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Written by Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC). Legally reviewed by ILRC.

Updated on November 11, 2025

This practice alert covers recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy statements announced in August 2025 that could affect naturalization applicants. On August 15, 2025, USCIS issued a memo which states an intent to change how the agency will assess whether applicants meet the good moral character (“GMC”) requirements for naturalization. On August 22, 2025, USCIS issued a memo that prescribes neighborhood visits to investigate naturalization applicants for scrutiny of the applicant’s residency, GMC, and attachment to the U.S. Constitution. As with the GMC memo, this memo does not exist in the official repository of USCIS policy, the USCIS Policy Manual. At this time there are no instructions on how these memos will be implemented by USCIS.

Written by Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC). Legally reviewed by ILRC.

Updated on November 11, 2025

This practice advisory provides background on the disability waiver of the English and civics requirement for naturalization and describes the June 2025 revisions to the USCIS Policy Manual (PM) on the submission and review of disability waivers. The revised guidance in the PM applies to applications filed on or after the publication date of June 13, 2025. Overall, the PM revisions signal a change in tone that assumes fraud in the disability waiver process is frequent and encourages increased scrutiny by USCIS adjudicators.

Written by Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC). Legally reviewed by ILRC.

Updated on November 11, 2025

This practice alert provides an overview of updated USCIS policy on the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA), which affects noncitizens hoping to immigrate through adjustment of status as the “child” of a lawful permanent resident or other derivative “child” beneficiary and who might rely upon CSPA to remain classified as a “child” even if their biological age is 21 or older. On August 8, 2025, USCIS announced that it was reversing a 2023 policy relating to the CSPA. This alert describes the 2023 guidance, current guidance, and CSPA provisions impacted by this change.

Written by Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC). Legally reviewed by ILRC.

Updated on November 11, 2025

This practice advisory provides information about recently implemented fee increases at USCIS and EOIR. These fee increases are a result of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” also known as HR1. This advisory explores what we know and what we still don’t know about the fees, how to pay them, and potential future changes.

Written by Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC). Legally reviewed by ILRC.

Updated on November 11, 2025

This resource is a comprehensive client intake form meant to assist practitioners in screening for immigration relief options and assessing red flags. Accompanying the intake form are notes to assist practitioners in spotting issues and relief options as well as a summary of common forms of relief. This sample client intake form is generic, to screen for general relief since the goal at the screening stage is not to make a final determination of eligibility but to assess pathways for relief.

Written by Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC). Legally reviewed by Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).

Updated on November 11, 2025

The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) recently issued three precedential decisions relating to custody redetermination, or “bond,” proceedings before immigration judges (IJs) that limit — or eliminate altogether — bond eligibility for many detained individuals. This article analyzes these three decisions. 

Written by Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC). Legally reviewed by Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).

Updated on November 11, 2025

The Department of State (DOS) has reduced the options on where an immigrant visa applicant can consular process. Applicants must now select the U.S. consulate located either in their current place of residence or in their country of nationality. Effective Nov. 1, 2025, the National Visa Center (NVC) will schedule immigrant visa applicants in one of those places. Existing immigrant visa appointments will generally not be rescheduled or cancelled. Applicants residing in the United States will no longer be able to select a U.S. consulate in the country where they last resided. Under the new policy, these applicants would need to ask NVC to transfer their case there and provide a hardship justification.

Written by Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC). Legally reviewed by National Immigration Project (NIPNLG), CLINIC.

Updated on November 11, 2025

CLINIC has partnered with the National Immigration Project and Ready to Stay to update a previously issued CLINIC practice advisory on LGBTQ asylum and related protection claims. This updated advisory discusses new LGBTQ precedent and also addresses the application of the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways rule in this context. The resource also includes a sample brief, a sample country conditions table of contents, and a sample CLP briefing in its appendices.

Written by Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC). Legally reviewed by Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).

Updated on November 11, 2025

This practice pointer will help immigration legal service providers (ILSPs) prepare for this change by detailing how to make electronic payments and warning of the pitfalls that can lead to USCIS rejecting an application for lack of payment. For ILSPs that may wish to make payment on behalf of clients for their ease and to ensure payments are not rejected, this practice pointer provides an overview of how ILSPs can ensure compliance with relevant ethical rules regarding holding client funds.

Written by Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC). Legally reviewed by Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).

Updated on November 11, 2025

This resource summarizes latest developments and clarifies the current status of DACA and the Texas II lawsuit.