U.S. Department
of Justice
List of Resources
The following resources are the main sources of law relevant to immigration proceedings before the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Please note that the individual circumstances of your case may require research into additional legal resources not necessarily listed. For assistance in completing additional legal research, please contact an attorney or accredited representative.
Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
The INA is a main source of immigration law in the United States. It contains many of the most important provisions of law relevant to immigration proceedings, including those before EOIR. You will see references to the INA as “INA § 212.” However, because it is also located in Chapter 8 of the United States Code, you may also see references to the INA as “8 U.S.C. § 1182.”
Title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
Title 8 of the CFR are the regulations (also called rules) followed by the Department of Homeland Security and EOIR in immigration proceedings. The regulations include information on practice and procedure in immigration proceedings. For example, you can find information about motions to reopen before the immigration court at 8 C.F.R. § 1003.23(b).
The Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest tribunal for all cases and controversies that arise under the United States Constitution or the laws of the United States, including cases that relate to immigration proceedings.
Immigration-related cases may be appealed to the Supreme Court after a final decision is issued by a Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.
Supreme Court decisions are final and binding authority on the parties as well as all lower courts and administrative agencies (including on the Board of Immigration Appeals, immigration courts, and the Department of Homeland Security). This means that the Immigration Judge and BIA must follow the law in a Supreme Court decision when reviewing your case.
Federal Courts
In the federal judicial system, district (trial level) courts, called U.S. District Courts, are organized into 12 circuits. U.S. District Courts review certain Immigration Judge and Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) decisions. Federal District Courts may issue nationwide injunctions that affect the application of memoranda, regulations, or other policy actions taken by EOIR. Each circuit has its own Court of Appeals that reviews cases decided by the U.S. District Courts within the circuit.
The Courts of Appeals also review certain final decisions appealed from the BIA. A Circuit Court’s published decision is binding authority on the parties to the decision, the BIA, and immigration courts within that circuit. This means that the Immigration Judge and BIA must follow the law in a published case from the circuit where your case is being heard when reviewing your case. Case law from other circuits may be considered persuasive authority but is not binding.
Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) Precedent Decisions
Published BIA decisions are called “precedent decisions.” BIA Precedent Decisions are binding authority on the parties to the decision, the BIA, the immigration courts, and DHS, unless modified or overruled by the Attorney General or a federal court. If you are appealing a decision to the BIA, you are one of the parties.
Those BIA decisions that are unpublished are binding only on the parties to the decision. They are not binding authority on the BIA, the immigration courts, or DHS in unrelated cases.
EOIR Reference Materials
The EOIR Reference Materials page contains resources that provide information on immigration proceedings before EOIR, including the Immigration Court Practice Manual, Board of Immigration Appeals Practice Manual, and Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer Practice Manual.
The EOIR Reference Materials page also includes agency memoranda and additional reference materials.
Check Case Status
To obtain case information online, please access EOIR's Automated Case Information system. Alternatively, case information may be found by calling 1-800-898-7180 / 304-625-2050 (TDD 800-828-1120). The Automated Case Information system will not reflect a new hearing date until a new date has been set by the immigration court. Please note that court documents such as hearing notices are the official source of information on case status.
Immigration Court Operational Status
Operational Status Map - Use EOIR's Operational Status Map to check the current operational status of the immigration courts.
Public Health Notice - Consistent with public health officials’ guidance, EOIR has implemented practices to help to protect all people working in and visiting EOIR spaces throughout the country. Please see the agency’s Public Health Notice for more information.
Immigration Court Standing Orders
Immigration Judges may issue standing orders regarding practice and procedure for cases assigned to them. Assistant Chief Immigration Judges may issue standing orders that apply to an entire immigration court. Standing orders are organized by immigration court and are located on EOIR’s Operational Status webpage.
Immigration Court Listing
EOIR maintains a publicly-available list of EOIR’s immigration courts. The list includes each court’s address and phone number, the names of Immigration Judges who are based at that court, and the name of the Court Administrator.
EOIR Forms Webpage
The EOIR Forms webpage is the central location for forms required to be filed with the immigration courts, Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), or the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer. These forms include EOIR forms as well as certain forms created by the Department of Homeland Security. You may also obtain forms from any immigration court or the BIA Clerk’s Office.
Some forms may be completed electronically, printed, and signed by hand. You may also download and print the forms to complete them on a typewriter or by hand. At this time, EOIR does not have an option to submit forms electronically for respondents.
To receive notifications about your case (and to comply with agency requirements), you must inform EOIR of any changes to your contact information. You can provide any updates to your address or contact information using EOIR's Respondent Access.
Virtual Law Library
The Virtual Law Library is an online resource available to the public that provides a central location for agency decisions, country conditions reports, as well as information on authoritative sources of immigration law. Please visit the Virtual Law Library.
Country Conditions Research
EOIR’s Virtual Law Library includes a section on country conditions reports that may be helpful when completing applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture.
Visa Bulletins
The U.S. Department of State publishes a monthly visa bulletin that provides updates on the availability of various types of immigrant visas. You may need to check the visa bulletin to see if your visa priority date is current when applying for certain forms of relief, such as adjustment of status.
Additonal Federal Agencies
- Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
- U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Office of Refugee Resettlement
- U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Department of State
Update Respondent of Alien Information
To receive notifications about your case, and to comply with agency requirements, you must provide the immigration court or the BIA with any changes to your address or contact information within five working days of the change.
To update your address or contact information with an immigration court, please complete and submit the form EOIR-33/IC for the immigration court where your case is currently being heard. You may also complete this form online through Respondent Access.
To update your address or contact information with the BIA, please complete and submit the form EOIR-33/BIA for the BIA, which is also available online through Respondent Access.
When a contact information change impacts more than one person who has a case pending before an immigration court, an EOIR-33/IC or EOIR-33/BIA must be submitted for each person. You can submit the form online, in person, or by mail by following the instructions on the form.
Shareable and printable flyers with information on Respondent Access and how to change your address or contact information can be found at the following links:
EOIR Facebook/ X
The official EOIR Facebook and X accounts provide the latest updates about the agency, including the operation status of immigration courts nationwide and the most recently published decisions.
Stakeholder Emails
EOIR communicates important agency announcements through a free email subscription service, including information on the operational status of the courts, upcoming events, and the publication of new agency decisions. Individuals may also sign up for email updates from other Department of Justice components.
USCIS Facebook/ X
The official USCIS Facebook and X accounts provide the latest updates about the agency, including news alerts and filing tips for applications.