AILA New England Chapter

CBP Brown Bag
2024-01-11 12:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
The AILA New England CBP Liaisons for Air (Logan) and Land (Northern Border) are teaming up to provide you with the latest news and insights regarding CBP practices. Join us for a brown bag lunch to hear the updates and ask us anything you’re wondering about all things CBP.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://aila-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMtcuysrTwpHtU5ggTkgCHbNJ6j6rnDIwEP
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

42B or Not to 42B: Non-LPR Cancellation
2024-01-17 12:00 - 13:00
Date: Wed Jan 17, 2024
Time: 12 noon
Title: 42B or Not to 42B: Non-LPR Cancellation
Speaker(s): Stephen Born
What to expect: The ethics of going from affirmative asylum to 42B and reflections from over 30 years of practice
Zoom Registration Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87411543292?pwd=[REDACTED]

H-1B Hot Topics: Proposed New Regulations and Domestic Visa Renewal
2024-01-25 12:00 - 13:00
Title: H-1B Hot Topics: Proposed New Regulations and Domestic Visa Renewal
Date: Thursday, January 25th, 12 noon – 1pm
Content: Learn about the newly proposed H-1B regulations, and the Department of State’s domestic visa renewal program, and their implications for business immigration practitioners.
Speaker: John F. Quill, Chair, Immigration Practice, Mintz Levin (Boston)
Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqfuyuqzguG9HSlRDbSWmWnohWNAa1_4lg

CLE Brown Bag - Adoptions
2024-03-06 12:00 - 13:00
Topic: International Adoption
This is an overview session intended to introduce practitioners who have not practiced in this niche area of immigration law to immigration process for adopted children (requirements, agencies involved, forms, timing, main difficulties). It will be in Q&A format with time for questions from participants at the end.
When: Mar 6, 2024 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYuf-6vrD8oHNMBWR6b4xxgVXpTkdiZOiES
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Driver’s License Applications in New England (and Fraud Suspensions in MA)
2024-03-26 12:00 - 13:00
Title: Driver’s License Applications in New England (and Fraud Suspensions in MA)
Date: Tuesday, March 26th, 12 noon – 1pm
Content: This brown bag will look at the immigration-related requirements for driver’s license applications in MA, ME, NH, R.I., and VT, and will highlight the possible immigration consequences of fraud suspensions in Massachusetts.
Speaker: AILA NE Chapter RMV Liaisons (Susan Ellison, Caroline Foley, Peter Rees, Beth Stickney)
Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvcOqvrjkoHtdltk5gvnYSUlBB7oMPKjyj

Online Asylum Filing Brown Bag
2024-04-09 12:00 - 13:00
Date: April 9
Time: 12 noon
Title: Online Asylum Filing
Speaker(s): Tara Rubenstein, Asylum Attorney, PAIR Project
What to Expect: A walk through the process of completing and filing an asylum application and supplementary materials online, including tips and tricks for successful online filing.
Zoom Registration Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpc-ioqz0jG9AlPjIex4dJ4qn0Bb8P3JEu

Brown Bag: Bars to Asylum
2024-04-24 12:00 - 13:00
Date: April 24th
Time: 12 noon
Title: BARS TO ASYLUM

Speaker(s): Ilana Greenstein and Violeta Haralampieva of PAIR Project

What to expect:
With southern border apprehensions on the rise and asylum backlogs reaching crisis proportions at both EOIR and USCIS, the previous and current administrations have increasingly sought to curtail access to asylum, both procedurally and substantively. Join our panelists for a discussion of some of the most common statutory and regulatory bars to asylum, with a focus on those most relevant to current migration trends. We will also discuss the legal exceptions to these bars, which offer crucial pathways to winning asylum despite the odds.

