Revised 8/2023

LGL 250 - Immigration Law (3 CR.)

Course Description

Provides an introduction to immigration law and policy, giving an overview of the United States legal system that regulates the admission, exclusion, removal, and naturalization of immigrants. Includes issues concerning refugees, asylum seekers, illegal immigrants, and undocumented aliens. Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

This course is designed to provide interested students with an overview of the law governing legal and illegal immigration into the United States, and to familiarize paralegal students with the forms and procedures typically used in an immigration law practice.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Proficiency (at the high school level) in spoken and written English is recommended. Corequisite: LGL 110 for students who are program placed in paralegal studies.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • List the ways of legally entering the United States, and the various ways of remaining legally in the United States.
  • Advise a hypothetical client about removal proceedings, and identify the types of relief from removal that may be available in given situations.
  • Identify and complete the legal forms needed to apply for asylum on behalf of a hypothetical client.
  • List and describe the legal issues that arise when a person enters the United States and remains without permission.
  • List and describe the types of legal inadmissibility that may ultimately prevent a hypothetical client from remaining in the United States.
  • List and describe the adverse consequences that may occur when a hypothetical client fails to depart from the United States after being ordered to do so.

Major Topics to Be Included

  • Overview of Immigration Law and Policy
  • History of North American Immigration
  • Immigration and the U.S. Constitution
  • Sources of and limits on federal immigration power
  • Non-immigrant visas
  • Family based immigration: marriage and marriage fraud, legitimated and adopted children, other relatives
  • Employment based immigration: priority workers, professionals with exceptions ability and skilled
  • workers in short supply
  • Other legal immigrants: diversity based immigration, special immigrants, immigration and visa lotteries
  • Refugee status: political asylum, protection from removal, protection under anti-torture conventions
  • Obtaining American citizenship
  • Loss of American citizenship
  • Inadmissibility: Grounds for and Relief from Removal
  • Cancellation of removal
  • Voluntary Departure
  • Adverse consequences for remaining in the U.S. without permission