Lost in immigration court? You may still have time to appeal.
If an immigration judge anywhere in the United States ordered you removed or denied your case, you usually have 30 days to appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals. We handle Board appeals from every immigration court in the country. If the Board ruled against you, you usually have 30 days to go to federal court. Send us the decision and an attorney will look at it.
- Free first look. Tell us what happened and upload the decision. There is no charge to send it.
- A straight answer. If we see an argument worth making, we say so. If we do not, we tell you that too, quickly, so you can look elsewhere in time.
- The price before you decide. A written quote with a fixed fee, payment options, and a date to accept that leaves time to file.
- Your own page. Follow your request, add papers and see our answer online, in one place.
Send us your decision
A few fields and a few sentences. You can add more on your own page afterward.
Why appeal
Judges make legal mistakes
The Board reviews questions of law fresh, without deferring to the judge (8 CFR 1003.1(d)(3)). A wrong legal standard, an ignored piece of evidence or a misread rule can be corrected.
The removal order waits
While a timely appeal is pending at the Board, the judge's removal order generally cannot be carried out (8 CFR 1003.6(a)).
It keeps the next door open
Federal courts generally hear only what was first argued to the Board (8 U.S.C. 1252(d)(1)). Skip the appeal, or file a thin one, and that later review may be lost.
The law keeps changing
New Board and Ninth Circuit decisions come out every month. An argument that failed last year may be stronger now.
Not every case should be appealed. An appeal filed only to delay can be summarily dismissed (8 CFR 1003.1(d)(2)(i)(D)). If we do not see a real argument, we will tell you.
Deadlines at a glance
| If you want to | You have | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
| Appeal an immigration judge's decision to the Board | 30 days | The judge's oral decision, or the mailing or electronic service of a written decision. The Board must receive the appeal by then. 8 CFR 1003.38 |
| Ask a federal court of appeals to review a Board decision | 30 days | The date of the Board's final order. 8 U.S.C. 1252(b)(1) |
| Ask the Board to reconsider its decision | 30 days | The mailing of the Board's decision. One motion only. 8 CFR 1003.2(b)(2) |
| Ask to reopen the case with new facts | 90 days | The final administrative decision. One motion, with exceptions. 8 CFR 1003.2(c)(2) |
Appeal deadline calculator
Pick the decision you received and the date on it. For an oral decision, use the hearing date.
This counts calendar days and, for Board appeals and petitions for review, moves a deadline that lands on a weekend or federal holiday to the next business day. Motions are shown without that adjustment, so file before the date shown. A calculator is not legal advice; confirm your deadline with a lawyer.
What changed at the Board in 2026
On February 6, 2026, the Justice Department published an interim rule rewriting how appeals work at the Board of Immigration Appeals (91 FR 5267). Parts of it are in effect and parts of it are not.
- Still 30 days to appeal. The rule would have cut the deadline to 10 days for most appeals. A federal court set that part aside on March 8, 2026, before it took effect, along with the rule that treated any issue left off the Notice of Appeal as waived (Amica Center for Immigrant Rights v. EOIR). The government dropped its appeal of that ruling in August 2026.
- Briefs are due in 20 days, from both sides at once. When the Board sets the schedule, the person appealing and the government file at the same time. If no transcript is needed, briefs are due no later than 35 days after the appeal was filed (8 CFR 1003.3(c)(1)).
- No reply brief, and almost no extensions. The Board accepts a reply only if it asks for one. It extends the briefing deadline only for exceptional circumstances, and a busy calendar does not count.
What this means in practice: the brief has to be underway the day the appeal is filed. Waiting until the last week of the 30 days now costs more than it used to.
A final version of the rule went to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for review on October 16, 2026, so these procedures may change again. We update this page when they do.
How it works
- Send us the decision. Use the form above. You land on your own page right away, where you can add papers and follow along.
- An attorney reviews it. We read what the judge decided and why, check the deadline, and look for an error the Board or the court can correct.
- You see our answer on your page. If we can help, your page shows the quote: the fixed fee, what it covers, payment options, and the date to accept. If we cannot, we say so.
