Family-Based

One of the most common ways for people to get a green card is through a family member. U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents can help certain family members immigrate to the United States. This is a two-step process. First, the U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident files a family visa petition. Second, the foreign national relative files an application to become a permanent resident. Each step involves different legal and factual issues.

As a national expert on these issues, 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, Families & Immigration: A Practical Guide, and advocates locally and federally in support of immigrant families.

Latest in Family-Based

Practice Alert: Temporary Changes to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Response to COVID-19

09/23/2020

This practice alert provides a brief summary of temporary changes U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has made in response to COVID-19. Changes include plans for reopening USCIS facilities after suspending all in-person services, including interviews and biometrics appointments, from March 18 to June 3, 2020; automatic extensions for Requests for Evidence (RFEs), Notices of Intent...

A Step By Step Guide To Completing FOIA Requests With DHS

09/08/2020

A FOIA request can be an invaluable tool in immigration law to help an immigrant and her representative. This guide details how to complete a FOIA request for USCIS, ICE, OBIM, and CBP. It provides step-by-step instructions on how to complete Form G-639 and also also includes tips about alternatives to Form G-639, such as online submission options.

ILRC Opposes USCIS’s Changes to the Policy Manual on Discretion

08/17/2020

On August 13, 2020, ILRC submitted comments on recent changes to USCIS’s policy manual. The new chapters on discretion will radically alter adjudications of a wide variety of applications for immigration benefits. We recommend that the changes be stricken because they are ultra vires, lack legal support, and will exacerbate USCIS’s current crisis. The policy manual changes compound agency...

USCIS Fee Increases Effective October 2, 2020

08/10/2020

This practice advisory explains the changes to the USCIS fee schedule announced on August 3, 2020. These changes—which will be effective October 2, 2020—will increase fees, eliminate most fee waivers, narrow fee waiver eligibility, add a new fee for asylum applications, and require separate fees for adjustment applications.

USCIS Publishes Final Fee Regulation, Set to Go into Effect October 2, 2020

08/04/2020

In this quick practice update, we alert practitioners to USCIS' publication of its fee schedule final rule, which proposes to drastically increase most fees, eliminate fee waivers for most applicants, and narrow fee waiver criteria, effective October 2, 2020.