Opinion ID: 852735
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Brief Summary Of Immigration Law

Text: Various agencies and players. As of March 1, 2003, the effective date of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was abolished and its functions were transferred to the Department of Homeland Security. Under the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security is the Bureau of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and under the Undersecretary of Border and Transportation Security are the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection. See Richard D. Steel, Steel on Immigration Law, § 2:1 (2d ed.2004) (available at Westlaw database STEEL). ICE assumed the enforcement jurisdiction and role of the former United States Customs Service and those functions of the former INS involved in investigations, detention, and removal. See id. § 2:3. The USCIS assumed many of the adjudicatory functions of the former INS, including such matters as visa petitions, applications for adjustment to permanent status, applications for waivers, and applications for asylum. See id. § 2:2. The Executive Office of Immigration Review is subject to the supervision of the Attorney General and is headed by a director who is responsible for supervising the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge. See id. § 2:5. The BIA is the appellate body charged with the review of administrative adjudications under the Immigration and Nationality Act (the Act). See id. The Chief Immigration Judge is responsible for the supervision of immigration judges, who conduct exclusion and deportation hearings and other proceedings the Attorney General may assign them to conduct. See id. § 2:8. Aliens seeking to remain in the United States. Among the grounds an alien may assert to remain in the United States are: (1) the alien has a relative who is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States (a family-based or relative petition), see 8 U.S.C. § 1153(a) (2000); (2) the alien has employment skills needed in the U.S. (an employment-based petition), see 8 U.S.C. § 1153(b) (2000 & Supp.2002); and (3) the alien has fled his or her country of citizenship due to the fear of political persecution (a petition for asylum), see 8 U.S.C. § 1158 (2000 & Supp.2002). In specifying the qualifying relationships for a family-based petition, the Act uses words of otherwise common meaning but which in this context are subject to significant statutory, judicial, and administrative definition and interpretation. See Steel, supra, § 5:1. Most, but not all, relative petitions are filed on a Form I-130. See id. § 5:32. The availability of visas to persons who qualify as relatives can be limited by several factors, including quotas. See id. § 4:2. When a quota applies, the alien is assigned a priority date, which establishes the person's place in the waiting line. See id. § 4:17. Monitoring one's progress in the line is done through consulting the monthly Visa Bulletin issued by the Department of State. See id. § 4:18. Approval of a relative visa petition does not guarantee the beneficiary will receive permanent resident status. The beneficiary still must apply for permanent residence through the USCIS and show he or she is not inadmissible to the United States. See id. §§ 4:8 & 5:42. Grounds for inadmissibility include convictions of certain crimes, fraud or misrepresentation of fact to obtain admission into the U.S., falsely claiming U.S. citizenship, entering as a stowaway, and having been previously ordered removed. See 8 U.S.C.A. § 1182(a)(2), (6) & (9) (West 1999 & Supp.2005). Adjustment of status is a procedure by which certain aliens physically present in the United States can obtain permanent resident status without leaving the United States. See Steel, supra, § 7:1. Form I-485 is the basic application for adjustment of status. See id. § 7:23. In some cases, an application for adjustment of status may be filed concurrently with a visa petition, but in other cases, as when the applicable quota is not current, the visa petition must be filed first. See id. § 7:24. Some requirements for adjustment of status were temporarily suspended for certain aliens if the underlying qualifying application or petition was filed on or before April 30, 2001. To take advantage of this provision, the alien must submit a Supplement A to the Form I-485 and, with some exceptions, pay a filing fee of $1,000. [2] See id. §§ 7:9 & 23. The initial interview of an immigration client and the other parties involved is a crucial stage of the case and ascertaining all relevant facts is essential. Adequate communication must be established, especially if the client does not speak English. It is essential to ensure only true documentation is utilized and to advise the client of the consequences of using fraudulent documentation. Many times a problem arises because a person lied or used false documentation when the truth or true documentation would have been sufficient. See id. § 1:7. Non-attorney representation. Federal law allows for limited non-attorney practice of immigration law in administrative proceedings. See 8 C.F.R. § 292.1 (2005). To qualify to practice as an accredited representative, an individual must first be affiliated with an organization recognized by the BIA as a non-profit religious, charitable, social service, or similar organization that charges individuals only nominal sums for assistance rendered and has at its disposal adequate knowledge, information, and experience. 8 C.F.R. § 292.2(a) (2005). Second, the organization must petition on behalf of the individual, including in its application detailed information on the individual's experience and knowledge of immigration and naturalization law and procedure.... 8 C.F.R. § 292.2(d) (2005). If the petition is approved, the individual is legally allowed to practice immigration law before the BIA (also called the Board) and/or various bureaus (the Service). Such practitioners are subject to rules of professional conduct and discipline. See 8 C.F.R. § 292.3 (2005). The practice of immigration law is defined as: the act or acts of any person appearing in any case, either in person or through the preparation or filing of any brief or other document, paper, application, or petition on behalf of another person or client before or with the Service, or any officer of the Service, or the Board. 8 C.F.R. § 1.1(i) (2005). The practice of immigration law does not include merely helping someone fill in blank spaces on forms for nominal remuneration, as long as the person offering assistance does not hold himself or herself out as qualified in legal matters or in immigration or naturalization procedure. See 8 C.F.R. § 1.1(k) (2005). However, the selection of the proper form is a different matter: [The] selection by a visa consultant of a Form I-130 for a client's use could constitute a legal judgment that the client and/or his alien relatives are not eligible to apply for any other immigration benefit(s). An accurate determination of such eligibility requires extensive knowledge of often complex immigration laws and their applicability to individual cases. . . . . By selecting a Form I-130 for a lay client, translating it, transcribing the responses, and then assisting in securing supporting documentation, a visa consultant implicitly suggests to a client that this is the form that will best satisfy the request of securing legal immigration status for his or her relatives. INS Gen. Couns. Op. No. 93-25, 1993 WL 1503972 (Apr. 20, 1993). Non-lawyers who are not accredited representatives (and fail to qualify under other nonlawyer categories), but nevertheless practice immigration law, are in violation of federal rules. See 8 C.F.R. § 292.1 (2005).