, among other topics. Advocates will leave with the tools to comprehensively present their clients’ cases to the judge.
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As changes continue to unfold with the DACA program and many immigrant youth have been left out of the program, it is important that immigrant youth are being screened and informed of all immigration options. Immigration law provides a path for individuals to obtain lawful permanent residence through employment-based (EB) “preference immigrant” categories, but it is often an unfamiliar area for many practicing immigration law. This webinar will focus on screening for EB options, the process for applying for an EB visa, and obtaining a green card. Presenters will also give information on resources available for those who are interested in learning more about the process and partnering with agencies already working in this area of law.
Webinar
Convictions and other criminal system contact jeopardize eligibility for asylum and withholding of removal. Recent regulations have expanded these criminal bars to these critical forms of protection from persecution. This webinar will discuss up-to-date case law on the "particularly serious crime" and other regulatory criminal bars to asylum and withholding, strategies for challenging criminal bars in immigration court, and pursuing protection under the Convention Against Torture ("CAT") for clients who are not eligible for asylum or withholding due to convictions or other criminal bars.
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The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) provides important immigration benefits to immigrant domestic violence survivors who have been abused by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident family member. Join us to learn about the eligibility requirements to self-petition for VAWA benefits and how to screen clients.
Webinar
This webinar will review the basics of naturalization. We will discuss the following requirements for applying for naturalization: age, lawful permanent residence, including abandonment of residence, continuous residence, physical presence, good moral character, English and civics, and the oath of allegiance. We will include many examples in this interactive webinar. This webinar is for beginners and those who want a naturalization basics refresher course.
Webinar
Lawful permanent resident cancellation of removal ("LPR cancellation") is a vital from of relief for LPRs in removal proceedings, particularly for those in removal proceedings due to past criminal convictions. In this webinar, we will discuss the eligibility requirements for LPR cancellation, recent court decisions affecting eligibility, and practical guidance and strategies for building and presenting an effective cancellation case in immigration court.
Webinar
Immigrants and nonimmigrants seeking entry to the United States are subject to screening for public charge inadmissibility under INA § 212(a)(4). Implementation of a new rule on public charge began at the State Department (DOS) for persons who are consular processing on the same date that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS’) new public charge rule became effective, February 24, 2020. DOS also published accompanying guidance in the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), and published a new form, the DS-5540, Public Charge Questionnaire, to gather additional information from applicants about public charge admissibility. This webinar will give an overview of the changes to the FAM and will give practice tips on consular processing with the public charge requirements, including the DS-5540.
Webinar
Crimes involving moral turpitude is one of the most commonly charged crimes removal grounds. The goal of this webinar is to make it easier to do an accurate analysis of crimes involving moral turpitude. This can be tricky, given that there are at least thirteen different sections in the Immigration and Nationality Act that govern different consequences of moral turpitude offenses, and ongoing litigation about how to interpret some of them, and what effect to give state sentences. We will focus on how to cut through this and most efficiently and accurately analyze each case. The training will start with the basics and go on to cover emerging trends in litigation and new defenses.
Webinar
LPRs are often worried about how public charge might impact them or their family members. Importantly, there is no public charge test to naturalize. Nonetheless, LPRs seek guidance about travel, petitioning family members, and possible grounds for deportation. Log in to this webinar to give the best advice to LPRs around these critical questions. This webinar will assume basic knowledge of the public charge rule.
Webinar
On July 28, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a new memorandum on DACA that dismantles the existing program while the future of the program is under review. This new memorandum limits who is eligible for DACA in spite of the June 18, 2020 decision from the U.S. Supreme Court which reinstated the program in its entirety. This webinar will review these recent changes to the DACA program, provide updates on trends regarding adjudications and processing times, and outline strategies for advocates and practitioners in order to best support DACA recipients and other young, undocumented immigrants.
