The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) immigration attorneys’ expertise focuses on family-based immigration, humanitarian relief, naturalization and citizenship, immigration enforcement, and removal defense.
Since 1979 we have helped expand the immigration expertise of attorneys, nonprofit staff, criminal defenders, and others assisting immigrant clients.
In addition to authoring the ILRC’s practice manuals, our expert attorneys have been published by Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), ILW.com, Huffington Post, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Center for Law and Social Policy, The Hill, LexisNexis Emerging Issues, and Fox News Latino.
We have also provided training to National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), American Bar Association Commission on Immigration, Federal Bar Association, The State Bar of California, Legal Aid Association of California, Judicial Council of California and more.
This page provides several tools: an updated and a comprehensive Practice Advisory on the legal issues; a Practice Alert on the Policy Manualamendment; community flyers that you can download and use to help warn clients and community; and a sample written warning about working in the industry from the California Employment Development Department.
On November 6, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced changes to the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program that impact TPS holders from Honduras and Nicaragua. On December 15, 2017, DHS published notices in the Federal Register explaining how TPS holders from these two countries can re-register and re-apply for work permits, or Employment Authorization Documents (EAD).
USCIS recently updated the Form I-485, Application to Adjust Status. Among other notable changes, the new form has increased in length from six pages to 18 pages, the form instructions are now 42 pages, and the section on eligibility and inadmissibility has been expanded to include entirely new questions about working without authorization, false claims to U.S. citizenship, and unlawful voting. This advisory provides an overview of changes to the Form I-485, and discusses a few new or changed questions that we think merit particular attention. The changes we discuss apply to both the June 2017 and December 2017 revisions to the Form I-485.
As of January 1, 2018, California has changed its “Deferred Entry of Judgment” program to a true “pretrial diversion” program. See Penal Code § 1000, amended by AB 208. Qualifying defendants charged with minor drug offenses can participate in pretrial diversion without incurring a drug conviction for immigration purposes. This Advisory will discuss how pretrial diversion works, and how to assist immigrants who went through the old Deferred Entry of Judgment.
This practice advisory is designed to introduce practitioners to the concept of Conditional Permanent Residence, and to explain the requirements and processes for removing the conditions on residence, thereby enabling the conditional resident to obtain Lawful Permanent Residence that can last indefinitely.
A conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude (CIMT) may or may not hurt an immigrant, depending on a number of factors set out in the Immigration and Nationality Act: the number of CIMT convictions, the potential and actual sentence, when the person committed or was convicted of the offense, and the person’s immigration situation. A single CIMT conviction might cause no damage, or it might cause a variety of penalties ranging from deportability to ineligibility for relief to mandatory detention.
It is important to maintain valid immigration documents. Unfortunately, when unexpected natural disasters such as fires, floods, or earthquakes occur, documents may be destroyed or lost. This can leave you unprotected and vulnerable without a way to travel, verify authorization to work, prove U.S. citizenship, identify yourself, or check on pending applications. Below is information on the process to request replacement documents, what evidence you will need to file, and the associated filing fees.
This is a comprehensive (but not exhaustive) list of important laws passed in California in 2017 pertaining to immigrants, spanning the areas of education, housing, employment and worker's rights, healthcare, criminal justice/law enforcement, immigration detention, and gang databases.
This resource for child welfare social workers provides updates on immigration policy affecting children and families, discusses how immigration enforcement impacts the child welfare system, describes protections that exist to help keep immigrant families intact, and provides resources for social workers to support and work more effectively with immigrant families.
In 2014, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) celebrated its 35th anniversary. Together with the immigrant community and its partners, ILRC is battling the unjust immigration policies that further marginalize those who are often overlooked. Our efforts resonate with a deep commitment to help keep families together.
In this issue: Post-DACA Legislation Proposals; The ILRC Covers Ground in D.C.; Legislative Victories: A Cause for Cautious Celebration; The Wall: A Symbol of Inhumanity; The ILRC Helps Support Santa Clara County Immigrant Outreach Day; and much more!
AB 699 is California’s new bill on education equity around immigration and citizenship status. Starting Jan. 1, 2018, AB 699 requires that all local educational agencies in California implement additional protections to ensure that all students, regardless of immigration status or country of birth, have the opportunity to pursue their education without undue fear or risk.
The recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision, Ramirez v. Brown, provides an opportunity for certain people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to apply to adjust status. This advisory explains the implications of the Ramirez decision, with examples to illustrate. This advisory is particularly significant for people, such as TPS holders from Nicaragua, whose TPS will end.
Recent California legislation, SB 29 and AB 103, places a check on the expansion of immigration jail in our state. This infographic provides an overview of these two new bills and explains how they work together to limit the growth of the immigration detention system.
As teachers are the individuals interacting with students and their families on a daily basis, the following resources may be useful to educators as they work with students, parents, and community members. This packet can help disseminate material learned in trainings to make sure useful resources are in the hands of those who are best able to share this information.
The attached document is a compilation of resources to help organizations and service providers prepare for immigration enforcement actions.
This practice advisory provides a summary of five bills introduced by Congress as of October 11, 2017 that would provide relief to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that was terminated by the Trump Administration. This advisory summarizes the eligibility requirements and consequences for each of the five bills: Dream Act; Bridge Act; RAC Act; American Hope Act; and the Succeed Act.
Letter from 500+ national, state, and local organizations requesting that the Dream Act of 2017 sponsors adopt more flexible requirements in regards to expungements and misdemeanors.
This short screening sheet is designed to help child welfare professionals identify potential avenues for immigrant youth to gain legal status.
This guide provides fundamental Know Your Rights information to immigrants in California’s criminal justice system. It provides a review of what immigrants should know once in criminal custody, as well as what to expect if they are transferred to immigration custody.
This introductory guide to representing clients in bond hearings is divided into two sections. The first covers basic bond topics that advocates are likely to encounter when representing any client in a bond hearing. Section two includes a review of more advanced bond topics, including how to challenge mandatory and prolonged detention.
Sobre la base de una reciente decisión del Noveno Circuito o viajando por Advance Parole, una persona que entró inicialmente sin inspección en los EEUU puede ajustar de estatus y solicitar la residencia permanente. Este aviso en español contiene información para personas con el estatus de protección temporal y para personas que viajaron con Advance Parole sobre cómo pueden ser elegibles para este proceso.
The Trump Administration has announced the “phase-out” of DACA, and tens of thousands of DACA recipients must decide whether to apply for a last renewal. Other DACA recipients are wondering what may happen to them if they can’t or don’t renew. This is an especially worrisome situation for DACA recipients who have a criminal record. Acknowledging that we don’t yet have clear answers, this advisory will provide information to help advocates address the following questions with their clients: Is it “safe” for someone with a criminal history to renew their DACA application? What kinds of legal self-defense steps can people take, whether or not they apply to renew? What are the “dangerous crimes” that are bars to DACA and/or listed in the Notice to Appear Memorandum (NTA Memo)?