Dear Friend of PAIR,

Fall has unofficially arrived! This is a great time to take on a full representation asylum case, as our fall schedules are now in full swing.

As always, all pro bono attorneys receive step-by-step mentorship on their cases from a PAIR staff attorney. If you've been thinking about taking on a case but have questions or concerns, I'd be glad to chat further. Please reply to this email or directly reach out at any time.

In the meantime, I hope these early days of fall treat you well!

Melanie

Pro Bono Involvement Coordinator

Important Immigration Updates/Reminders

Docket Reassignments at the Boston Immigration Court

The Boston Immigration Court recently welcomed several new judges and is in the process of reassigning cases to their dockets. The Court is also moving away from having out-of-state judges hear cases docketed in Boston. As a result, the hearing date of a client in removal proceedings can change without official notice.

Thus, if your client is in removal proceedings, we encourage you to check their EOIR Case Status page on a weekly basis to ensure you won't miss a change in their hearing date or judge assignment.

If you have taken on a defensive case for full representation, please also make sure your Form EOIR-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney, is on file with the Boston Immigration Court, so you won't miss any official notices from the Court. 

"Fee-in" Biometrics

If you represent a client whose case has been docketed with the Immigration Court, you will need to submit an affirmative request to USCIS to schedule a biometrics appointment for your client related to their asylum application. This is known as a request for "fee-in" biometrics, even though no fee is involved.

We encourage you to submit this request soon after filing your client's I-589 Asylum Application, as it can take USCIS several months to mail you a biometrics appointment notice. Your client will need to have their biometrics captured by USCIS before their individual, or merits, hearing. Without this step, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cannot conduct the required national security checks and the judge will not issue a decision on the merits. If your client has a criminal history, please consult with your PAIR mentor about the timing of submitting the request for biometrics. 

Please note: if your client's case has been referred to the Immigration Court by the Asylum Office, or if they filed an affirmative asylum application with USCIS as an Unaccompanied Alien Child (UAC), their asylum biometrics process will be different. There are additional exceptions to the "fee-in" biometrics requirement. We encourage you to contact your PAIR mentor with any questions. 

Available Pro Bono Cases

To read the longer case abstract for each the cases below, please click here.

If you are an attorney and are interested in taking on one of the below cases, please email me at mgleason@pairproject.org.

• Asylum (Immigration Court): GYCA (Honduras) is a 29 year old woman who fears returning due to the violence she suffered at the hands of her former partner.

• Asylum (Immigration Court): JBL (Honduras) is a 29 year old Garifuna man who fled Honduras with his son because of threats they received due to their family member's political activism, and JOH's own political work on issues facing Garifuna people in the country.

• Asylum (Immigration Court): RCP (Guatemala) is a 26 year old Indigenous woman who fled sexual abuse and domestic violence that were exacerbated by her indigenous identity.

• Asylum (Immigration Court): FJ (Haiti) is a 45 year old man who fears returning to his home country due to his sexual orientation.

• Asylum (Asylum Office): HB (Uganda) is a 44 year old woman who has been targeted and attacked by the Ugandan government for her political views, activities, and affiliations.

• Asylum (Immigration Court): DG and GF (Russia) are a married couple who fear returning due to being gay and in a same-sex relationship.

Limited Scope Cases/Projects for

Pro Bono Attorneys

The following case will also have a PAIR staff attorney as the attorney of record, mentoring the pro bono attorney who will prepare the case.

Asylee Adjustments

Assist individuals who were granted asylum a year ago apply for their lawful permanent residence. Asylee adjustments are presently taking the immigration agency approximately two to three years to adjudicate. These applications are filed exclusively by mail and very rarely require an interview. The preparation of an application package is estimated to take no more than 7 hours. It will require document collection and interview with the client, which will require an interpreter. While an application is pending, counsel may need to renew the client’s work authorization document 180 days before its expiration.

Case in need of pro bono placement:

• DCR (Cuba) is a dissident who was granted asylum in December 2022, and he is eligible to apply for his green card. This limited scope matter can be done remotely.

Pro Bono Resources