What Is Immigration Law?
Immigration is the act of moving from one's native country to a new country, usually on a permanent basis. People immigrate for many different reasons, including economic opportunity, a desire for change, fleeing an oppressive or challenging country, and many more reasons. Immigration law is the practice of using the law in order to help people to immigrate and gain citizenship in new countries, as well as preventing people from immigrating without proper documentation.
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Online Immigration Law Courses
The following descriptions are for commonly offered online immigration law courses.
Introduction to Immigration Law
This course covers the basic elements of immigration and citizenship law, including immigration and deportation procedures. Students also gain familiarity with commonly used immigration forms.
Business Immigration Law
These courses are typically taken by students who will be performing paralegal or other services for businesses that work with foreign investors or immigrant employees. Students learn to prepare and file related paperwork and applications, such as visas, permanent labor certification, and petitions.
Family-Based Immigration Law
This course offers a comprehensive study of family-based immigration laws and their implications. For example, students discuss the various effects of family relationships, employment status, and sponsorship on legal residency or citizenship applications. Classwork also examines the legal implications of immigration status in other areas, like custody determinations.
Naturalization and Citizenship
Students in this course study the different methods to acquire naturalization and citizenship under the Immigration and Naturalization Act. Instructors discuss application and interview criteria, such as good moral character and state residence. The course also covers various automatic bars to citizenship and options when denied naturalization.
International Human Rights Law
These courses are designed to educate students on human rights in local, national, and international settings. Students will also learn how these rights translate during immigration.
Immigration Court Proceedings
The curriculum in this course covers each step of the process in the removal of illegal immigrants from the United States. Students also learn about options for relief and appeal for those who seek cancellation of removal.
History of U.S. Immigration
In a History of U.S. Immigration course, students learn about the history of U.S. immigration policy since 1880. They also learn how it has affected the experiences of adult and child immigrants during that period.
Immigration Law Courses: Program Information
An Immigration law online course may be offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels as part of an online certificate or degree program in law. Lawyers or paralegals seeking specialization in immigration law can also enroll in an online program or take continuing education courses, which cover a variety of topics influenced by immigration issues, including education, employment, and deportation. Schools offer classes that can be tailored to a particular state's individual immigration laws.
Before enrolling, students will want to check on the course design, since some schools use an interactive learning management system while others provide an asynchronous format that allows individualized participation. Online discussion groups among teachers and students are a common mode of communication. Taking immigration courses online as part of a broader study is a great way to expand your knowledge of the law and learn more about this discipline.
Specific Immigration Law Courses
The above list of courses gave you a general overview of what kinds of courses you are likely to encounter when studying immigration law. Here are a few specific courses offered online in this subject by a number of different educational institutions across the United States:
- The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) offers a number of online courses, including Fundamentals of Immigration Law.
- The Center for Legal Studies (CLS) offers an Immigration Law course for those who have already completed CLS's Paralegal I and II courses, or for those with relevant experience.
- The Immigration Pathway Institute offers a 40 hour training course in immigrant law run from a Christian religious perspective.
- The University of Texas at Austin Extended Campus has an Immigration Law Specialist Certificate Program. This program is not for beginners, and requires several law prerequisites or relevant experience for prospective students.
Individuals who are interested in immigration law can find relevant courses online. Sometimes, taking immigration law courses can lead to a certificate. The credits earned may also be applied to a broader degree program in a different subject.
