BIA Edge

Practice resources

Practice resources

Immigration Practice Resources

Search immigration practice advisories, sample filings, manuals, brief banks, and government guidance from trusted practitioner sources.

More filters
Clear all
892 resources 24 sources 826 direct files
Common starting points
Immigration court deadline 606 Asylum merits package 93 Motions, stays, and pretermission 133 Bond, detention, and habeas 79 BIA, PFR, and federal court 447 USCIS and AAO appeals 209 Crim-imm screening 151 VAWA, U, T, and survivor relief 190
Topic: Special immigrant Clear Workflow: USCIS and AAO appeals Clear

Results

Showing 1-12 of 15 resources.

Sorted by Newest first
Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Apr 27, 2026

What is Happening with Deferred Action for Special Immigrant Juveniles (SIJs)

On April 10, 2026, USCIS issued a new memo again terminating the SIJS deferred action (DA) policy (“April 10th Memo”). Under the April 10th Memo, USCIS will no longer automatically consider granting DA to young people granted SIJS. This termination memo does not, however, go into effect until May 10, 2026, and only applies to SIJS petitions filed on or after that date. This practice alert discusses what the April 10th Memo means for SIJS petitions and SIJS DA renewals filed prior to and on or af

Special immigrant Children and SIJS USCIS Immigration court Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Nov 15, 2024

The 21st Birthday Eligibility Cutoff for SIJS

Under current USCIS regulations, any person under 21 years of age who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements may be granted SIJS. This practice alert addresses many of the unsuccessful arguments that USCIS has not accepted when a petition received by USCIS after the youth turns 21. In rare cases, USCIS has accepted petitions received after the petitioner’s 21st birthday when there is proof that the petition was improperly rejected or receipted by USCIS before the deadline. This practice al

Special immigrant USCIS Immigration court Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Nov 15, 2024

The 21st Birthday Eligibility Cutoff for SIJS

Under current USCIS regulations, any person under 21 years of age who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements may be granted SIJS. This practice alert addresses many of the unsuccessful arguments that USCIS has not accepted when a petition received by USCIS after the youth turns 21. In rare cases, USCIS has accepted petitions received after the petitioner’s 21st birthday when there is proof that the petition was improperly rejected or receipted by USCIS before the deadline. This practice al

Special immigrant USCIS Immigration court Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
National Immigration Project Practice advisory Nov 4, 2024

Responding to Smuggling Allegations Against Venezuelan TPS Applicants

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has increasingly alleged that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) applicants—primarily Venezuelans—have smuggled a family member when entering the United States. This practice advisory begins by providing background on this issue. The practice advisory then discusses how smuggling allegations prejudice Venezuelan TPS applicants given their unique circumstances such as geography, family ties, residence in other countries after fleeing Venezuela, and

Family-based practice Naturalization Special immigrant USCIS Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice manual Apr 26, 2024

Guidance for SIJS State Court Predicate Orders in California- What You Need to Know in 2024

This updated guidance, written with our partners Immigrant Legal Defense (ILD), International Rescue Committee (IRC), and Legal Services for Children (LSC), includes recommendations for what information to include in state court predicate orders for special immigrant juvenile status (SIJS) in California. It incorporates guidance from the 2022 SIJS regulations as well as the USCIS Policy Manual, and includes helpful citations to California law. It also includes sample predicate orders from family

Family-based practice Special immigrant Children and SIJS USCIS Immigration court Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Mar 14, 2023

New Policy on TPS and Travel

This practice alert provides an overview of USCIS’s new policy on TPS travel, including a new travel document specific to TPS holders that replaces advance parole, rescission of Matter of Z-R-Z-C- , and clarification of the legal effect of TPS-authorized travel, especially for adjustment of status.

Detention / bond Adjustment of status Special immigrant USCIS Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Jan 23, 2023

An Overview of USCIS's New SIJS Regulations

Special immigrant juvenile status (SIJS) provides a way for certain young people who have been abandoned, abused, or neglected by a parent to obtain immigration status. This practice advisory reviews the history of the federal regulationsimplementing the SIJS statute and then provides an overview of the new SIJSregulations, published in the spring of 2022. In the overview, the advisory highlights notable policy changes implemented through the new regulations.

Special immigrant Children and SIJS USCIS Immigration court Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Jan 23, 2023

An Overview of USCIS’s New SIJS Regulations

Special immigrant juvenile status (SIJS) provides a way for certain young people who have been abandoned, abused, or neglected by a parent to obtain immigration status. This practice advisory reviews the history of the federal regulations implementing the SIJS statute and then provides an overview of the new SIJS regulations, published in the spring of 2022. In the overview, the advisory highlights notable policy changes implemented through the new regulations.

Special immigrant Children and SIJS USCIS Immigration court Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Sep 27, 2022

Confidentiality of Juvenile Records in California: Guidance for Immigration Practitioners

California has strict confidentiality laws that govern when and to whom records from dependency and youth justice (delinquency) proceedings may be released. Immigration advocates need to be aware of these laws and ensure they are complied with when representing individuals with California juvenile records. This guide provides an overview of the law and practical guidance for how to handle issues of juvenile confidentiality before USCIS.

Special immigrant Children and SIJS USCIS Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Nov 5, 2019

Practice Alert: SIJS Policy Updates and Proposed Regulations (November 2019)

This practice alert highlights the key take-aways from three recently adopted AAO decisions and some of the most important elements of the proposed regulations for advocates to challenge through comments, and contains an Appendix with case summaries of the AAO decisions.

Removal defense Special immigrant USCIS Immigration court Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Jan 3, 2019

Responding to Inappropriate RFEs and NOIDs in Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Cases

In July 2018, USCIS issued a new policy memorandum that limits the circumstances in which it will issue Requests for Evidence (RFE) and Notices of Intent to Deny (NOID). This practice advisory provides an overview of the law governing RFEs and NOIDs, outlines the changes to USCIS policy announced in the July 2018 policy memo, and sets forth a six-step process to follow when responding to requests for additional evidence. The advisory also includes sample arguments to make when responding to comm

Special immigrant Children and SIJS Evidence and procedure USCIS Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record