Asking for a Remote Hearing in Immigration Court

Webex is a video call to the court. It works like zoom or facetime. In some cases, the judge lets you have a hearing by Webex instead of making you come to the court building in person.

Doing your hearing by Webex or phone can be helpful when:

• You have to travel a long way to get to the court building
• You can’t get the day off work or find childcare to go to court
• You don’t have transportation

To ask for a remote hearing, you need to file a court form called a “Motion to Appear by Phone” or a “Motion to Appear by Webex” (video). Judges are getting stricter about letting people do hearings remotely. You need to file a motion AND get approval from the judge before you can do a remote hearing. The motion is your way of asking the judge to do your hearing on Webex or by phone instead of in person. It explains to the judge why it would be hard for you to come to court in person.

If they deny your request you have to go to court in person.

Calling the court by Webex and by phone are both allowed. One is not better than the other. It might be easier to communicate issues or ask questions over a video call because you can see each other. But if your internet connection is not stable, it is probably better to make a regular phone call. Ask for what you think works best for your situation. But you have to use the way they approve you for. If you are approved for a video call but your internet is not strong enough, ask the judge if you can turn off your camera for the hearing once they see you.

To use Webex, you need a computer, phone, or other device with a stable internet connection. If your home does not have stable internet, check if you can use your local library or community center.

You may be able to use a Legal Kiosk. There are Legal Kiosks in many places in Minnesota for public use. A legal kiosk lets you use a community computer to do your court hearing remotely. Some kiosks are more private and are better for hearings. You might need to make a reservation to use a kiosk.

Use this link to find a legal kiosk near you: Locations - Legal Kiosk Project.

If your family is in court together, all family members have to be on the phone or video call. You can all be on the same computer or phone. It’s also ok for someone to join if they are in a different place. The important thing is that everyone is there.

If you already had a hearing and the judge said your children don’t have to come to court, then they don’t have to be on the call.

• Your A-Number, and the A-Numbers of family members in court with you
• The court where your case is happening
• The name of the judge in charge of your case
• The date and time of your next hearing
• If your next hearing is a “master calendar hearing” or an “individual hearing”
   
  • At a master calendar hearing, the judge speaks to a lot of immigrants at once. Your first court appearance is probably a master calendar hearing. Read more about master calendar hearings here: What to Expect the First Time You Go to Immigration Court in Minnesota.
     
  • At an individual hearing, the judge hears the details of your case and usually makes a decision. 

First, find your A-Number. This is also called your Alien Registration Number (A-Number). It is a 9-digit number assigned to you by the US government. It should be at the top of any immigration documents you got at the border or from the court. Once you have your A-Number you can learn more about your hearing using your computer or phone.

• By Phone: Call the EOIR hotline at 1-800-898-7180. 
  • The hotline asks you to choose a language and then enter your A-Number. 
  • After that, follow the directions to find out more information about your hearing. 
  • If you call this number, you won’t speak to a real person. It is automated from the court’s computer system.
     
• Online: Use this website to look up your case.
   
  • Type your A-Number into the website to see your case information. Sometimes you have to try this a few times for it to work.
     
  • Under “Next Hearing Information,” you see:
    • If your hearing is a master calendar hearing or individual hearing
    • The date and time of your next hearing
    • If your hearing is in-person, online, or by phone Note: this probably won’t update even after you submit your motion or get the motion approved
    • The judge’s name
    • The court’s address
       
  • If you search for your A-Number and the website says, “No case found for this A-Number,” the immigration court does not have an open removal case for you.
     
  • If you search for your A-Number and the website says, “There are no future hearings for this case,” you are in removal proceedings, but you don’t have a hearing coming up. Check back regularly to see if the court has scheduled a hearing.

If you are in court with your family, check all their A-Numbers too. Their court date, time, or judge might be different.

If a family member has a different court date, time, or judge, they need to file their own Motion to Appear by Webex or Phone separately.

• Using the same information you need to also fill out 2 other documents called “Order of the Immigration Judge” and “Proof of Service”
  • The “Order of the Immigration Judge” is a template the judge uses to tell you their decision. If you send in this page there is less work for the Judge, and you may get the decision faster. 
     
  • The “Proof of Service” tells the court that you sent the papers to the government lawyer. It tells the judge that you are following the rules of court. If you do not have a Proof of Service, your filing will be rejected.

Fill Out the Forms:

• Fill out the Motion to Appear, Order, and Proof of Service. Write your answers in English. Write dates like this: month/day/year.
   
• If you are in court by yourself, use the form for individuals. See attached instructions for help to fill it out.
   
• If you are in court with your family, use the form for families. See attached instructions for help to fill it out.

Make Copies:

• Make 3 copies of all the papers. One copy is for the Judge, and the other is for the government lawyer. Keep a set for yourself.
   
• The copies should be single-sided. Only print on one side of each sheet of paper.

Mail Your Documents:

• Send 1 copy of the full motion to the immigration court.
   
  • If your court is in Minnesota, the address is:
    Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building
    1 Federal Drive, Suite 1850
    Fort Snelling, MN 55111
     
  • If your court is in another state, check the EOIR website to find the address.
     
• Send 1 copy of all the papers to the government's lawyer. The government's lawyer works at the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA).
   
  • If your court is in Minnesota, the address is 
    Office of the Principal Legal Advisor
    1 Federal Drive, Suite 1800
    Fort Snelling, MN 55111
     
  • If your court is in another state, you can find the OPLA address by calling the court. Tell them you are filing a motion and ask for the name and address of the OPLA office assigned to your court. Use the EOIR website to find the court’s phone number.

Check Your Mail:

• Pay attention to your mail from the court.
   
• When the judge gets the papers, they make a decision. They use the “order” to do this. The court sends it to your address. If the order is granted, that means the Judge is okay with you doing your hearing remotely. If the order is denied, you can’t do your hearing over Webex or over the phone and you must go to the court building in person.

If you haven't gotten information in the mail, you can also check:

• By Phone: Call 1-800-898-7180. Select your language, enter your A-Number, and follow the prompts to find out more about your next hearing.
   
• By Phone: Call the court directly. Ask the person who picks up to check if your motion has been granted. Be prepared to tell them your A-number and the name of the judge for your case.
  
  If your court is in Minnesota, the phone number is 612-725-3765.
  
  If your court is in another state, check the EOIR website to find the phone number.
   
• Online: go to EOIR Automated Case Information and enter your A-Number. Check if your hearing is "in person," "internet-based," or "telephonic" (by phone).

1. Download the Webex app to your phone or computer at least a day before your hearing.
   • Computer
   • iPhone
   • Android
      
2. To log in to Webex the day of you hearing, go to the EOIR website. Search for the judge assigned to your case.
    
3. When you find your judge, click on the link next to their name to access their Webex courtroom. Make sure you are muted until the judge speaks to you. 

1. Dial 415-527-5035.
    
2. Enter the access code for your specific judge or court. You can find the access code for your judge on the EOIR website.
    
3. Make sure you mute the phone until  the judge speaks to you.