Part 1103—Appeals, Records, and Fees

§ 1103.3 Denials, appeals, and precedent decisions.

(a) DHS regulations. The regulations pertaining to denials, appeals, and precedent decisions of the Department of Homeland Security are contained in 8 CFR Chapter I.

(b) [Reserved]

(c) DHS precedent decisions. The Secretary of Homeland Security, or specific officials of the Department of Homeland Security designated by the Secretary with the concurrence of the Attorney General, may file with the Attorney General decisions relating to the administration of the immigration laws of the United States for publication as precedent in future proceedings, and upon approval of the Attorney General as to the lawfulness of such decision, the Director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review shall cause such decisions to be published in the same manner as decisions of the Board and the Attorney General.

[31 FR 3062, Feb. 24, 1966, as amended at 37 FR 927, Jan. 21, 1972; 48 FR 36441, Aug. 11, 1983; 49 FR 7355, Feb. 29, 1984; 52 FR 16192, May 1, 1987; 54 FR 29881, July 17, 1989; 55 FR 20769, 20775, May 21, 1990; 55 FR 23345, June 7, 1990; 57 FR 11573, Apr. 6, 1992; 68 FR 9832, Feb. 28, 2003; 81 FR 92366, Dec. 19, 2016]

§ 1103.4 Certifications.

(a) Certification of other than special agricultural worker and legalization cases—(1) General. The Commissioner or the Commissioner's delegate may direct that any case or class of cases be certified to another Service official for decision. In addition, regional commissioners, regional service center directors, district directors, officers in charge in districts 33 (Bangkok, Thailand), 35 (Mexico City, Mexico), and 37 (Rome, Italy), and the Director, National Fines Office, may certify their decisions to the appropriate appellate authority (as designated in this chapter) when the case involves an unusually complex or novel issue of law or fact.

(2) Notice to affected party. When a case is certified to a Service officer, the official certifying the case shall notify the affected party using a Notice of Certification (Form I-290C). The affected party may submit a brief to the officer to whom the case is certified within 30 days after service of the notice. If the affected party does not wish to submit a brief, the affected party may waive the 30-day period.

(3) Favorable action. The Service officer to whom a case is certified may suspend the 30-day period for submission of a brief if that officer takes action favorable to the affected party.

(4) Initial decision. A case within the appellate jurisdiction of the Associate Commissioner, Examinations, or for which there is no appeal procedure may be certified only after an initial decision is made.

(5) Certification to AAU. A case described in paragraph (a)(4) of this section may be certified to the AAU.

(6) Appeal to Board. In a case within the Board's appellate jurisdiction, an unfavorable decision of the Service official to whom the case is certified (whether made initially or upon review) is the decision which may be appealed to the Board under § 1003.1(b) of this chapter.

(7) Other applicable provisions. The provisions of § 1103.3(a)(2)(x) of this part also apply to decisions on certified cases. The provisions of § 1103.3(b) of this part also apply to requests for oral argument regarding certified cases considered by the AAU.

(b) Certification of denials of special agricultural worker and legalization applications. The Regional Processing Facility director or the district director may, in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section, certify a decision to the Associate Commissioner, Examinations (Administrative Appeals Unit) (the appellate authority designated in § 103.1(f)(2)) of this part, when the case involves an unusually complex or novel question of law or fact.

[52 FR 661, Jan. 8, 1987, as amended at 53 FR 43985, Oct. 31, 1988; 55 FR 20770, May 21, 1990]

§ 1103.7 Fees.

Link to an amendment published at 91 FR 54213, Aug. 21, 2026.

(a) Remittances—(1) In general. Fees shall be submitted in connection with any formal appeal, motion, or application prescribed in this chapter in the amount prescribed by law or regulation. The only accepted form of fee payment is payment through the EOIR Payment Portal: https://epay.eoir.justice.gov/index. Payment of any fee under this section does not constitute filing of the appeal, motion, or application with the Board of Immigration Appeals or with the Immigration Court. Filing fees generally are non-refundable regardless of the outcome of the benefit request, or how much time the adjudication requires, and any decision to refund a fee is at the discretion of EOIR.

(2) Board of Immigration Appeals. The fee for filing an appeal or a motion with the Board of Immigration Appeals shall be paid pursuant to the provisions of 8 CFR 1003.8 when a fee is required.

(3) All other fees payable in connection with immigration proceedings. Required fees in connection with EOIR proceedings shall be paid in a manner and form authorized by EOIR. Applications or motions will not be accepted unless they are accompanied by proof of payment of any required fees.

(b) Amounts of fees—(1) Appeals. For filing an appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals, when a fee is required pursuant to 8 CFR 1003.8, as follows:

(2) Motions. For filing a motion to reopen or a motion to reconsider, when a fee is required pursuant to 8 CFR 1003.8 or 1003.24, as follows:

(3) Multiple parties. When an appeal or motion is filed on behalf of two or more aliens and the aliens are covered by one decision, only one fee is required.

(4) Applications for Relief—(i) Forms published by the Executive Office for Immigration Review. Fees for applications for relief shall be paid in accordance with 8 CFR 1003.8(b) and 1003.24(c) as follows:

(ii) Forms published by the Department of Homeland Security. The fees for applications published by the Department of Homeland Security and used in immigration proceedings are governed by 8 CFR 103.7 and 8 CFR part 106. Consistent with 8 CFR 106.2, no fee shall apply to a Form I-589 filed with an immigration judge for the sole purpose of seeking withholding of removal under section 241(b)(3) of the Act or protection under the Convention Against Torture regulations.

(iii) Annual asylum fee. Aliens are required to pay an annual fee for each calendar year that an alien's asylum application remains pending administrative review. This fee cannot be waived or reduced.

(c) Fee waivers. For provisions relating to the authority of the Board or the immigration judges to waive any of the fees prescribed in paragraph (b) of this section, see 8 CFR 1003.8 and 1003.24. No waiver may be granted with respect to the fee prescribed for a Department of Homeland Security form or action that is identified as non-waivable in regulations of the Department of Homeland Security.

(d) Requests for records under the Freedom of Information Act. Fees for production or disclosure of records under 5 U.S.C. 552 may be waived or reduced in accordance with 28 CFR 16.10.

[69 FR 44907, July 28, 2004, as amended at 85 FR 81750, Dec. 16, 2020; 85 FR 82793, Dec. 18, 2020; 86 FR 70723, Dec. 13, 2021; 91 FR 35375, June 11, 2026]