Results

We will explore the “whys” and “hows” of securing pardons and vacaturs on behalf of immigrant clients. Jennie will discuss the ACLU’s successes securing pardons on behalf of deported veterans as well as recent policy victories. Rose will review 1473.7 on its anniversary, and discuss current trends, shortcomings, and new case law developments. Anthony will discuss other forms of post-conviction relief.

Section 212(h) is an extremely useful waiver of inadmissibility used to prevent disaster, especially when the client cannot apply for LPR or non-LPR cancellation. This interactive webinar will cover who can apply, when it can be filed, standards for granting it, and when additional restrictions do or do not apply to permanent residents. This training is intermediate-level and assumes some familiarity with inadmissibility for crimes and waivers in general.

One thing that is abundantly clear—immigrants need representation in immigration court. Most immigrants face removal proceedings without an attorney or authorized representative, and the outcomes with and without a representative are grossly disparate. With this publication, we hope to build the capacity of immigration practitioners to assist individuals in immigration court proceedings to provide more immigrants with a meaningful chance at justice.

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center created this new, comprehensive guide about Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and other background checks in order to provide practitioners with a one-stop guide for information about why, when, where, and how to file background checks in immigration cases. This guide describes the various federal agencies and components that generally hold immigration records, explains how to request records and appeal denials or incomplete responses, and provides tips for certain circumstances, such as representing minors or immigrants in removal proceedings. The appendices include sample FOIA requests to the Department of Homeland Security (including USCIS, ICE, and CBP), the Department of State, and the Department of Justice; sample FOIA appeals and federal complaints; sample records requests to the Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); and many other resources for both private attorneys and nonprofit practitioners seeking records in immigration cases.

This conference is for invited participants only.

This webinar will highlight an innovative pro bono model that ensures every immigrant has their full due process rights protected and no person is deported on the basis of an unconstitutional conviction. Led by Rose Cahn from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and Josh Gresham from Latham & Watkins, this training will describe the Immigrant Post-Conviction Relief Project and how the nonprofit and firm partnership has brought essential relief to hundreds of immigrant clients who would face certain deportation without it.  This will be of particular interest to nonprofit immigrant legal services providers across the country, as well as to any law firms interested in engaging in a cutting-edge pro bono practice.

Families & Immigration: A Practical Guide is an essential tool for practitioners who assist in all aspects of family-sponsored immigration. This resource is designed for everyday practice by new and seasoned immigration attorneys, immigration paralegals, community-based organizations, and family immigration advocates.

This unique program is designed for the lawyer with limited immigration experience but who has a commitment toward building a confident and practical understanding of immigration law so essential to the competent representation of immigration clients.

Location: University of San Francisco School of Law, 2130 Fulton Street, San Francisco, CA 94117

Location: Southwestern Law School, Westmoreland Building, 3050 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010

In 2017 California created several state laws that will benefit our noncitizen population, including those who have contact with the criminal justice system. ILRC attorneys who worked on drafting many of the bills will discuss what the laws provide and how to use them in representing noncitizens. As of January 1, 2018, California will have true “pretrial diversion” for qualifying persons facing minor drug charges, in a program that does not require a guilty plea and thus is not a “conviction” for immigration purposes. See AB 208, amending Penal Code 1000. New laws will also help to prevent misuse of gang databases, pursuant to SB 90, which is critical to many young immigrants. The comprehensive California Values Act will limit the ways that the California criminal justice system can cooperate with federal immigration officials, pursuant to SB 54, while SB 29 and AB 103 will limit the growth of immigration detention facilities in the state. We also will discuss ongoing questions about last year’s amendment to Penal Code § 18.5, which makes the 364-day misdemeanor definition retroactive, and provides a way to reduce an imposed 365-day sentence to 364 days. 

Immigration law imposes its harshest consequences on noncitizens who have a conviction, or even evidence of conduct relating to, a drug crime. This is an especially fast-changing area of crim/imm, and new issues and defenses are emerging each year. In this interactive webinar, we will present a comprehensive overview of the potential consequences and an explanation of established and potential defenses in this area. We will include a discussion of how the categorical approach can help, and of issues presented by the legalization of marijuana in some states.

Immigrants who are alleged to be involved with gangs are top immigration enforcement priorities for the Department of Homeland Security. This webinar will discuss what gangs and gang databases are, the over-inclusive process law enforcement employs to allege gang membership, and how allegations of gang membership arise in and impact immigration cases. In addition, we will share best practices for how to combat unfounded allegations of gang membership in immigration cases, based on a national survey of advocates conducted in fall 2017. 

This webinar will provide an introduction to the legal requirements and bases for motions to reopen. We will discuss filing motions to reopen in absentia orders, motions based on asylum eligibility and motions based on ineffective assistance of counsel.

