Practice Advisories & Brief Bank
Public immigration practice advisories, sample briefs, template motions, amicus briefs, and government guidance, organized in one searchable index and linked to the original host.
Filters
| Resource | Source | Topics | Date | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Policy Alert: Policy Manual Updates for VAWAReviews USCIS policy-manual updates issued on December 22, 2025 affecting VAWA adjudication and flags the practical consequences for current filings. Why it matters: Useful when you need to see what changed in VAWA adjudication without reading the entire manual revision cold. |
ASISTA National |
VAWA / U / T
Family-based practice
USCIS
Cross-forum
|
Feb 3, 2026 | |
Policy Alert: Policy Manual Updates to 8 USC § 1367 Confidentiality ProtectionsBreaks down USCIS policy-manual updates on 8 U.S.C. 1367 confidentiality protections and highlights what practitioners should watch in sensitive filings. Why it matters: Important for survivor-based practice because confidentiality mistakes can create immediate and serious client risk. |
ASISTA National |
VAWA / U / T
Evidence and procedure
USCIS
Cross-forum
|
Feb 3, 2026 | |
Nvart Idinyan (formerly Nvart Huckfeldt) (August 9 2005) Board of Immigration AppealsNvart Idinyan (formerly Nvart Huckfeldt) (August 9 2005) Board of Immigration Appeals. The National Network to End Violence Against Immigrant Women, represented by Crowell and Moring, filed this amicus in support of the immigration judge’s finding that plaintiff qualified for cancellation of removal under VAWA and refuting DHS assertion that once a victim reached a “safe house” she should no longer have access to VAWA provisions. (Crowell and Moring, Pro Bono) Why it matters: Useful as an amicus or advocacy example on Removal Defense; confirm the cited authority and procedural posture before adapting it. |
NIWAP Library National Direct PDF available |
Removal defense
BIA appeals
VAWA / U / T
Immigration court
BIA
|
Feb 1, 2026 | |
Perales v. Ashcroft, (2003) U.S. Court of Appeals 10th CircuitPerales-Cumpean, A76 386 969, Board of Immigration Appeals (2001), U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit (2003). Amicus brief discussing the any credible evidence standard and the definition of battery or extreme cruelty in an immigrant rape and domestic violence victim’s Violence Against Women Act suspension of deportation case (National immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, BIA, Arnold and Porter, Pro Bono 10th Circuit) Why it matters: Useful as an amicus or advocacy example on Removal Defense; confirm the cited authority and procedural posture before adapting it. |
NIWAP Library 10th Circuit Direct PDF available |
Removal defense
BIA appeals
Federal court
VAWA / U / T
BIA
Court of appeals
|
Feb 1, 2026 | |
ASISTA VAWA Age-In RuleExplains the statutory age-in rule for VAWA derivatives and offers practical guidance on preserving derivative eligibility as children age out. Why it matters: A high-value inclusion because age-out mistakes are difficult to unwind and the advisory translates a technical rule into case-screening guidance. |
ASISTA National |
VAWA / U / T
Children and SIJS
Family-based practice
USCIS
Cross-forum
|
Jan 1, 2026 | |
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Koch FoodsEqual Employment Opportunity Commission v. Koch Foods. NIWAP Inc. collaborated with Latino Justice, the law firms of Arnold and Porter and Procopio, and Legal Momentum to submit an amicus brief to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in an interlocutory appeal of a Federal District Court decision to allow an employer who employed supervisors who perpetrated rape, sexual assault, felonious assault, extortion, sexual harassment and other discrimination against workers to use civil court discovery in a Why it matters: Useful as an amicus or advocacy example on Employment; confirm the cited authority and procedural posture before adapting it. |
NIWAP Library 5th Circuit Direct PDF available |
Employment
VAWA / U / T
BIA
Federal district court
Court of appeals
|
Jul 14, 2025 | |
Aylaliya Assefa Birru v. BarrAylaliya Assefa Birru v. Barr (January 11 2021) 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. NIWAP, represented by Baker McKenzie, is lead amicus in a brief on behalf of an immigrant domestic violence victim who is seeking relief under the Violence Against Women Act’s domestic violence victim waiver in her VAWA cancellation of removal case. The Board of Immigration Appeals and the immigration judge denied her the ability to present evidence of waiver eligibility. Why it matters: Useful as an amicus or advocacy example on Removal Defense; confirm the cited authority and procedural posture before adapting it. |
NIWAP Library 9th Circuit Direct PDF available |
Removal defense
VAWA / U / T
Immigration court
BIA
Court of appeals
|
Jun 18, 2025 | |
Sample: VAWA Cover Letter, I-360 – March 2025Call and message your members of Congress telling them to oppose any effort to give ICE and Border Patrol more funding. Why it matters: Useful as a drafting starting point for VAWA / U / T work in Immigration Judge; adapt the facts, authority, and venue-specific requirements before use. |
National Immigrant Justice Center National Direct PDF available |
VAWA / U / T
Immigration court
BIA
|
Mar 3, 2025 | |
Sample: VAWA Cover letter, I-485 – March 2025Call and message your members of Congress telling them to oppose any effort to give ICE and Border Patrol more funding. Why it matters: Useful as a drafting starting point for Adjustment work in USCIS; adapt the facts, authority, and venue-specific requirements before use. |
National Immigrant Justice Center National Direct PDF available |
Adjustment of status
VAWA / U / T
USCIS
|
Mar 3, 2025 | |
ASISTA Practice Alert: VAWA Self-Petitioner Interviews at USCIS Field OfficesPractice alert on USCIS interviews for VAWA self-petitioners, including rollout details and practitioner reporting requests tied to field-office implementation. Why it matters: Helpful when preparing clients for a changing interview practice that can materially affect how the case is documented and explained. |
ASISTA National |
VAWA / U / T
Evidence and procedure
USCIS
|
Feb 17, 2025 | |
Know Your VAWA Options: Self-Petition Compared with Special Rule Cancellation of RemovalChart-based comparison of VAWA self-petitions and VAWA special-rule cancellation of removal, with eligibility and strategy differences called out side by side. Why it matters: Good counseling tool when the real question is not whether relief exists, but which VAWA pathway makes the most sense in the client’s posture. |
ASISTA National |
VAWA / U / T
Removal defense
Family-based practice
USCIS
Immigration court
|
Feb 1, 2025 | |
Judicial Review of Visa Decisions After the Supreme Court’s Decision in Department of State v. MuñozIn Department of State v. Muñoz , 602 U.S. 899 (2024), the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that a U.S. citizen and her noncitizen spouse had no access to judicial review of a consular officer’s denial of an immigrant visa. The Court held that a U.S. citizen has no “fundamental liberty interest” i n her spouse’s admission to the United States. This practice advisory, by the American Immigration Council, the International Refugee Assistance Project, and the Consular Accountability Project, is intende Why it matters: Useful as a practitioner-oriented overview from American Immigration Council on Asylum; review the source material for the most current authority and procedure. |
American Immigration Council National Direct PDF available |
Asylum
Removal defense
Family-based practice
Federal court
Consular practice
VAWA / U / T
Entry and admission
Court of appeals
Consular processing
|
Jan 15, 2025 |