This post contains links shared and resources referenced during the July 8, 2026 Legal Working Group call. Consider joining our calls to benefit from the live discussion and context within which these resources were shared. 

Resources shared & referenced

• FOIA
  • ILRC
    • Attacks on the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Continue (2026)
    •  FOIA Alert on Processing Changes (2025)
      •  Discusses address-related rejections & potential strategies
  • AIC, Nightingale v. USCIS and FOIA Requests for Immigration Case Files (A-Files) (2023)
  • CLINIC webinar, All About FOIAs (July 29, 2026)
  • AILA
    • Practice Pointer: Guidance for submission of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) & Privacy requests through FOIA Immigration Records System (FIRST), AILA Doc. 26042305 (2026)
    • FOIA Playbook: From Effective Requests to Litigation (Web Seminar, July 14, 2026)
• Biometrics abroad
  • Identifying procedures and contact information
    • ICWC U Visa Certifier and CP Collaborative Database
    • AILA Practice Alert: DOS Consular Posts' Public-Facing Email Addresses, AILA Doc. 19081333 (2020)
    • USCIS & DOS joint response re biometrics and consular processing issues (2024)
    • USCIS International Immigration Offices
    • The consulate’s visa navigator
  • Assistance through LegalNet ([email protected])
• Expedite requests
  • USCIS, Expedite Requests
  • USCIS Policy Manual, Vol. 1, Part A, Ch. 5 (Expedite Requests)
  • CAST stakeholder engagement notes where expedites were discussed
    • November 2024
    • June 2024
    • April 2024
    • Nov 2023
    • April 2023
    • September 2022 
• T BFDs
  • CAST FAQ
• T adjustment of status
  • CAST T AOS Checklist
  • INA § 245(l) & 8 CFR § 245.23
• Updated USCIS guidance on discretion
  • USCIS Policy Alerts & Memoranda
    • PM-602-0199, Adjustment of Status is a Matter of Discretion and Administrative Grace, and an Extraordinary Relief that Permits Applicants to Dispense with the Ordinary Consular Visa Process (May 21, 2026)
    • PA-2025-26, Impact of INA 212(f) on USCIS' Adjudication of Discretionary Benefits (Nov. 27, 2025)
    • PA-2025-16, Clarifying Discretionary Factors in Certain Immigration Benefit Requests (Aug. 19, 2025)
  • Select impacted USCIS Policy Manual sections
    • Vol. 1, Part E, Ch. 8 (general policies & procedures, discretionary analysis)
    • Vol. 2, Part A, Ch. 4 (nonimmigrant extensions of stay)
    • Vol. 7, Part A, Ch. 10 (adjustment of status)
    • Vol. 9, Part A, Ch. 5 (waivers)
    • Vol. 10, Part A, Ch. 4 (employment authorization)
  • Practice pointers, alerts, & briefs
    • AILA
      • Policy Brief: USCIS’s New Policy Weaponizes Discretion to Make It Harder to Get a Green Card, AILA Doc. 26052832 (May 2026)
      • Practice Pointer: Practice Pointer: New Adjustment of Status Policy Mandating a High Bar for a Positive Exercise of Discretion, AILA Doc. 26052602 (May 2026)
      • Practice Pointer: Preparing and Defending Cases Under New Guidelines for Discretionary Review: Positive and Negatives for Nationals of 19 Countries, AILA Doc. 25122934 (Dec. 2025)
    • ASISTA Practice Alert: USCIS Extreme Vetting Policies and their Implications for Immigrant Survivors (Dec. 2025)
• ICWC v. Noem
  • Center for Human Rights & Constitutional Law
    • Litigation webpage
    • Practice Advisory & Toolkit
  • Public Counsel, Federal Court Halts ICE’s Illegal Detention and Deportation of Immigrant Survivors of Crimes
  • ICE Directive 11005.3: Using a Victim-Centered Approach with Noncitizen Crime Victims
  • ICE Memo, Prosecutorial Discretion: Certain Victims, Witnesses, and Plaintiffs (Jun. 17, 2011)
• Vacatur
  • CAST, Brief Guide on Vacatur Relief Under CA Penal Code § 236.14 (2024)