Topics include:

Circumvention of Lawful Pathways (Transit Ban 2.0)
Firm Resettlement
TRIG
Persecutor of Others

Zoom Registration Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqf-uppz0vHd3XtGN-8ztW2HfTPISr0_QT

Customs and Border protection issues brown bag
2024-05-14 12:00 - 13:00
Date: 05/14/2024
Time: 12:00
Title: Customs and Border protection issues
Speaker: Brian T. O’Neill, Sr., Esquire
What to expect: CBP update and expedited removal and criminal grounds of inadmissibility

Zoom Registration Link:
You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: May 14, 2024 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pfuyurDgtHNyNdgoVJzoS26y9MT747pgV
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Brown Bag: Parole for ICE Detainees
2024-05-21 12:00 - 13:00
Date: May 21st
Time: 12 noon
Title: Parole for ICE Detainees
Speaker: Irene C. Freidel, Detention Program Manager, PAIR Project
What to expect: Learn about the parole process and requirements for obtaining the release of your client by ICE.
Zoom Registration Link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0vcO2srTgpH93Y-aqF-gQ-vL2mzaxmVfTv

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

CLE Brown Bag - Admin processing
2024-05-29 12:00 - 13:00
This will be a brown bag discussing Administrative Processing with Mahsa Khanbabai and Aleksandra Peryeva. They will discuss when to expect administrative processing, how to prepare the client, and how to deal with long delays that recently became even longer.

May 29, 2024 12:00 PM EST
Zoom link for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtdu2uqj8iHdYUP95vBlV9DZvrhIsYH18l

Brown bag on Administrative Processing
2024-07-09 12:00 - 13:00
Join us on Tuesday, July 9 at 12 pm for a brown bag on administrative processing with Mahsa Khanbabai and Aleksandra Peryeva.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkc-CprT8pH9HW9hqmvxoD3GcwXNVomarp

PERM Labor Certification Training (Virtual)
2024-07-12 15:00 - 18:00
Pathway for Immigrant Workers is a nonprofit helping local employers sponsor their lower-wage immigrant workers for a green card. We provide quarterly 3-hour training sessions, with the next one taking place on July 12th from 3-6pm.

We cover case assessment and eligibility, preparing the prevailing wage request, determining ability to pay, conducting recruitment, completing the 9089, audits, and filing the immigrant visa petition.
The training is geared towards the practitioner newer to the PERM process. All are welcome including removal defense attorneys and humanitarian/family immigration attorneys.
To sign-up, email Info@MyImmigrantPathway.org and include with Subject Line: “July 12 Training.”
See flyer for more details.

L-1 Visas: Blanket Applications and USCIS Petitions (brown bag)
2024-09-25 12:00 - 13:00
L-1 processes can be difficult to navigate, whether filing at an embassy/consulate office or with USCIS. Speakers Molly O’Shea (Clark Lau LLC) and Troy Wilson (WR Immigration) will discuss strategies on planning and filing L Visa Applications and/or USCIS petitions.

How will a change in administration impact the process?
How to set and manage client expectations if filing with USCIS?
What are common issues that may arise (e.g. new office Ls, qualifying employment, etc.)?
What are recent trends in adjudications?
Register here!

AILA NE Brown Bag on CBP Land Border Practice
2024-10-04 11:00 - 12:00
Join a brown bag session to hear about recent trends and strategies at the northern border! Our esteemed CBP land border experts will lead this brown bag:

Leslie Holman, AILA NE CBP Committee Chair and former AILA President
Adeline Boulanger, current AILA NE CBP Committee member
Special Guest David Wilks from AILA Upstate New York Chapter and AILA Elected Director on the Board of Governors

Register here

AILA NE Roundtable: Payment Methods for USCIS Filing Fees
2025-10-07 13:00 - 14:00
Discussion Leader: Dan Maranci, Parter at WR Immigration – Boston
At the end of October USCIS will no longer be accepting checks as a form of payment for filing fees. Most of the immigration attorneys have been primarily using this payment method for its convenience and trackability. We will be comparing payment options we have available now and discussing best practices and potential difficulties.
Register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/4qRjyCYcTZSvR09Dla5ArQ

