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name: eoir-immigration-courts

description: >

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# EOIR — The Immigration Courts and Their Rules

> **NOT LEGAL ADVICE.** Drafting aids and checklists only — not legal advice, no

> attorney-client relationship. The practice-manual conventions below change; confirm the

> current Immigration Court Practice Manual and the controlling 8 CFR provision, and check

> your specific court's standing orders, before filing.

## The court system in one page

The **Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)** is part of the **Department of

Justice** — *not* DHS. DHS (through ICE counsel) is the **opposing party** in removal

proceedings; EOIR is the neutral adjudicator. Structure:

- **Immigration courts (~70 nationwide)**, supervised by the **Office of the Chief

Immigration Judge (OCIJ)**. Each court has one or more **Immigration Judges (IJs)**;

larger courts have an **Assistant Chief Immigration Judge (ACIJ)**.

- The **Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)** — the single, nationwide appellate body that

reviews IJ decisions (see `bia-appeals`).

- Appeals from the BIA go to the **U.S. Court of Appeals** for the circuit where the

immigration court sat (see `circuit-petition-for-review`).

A removal case is filed when DHS files a **Notice to Appear (NTA, Form I-862)** with an

immigration court. Venue is the court where the NTA is filed; it can be moved (below).

## Two layers of procedural authority — cite the right one

| Layer | What it is | Where |

|---|---|---|

| **Binding regulations (LAW)** | 8 CFR **Part 1003** (EOIR, the Board, IJ proceedings, motions), **Part 1240** (removal proceedings), **Part 1208** (asylum before EOIR) | Verbatim in [`../../references/immigration-regulations/`](../../references/immigration-regulations/) |

| **Practice manuals (guidance)** | **Immigration Court Practice Manual (ICPM)** and **BIA Practice Manual (BIAPM)** — filing format, page limits, deadlines, e-filing | [`../../references/court-rules/`](../../references/court-rules/) (pointer stubs + canonical URLs) |

**Rule of thumb:** cite the **8 CFR regulation** for anything jurisdictional or substantive

(e.g., the IJ's authority, motion standards, the appeal right); use the **practice manual**

only for mechanics (format, tabs, page limits, service). Never rely on the manual where a

regulation governs.

## Hearings — master calendar vs. individual

- **Master calendar hearing (MCH).** Short, often high-volume scheduling/pleading hearing.

The respondent **pleads to the NTA** (admits/denies the factual allegations, concedes or

contests the charge(s) of removability) and **designates relief** sought. See

`eoir-removal-defense` for the pleading mechanics.

- **Individual / merits hearing.** The evidentiary hearing on the application(s) for relief

— testimony, exhibits, witnesses. Filing deadlines (the "call-up" / submission deadline

set by the IJ or the ICPM default) are firm; late exhibits can be refused.

## Filing format — the conventions EOIR expects

The ICPM sets the format. Confirm current specifics in

[`../../references/court-rules/Immigration-Court-Practice-Manual.md`](../../references/court-rules/Immigration-Court-Practice-Manual.md);

the durable conventions a filing should follow:

- **Cover page / caption** identifying the respondent by full name and **A-number**, the

immigration court (city), the IJ if assigned, the proceeding type, and the next hearing

date.

- **A signed proof / certificate of service** on the opposing party — **DHS/ICE Office of

the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA)** counsel for that court — for every filing.

- **Exhibits tabbed and labeled** (alphabetical for the respondent; numeric for DHS), with

a table of contents and consecutive pagination; a proposed-order / cover where required.

- **Page limits and the "call-up" filing deadline** per the ICPM / the IJ's standing order.

- **A certificate of translation** for any non-English document.

- **E-filing through ECAS** (EOIR Courts & Appeals System) where the court is on ECAS;

paper filing otherwise. A self-represented respondent registers for an ECAS pro-se

account or files paper.

Use the `eoir-immigration-courts` cover-page + proof-of-service scaffold below; the

substantive motion bodies come from `eoir-removal-defense` / `eoir-motions-to-reopen-reconsider`.

## Venue and change of venue

Venue is the court where DHS filed the NTA. A **motion to change venue** (decided under the

8 CFR Part 1003 framework and the ICPM) is filed when the respondent has moved or for

convenience-of-the-parties reasons; it typically requires pleading to the NTA and stating

a fixed address in the new location. Route the motion through `eoir-removal-defense`.

## Artifacts this skill drafts

- A **filing-format checklist** (cover page, caption, service on OPLA, tabbed exhibits,

page limits, translation certificate, ECAS vs. paper).

- A **cover-page + caption + certificate-of-service scaffold** for an immigration-court filing.

- A **venue / change-of-venue worksheet**.

## Related authority

- **8 CFR Part 1003** (EOIR / BIA / IJ proceedings) —

[`../../references/immigration-regulations/8CFR-1003-eoir-bia.md`](../../references/immigration-regulations/8CFR-1003-eoir-bia.md);

**Part 1240** (removal) — [`8CFR-1240-removal-eoir.md`](../../references/immigration-regulations/8CFR-1240-removal-eoir.md);

**Part 1208** (asylum) — [`8CFR-1208-asylum-eoir.md`](../../references/immigration-regulations/8CFR-1208-asylum-eoir.md).

- **ICPM + BIA Practice Manual** — [`../../references/court-rules/`](../../references/court-rules/).

- Removal-proceeding statute: **INA § 240 / 8 U.S.C. § 1229a** (see the statutes corpus crosswalk).

## Composition

The structural/format anchor for EOIR work. `eoir-removal-defense`,

`eoir-motions-to-reopen-reconsider`, and `bia-appeals` supply the substantive filings;

`immigration-deadlines` supplies the clocks; `immigration-fact-check` verifies citations.