Practice resources
Search immigration practice advisories, sample filings, manuals, brief banks, and government guidance from trusted practitioner sources.
Explains the statutory age-in rule for VAWA derivatives and offers practical guidance on preserving derivative eligibility as children age out.
In recent months, practitioners have been reporting troubling new patterns in FOIA processing of A-file requests. Some people report unusually high rejection rates on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for reasons related to address requirements. Rejections due to “no record” also have been reported even where the requester is sure that there is a record because they have a partial paper trail of contacts with USCIS. Frequent over redaction of FOIA responses also has been reported. This
This practice advisory provides information about recently implemented fee increases at USCIS and EOIR. These fee increases are a result of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” also known as HR1. This advisory explores what we know and what we still don’t know about the fees, how to pay them, and potential future changes.
This practice alert provides an overview of updated USCIS policy on the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA), which affects noncitizens hoping to immigrate through adjustment of status as the “child” of a lawful permanent resident or other derivative “child” beneficiary and who might rely upon CSPA to remain classified as a “child” even if their biological age is 21 or older. On August 8, 2025, USCIS announced that it was reversing a 2023 policy relating to the CSPA. This alert describes the 2023
Naturalization remains the best defense against immigration enforcement for many LPRs. However, some red flag issues that could cause an LPR to be denied naturalization and even detained and deported. Thorough screening is crucial to make sure that an LPR is able to make an informed decision about whether to pursue naturalization. This practice advisory summarizes the most common reasons why USCIS may deny an N400, provides guidance for ways to screen and avoid an N-400 denial and removal procee
For many noncitizens, naturalization is the best defense against deportation from the United States. Indeed, USCIS lacks the authority to detain or deport a U.S. citizen. However, applying for naturalization can be risky for some individuals because it can instigate immigration enforcement. This concern has increased following President Trump’s February 28, 2025 NTA Memo. The ILRC, NIPNLG, CLINIC, and the Ready to Stay collaborative wrote a practice advisory summarizing the most common reasons w
This practice advisory provides background on the disability waiver of the English and civics requirement for naturalization and describes the June 2025 revisions to the USCIS Policy Manual (PM) on the submission and review of disability waivers. The revised guidance in the PM applies to applications filed on or after the publication date of June 13, 2025. Overall, the PM revisions signal a change in tone that assumes fraud in the disability waiver process is frequent and encourages increased sc
On July 4, President Trump signed H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The Act creates a new fee regime for matters before USCIS and EOIR and for certain people apprehended by DHS. The National Immigration Project has created this chart as a reference tool for understanding the fee increases and the new fees brought by this law.
Practice advisory on framing transgender asylum claims in the current policy environment, with attention to protected grounds, evidentiary development, and country-conditions proof.
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This practice advisory provides strategies for practitioners to navigate removal proceedings for J.O.P. class members and other asylum seekers with prior unaccompanied child determinations in light of three recent legal developments: (1) the 2024 J.O.P. Settlement Agreement, (2) final Executive Office for Immigration Review regulations issued in 2024, and (3) a 2025 USCIS memorandum implementing the J.O.P. Settlement Agreement.
Starting in December 2024, USCIS began conducting interviews for certain VAWA self-petitioners who have both an I-360 and an I-485 pending. ILRC and AILA’s VAWA, Us, and Ts committee compiled tips to help practitioners support VAWA self-petitioners through this additional layer of review while safeguarding their rights.