Pro Bono Project (702) 386-1070

Immigration

The information and resources provided on this page are intended for use by volunteer attorneys representing immigration clients through the Pro Bono Project of Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.

If you cannot find what you are looking for or need further assistance, please email the Pro Bono Project or call 702-386-1422.

Available Cases: View the list of available cases here.

General | Special Immigrant Juvenile Status | Afghan Asylum Project  | Employment Authorization

General Resources

Immigration Forms:
EOIR Forms
USCIS Forms

Court-Specific Practice Manuals:
Immigration Court Practice Manual
BIA Practice Manual
Ninth Circuit Practice Guide

Government Websites:
Las Vegas Immigration Court
U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (Department of Homeland Security)
U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (Department of Homeland Security)

Advocacy Resources:

Outlines and Manuals
Ninth Circuit Immigration Outline (thorough summary of all Ninth Circuit immigration precedents)
NIJC Asylum Manual (updated in July 2021, includes comparison of affirmative and defensive asylum procedures)
Immigration Equality’s Asylum Outline (last updated in 2006, but includes numerous samples and practice tips)

Practice Advisories
Particular Social Group
Various Immigration Law Practice Advisories

Additional Resources:
American Bar Association Commission on Immigration
American Immigration Lawyers Association
Amnesty International Country Reports
Asylum Pro Se Guide – English (Create by students at Stanford Law)
Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, University of California, Hastings College of the Law (includes resources for gender law and asylum)
Department of Justice Country Conditions Research
Detention Watch Network
EOIR Virtual Law Library (with BIA precedent decisions)
Human Rights Watch, Country Specific Reports
Human Rights Watch, Children’s Rights Division
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Immigration Equality (includes extensive resources for LGBT asylum claims)
Immigration and Nationality Act
Immigration Regulations (C.F.R. Title 8)
National Immigrant Justice Center’s Resources for Attorneys Representing Asylum Seekers (includes numerous free training webinars)
UNHCR Guidance Report on LGBT Asylum Claims
United Nations High Commission on Refugees
USCIS Guidance on Adjudicating LGBT Asylum Claims
University of Minnesota Human Rights Library / Refugee and Asylum Resources
U.S. State Department Country Reports
Women on the Run, UNHCR Report (resources for female asylum-seekers)
Women’s Human Rights Net
Yale Law School’s Refugee & Asylum Resources (includes several resources for gender-based asylum claims)

Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Resources

Nevada Statutes:
NRS 159.343: Extends the age of guardianship to 21 from 18 for purposes of obtaining SIJ status to conform to federal law.
NRS 128.012: Definition of “abandonment of a child”
NRS 128.014: Definition of “neglected child”
NRS 432B.020: Definition of “abuse or neglect of a child”
NRS 125C.0035(4): Best interest of the child specific findings

Afghan Asylum Project

Thousands of Afghanis evacuated Afghanistan in August 2021 and after, seeking safety in the United States. Many of these individuals were at risk of serious injury or death because of their affiliation with the U.S. Government, employment with the U.S. Government, or simply because of who they are and what they believe. In Southern Nevada, 200 Afghan evacuees are resettling and need assistance navigating the immigration system to ensure they have an immigration status in the U.S. and they do not have to return to Afghanistan.

Afghan evacuees may be eligible for an immigration status and, while the U.S. retreat from Afghanistan in August 2021 and the safety risks it caused for Afghan nationals is universal, the best route to a permanent immigration status will be individual to each person and the facts of their case that led them to the United States. Below are common immigration options for Afghan evacuees, although the Legal Aid Center’s Immigration Department will review all cases and all pro bono cases placed will be primarily asylum cases.

General Information
Information for Afghans, USCIS

Country Conditions Resources:
Afghanistan Country Conditions Research, U.S. Department of Justice
A Guide to the United States’ History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Afghanistan, Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State
Afghanistan International Travel Information, U.S. Department of State
Afghanistan Inquiries, U.S. Department of State
Afghanistan: country policy and information notes, UK Government

Temporary Protected Status:
USCIS webpage
Assisting Afghan Evacuees, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.

Information on Available Benefits:
Benefits for Afghan Humanitarian Parolees, Administration for Children and Families – Office of Refugee Resettlement, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Information for U.S.-Affiliated Afghan Nationals Regarding U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) Referrals, U.S. Department of State

Asylum

Special Immigrant Visa (SIV): This option is available to Afghan nationals who were employed in Afghanistan by or on behalf of the U.S. government in Afghanistan and who meet certain additional requirements.

Priority-2 Designation: This option is available to Afghans and immediate family members who are not eligible for an SIV because they did not have qualifying employment or did not meet the time-in-service requirement, but are at risk due to U.S. affiliation.

Employment Authorization

Applying for Work Authorization (while application is pending)