The Refugee and Asylum Law Externship Program

The Refugee and Asylum Law Externship Program is a spring semester practical training course offered by Heartland Alliance's National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) for law students interested in immigration law. Students will attend weekly classes and will be assigned an asylum case to prepare for presentation before the Asylum Office.

 Each student will partner with another student and prepare a case of an asylum applicant previously interviewed and accepted by NIJC. Each pair of students will interview an asylum seeker and assist in the preparation of the client's affidavit. After researching domestic and international law, as well as country conditions pertinent to the claim, the students will assemble an I-589 asylum application with supplemental documentation and draft a legal memorandum in support of the application. At the end of the program, each pair of students will file the application with the Department of Homeland Security and accompany their client to the interview at the Asylum Office.

For program information, contact Catherine Nelson at cnelson@jmls.edu.