Immigration Benefits and Relief
The immigration laws and regulations provide some avenues to apply for lawful status from within the U.S. or to seek relief from deportation. The eligibility requirements for these benefits and relief can be stringent, and the immigration agencies often adopt overly restrictive interpretations of the requirements. Learn about advocacy and litigation that has been and can be undertaken to ensure that noncitizens have a fair chance to apply for the benefits and relief for which they are eligible. Providing avenues for legal status, protection, and family reunification is vital to ensuring humanitarian protection for immigrants. We are leading policy changes that open more opportunities like asylum, visas for victims of crime or human trafficking, and relief for long-term residents. Explore the resources below to learn more.
USCIS’ Funding Crisis Might Be Too Big for the Agency to Fix by Itself
On January 3, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) finally published a new proposed fee schedule for immigration benefits—which is to say, it took an important step to becoming a solvent, functional federal agency that can adjudicate applications in a timely manner again. The fee rule (which will be… Read More
TPS Extension Offers Only a Temporary Fix
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for citizens of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Nepal, Haiti, and Sudan in November. The extension lasts until June 30, 2024 and is the result of litigation filed after the Trump administration attempted to end TPS for… Read More
AILA and the American Immigration Council Respond to a Bipartisan Framework of Immigration Reform Compromises
In response to news of a new bi-partisan framework of immigration reform compromises from Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) —the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the American Immigration Council issued the following statement. Read More
Arizona Dreamers’ Chance of In-State Tuition Rely on the Midterm Elections
While it seems like all eyes are on the states that could determine the outcome of this year’s midterm elections, it’s important to remember that the consequences of November 8 will extend beyond the makeup of the 118th United States Congress. This year’s elections could have dramatic, and immediate, consequences… Read More
Once Again, Undocumented Youth Find Themselves in Legal Limbo After Court Decisions
After months of waiting for decisions on the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, hundreds of thousands of undocumented youth are back to where they started—waiting for a legislative fix to their ongoing legal limbo. The Biden administration and the states suing to end DACA continue… Read More
A New Bill Would Allow Millions of Immigrants to Apply for Green Cards
On September 28, Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced a bill in Congress that would allow millions of immigrants who have lived in the United States for many years to become Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs). This pathway to LPR status (also known as a green card) would benefit both long-term… Read More
DACA Is Facing a Crisis That the Senate Can No Longer Ignore
Written by Jorge Loweree and Raul Pinto of the American Immigration Council More than a decade after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) first created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to shield certain undocumented youth from deportation, it remains the subject of ongoing litigation. This has… Read More
Congress Must Ensure a Permanent Solution and Expand Protections for Dreamers as Litigation Over DACA Continues
While DACA will continue to temporarily remain in effect for renewals, the program is on tenuous ground as its legality is again tested before a Texas trial court hostile to immigrants. Read More
Biden Administration Close to Reaching Increased Cap on Employment-Based Green Cards
The Biden administration is close to using all of the employment-based immigrant visas (green cards) allotted for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that as of August 31, a total of 263,510 employment-based immigrant visas had been used this fiscal year (FY)—close to… Read More
Immigration Status Will No Longer Be a Barrier for Aspiring Lawyers in New Mexico
Written by American Immigration Council staff Leani García Torres and Raul Pinto The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative provides certain young, undocumented immigrants with a renewable two-year work permit. However, this work permit does not always mean DACA recipients can go into the profession of their choice. Read More
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