AILA NE Webinar: Demystifying Immigration Court Practice
2025-10-23 11:00 - 12:00
Are you reading the headlines and wishing you could join in the fight to support non-citizens, by representing them in their immigration proceedings? But wary of venturing into Immigration Court? We’ve got you!
Please join Robin Nice of McHaffey & Nice, Jeannie Kain of Kain Immigration, and Jessica Mols, Pro Bono Counsel at Cooley LLP, for an introduction to removal proceedings and practicing before the Immigration Court, from their experiences both as practitioners and as mentors for other attorneys.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://ropesgray.zoom.us/j/98675375186?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 986 7537 5186
Passcode: [REDACTED]

AILA NE Webinar: The State of New Hampshire - Is it safe for my client to drive in New Hampshire?
2025-10-30 12:00 - 13:00
AILA NE Webinar: The State of New Hampshire – Is it safe for my client to drive in New Hampshire?
Join us for a brown bag to hear from New Hampshire immigration law practitioners and advocates about what is happening on the ground and how it could affect your clients. Topics will include the recently enacted bills involving out-of-state drivers’ licenses, proposed anti-immigrant legislation for current year, the expansion of 287(g) agreements, and what enforcement and detention looks like in 2025 in New Hampshire.
Please register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/seiuUUx2QceBjccfJVX_2g

AILA NE ROUNDTABLE: Understanding AILA’s Proposed Bylaws Amendments and Governance Modernization
2025-12-03 13:00 - 13:30
Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Time: 1:00 – 1:30 PM ET
Join us for a conversation with our own AILA NE Board of Governors members, Leslie Holman, Mahsa Khanbabai, and Miki Matrician, as we unpack AILA’s transformative plan to modernize its governance structure.
Under the leadership of AILA Past President Kelli Stump, the Board of Governors approved key changes designed to strengthen representation and enhance participation across the organization. As part of this effort, AILA President Jeff Joseph and the Board have proposed amendments to AILA’s Bylaws to reflect this new governance model. These amendments will be presented to the membership during the Special Meeting of the Members on November 18, and voting will remain open until December 18.
This roundtable will provide a space to answer any questions from New England Chapter members and also address:

The intent and impact of the proposed amendments
How these changes seek to strengthen AILA’s leadership and inclusivity
What members should know about the voting process
How you can get more involved in AILA’s governance

Register here:
https://aila-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/LDnwChisSPe0vQr7l-MNWA

AILA NE In-Person Event: Fireside Chat With Former IJs - Co-hosted by AILA NE and BBA
2026-01-13 17:00 - 19:00
Fireside Chat With Former IJs – Co-hosted by AILA NE and BBA
AILA New England is fortunate to have so former IJs as fellow chapter members. Please join us in a fireside chat where IJs will share their experiences on the bench, what they think is coming down the pipe, and what they could and couldn’t do as IJs.
What: A casual fireside chat, with food and beverage included
When: Tuesday, January 13, 2026 at 5:00 – 7:00 pm (5:00 – 6:00 chat, 6:00 – 7:00 reception)
Where: Boston Bar Association (16 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02108)
Cost: Free
Register: https://bostonbar.my.site.com/LightningMemberPortal/s/lt-event?id=a1YRc000003QLFBMA4&sfdcIFrameOrigin=null#/reg/tickets (when you reach the payment screen, enter the code AILAMEM for free registration)
Please note that only AILA NE and BBA members may attend. We regret that we cannot accept non-members/significant others.

AILA NE Webinar: The State of Asylum: Navigating CFIs, Pretermission, and Other Shenanigans
2026-02-02 13:00 - 14:00
Join this brownbag and conversation about the current state of expedited removal orders (real and imagined), credible fear interviews, pretermission due to ACAs and lack of a prima facie case, and whatever new miscarriages of justice arise between now and this brownbag.
Presented by Shaan Chatterjee from the EOIR Committee and Michael DeRienzo and Robin Nice from the Asylum Committee.

Register in advance for this meeting: https://aila-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/c-YZQQs_Rw-68H7XvhnbrQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

AILA New England Webinar: H-1B Lottery Update
2026-02-11 13:00 - 14:00
AILA New England Webinar: H-1B Lottery Update
Join us on Wednesday, February 11th at 1pm as we look at the upcoming H-1B lottery and its weighted selection process:
Speaker: Bennett Savitz
Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/87FEVojMR3KAqO4Fc2ioJQ