We will review how the CSPA protects certain family-based beneficiaries of immigrant visa petitions and how to calculate the CSPA age. We will also review when the Visa Bulletin is involved, and when and how visa regression affects the CSPA age. Finally, we will touch on the rules regarding recapturing priority dates and discuss strategies for clients in danger of “aging out” who may not be protected by CSPA.

Family-based immigration remains a primary path to permanent residence and is even more critical in the changing legal environment. This webinar will explore different adjustment strategies for family-based immigration, including traditional 245(a) adjustment and 245(i) eligibility and grandfathering. It will also explore more recent developments for establishing adjustment eligibility for those with a parole entry and for TPS holders. In addition to reviewing the various pathways to adjustment eligibility, it will highlight red flags as well as provide practical strategies for advocates.

We will review tips and best practices when creating your record in immigration court. We will cover evidentiary rules, objections, hearings via video teleconferencing, taking verbal testimony and submitting other evidence in court.  Content will cover both practical and substantive considerations. This webinar is a great introduction to those new to the courtroom as well as a good refresher for seasoned practitioners looking for new courtroom approaches.

Over 300,000 people currently benefit from Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and many have been protected by it for nearly 20 years. However, the current administration is terminating the program for certain countries and is reviewing the designation of several others. This webinar will describe what TPS recipients can do now to understand their legal options. It will review the most common forms of relief with a focus on family-based immigration and how recent federal court cases allow some TPS recipients in the 6th (Flores) and 9th (Ramirez) circuits to adjust status in the United States.

This webinar will focus on how a conviction or gang affiliation could impact an applicant’s claim to asylum and future adjustment. We will focus on the particularly serious crime bar, convictions arising after a grant of asylum, and concerns about gang involvement. 

Thousands of people are victims of human trafficking in the United States each year. Immigrant victims who assist in the investigation or prosecution of their traffickers, may be eligible for a T nonimmigrant visa as well as the ability to apply for permanent residence after three years. Nevertheless, hundreds of T visas go unclaimed each year. Given the current backlog for U visas, identifying T visa eligible applicants is more critical than ever.

Thousands of people are victims of human trafficking in the United States each year. Immigrant victims who assist in the investigation or prosecution of their traffickers, may be eligible for a T nonimmigrant visa as well as the ability to apply for permanent residence after three years. Nevertheless, hundreds of T visas go unclaimed each year. Given the current backlog for U visas, identifying T visa eligible applicants is more critical than ever.

This webinar will lay out the basics of an SIJS case, with updates based on changing practices at USCIS and immigration courts, including the visa backlog. We will provide best practices in the changing landscape.

This advanced webinar will discuss FOIA requests in immigration cases and provide tips for filing FOIA requests with the Department of Homeland Security (USCIS, OBIM, ICE, and CBP), the Department of Justice (EOIR), and the Department of State.  We will also cover FOIA strategies for specific scenarios, including concerns for individuals in removal proceedings and appeal and litigation options.

This webinar will discuss how sentence modification post-conviction remedies, like Proposition 47 and Penal Code 18.5, can be used to erase or mitigate the immigration consequences of criminal convictions. The presenters will also discuss other post-conviction remedies, like pardons and vacaturs. The presenters will provide concrete case studies about how the full array of post-conviction options can be used, together with motions to reopen, to challenge even old removal orders. 

The I-864 Affidavit of Support is one of the most important components of family-based immigration cases. For most petitioning family members, it is required to show financial support for the beneficiary family member to prove they will not rely on the U.S. government for financial support after they immigrate.

The I-864 Affidavit of Support is one of the most important components of family-based immigration cases. For most petitioning family members, it is required to show financial support for the beneficiary family member to prove they will not rely on the U.S. government for financial support after they immigrate.

Form N-648, the Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions, provides an opportunity for naturalization applicants who have a physical, developmental, or mental health disability to naturalize without meeting the English and/or civics requirements. In this webinar, we will review the criteria for the N-648 and discuss how medical providers can complete a successful N-648 for naturalization applicants.

In this webinar, we will provide an overview of the eligibility requirements for acquiring citizenship at birth, which is the process of transmitting U.S. citizenship at birth to a child born abroad.  We will review the different requirements, depending on when the individuals were born, whether they were born in wedlock, and whether they are claiming U.S. citizenship through a mother, father, or both parents.  Using examples and our easy-to-read charts, we will explain step-by-step how to analyze some of the issues that arise in acquisition cases, such as legitimation, physical presence, and the implications of the Supreme Court's recent case Sessions v. Morales-Santana.   

The landscape of immigration enforcement involves ICE agents arresting families in their homes, expansive cooperation with local and state law enforcement, and sweeping surveillance of immigrant communities. The federal government is aggressively trying to conscript local law enforcement officers into immigration enforcement, while ICE raids continue to escalate. All these aggressive immigration enforcement actions make understanding the fundamental rights of immigrants in these situations more important than ever.