- Accept, sign, and we file. Accept the quote on your page, sign the fee agreement, and we file the appeal, get the record and write the brief.
Paying for an appeal
A fixed fee
Your quote is a set price for the work it lists, not an hourly meter. You know the number before you decide.
Payment plans
Most clients can pay over time. Your quote shows the plan available for your case.
When time is short
If your deadline is close, tell us. We can file the Notice of Appeal first so the deadline is protected, then finish the review.
For attorneys
If your client lost and you do not handle appeals, send the case through the form above and choose that you are an attorney. Give us the filing deadline and whether a Notice of Appeal has already been filed. We tell you quickly whether we can take it.
Questions people ask
How long do I have to appeal an immigration judge's decision?
Thirty calendar days. The Board of Immigration Appeals must receive the Notice of Appeal (Form EOIR-26) within 30 days of the judge's oral decision, or of the date a written decision was mailed or served electronically. If the 30th day is a weekend or federal holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. The Board counts the day it receives the appeal, not the day it was mailed (8 CFR 1003.38).
Didn't the appeal deadline change to 10 days in 2026?
No. A 2026 interim rule tried to shorten the deadline to 10 days for most appeals, but a federal court set that part of the rule aside on March 8, 2026, before it took effect, and the government dropped its appeal in August 2026. The deadline is still 30 days. Other parts of the rule did take effect, including shorter briefing with no reply briefs.
How long do I have to go to federal court after the Board rules against me?
A petition for review must be filed in the court of appeals within 30 days of the Board's final order (8 U.S.C. 1252(b)(1)). Filing a motion to reopen or reconsider with the Board does not stop that clock, so if you want both, you file both.
Can I be deported while my appeal is pending?
While a timely appeal is pending before the Board, the immigration judge's removal order generally cannot be carried out (8 CFR 1003.6(a)). A petition for review in federal court does not stop removal by itself. You ask the court for a stay; in the Ninth Circuit, filing that motion triggers a temporary stay until the court decides it.
Can I add new evidence on appeal?
Generally not. The Board decides the appeal on the record from the immigration court and does not take new evidence. If new evidence matters, the right filing is usually a motion to remand or a motion to reopen.
What does it cost?
Sending us your decision for review costs nothing. If we can take the appeal, you get a written quote with a fixed fee, what it includes, your payment options, and the date by which it has to be accepted. That date is always set early enough to file before your deadline. Government filing fees are separate.
Can I pay over time?
Yes, most clients can. Your quote shows the payment options, and you choose one when you accept it.
My case was in an immigration court outside California. Can you handle the appeal?
Yes. The Board of Immigration Appeals hears appeals from every immigration court in the United States, and lawyers file with the Board electronically through ECAS. A lawyer licensed and in good standing in any state and registered with EOIR may represent people before the Board (8 CFR 1292.1(a)(1), 8 CFR 1001.1(f)). If the Board rules against you, which federal court hears the next step depends on where your immigration judge completed the case (8 U.S.C. 1252(b)(2)).
I am an attorney. Can I refer an appeal to you?
Yes. Use the same form and choose that you are an attorney referring a client. Include the filing deadline and whether a Notice of Appeal has already been filed.
Sources
- 8 CFR 1003.38, Appeals
- 8 CFR 1003.3, Notice of appeal and briefs
- 8 CFR 1003.1, Board of Immigration Appeals (scope of review, summary dismissal)
- 8 CFR 1003.2, Reopening or reconsideration before the Board
- 8 CFR 1003.6, Stay of execution of decision
- 8 U.S.C. 1252, Judicial review of orders of removal
- Appellate Procedures for the Board of Immigration Appeals, 91 FR 5267 (Feb. 6, 2026)
- Amica Center for Immigrant Rights v. EOIR, No. 1:26-cv-00696 (D.D.C. Mar. 8, 2026), order
- Stone v. INS, 514 U.S. 386 (1995)
Thirty days goes quickly.
Send us the decision today. An attorney reads it, and you see our answer on your own page.
Send us your decisionOr call (510) 649-9333