The Fundamentals of Family-Based Immigration Law

This hour-long course, presented by experienced practitioner Lindsay Curcio, provides an overview of the family-based immigration process including best practices for intake interviews, issue spotting, common obstacles (such as misrepresentation, unlawful presence, criminal issues), and avenues of possible relief in removal proceedings. The program will also review the requirements and procedures for immediate relative and family-based immigrant preference categories as well as the K-1 non-immigrant fiancé classification. Other topics to be discussed are non-immigrant and immigrant intent, adjustment of status applications, consular processing applications, the differences between conditional and permanent residence, financial sponsors, and requirements for family-based Affidavits of Support. Ms. Curcio will also briefly discuss strategies for immigration relief for foreign nationals who have suffered abuse from sponsoring family members (spousal abuse, elder abuse).

Finally, the program will discuss procedural and administrative developments. It will explore how the U.S. Department of State Visa Bulletin provides information about the current and future availability of family-based preference immigrant visas, analyze the Public Charge ground of inadmissibility and its application by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service and the U.S. Department of State pursuant to requirements and recent developments and injunctions, and updates in form versions and USCIS filing fees. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Obtain the fundamentals of family-based immigration practice

2. Gain best practices for client intake interviews

3. Review the procedures and requirements for various family-based applications

4. Identify potential avenues of relief for removal proceedings

5. Examine recent developments and regulations promulgated by various administrative agencies