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Immigration Law Research Guide: General Secondary Sources

Provides general and specialized sources for researching U.S. immigration law, including online government resources, statutes, regulations & case law, plus general and specialized secondary sources and immigration-related organizations.

Multi-Volume Sets

Immigration Law and Procedure, rev. ed. Charles Gordon, Stanley Mailman, and Stephen Yale-Loehr. (Matthew Bender, 1966- ).
A twenty volume looseleaf set; considered by many to be the definitive immigration law treatise. Includes reprints of primary sources (statutes, regulations), agency documents (BALCA Deskbook, INS Manuals, INS Examinations Handbook, INS Interpretations, Foreign Affairs Manual, U.N. Documents) and forms. Updated multiple times per year.
 

Library: KF 4819 .G6 1966 (Stacks)
Lexis: Immigration Law & Procedure 

 

Immigration Law Service, 2nd ed.  Shane Dizon & Nadine K. Wettstein. (Thomson West, 2004- )
This is a nine volume looseleaf treatise; includes current analysis of immigration law and copies of primary documents (statutes, regulations, BALCA Deskbook, Foreign Affairs Manual, Operations Instructions.)  Updated quarterly.
 

Library: KF 4815 .I47 2004 (Stacks)
Westlaw: IMMLS2D 

General Overviews & Practice Guides

Essentials of Immigration Law.  Richard A. Boswell, American Immigration Lawyers Association (2020).  Library: KF4819 .B67 2020 (print). "Offers a practical overview of the entire area of U.S. immigration law."

 

Fragomen on Immigration Fundamentals: A Guide to Law and Practice, 5th ed. + supplement;  Austin T. Fragomen, Jr., Careen Shannon & Daniel Montalvo (Practicing Law Institute, 2015 & 2021 Supplement )(UCLA users only)
A concise one-volume treatise; contains explanations of all steps and requirements in an immigration case, citations to primary sources and helpful practitioner notes. Reprints select forms with explanations.

 

Immigration Law & Defense, 3rd ed. Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild. (C. Boardman, 1988-).
Two-volume treatise updated regularly. A concise explanation of key aspects of immigration law with citations to primary sources. Contains forms, court rules and sample motions.

 

Immigration Law and Procedure in a Nutshell, 7th ed. David Weissbrodt, Laura Danielson & Howard S. Myers. (Thomson West, 2017).  Part of the nutshell series; a concise and compact guide to all aspects of immigration law.  Designed for use by students.

 

Immigration Law and the Family. Sarah B. Ignatius and Elisabeth S. Stickney. (West Group, 1995- ).
One-volume treatise updated annually.  Analyzes the law and procedure involved in becoming a U.S. lawful permanent resident through a family relationship. Includes overview of the family-sponsored visa preference system, immigration based on marriage, and immigration by children and other relatives of permanent residents or U.S. citizens. Detailed coverage of documenting and filing a visa petition, adjustment of status, consular processing, waivers of admissibility, adoption and orphans, derivative beneficiaries, citizenship and naturalization, and other family-based immigration issues. Includes forms and sample letters.

 

Immigration Legislation Handbook.  Austin T. Fragomen, Jr., Careen Shannon & Daniel Montalvo. (Thomson Reuters, 2010- ).
One-volume publication updated annually. 

 

Immigration Pleading and Practice Manual.  Thomas Hutchins (Westlaw, 2021).
A useful resource with sample pleadings and practitioners’ notes. Includes pleadings for proceedings before immigration judges, the Board of Immigration Appeals, the Federal District Courts, and the Federal Courts of Appeals.  Appendices contain a wealth of helpful directories, charts, and sample documents.  The author is the founder of the Immigrant & Refugee Appellate Center in Alexandria, Virginia.

 

Immigration Procedures Handbook.  Austin T. Fragomen, Jr., Careen Shannon & Daniel Montalvo (Westlaw, 2020-2021).
Provides detailed, step-by-step practical guidance for submitting family-based, employment-based, and non-immigrant visa applications for immigration benefits. 

 

Immigration Trial Handbook.  Maria Theresa Baldini-Potermin (Westlaw, 2019).
Provides detailed guidance on representing clients in immigration proceedings at the administrative level—specifically, in immigration court and before the Board of Immigration Appeals.  Updated annually. 

 

Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook, 17th ed., Ira J. Kurzban. (American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2020-21).
One volume. A popular resource among practitioners, this is a condensed, comprehensive and well-organized overview which uses an outline format. Includes discussion of important cases, regulations, statutes and agency rulings. Designed for use by practitioners and students.

Library: KF 4819.3 .K87 (Reserve)

 

Litigating Immigration Cases in Federal Court, 4th ed. Robert Pauw. (American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2017).
Another helpful one-volume practice guide, this one for practitioners representing clients in federal court. Covers exhaustion of administrative remedies, jurisdictional considerations in various types of cases, review of reinstated orders of removal, review in habeas proceedings, due process, Chevron Deference, retroactivity, and guidance for preparing complaints, petitions for review, requests for stays, filing and serving the complaint, and attorney's fees and costs. The Appendices include sample pleadings.

Library: KF8925.E4 P38 2017 (Reserve)

 

Representing Clients In Immigration Court, 5th ed. CLINIC. (American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2018).
A helpful one-volume practice guide for practitioners representing clients in Immigration Court, compiled and edited by CLINIC staff (the Catholic Legal Immigration Network). Provides an introduction to basic concepts involved in removal proceedings; subsequent chapters give detailed information on grounds of deportability and admissibility and particular kinds of removal cases, including adjustment of status, waivers, and asylum.  The Appendices contain sample forms.  

Library: KF337.5.I45 R48 2018 (Reserve)

 

State Immigration Employment Compliance Handbook.  Austin T. Fragomen, Jr., Careen Shannon & Daniel Montalvo (Westlaw, 2021).
Surveys legislation passed at the state and local level that addresses employment-related immigration issues.  Covers 35 states and also includes a detailed introductory chapter. The Appendices contain the following two charts: a state employment verification and employer sanctions laws chart, and a state driver’s license chart.

 

Steel on Immigration Richard D. Steel. (Westlaw, 2021 - 2022)
A one-volume treatise updated annually; provides comprehensive coverage of U.S. immigration law and procedure. Includes forms.

 

U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization Handbook.  Daniel Levy; National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (2021 - 2022).
The U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization Handbook includes coverage of developments in immigration including analysis of primary law, agency cables and memoranda, and forms, and provides a comprehensive overview of the history and development of U.S. citizenship and naturalization law.