Federal Agencies, Practice Resources
AILA’s DOS Liaison Committee updated its practice pointer on immigrant visa processing at the National Visa Center (NVC). The practice pointer provides NVC processing tips and best practices for communicating and resolving problem cases with the NVC.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Federal Agencies, Practice Resources
AILA’s DOS Liaison Committee provides a brief practice alert on DOS’s publication of Monthly Visa Issuance Statistics for September 2025 and its annual report of Visa Refusals rates for B Visas by nationality.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Federal Agencies, FR Regulations & Notices
CBP notice announcing that CBP has opened an additional preclearance facility in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Preclearance operations began 3/10/26. (91 FR 16011, 4/1/26)
Accessible to Public.
Agency Memos & Announcements, Federal Agencies
USCIS announced it received enough registrations during the initial registration period to reach the FY27 H-1B cap, including the master’s cap. USCIS has made its selections and notified prospective petitioners with selected beneficiaries that they are eligible to file, beginning 4/1/26.
Accessible to Public.
Immigration News
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on April 1, 2026.
4/1/26
Accessible to Public.
Cases & Decisions, Federal Court Cases
The court held that the BIA abused its discretion in denying the petitioner’s motion to reopen based on a change in law that arguably entitled him to relief from removal, finding that the BIA’s conclusion relied on a misreading of the petitioner’s arguments. (Ramsay v. Bondi, 3/27/26)
Accessible to: Member, Student, Govt/Policy, Paralegal.
Practice Resources
AILA’s DOS Liaison Committee provides an alert regarding NVC’s confirmation of online processing for certain employment-based petitions.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Professional Resources
This Practice Pointer addresses USCIS’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) in adjudicatory and adjudication-adjacent workflows, with a particular focus on how practitioners can identify, infer, and potentially challenge AI-driven adjudications in individual cases.
4/1/26
AILA Doc. No. 26040161.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Featured Issues
The Second Trump Administration has pursued three strategies to restrict U.S. citizenship: ending birthright citizenship, making naturalization harder to obtain, and prioritizing denaturalization. This page will collect resources, updates, and opportunities for advocacy on those three topics.
Accessible to Public.
Agency Memos & Announcements, Federal Agencies
USCIS released updates regarding increased vetting procedures. Notably, USCIS established procedures to lift benefit processing holds for some cases and groups, such as asylum seekers not from “high-risk” countries and certain applications for EADs, oath ceremonies, and petitions from U.S. citizens.
Accessible to Public.
Cases & Decisions, Federal Court Cases
The court held that substantial evidence supported the BIA’s denial of CAT deferral to petitioner, concluding that El Salvador’s harsh prison conditions were not specifically intended to inflict torture and that the risk of future torture was speculative. (Fuentes-Pineda v. Bondi, 3/24/26)
Accessible to: Member, Student, Govt/Policy, Paralegal.
Immigration News
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on March 31, 2026.
3/31/26
Accessible to Public.
AILA Blog
AILA Member Brian Chase Malone describes "the simple but stark reality: for a growing number of clients, habeas corpus in federal district court is, in practice, the only path to freedom" and highlights AILA resources to help members be ready when a client's situation requires those skills.
3/31/26
AILA Doc. No. 26033162.
Accessible to Public.
Practice Resources
The DOS Liaison Committee provides a briefing on the April 2026 Visa Bulletin, with discussion of significant advancement across most family preference and employment-based categories due to visa restrictions imposed by Presidential Proclamations.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Human Rights First is asking for help identifying either (1) potential class members or (2) evidence that the government has enacted a no-release policy. Responses are requested to be submitted by Wednesday April 8.
Accessible to: Member.
Client Flyers
AILA provides a flyer to help your clients understand common terms used in removal proceedings. The flyer is available as a generic PDF version and a Word version you can customize with your firm's information. The PDF is also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, and Spanish. Please share.
Accessible to Public.
Cases & Decisions, DOJ/EOIR Cases
The BIA held that an objection to a defective NTA is forfeited if not timely raised by respondent, and that where a respondent fails to appear but received proper notice of the hearing, the IJ should proceed in absentia and not terminate. Matter of Lopez-Orellana, 29 I&N Dec. 533 (BIA 2026)
Accessible to: Member, Student, Govt/Policy, Paralegal.
Immigration News
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on March 30, 2026.
3/30/26
Accessible to Public.
Immigration News
Under President Trump, more denaturalization cases are being filed. AILA Senior Director of Government Relations Shev Dalal-Dheini explained that federal prosecutors face a high bar in such cases and questioned whether the Administration’s goal was to win in court or to create fear and chaos.
Accessible to Public.
Professional Resources
AILA’s National Pro Bono Committee interviews 2026 Chapter Pro Bono Champions, asking them five questions to learn more about how they began doing pro bono work and the impact of their work.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.