Crash Course Immigration

Lesson 1 • Timelines, Priority Dates, and Backlogs

Explains how numerical limits create waiting periods and how priority dates govern case movement. Students can set realistic client expectations from day one.

Lesson 2 • How Immigration Systems Are Structured

Explains the architecture of national immigration systems, including agencies, courts, and policy layers. Establishes the institutional map students will reference throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Visa Categories and Status Types

Surveys the major visa classifications: temporary, permanent, humanitarian, and family-based. Students gain the vocabulary to distinguish status types in real case scenarios.

Lesson 4 • Admissibility and Grounds of Inadmissibility

Covers the legal standards that determine who may enter or remain. Students learn to spot inadmissibility triggers before they become case-blocking problems.

Lesson 1 • Status Maintenance and Change of Status

Addresses how holders maintain lawful status and switch between nonimmigrant categories. Students learn to identify status violations before they trigger removal consequences.

Lesson 2 • Consular Processing for Nonimmigrant Visas

Walks through the consular interview process, required documentation, and refusal grounds. Students can prepare clients for interviews and respond to administrative processing delays.

Lesson 3 • Student and Exchange Visitor Visas

Details enrollment requirements, program maintenance, and optional practical training. Students understand the full lifecycle from admission to post-completion work authorization.

Lesson 4 • Employment-Based Temporary Visas

Examines specialty occupation, intracompany, and treaty-based work visas. Students can match employer needs to the correct petition pathway.

Lesson 1 • Special Family-Based Considerations

Addresses complex scenarios including same-sex marriages, stepchildren, and adopted children. Students can handle edge cases that fall outside standard petition procedures.

Lesson 2 • Immediate Relative vs. Preference Categories

Distinguishes unlimited immediate relative visas from numerically limited preference classes. Students can advise families on realistic timelines based on relationship type.

Lesson 3 • Adjustment of Status vs. Consular Processing

Compares the two pathways to lawful permanent residence and the strategic factors that favor each. Students can recommend the optimal route for each client's circumstances.

Lesson 4 • Filing the Immigrant Petition

Covers petition preparation, supporting evidence, and filing logistics. Students learn to build a complete, well-documented petition package that minimizes requests for evidence.

Lesson 1 • Labor Market Testing and Certification

Covers the employer's obligation to test the labor market before sponsoring a foreign worker. Students can manage recruitment campaigns and prepare compliant certification applications.

Lesson 2 • Employment-Based Preference Categories

Maps the five employment-based preference tiers and their eligibility criteria. Students can classify workers correctly and set accurate priority date expectations.

Lesson 3 • Adjustment and Consular Processing

Guides students through the final step of obtaining permanent residence in employment-based cases. Covers concurrent filing, work authorization, and travel during pendency.

Lesson 4 • Portability and Job Changes

Explains how workers can change employers or job duties without losing their place in line. Students can advise clients on portability rules and risk mitigation.

Lesson 1 • Asylum Grant to Permanent Residence

Explains the path from asylum or refugee status to lawful permanent residence. Students can manage the adjustment process and advise on naturalization eligibility timelines.

Lesson 2 • Refugee and Asylum Foundations

Defines the legal standard for refugee protection and the five protected grounds. Students understand the international framework that underpins all humanitarian case analysis.

Lesson 3 • Special Humanitarian Programs

Surveys temporary protected status, special immigrant juvenile status, and similar programs. Students can match vulnerable clients to the correct protective pathway.

Lesson 4 • Withholding and Convention Against Torture

Covers alternative forms of protection for applicants who cannot meet the asylum standard. Students can identify when these claims apply and how to plead them.

Lesson 1 • Other Forms of Relief from Removal

Surveys voluntary departure, adjustment of status in proceedings, and prosecutorial discretion. Students can identify every available option before a final order issues.

Lesson 2 • Grounds of Deportability

Catalogs the statutory grounds that make a lawful resident or visa holder removable. Students learn to spot deportability triggers during intake and case review.

Lesson 3 • Appeals and Post-Order Remedies

Explains the appellate pathway from immigration court through federal circuit courts. Students can evaluate appeal viability and pursue post-order relief strategically.

Lesson 4 • Cancellation of Removal

Covers cancellation relief for both lawful permanent residents and nonresidents. Students can assess eligibility and build the evidentiary record needed for approval.

Lesson 1 • Special Naturalization Provisions

Covers expedited and modified naturalization for military members, spouses, and others. Students can identify clients who qualify for reduced requirements or faster processing.

Lesson 2 • The Naturalization Application Process

Walks through form preparation, biometrics, interview, and oath ceremony. Students can manage the full application lifecycle and prepare clients for each stage.

Lesson 3 • Denials, Appeals, and Loss of Citizenship

Addresses denial grounds, the appeal process, and the rare circumstances that cause citizenship loss. Students can advise clients on remedies and risks after adverse decisions.

Lesson 4 • Naturalization Eligibility Requirements

Details the residence, physical presence, good moral character, and other statutory requirements. Students can conduct a thorough eligibility analysis before advising clients to apply.

Lesson 1 • Ethics, Unauthorized Practice, and Client Relations

Defines the boundaries of authorized immigration practice and the ethical duties owed to clients. Students can identify unauthorized practice risks and maintain professional standards.

Lesson 2 • Responding to Agency Requests and Denials

Prepares students to draft effective responses to requests for evidence and notices of intent to deny. Students learn to rebut agency reasoning with targeted legal arguments.

Lesson 3 • Employer Compliance and I-9 Audits

Addresses employer obligations for work authorization verification and audit readiness. Students can conduct internal audits and advise employers on corrective action.

Lesson 4 • Case Intake and Eligibility Assessment

Establishes a systematic intake process that surfaces risks and identifies the best pathway early. Students apply a structured analytical framework to every new matter.