Artificial intelligence (AI) has the ability to automate routine tasks, which can free immigration lawyers to focus on higher-level responsibilities. Immigration lawyers must stay current on the evolution of legal AI to remain competitive, relevant, and efficient.
Additionally, the federal government is increasing its AI usage at a time when a new presidential administration is overhauling immigration law policies. These changes will require immigration lawyers to be diligent and precise in their representation. AI will affect the internal practices of immigration law firms and how the federal government handles immigration applications and enforcement.
This guide will deepen your understanding of AI's impact on immigration law—the first step to creating an AI strategy for your firm. We’ll also explore notable immigration and AI policy transitions, AI advantages and use cases, and ways immigration lawyers can leverage new technologies for efficiency and improved case outcomes.
Political and Policy Changes Around AI in Immigration
The Trump administration has been actively updating immigration and AI policies with rescissions of previous policies, plus new executive orders and policy memoranda.
Some of the Trump administration’s earliest policy changes have addressed birthright citizenship, management of the U.S. southern border, enforcement practices and priorities, and detention. Generally, these changes have reduced individual protections for immigrants while increasing scrutiny and enforcement.
AI policy changes have reduced regulatory hurdles for technology companies, with the goal of fostering innovation. President Trump has revoked Biden-era AI policies prioritizing safety, security, and trust within AI applications, arguing these regulations inhibit AI development in the U.S. The new administration's stance is that fewer regulations are needed so the U.S. can emerge as the world leader in AI.
Combined, the federal emphasis on immigration enforcement and AI innovation will change the way immigration lawyers work—including faster processing times and more rigorous, AI-powered background checks.
Moving forward, updates around AI usage in immigration could be even more substantial. Immigration lawyers and their clients can expect enhanced identity verification hurdles, facial recognition tools, and predictive analytics programs to alter immigration case handling and enforcement processes. If AI adoption leads to increased document forgery, as in fake AI visas or AI green cards, then AI fraud detection tools will become a federal priority.
Current AI Uses Cases in Federal Immigration Services
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) currently have several AI-enabled processes, including:
- Facial recognition for investigating child abuse: A facial recognition program helps identify unknown victims and offenders in photos. Humans validate identification before any enforcement actions.
- Compliance risk scoring on non-detained noncitizens: Known as the Hurricane Score, this AI evaluation algorithm predicts whether noncitizens will remain compliant with their release conditions.
- Translation of data to support Homeland Security Investigations (HSI): HSI protects the U.S. from organized crime activities, including narcotics transport, human trafficking, and cybercrime. AI translates written and recorded information to English to support faster and more efficient crime detection.
- Intelligent document processing: Several business units within ICE use AI-enabled processes for invoice creation, data entry validation, and data extraction.
Experience with these and other use cases contributed to the publication of Generative AI Public Sector Playbook by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The playbook outlines how federal agencies can safely develop, test, and deploy AI applications to streamline their processes.
As AI usage becomes more broadly accepted within USCIS and ICE, lawyers can expect faster processing times, more consistent decision-making, more stringent data privacy requirements, and a greater focus on complex issues.
The Impact of AI on Immigration Applications in 2025
AI should shorten timelines for standard immigration applications in 2025. However, AI-powered identity, background, fraud, and investigative checks could create new hurdles for some individuals.
If an AI application identifies a potential verification issue, a human must step in and research the problem—potentially creating process bottlenecks. Lawyers and clients must be precise and organized in their documentation so they can respond quickly to information requests.
Ethical Concerns for Using AI in Immigration Cases
Immigration AI can deliver a range of benefits, but it’s not without potential risks. Advocacy groups and legal experts have expressed concerns about the government's use of AI in immigration case handling. Additionally, lawyers have shared reservations about using immigration AI in their practices.
Government Use of AI
Critics argue that incorporating AI into immigration procedures could potentially violate privacy rights and civil liberties and even introduce bias against minority groups.
These concerns center on automated decision-making. Technology-driven checks and verifications require sensitive data to be shared for processing. This potentially exposes personal information and raises questions about the appropriate handling and use of immigration case data. Due process may also suffer if AI replaces human oversight and analysis.
Bias, a known problem within AI algorithms, could have the most damaging impact on immigration handling. It can be difficult to detect and correct bias, but it can have far-reaching implications when AI tools are used at scale.
