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Practice Advisory
Resources

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: A Primer for One-Parent Cases
Publication Date
03/12/2015
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) cases, involving a claim of abuse, abandonment or neglect against one parent while the child resides with the non-offending parent, are commonly referred to as one-parent cases. These cases, though permissible under the plain language of the statute as well as federal agency interpretation, have proved challenging particularly at the state court phase of the application process and at times before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency that adjudicates SIJS petitions. This advisory is intended to be a primer for practitioners to help them successfully advocate for SIJS where one-parent SIJS claims are involved.
Practice Advisory
Resources

Responding to Inappropriate RFEs & NOIDs in SIJS Cases
Publication Date
10/12/2015
This practice advisory describes the recent increase in RFEs and NOIDs in Special Immigrant Juvenile Status cases, in which USCIS is requesting documents from the underlying state court proceedings. The advisory details arguments against disclosing state court documents and information to USCIS, and provides guidance on setting up your SIJS petitions for success from the outset.
Practice Advisory
Resources

Advisory on Deportable Crimes of Domestic Violence: Matter of H. Estrada
Publication Date
06/24/2016
A noncitizen who is convicted of a “crime of domestic violence” is deportable. INA 237(a)(2)(E)(i), 8 USC 1227(a)(2)(E)(i). In Matter of H. Estrada the BIA reaffirmed that the categorical approach must be used to determine that the offense is a “crime of violence” under 18 USC § 16, but it held that the circumstance-specific approach can be used to determine whether the victim and defendant shared the required domestic relationship. Under that approach, the BIA found that ICE can use any reliable evidence, including evidence from outside the record of conviction, to try to meet its burden of proving the relationship.
Practice Advisory
Resources

Screening for Immigration Relief: Client Intake Form and Notes
Publication Date
10/02/2025
This resource is a comprehensive client intake form meant to assist practitioners in screening for immigration relief options and assessing red flags. Accompanying the intake form are notes to assist practitioners in spotting issues and relief options as well as a summary of common forms of relief. This sample client intake form is generic, to screen for general relief since the goal at the screening stage is not to make a final determination of eligibility but to assess pathways for relief.