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Immigration Practice Resources

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

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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
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ASISTA Practice advisory Mar 1, 2025

Practice Alert: Successful Arguments in Federal District Court For Expansive Analysis of U Visa Qualifying Criminal Activity (March 2025)

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VAWA / U / T Family-based practice USCIS Immigration court Direct PDF
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Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Jan 24, 2025

Using Indirect & Bystander Victim Theories to Expand U Visa Eligibility for Families

Eligibility for U Nonimmigrant Status, commonly known as the “U Visa,” hinges on whether the applicant has been the “victim” of a qualifying crime. The regulations implementing the U visa statute contemplate three categories of “victims” who may qualify for the U visa: direct, bystander, and indirect victims. This practice advisory provides a basic overview of the requirements for U nonimmigrant eligibility. It then discusses the definition of “victim” and three different ways to qualify as a vi

Crimes and categorical approach Consular practice VAWA / U / T Cross-forum Direct PDF
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Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Jan 18, 2024

California U Visa Law Update

Law enforcement agencies in California have been responding to requests for U visa certifications for many years to allow immigrant survivors of crime and their family members to apply for U nonimmigrant status. However, until 2016 there was no statewide standard or protocol for certifications. Several bills have passed in the meantime to further streamline the process. Most recently, AB 1261 was signed into law in October 2023 and went into effect on 01/01/2024. The Immigrant Legal Resource Cen

Crimes and categorical approach Family-based practice Consular practice Cross-forum Direct PDF
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NIWAP Library Amicus brief Nov 2, 2023

United States V. Luciana Moreno-Lopez

Amicus brief in a case in which undocumented workers had been victims of extortion, when the workers complained to EEOC and the Department of Labor the employer retaliated by triggering the employees detention by the Department of Homeland Security.The workers filed and received U-visas as victims of extortion despite this fact, the U.S. attorney brought charges against the workers for document fraud. This amicus brief, filed in the employees’ criminal case, described the history and purpose of

Consular practice VAWA / U / T Cross-forum Direct PDF
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NIWAP Library Amicus brief Oct 6, 2023

Romain v Napolitano

Romain v Napolitano (March 16 2012), U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York. NIWAP, represented by Morgan, Lewis and Bockius, served as lead amicus in the first VAWA Confidentiality appeal of denial of a criminal court discovery order. This was a case in which a domestic violence perpetrator who was being prosecuted for domestic violence sought discovery under Brady and W.M.V.Crio of the VAWA confidentiality protected VAWA self-petition immigration case filed by his battered immigrant

VAWA / U / T BIA Federal district court Direct PDF
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NIWAP Library Amicus brief Oct 2, 2023

Francisco Ramirez, Jacqueline Reyes-Mendoza, And Their Minor Child B.R., v Hon. Daylene A. Marsh and David Paulino Padilla-Suazo

Francisco Ramirez, Jacqueline Reyes-Mendoza, And Their Minor Child B.R., v Hon. Daylene A. Marsh and David Paulino Padilla-Suazo Emergency petition for writ of superintending control to the New Mexico Supreme Court in a sexual assault case in which a state court judges ordered U visa applicant victims to turn over in criminal court discovery information contained in the victim’s VAWA confidentiality protected case in violation of federal law. NIWAP is being represented in this appeal by Skadden,

VAWA / U / T Children and SIJS BIA Direct PDF
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Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Jun 30, 2023

State of U Visa and T Visa Laws

U nonimmigrant status and T nonimmigrant status, often called “U visas” and “T visas,” are humanitarian forms of immigration relief for certain survivors of crime. Both forms of relief have a certification process by which applicants request certification from law enforcement or other government agencies to document their cooperation. In recent years, many states have enacted U and T visa certification legislation in order to increase access to certifications for those who are eligible. This pra

Crimes and categorical approach Consular practice VAWA / U / T Cross-forum Direct PDF
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Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Nov 2, 2022

New Options for Survivors of Trafficking and Domestic Violence

Survivors of human trafficking and of domestic or sexual violence often are charged and convicted of offenses that arose as a direct result of their exploitation. For noncitizens, the criminal record can cause deportation or destroy their eligibility for humanitarian visas. In the last five years, California has enacted multiple laws to avoid this injustice in criminal court, including a defense to a criminal charge and a vehicle to vacate a past conviction for survivors who were coerced to comm

Removal defense Crimes and categorical approach Consular practice Cross-forum Direct PDF
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Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Sep 13, 2022

Confidentiality Protections for Survivors of Domestic Violence, Human Trafficking and Other Crimes

Because survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other crimes are among the most vulnerable populations in the immigration legal system, numerous laws and policies have been enacted to protect the confidentiality of their information and restrict the disclosure of that information. One source of important protections is codified at 8 U.S.C. § 1367 (Section 1367), which restricts identification of survivors with humanitarian relief claims and disclosure of their information. [1] This p

Crimes and categorical approach VAWA / U / T Cross-forum Direct PDF
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Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Jun 23, 2022

Overview of ICE’s Victim-Centered Directive

This advisory provides an overview of ICE’s new “victim-centered” approach to immigration enforcement based on an August 2021 directive, including who qualifies as a victim and which ICE actions are covered. As part of this new approach, ICE officers and agents are instructed to look out for and in various circumstances exercise prosecutorial discretion in favor of noncitizen survivors of crime as part of their decisions to arrest, detain, release, and refer noncitizens.

Crimes and categorical approach VAWA / U / T Cross-forum Direct PDF
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Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Jul 21, 2020

The 2019 DHS U Visa Certifier Resource Guide: What Practitioners Need to Know

For an immigrant survivor of crime to qualify for U nonimmigrant status, they must obtain and submit to USCIS a certification of their helpfulness to law enforcement. A law enforcement agency (LEA) or other certifier must complete Form I-918, Supplement B, “U Nonimmigrant Status Certification,” attesting to the survivor’s assistance. In July 2019, the Department of Homeland Security issued an updated guide explaining the U visa requirements and the U visa certification process and identifying be

Crimes and categorical approach Consular practice VAWA / U / T USCIS Direct PDF
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Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Apr 21, 2020

A Guide to State Laws on U Visa and T Visa Certifications

U nonimmigrant status and T nonimmigrant status, often called “U visas” and “T visas,” are humanitarian forms of immigration relief for crime survivors. Congress created these forms of relief with the dual purpose of aiding law enforcement, by encouraging crime victims to cooperate, and providing humanitarian relief for crime survivors. Both forms of relief have a certification process by which applicants request certification from a law enforcement agency to document their cooperation. In recen

Crimes and categorical approach Consular practice VAWA / U / T Cross-forum Direct PDF
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