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Immigration Updates & Resources (2025)

Immigration Policy Updates

USCIS Notice To Appear Guidance Memo
- USCIS may issue NTAs
  - if initial application or re-registration for TPS is denied and applicant has no other status
  - when USCIS determines fraud or misrepresentation is part of the record
  - when USCIS denies a victim based benefit (U/T/VAWA). No protections for those filing for U T or VAWA but USCIS must follow confidentiality provision @ 8 USC 1367.
- DACA
  - If USCIS denies DACA request, it will not issue an NTA

Registration
- USCIS will require noncitizens in the US for more the 30 days to register & be fingerprinted. This requirement goes into effect 4/11/25. See USCIS for more information & AILA for good practice tips.

New Forms
- USCIS issued a number of updated forms, removing gender neutral language and making other changes. Initially launched with no grace period, a subsquent lawsuit allows a 30 day grace period. Best practice is to ensure that you regularly monitor the USCIS Forms Updates page, especially before mailing a filing. Make sure that the form edition date is the same as that indicated on the USCIS website.
- Updated instructions for forms i-485 and i-765 may adjust practice for folks in terms of filling out None or N/A on forms. Best practice is not to leave blanks. The instructions now recommend that if a question does not apply, put N/A but if the answer to a question requires a numeric response and is 0 or none, put None.
EOIR: Deadlines, Precedent Decision on I-589 Completeness
- Director’s Memorandum adjusting Practice Manual default deadline for document submissions to 30 days prior to individual calendar hearings.
- Matter of C-A-R-R, 29 I&N Dec. 13 (BIA 2025)
  - IJ may consider an incomplete I-589 abandoned if incomplete and applicant offered an opportunity to cure. IJ may not deem an application abandoned solely for lacking a declaration.
  - “A complete Form I-589 requires a specific substantive answer to every question on the form…[but] does not necessarily require that every space on the Form I-589 be used. Blank spaces are permissible if their use is not necessary to completely and substantively answer the question.”

Immigration Case Law Updates

Lapadat v. Bondi, No. 23-1745, 9^th Cir, (February 12, 2025)
- This is a significant case for advocates working with Roma asylum seekers and underscores the importance of country conditions submissions. The petitioner sought protection due to persecution based on Roma ethnicity. The Ninth Circuit panel found that the BIA had incorrectly ignored the petitioner’s testimony about being shot in the back, which, along with other evidence, compelled a finding of harm rising to the level of past persecution. Furthermore, the Ninth Circuit determined that the BIA had erred in concluding that Roma are not a ‘disfavored group’ in Romania for purposes of showing well founded fear of future persecution.
Magana Magana v. Bondi, No. 23-1887, 9^th Cir, (February 19, 2025) (9th cir has jurisdiction to review BIA decision that an applicant’s motion to reopen to pursue VAWA relief was time-barred and did not qualify for an extraordinary circumstances exception).
Singh v. Bondi, No. 23-1247, 9^th Cir, (March 17, 2025) (substantial evidence supported an IJ/BIA adverse credibility determination based on significant linguistic and factual similarities to other claims filed in the past by other asylum applicants from India).

American Immigration Lawyers Association

Know Your RIghts if ICE Comes into Your Workplace: For Employees

All people living in the United States, including undocumented immigrants, have certain U.S. constitutional rights. If Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers come to your workplace, they must have either (1) a valid search warrant, or (2) consent from your employer to enter non-public areas. However, ICE can enter public areas of your workplace (such as the lobby or reception area) without a warrant or consent from your employer.

Immigrant Defense Project

The “Know Your Rights with ICE” page from the Immigrant Defense Project provides essential information on how individuals can protect themselves when interacting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It offers resources, including infographics, flyers, and booklets in multiple languages, outlining rights during home raids, street encounters, car stops, and detentions. The page emphasizes key actions people can take to assert their rights, such as not opening the door without a warrant and documenting ICE arrests.

Click to Read More!

Popular Democracy

The KYR! Community Fight Back Toolkit ⭐ ¡Conozca Sus Derechos!

A comprehensive resource designed to empower immigrant communities by providing information on their rights and available support. Created by Democracia Popular, the toolkit includes guidance on dealing with immigration enforcement (ICE), workplace rights, school protections, and tenant rights. It also offers legal aid contacts, mental health resources, and organizing strategies for activists. Regularly updated, the document serves as a crucial guide for families, workers, and advocates facing anti-immigrant policies and challenges.