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Immigration Law

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Westlaw Immigration Resources (Westlaw password required)
Westlaw's Pracitioner Insights for Immigration compiles a wide variety of immigration-related primary law and secondary sources.

Lexis Immigration Resources (Lexis password required)
Immigration law resources on Lexis include Bender’s Immigration Regulations Service and federal immigration administrative decisions and guidance.

HeinOnline Immigration Law & Policy in the U.S. (available on campus or remotely with ASURITE)
This HeinOnline resource provides a compilation of historical documents and legislation related to immigration in the United States as well as current hearings, debates and recent developments in immigration law. It includes BIA Precedent Decisions, legislative histories, scholarly articles, bibliography, and related works.

AILALink (available on campus or remotely with ASURITE)
This website of the American Immigration Lawyer's Association (AILA) compiles immigration-related federal statutes and regulations, federal court and agency decisions, and various other primary and secondary sources. Because our license allows only three concurrent users, please log out of AILALink when you have finished using it.

Statutes

U.S. CODE
The United States Code is the official federal statutory code and is published by the United States Government. It has 54 titles, with each title divided into chapters and further subdivided into sections. 

The two U.S. Code titles most applicable to immigration issues are:

  • Title 8 Aliens and Nationality (The Immigration and Naturalization Act, found in Title 8 of the US Code, serves as a base for immigration law.)
  • Title 18, Chapter 69 Nationality and Citizenship

The Law Library's Federal Legislation LibGuide provides information on where federal statutes can be accessed and details the steps and resources for conducting federal legislative history research.

Regulations

The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) contains the general and permanent regulations of the agencies and executive departments of the federal government. It is divided into 50 Titles. Below is a non-exhaustive list of titles that relate to immigration, citizenship, and nationality. Search through the CFR to find more.

Selected CFR Titles related to immigration, citizenship, and nationality

  • Title 6: Domestic Security
    • Chapter I: Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Secretary
  • Title 8: Aliens and Nationality
    • Chapter I: Department of Homeland Security
    • Chapter V: Executive Office for Immigration Review, Department of Justice
  • Title 20: Employees' Benefits
    • Chapter V: Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor
      • Part 655: Temporary Employment of Foreign Workers in the United States
      • Part 656 Labor Certification Process for Permanent Employment of Aliens in the United States
  • Title 22: Foreign Relations
    • Chapter I: Department of State
  • Title 28: Judicial Administration
    • Chapter I: Department of Justice
      • Part 68: Rules of Practice and Procedure for Administrative Hearings for Administrative Law Judges in Cases Involving Allegations of Unlawful Employment of Aliens, Unfair Immigration-Related Employment Practices, and Document Fraud 
      • Part 200: Alien Terrorist Removal Procedures
  • Title 29: Labor
    • Subtitle B, Chapter V: Wage and Hour Division, Department of Labor
  • Title 42: Public Health
    • Chapter I: Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services
      • Part 34: Medical Examination of Aliens
      • Part 71: Foreign Quarantine
  • Title 45: Public Welfare
    • Subtitle B, Chapter IV: Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services

Free Resources for the CFR

Subscription Resources for the CFR

  • HeinOnline (coverage begins in 1938, available on campus and remotely with ASURITE)
  • Lexis (coverage begins in 1981, Lexis password required)
  • Westlaw (coverage begins in 1984, Westlaw password required)

The Federal Register is published daily and contains the rules, proposed rules, and notices of federal agencies and departments.  It also includes presidential documents including executive orders and proclamations.

Free Resources for the Federal Register

  • GovInfo.gov
    The federal government’s GovInfo website provides access to the Federal Register starting with 1936. It also has a Federal Register Index.
  • FederalRegister.gov
    This website, a joint project  between the Office of the Federal Register of the National Archives and Records Administration and the U.S. Government Publishing Office, provides access to the Federal Register and information on the rule-making process. It also has a Federal Register Index from 2013 to present.  

Subscription Resources for the Federal Register

  • HeinOnline (coverage begins in 1936, available on campus and remotely with ASURITE)
  • Lexis (coverage begins in 1936, Lexis password required)
  • Westlaw (coverage begins in 1993, Westlaw password required)

Cases

The Law Library's Federal Courts LibGuide provides information on where federal case opinions can be accessed. Immigration cases are typically heard in federal courts.