Immigration
Immigration Resources
This legal research guide features resources on immigration law in the United States. All websites are freely available to the public. For news about immigration law see our separate Legal News Sources guide. For resources available within the Law Library see our catalog.
I. Self-Help Resources for Immigrants
II. Federal Agencies and Legislation
III. Administrative Decisions
IV. Statistics
V. Non-Governmental Organizations
VI. Asylum and Refugee Law
I. Self-Help Resources for Immigrants
- EBSCO Legal Information Reference Center - Click on "Immigration and Travel" after logging in. Includes information on getting a green card, different types of visas, and acquiring U.S. Citizenship.
- Immi - Free online resources geared towards helping immigrants in the U.S. understand their legal options. Includes a screening tool to help immigrants understand their legal options, referrals to legal aid organizations, a glossary of immigration terminology and articles on topics ranging from identifying immigration scams to how to help someone currently in detention. From Pro Bono Net.
- Visa Wizard - Online tool designed to help foreign citizens travelling to the United States determine what type of visa they need. From the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs.
II. Federal Agencies and Legislation
Federal Agencies
- Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) - Agency responsible for applications for immigration benefits, including asylum and refugee applications.
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
- Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)
- EOIR forms
- Board of Immigration Appeals Decisions
- Immigration court directory - Courts organized by alphabetically by state, then by city. Includes a link to the Immigration Court Practice Manual.
- Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices - Responsible for enforcing the workplace anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
- United States Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs - Information on international travel, including intercountry adoptions and international parental child abduction.
- U.S. Citizenship Law and Policy - Information on acquiring and losing citizenship and nationality.
- U.S. Visas - Guides for visitors to the U.S., including a Visa Wizard to determine what type of visa is necessary, forms and appointment wait time estimates.
- U.S. Consuls - Websites of U.S. embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions abroad.
Federal Legislation and Regulations
- United States Code Title 8, Immigration and Nationality - From the Cornell Legal Information Institute (LII)
- Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1101-1537 - From the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- Code of Federal Regulations Title 8, Aliens and Nationality - From the Cornell LII.
III. Administrative Decisions
- Adopted AAO Decisions - U.S. Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) non-precedent decisions adopted by USCIS as binding policy guidelines.
- Attorney General and BIA Precedent Decisions - Text of Board of Immigration Appeals precedent decisions, from 1958 through the present. From the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)
- Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals Decisions - From the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Administrative Law Judges.
- Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer Published Decisions - Text of precedential decisions from cases concerning immigration-related employment discrimination, document fraud, and unlawful employment of immigrants. From the EOIR.
IV. Statistics
- Department of Homeland Security Immigration Data and Statistics - Includes the Yearbook of Immigration Statistics. Previously known as Statistical Yearbook of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
- United States Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs Reports and Statistics
- Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) Immigration Reports - Includes information about criminal prosecutions, enforcement priorities, immigration courts, deportation proceedings and more. From Syracuse University.
V. Non-Governmental Organizations
- American Bar Association Commission on Immigration - Formed by the merger of the ABA Coordinating Committee on Immigration Law and the Immigration Pro Bono Development and Bar Activation Project. Focused on ensuring due process rights for immigrants and refugees.
- American Immigration Council - Nonprofit centered on fair judicial process for immigrants and dispelling myths about immigration.
- Immigration Lawyers Association - The national association of immigration lawyers. Provides access to news, cases and administrative materials. Databases and Continuing Legal Education (CLE) classes are available to members.
- National Immigration Forum
- National Immigration Justice Center - Legal aid organization for low income immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.
- En Español
- Services - Including legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children, LGBTQ immigrants, victims of human trafficking, and more.
- National Immigration Law Center - Organization exclusively focused on supporting low income immigrants. Activities include litigation, advocacy and policy analysis.
- Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) information
- Drivers' Licenses - For laws governing immigrant access to driver's licenses
- Worker's Rights - Including employment eligibility verification, worksite immigration enforcement and employment discrimination
VI. Asylum and Refugee Law
- RefWorld - Information on refugee status determination, details on asylum claims, conditions in refugee countries of origin, case law and more. From the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) - Advocacy and refugee settlement organization. Services include financial literacy programs, cultural orientation, job placement, interpreting services and legal representation.
- Research and Reports - Includes research about refugees, resources for those serving refugees and handouts in multiple languages on topics like nutrition and domestic violence.
- Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Geneva 28 July 1951, 198 U.N.T.S. 137
- Articles 2-28 Annotated (PDF) - Annotations by Dr. Paul Weis.
- Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, New York, 31 January 1967, 606 U.N.T.S. 267
PLEASE NOTE: The websites listed in this guide are for information only and are not endorsed or supported by the Cook County Law Library. Please independently verify the accuracy and currency of all information. Consult an attorney for legal advice.
Compiled by David Sanborne
Last updated November 2017