NOTE: The BIA revoked this rule and once again requires all documents to be filed by mail. Read my update on it here.
Neither the BIA (the Board of Immigration Appeals) nor the EOIR (the Executive Office of Immigration Review, which oversees the BIA) are known for their affinity to modernity. The EOIR has been slow to recognize the gravity of the coronavirus calamity, keeping various immigration courts open and forcing judges, attorneys, and their clients to appear in person long after it was clear that everyone must be careful about COVID-19.
Given the foot-dragging, it is welcome news to hear that the BIA will now accept email filings during this public health crisis. The new rule is published on the Justice Department website and you can read it here. It includes guidance on what will be accepted by email, how to label it, and which email to send it to.
I’ve always found the Justice Department’s website difficult to read—with its tiny print and apparent aversion to line and word spacing—so I created a “reader view” version, which you can review below.
Good luck on your briefs and I wish great success to your clients.
If you would like me to help you write a more compelling and persuasive BIA brief (see some examples of my work here), then please get in touch. I am always happy to help you keep your clients where they belong: here with us.