Legal Practice Use of AI
Some immigration lawyers have been leery of using AI in their practices because the technology can produce inaccurate information. Relying on immigration AI without review and source verification can result in inaccurate or misleading legal briefs and documents. This may violate immigrants' rights and potentially constitute legal malpractice.
However, when used responsibly, AI can serve as a powerful tool to enhance efficiency, support legal research, and improve client outcomes, a benefit many immigration lawyers have been experiencing.
Ensuring Fairness in the AI Era
Legislators in and outside the legal community are taking steps to ensure AI does not encroach on fair and accurate legal processes. Examples include:
- The Court of King’s Bench in Manitoba, Canada, requires litigants to disclose whether and how they used AI in their submissions.
- In 2023, a large group of public interest organizations urged Congress in writing to develop legislation that would place guardrails on AI to ensure marginalized groups retain equal rights.
- In 2024, The European Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) went into effect to promote the safe use of AI.
- The Florida Bar published Opinion 24-1 outlining how lawyers may use AI safely in client representation. The opinion emphasizes the lawyer's responsibility to protect the confidentiality of client information.
Advantages of Using AI in Immigration Cases
The federal government's use of AI within immigration processes can expedite case handling, reduce backlogs, and enable more efficient use of resources. As a result, immigration lawyers and their clients can expect shorter timelines for applications, cases, and appeals.
AI can also help immigration lawyers improve efficiency. Specific advantages include:
- Reduced language barriers: AI can enable fast, accurate language translations. Clients are better informed as a result.
- More efficient workflows: AI can automate routine tasks and streamline duties that require some human intervention.
- Faster data/document capture: AI can lift important information from scanned documents for faster, more accurate data collection.
How AI Can be Leveraged by Immigration Lawyers
As the USCIS and ICE use cases demonstrate, AI can streamline simple or complex tasks. Immigration lawyers may not need facial recognition capabilities, but translation, writing, and document management are suitable areas to begin harnessing the power of legal AI.
AI Legal Writing Tools
Immigration lawyers have heavy writing responsibilities, ranging from verbose legal documents to client meeting invites. Legal AI writing tools can draft, proofread, edit, rewrite, and translate formal and informal communications.
Generative AI proofreading and editing support improves communication, collaboration, and case outcomes. In addition to improving case outcomes and client satisfaction, AI also minimizes time spent on document creation and improves accuracy.
AI Document Extraction Tools
AI document extraction tools can pull data from photographed documents and automatically populate client information across immigration forms. This capability can overhaul and improve an immigration firm's intake process. Clients or team members will no longer input names, birthdates, and document numbers manually. Instead, an AI application will scan passports, visas, and green cards to extract necessary information accurately and quickly.
Firms using AI visa and AI green card document extraction can have shorter intake timelines and handle higher caseloads. They also see fewer data entry errors, which contributes to happier clients.
How to Learn More about Legal AI and Immigration
The field of legal AI is complex and evolving. Therefore, immigration lawyers can benefit from ongoing learning in this space. Four reputable resources to reference are:
- Docketwise AI Blog: The Docketwise AI blog covers AI developments as they relate to immigration law.
- MyCase AI Blog: MyCase addresses legal AI's broader effect on various practice areas.
- Docketwise ChatGPT eBook: The Docketwise ChatGPT eBook explores how AI can reshape immigration law firms through automation. The book includes practical advice on AI prompting, which can be a hurdle for new users.
- Docketwise Immigration Uncovered Podcast: Immigration Uncovered supports new and successful immigration law firms by tackling a range of topics, including AI, immigration policy, digital marketing, and more.
Docketwise AI Tools for Immigration Law Professionals
Docketwise is at the forefront of the AI immigration revolution. Docketwise IQ, an AI solution designed for immigration lawyers, was created to help immigration lawyers make their firms more advanced. Docketwise IQ automatically populates immigration forms from stored client documents, generates document summaries in seconds, and efficiently edits written communications. These features integrate seamlessly with Docketwise's case management and translation capabilities—creating an all-in-one platform that immigration lawyers love.
Docketwise IQ is not yet available, but its upcoming launch marks an exciting step toward smarter, AI-powered immigration workflows. Join the waitlist now to be notified as soon as it releases.
Schedule a Docketwise demo today to learn how AI-enabled Docketwise can provide a modern and secure framework for organized and efficient immigration case handling.
