EOIR Policy Manual Now Interactive

EOIR, Mar. 18, 2021

"The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) is pleased to present its first comprehensive interactive Policy Manual. The Policy Manual highlights the processes involved in the agency’s mission to adjudicate immigration cases by fairly, expeditiously, and uniformly interpreting and administering the Nation’s immigration laws. Under delegated authority from the Attorney General, EOIR conducts immigration court proceedings, appellate reviews, and administrative hearings.

Within the EOIR Policy Manual are sections dedicated to the procedures and practices in place for matters specifically before EOIR’s Office of the Chief Immigration Judge (OCIJ), Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), and Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO).

The Policy Manual is regularly updated, and the most current version of the manual is available through the EOIR website at www.justice.gov/eoir. Comments and suggestions regarding the Policy Manual may be submitted in accordance with Part 1, Chapter 1.1(d) of the manual.

The Policy Manual represents the culmination of a multi-year effort to consolidate and update EOIR’s relevant operational guidance, including identifying and addressing redundancies, ambiguities, surplusage, and outdated guidance. For the first time, all of EOIR’s operational guidance related to case adjudications is now available in one comprehensive document, updated to reflect current law and practice. Thank you to OCIJ, BIA, OCAHO, the Office of Policy, and all those who worked to bring the Policy Manual together. I believe it will be a useful tool for practitioners and adjudicators alike to ensure that EOIR continues to adjudicate cases in a timely and impartial manner consistent with due process.  

Sincerely, James McHenry
Director"