Webinar
In this interactive webinar we cover concepts, and provide a system, to help advocates analyze immigration cases involving crimes. We will cover the basics such as the difference between inadmissibility and deportability grounds, their relationship to good moral character, the main removal grounds and bars to relief based on crimes, and the effect of travel. We will review resources to help with this analysis and suggest an approach to use with different clients. The webinar is appropriate for new or intermediate-level advocates who want to take a deeper dive into the law and may also provide a concise review for experts.
Video
In conservative and anti-immigrant areas, it may not be possible to pass sweeping sanctuary laws that prohibit collaboration between local law enforcement agencies and ICE. This is especially true if anti-sanctuary statutes like Texas’ SB 4 and Florida’s SB 168 prevent such measures by state law. However, many of us are fighting back against ICE enforcement in all kinds of new and creative ways that connect criminal justice reforms and immigrant rights. This webinar will provide organizers and advocates with information about how to effectively strategize in “red” regions to build successful campaigns, create policy platforms and limit ICE’s reach in our communities.
Video
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, federal, state, and local governments are creating relief programs to provide services and resources to community members facing health and financial challenges. However, due in part to the overlapping timeline of coronavirus and the implementation of new public charge rules, many immigrant community members are fearful of utilizing available relief programs. In this 60-minute webinar, we will provide a brief overview of public charge, share policy updates on public charge topics, and discuss various emerging public charge issues related to COVID-19. The webinar will provide an overview of various relief programs, explain how use of those programs could trigger public charge consequences, and discuss how to distinguish benefits programs that immigrants might access because of financial hardship stemming from COVID-19 from COVID-19 emergency programs insofar as public charge ramifications. Note: this will be a California-focused webinar.
Publication
“Public charge” is a ground of inadmissibility that could bar an individual’s admission to the United States on a visa or application for lawful permanent residence if the government determines the individual is likely to rely on certain public benefits in the future.
Video
At this critical time when hundreds of thousands of people are taking to the streets to affirm that Black Lives Matter, the right to join in any type of protest is critical to a functioning democracy. Whether you are calling out institutional racism, police brutality, or ICE, this webinar will provide special considerations for noncitizens thinking about participating in protests. In particular, we will provide information on best practices for noncitizen protesters, potential immigration consequences stemming from a criminal arrest or charges, and how immigrant rights work intersects with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Publication
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center continues to write and publish the most accessible and comprehensive guide on citizenship and naturalization in the country. This indispensable guide addresses the entire process of representing a naturalization applicant from the initial client meeting through the oath of allegiance. Included in this guide are sample forms, practice guides and tips, and many other critical tools for private attorneys, nonprofit practitioners, pro bono law firms, and other providers working with community-based organizations. One of the strengths of this resource is that it is very easy to read and understand for lawyers, community advocates, paralegals, community and labor organizers, and teachers.
Publication
The VAWA Manual: Immigration Relief for Abused Immigrants is a completely updated edition of our popular, comprehensive guide for advocates working with immigrant survivors of domestic violence.
Publication
Essentials of Asylum Law provides an overview of asylum law for advocates new to representing asylum clients, as well as for seasoned practitioners needing a thorough review of current standards. This edition addresses the whirlwind of new policies impacting the asylum process under the Trump administration while highlighting active legal challenges to these attempts to limit the asylum process.
Webinar
In this webinar we will explore the immediate impact on immigration law of the Biden Administration taking office. We will cover recent developments in immigration law, including policy updates and emerging issues.
Webinar
President-Elect Biden has identified reversing the new public charge rule as a priority in his first 100 days in office. This webinar will provide an update on the current status of changes to public charge, including pending legal challenges, public charge adjudication across agencies, and the next administration's plans with regards to the new public charge inadmissibility rule. The webinar assumes some knowledge of inadmissibility and background on public charge.
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The presenters will describe the current status of court injunctions impacting USCIS’s efforts to change the fee schedule and fee waiver standards in 2020. The webinar will review the current regulations that USCIS must apply on fee waivers and fees.
Webinar
This webinar will review recent changes to the DACA program, adjudication trends and the DACA process, and outline strategies for advocates and practitioners to best support DACA recipients and other young, undocumented immigrants.