Immigration Benefits and Relief

Recent Features

The Dream Act: An Overview

The Dream Act would permanently protect certain immigrants who came to the United States as children but are vulnerable to deportation. 

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  • Practice Advisories

Arriving Noncitizens and Adjustment of Status

This Practice Advisory discusses the impact of an interim rule repealing two former regulations which barred all “arriving aliens” from adjusting status if they are in removal proceedings.

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  • Blog

Where Doug Jones Stands on Immigration Policy

December 13, 2017

Doug Jones, a former Democratic prosecutor once considered a longshot in Republican-majority Alabama, narrowly won the state’s Senate race Tuesday evening in what may ultimately prove to be a...

  • Blog

The Dream Act Could Add Millions to Your Congressional District

December 12, 2017

Current and former recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative are asking Congress to recognize the impact they and other Dreamers have on the United States, and to...

  • Blog

The Senate Has Confirmed Kirstjen Nielsen as Secretary of Homeland Security

December 5, 2017

This afternoon, the United States Senate confirmed Kirstjen Nielsen to be the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). As Secretary, she will oversee an ever-growing agency which...

  • Blog

Dreamer Movement Gains Support as Deadline for a Legislative Solution Approaches

December 4, 2017

A growing coalition is voicing its support for finding a permanent, legislative solution for the young immigrants thrown into limbo with the recent termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood...

  • Blog

As DHS Ends TPS for Haiti, a Pattern Emerges. What Comes Next?

November 30, 2017

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last week that it would be ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. 50,000 Haitians, along with hundreds of thousands of nationals...

  • Blog

Judge Grants Temporary Reprieve From Deportation to Indonesians Fearing Religious Persecution

November 29, 2017

After being lured to participate in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiative that promised a reprieve from deportation, 51 Indonesian nationals suddenly were at risk for removal...

  • Blog

Senate Releases Homeland Security Funding Bill as Battle Over the Dream Act Looms

November 27, 2017

With the deadline for government funding fast approaching, the Senate Appropriations Committee finally released its draft version of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) funding bill—and...

  • Blog

USCIS Will Now Consider the DACA Applications That Got Lost in the Mail

November 17, 2017

When a slowdown with the U.S. Postal Service caused over 100 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals renewal applications to arrive after the October 5 deadline, United States Citizenship and...

  • Blog

DACA Termination Affects Thousands on a Daily Basis

November 14, 2017

In the months following the government’s decision to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative, more than 8,500 young immigrants have already lost their protection...

  • Blog

USCIS Is Receiving a Record Number of Citizenship Applications

November 13, 2017

The average processing time for United States citizenship applications used to take five to seven months – already a lengthy timeline for immigrants waiting to get their citizenship vetted and...

  • Press Release

Class Action Lawsuit Seeks to Challenge USCIS’ Unlawful Denial of H-1B Petitions Filed by American Businesses

April 16, 2020
The American Immigration Council, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the law firms Van Der Hout, LLP, Joseph & Hall P.C., and Kuck Baxter Immigration LLC filed a nationwide class action lawsuit today challenging U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ pattern and practice of arbitrarily denying H-1B nonimmigrant employment-based petitions for market research analysts positions filed by businesses in the United States.
  • Blog

How the Coronavirus Is Disrupting USCIS Processing of Immigration Applications

March 25, 2020

The coronavirus outbreak has significantly disrupted the operations of government agencies around the country, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS is the agency that...

  • Blog

USCIS’ Change to How ‘Unlawful Presence’ Is Calculated Is Defeated in Court

February 12, 2020

A federal district court stopped U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from drastically changing how the agency determines when a foreign student or exchange visitor is “unlawfully...

  • Blog

Student’s Deportation Shows a Pattern of US Government Targeting Iranians

January 22, 2020

Iranian students coming to the United States are being stopped at airports, having their visas revoked, and are being deported. Advocates warn this trend is emerging less than a month after...

  • Advocacy

Comments on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Proposed Fee Schedule and Changes to Other Immigration Benefit Request Requirements

January 3, 2020

The American Immigration Lawyers Association and American Immigration Council submitted the following comments in response to the above-referenced Notice and Request for Comments on the Department...

  • Blog

Defense Spending Act Allows Thousands of Liberians to Apply for Permanent Residency

January 2, 2020

The defense spending package for the fiscal year 2020 will allow thousands of Liberians living in the United States to gain green cards. The $738-billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)...

  • Blog

The Supreme Court Heard a Major Case on DACA. Here’s What You Need to Know.

November 13, 2019

The Supreme Court heard arguments on November 12 in three cases challenging President Trump’s attempted rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative. The Court’s...

  • Advocacy

Comments Opposing Removal of 30-Day Processing Provision of Asylum Application-Related Form I-765 Employment Authorization Applications

November 12, 2019

Under current U.S. immigration law, the immigration service must make a decision on work permit applications filed by asylum seekers within 30 days of their application. The Trump administration...

  • Blog

‘I Have DACA. No Matter What the Supreme Court Decides, I’ll Continue to Build American Communities.’

November 11, 2019

On November 12, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments regarding the legality of President Trump’s 2017 rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative. The...

  • Blog

Opposition Mounts to Trump’s Effort to Delay Work Permits for People Seeking Asylum

November 7, 2019

The Trump administration is proposing a new rule that would delay work authorization for people seeking asylum in the United States. The move is drawing opposition from advocates across the...

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