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Immigration Law Research Guide: Administrative Regulations & Rulings

This resource provides information on locating sources of U.S. immigration law for students enrolled in the Advanced Immigration Law seminar.

Administrative Regulations

The majority of administrative regulations are issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, and the Department of State. 

Code of Federal Regulations: Title 8 of the CFR addresses "Aliens and Nationality".

Federal Register:

Administrative Rulings

On Westlaw, the administrative decisions of a number of agencies can be found under Practice Areas > Immigration > Administrative Decisions & Guidance.  On Lexis, go to Practice Area or Industry > Immigration > All Immigration Law Administrative Materials.

Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) Decisions:

  • Board of Immigration Appeals: rulings available from vol. 8, 1955; includes cumulative indexes for all volumes as well.
  • AILALink: BIA decisions going back to volume 1.
  • Lexis Immigration Precedent Decisions:  Precedent Decisions of the Department of Justice Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA); U.S. Department of Homeland Security Administrative Appeals Office (AAO, formerly AAU); and the Attorney General of the United States (AG).
  • Westlaw: BIA decisions from 1940-present

Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) (formally the Administrative Appeals Unit (AAU)) Decisions:

OCAHO Decisions (Immigration-related decisions issued by the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer of the Department of Justice):

Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals (BALCA) Decisions: