that the applicant has met the admissibility and/or continuous physical presence requirement for NACARA adjustment. If the Service officer grants NACARA adjustment, then the Service officer shall create a record of lawful permanent residence and the prior order granting suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal on a conditional basis shall be automatically vacated and the deportation or removal proceedings shall be automatically terminated. The Service officer (whose decision in this regard is not subject to appeal) shall not adjust the applicant to lawful permanent resident status pursuant to section 202 of NACARA if:

(A) The Service officer is not satisfied that the applicant is eligible for NACARA adjustment and so indicates on the attestation form; or

(B) The applicant indicates on the attestation form that he or she does not wish to receive NACARA adjustment.

(v) Automatic conversion. If the Service officer does not adjust the applicant to lawful permanent resident status pursuant to section 202 of NACARA, the applicant's conditional grant of suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal shall be automatically converted to a grant of suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal. Upon such a conversion, the Service shall create a record of lawful permanent residence based upon the grant of suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal.

(vi) Failure to appear. An alien who fails to appear to perfect his or her request for NACARA adjustment shall have his or her conditional grant of suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal automatically converted by the Immigration Court or the Board to a grant of suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal effective December 31, 1998.

(3) Conditional grants not converted in fiscal year 1998. The provisions of paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section for granting relief shall not apply with respect to:

(i) Any case in which a conditional grant of suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal is pending on appeal before the Board as of September 30, 1998 or, if the right to appeal

to the Board has not been waived, the time for an appeal has not expired. After the Board issues its decision or the time for appeal has expired, the conditional grant shall be converted to a grant when a grant is available.

(ii) Any other conditional grant not described in paragraphs (b)(1), (b)(2) or (b)(3)(i) of this section, which was not converted to a grant in fiscal year 1998. Such a conditional grant shall be converted to a grant when a grant is available.

(4) Motion to reopen. The Service may file a motion to reopen within 90 days after the alien is issued a grant of suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal pursuant to paragraphs (b)(1), (b)(2), or (b)(3) of this section, if after the issuance of a conditional grant by the Immigration Court or the Board the applicant committed an act that would have rendered him or her ineligible for suspension of deportation or cancellation or removal at the time of the conversion.

(5) Travel for aliens conditionally granted suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal. If the Immigration Court or the Board granted suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal on a conditional basis or, if the conditional grant by the Immigration Court was appealed to the Board and the Board issued such a conditional grant, the alien shall retain the conditional grant of suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal upon return to the United States following a temporary absence abroad and be permitted to resume completion of his or her case, provided that:

(i) The alien departed on or before September 30, 1998 with or without a grant of advance parole from the District Director; or

(ii) The alien, prior to his or her departure from the United States after September 30, 1998, obtained a grant of advance parole from the District Director in accordance with section 212(d)(5) of the Act and §212.5 of this chapter and complied with the terms and conditions of the advance parole.

(c) Grants of suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal in fiscal years subsequent to fiscal year 1998. On and after October 1, 1998, the Immigration

Court and the Board may grant applications for suspension of deportation and adjustment of status under section 244(a) of the Act (as in effect prior to April 1, 1997) or cancellation of removal and adjustment of status under section 240A(b) of the Act that meet the statutory requirements for such relief and warrant a favorable exercise of discretion until the annual numerical limitation has been reached in that fiscal year. The awarding of such relief shall be determined according to the date the order granting such relief becomes final as defined in §§3.1(d)(2) and 3.39 of this chapter.

(1) Applicability of the annual cap. When grants are no longer available in a fiscal year, further decisions to grant or deny such relief shall be reserved until such time as a grant becomes available under the annual limitation in a subsequent fiscal year. Immigration judges and the Board may deny without reserving decision or may pretermit those suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal applications in which the applicant has failed to establish statutory eligibility for relief. The basis of such denial or pretermission may not be based on an unfavorable exercise of discretion, a finding of no good moral character on a ground not specifically noted in section 101(f) of the Act, a failure to establish exceptional or extremely unusual hardship to a qualifying relative in cancellation cases, or a failure to establish extreme hardship to the applicant and/ or qualifying relative in suspension

cases.

(2) Aliens applying for additional forms of relief. Whether or not the cap has been reached, the Immigration Court or the Board shall adjudicate concurrently all other forms of relief for which the alien has applied. Applications for suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal shall be denied in the exercise of discretion if the alien is granted asylum or adjustment of status, including pursuant to section 202 of NACARA, while the suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal application is pending. Where an appeal of a decision granting asylum or adjustment is sustained by the Board, a decision to deny as a matter of discretion an application for suspension of

deportation or cancellation of removal on this basis shall be reconsidered. [63 FR 52138, Sept. 30, 1998]

§§ 240.22-240.24 [Reserved]

Subpart C-Voluntary Departure

$ 240.25 Voluntary departure-authority of the Service.

(a) Authorized officers. The authority contained in section 240B(a) of the Act to permit aliens to depart voluntarily from the United States may be exercised in lieu of being subject to proceedings under section 240 of the Act by district directors, assistant district directors for investigations, assistant district directors for examinations, officers in charge, chief patrol agents. service center directors, and assistant center directors for examinations.

(b) Conditions. The Service may attach to the granting of voluntary departure any conditions it deems necessary to ensure the alien's timely departure from the United States, including the posting of a bond, continued detention pending departure, and removal under safeguards. The alien shall be required to present to the Service, for inspection and photocopying, his or her passport or other travel documentation sufficient to assure lawful entry into the country to which the alien is departing. The Service may hold the passport or documentation for sufficient time to investigate its authenticity. A voluntary departure order permitting an alien to depart voluntarily shall inform the alien of the penalties under section 240B(d) of the Act.

(c) Decision. The authorized officer, in his or her discretion, shall specify the period of time permitted for voluntary departure, and may grant extensions thereof, except that the total period allowed, including any extensions, shall not exceed 120 days. Every decision regarding voluntary departure shall be communicated in writing on Form I210, Notice of Action-Voluntary Departure. Voluntary departure may not be granted unless the alien requests such voluntary departure and agrees to its terms and conditions.

(d) Application. Any alien who believes himself or herself to be eligible

for voluntary departure under this section may apply therefor at any office of the Service. After the commencement of removal proceedings, the application may be communicated through the Service counsel. If the Service agrees to voluntary departure after proceedings have commenced, it may either:

(1) Join in a motion to terminate the proceedings, and if the proceedings are terminated, grant voluntary departure;

or

(2) Join in a motion asking the immigration judge to permit voluntary departure in accordance with §240.26.

(e) Appeals. An appeal shall not lie from a denial of an application for voluntary departure under this section, but the denial shall be without prejudice to the alien's right to apply to the immigration judge for voluntary departure in accordance with § 240.26 or for relief from removal under any provision of law.

(f) Revocation. If, subsequent to the granting of an application for voluntary departure under this section, it is ascertained that the application should not have been granted, that grant may be revoked without advance notice by any officer authorized to grant voluntary departure under §240.25(a). Such revocation shall be communicated in writing, citing the statutory basis for revocation. No appeal shall lie from revocation.

§ 240.26 Voluntary departure-authority of the Executive Office for Immigration Review.

(a) Eligibility: general. An alien previously granted voluntary departure under section 240B of the Act, including by the Service under §240.25, and who fails to depart voluntarily within the time specified, shall thereafter be ineligible, for a period of ten years, for voluntary departure or for relief under sections 240A, 245, 248, and 249 of the Act.

(b) Prior to completion of removal proceedings (1) Grant by the immigration judge. (i) An alien may be granted voluntary departure by an immigration judge pursuant to section 240B(a) of the Act only if the alien:

(A) Makes such request prior to or at the master calendar hearing at which

the case is initially calendared for a merits hearing;

(B) Makes no additional requests for relief (or if such requests have been made, such requests are withdrawn prior to any grant of voluntary departure pursuant to this section);

(C) Concedes removability;

(D) Waives appeal of all issues; and

(E) Has not been convicted of a crime described in section 101(a)(43) of the Act and is not deportable under section 237(a)(4).

(ii) The judge may not grant voluntary departure under section 240B(a) of the Act beyond 30 days after the master calendar hearing at which the case is initially calendared for a merits hearing, except pursuant to a stipulation under paragraph (b)(2) of this section.

(2) Stipulation. At any time prior to the completion of removal proceedings, the Service counsel may stipulate to a grant of voluntary departure under section 240B(a) of the Act.

(3) Conditions. (i) The judge may impose such conditions as he or she deems necessary to ensure the alien's timely departure from the United States, including the posting of a voluntary departure bond to be canceled upon proof that the alien has departed the United States within the time specified. The alien shall be required to present to the Service, for inspection and photocopying, his or her passport or other travel documentation sufficient to assure lawful entry into the country to which the alien is departing, unless:

(A) A travel document is not necessary to return to his or her native country or to which country the alien is departing; or

(B) The document is already in the possession of the Service.

(ii) The Service may hold the passport or documentation for sufficient time to investigate its authenticity. If such documentation is not immediately available to the alien, but the immigration judge is satisfied that the alien is making diligent efforts to secure it, voluntary departure may be granted for a period not to exceed 120 days, subject to the condition that the alien within 60 days must secure such documentation and present it to the Service. The Service in its discretion

may extend the period within which the alien must provide such documentation. If the documentation is not presented within the 60-day period or any extension thereof, the voluntary departure order shall vacate automatically and the alternate order of removal will take effect, as if in effect on the date of issuance of the immigration judge order.

(c) At the conclusion of the removal proceedings (1) Required findings. An immigration judge may grant voluntary departure at the conclusion of the removal proceedings under section 240B(b) of the Act, if he or she finds that:

(i) The alien has been physically present in the United States for period of at least one year preceding the date the Notice to Appear was served under section 239(a) of the Act;

(ii) The alien is, and has been, a person of good moral character for at least five years immediately preceding the application;

(iii) The alien has not been convicted of a crime described in section 101(a)(43) of the Act and is not deportable under section 237(a)(4); and

(iv) The alien has established by clear and convincing evidence that the alien has the means to depart the United States and has the intention to do so.

(2) Travel documentation. Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b)(3) of this section, the clear and convincing evidence of the means to depart shall include in all cases presentation by the alien of a passport or other travel documentation sufficient to assure lawful entry into the country to which the alien is departing. The Service shall have full opportunity to inspect and photocopy the documentation, and to challenge its authenticity or sufficiency before voluntary departure is granted.

(3) Conditions. The judge may impose such conditions as he or she deems necessary to ensure the alien's timely departure from the United States. In all cases under section 240B(b) of the Act, the alien shall be required to post a voluntary departure bond, in amount necessary to ensure that the alien departs within the time specified, but in no case less than $500. The vol

an

untary departure bond shall be posted with the district director within 5 business days of the immigration judge's order granting voluntary departure, and the district director may, at his or her discretion, hold the alien in custody until the bond is posted. If the bond is not posted within 5 business days, the voluntary departure order shall vacate automatically and the alternate order of removal will take effect on the following day. In order for the bond to be canceled, the alien must provide proof of departure to the district director.

(d) Alternate order of removal. Upon granting a request made for voluntary departure either prior to the completion of proceedings or at the conclusion of proceedings, the immigration judge shall also enter an alternate order or removal.

(e) Periods of time. If voluntary departure is granted prior to the completion of removal proceedings, the immigration judge may grant a period not to exceed 120 days. If voluntary departure is granted at the conclusion of proceedings, the immigration judge may grant a period not to exceed 60 days.

(f) Extension of time to depart. Authority to extend the time within which to depart voluntarily specified initially by an immigration judge or the Board is within the sole jurisdiction of the district director. An immigration judge or the Board may reinstate voluntary departure in a removal proceeding that has been reopened for a purpose other than solely making an application for voluntary departure if reopening was granted prior to the expiration of the original period of voluntary departure. In no event can the total period of time, including any extension, exceed 120 days or 60 days as set forth in section 240B of the Act.

(g) Administrative Appeals. No appeal shall lie regarding the length of a period of voluntary departure (as distinguished from issues of whether to grant voluntary departure).

(h) Reinstatement of voluntary departure. An immigration judge or the Board may reinstate voluntary departure in a removal proceeding that has been reopened for a purpose other than solely making application for voluntary departure, if reopening was

In determining cases referred for further inquiry as provided in section 235 of the Act, immigration judges shall have the powers and authority conferred upon them by the Act and this chapter, including the adjudication of applications for adjustment of status pursuant to section 202 of Pub. L. 105100, or section 902 of Pub. L. 105–277. Subject to any specific limitation prescribed by the Act and this chapter, immigration judges shall also exercise the discretion and authority conferred upon the Attorney General by the Act as is appropriate and necessary for the disposition of such cases.

[62 FR 10367, Mar. 6, 1997, as amended at 63 FR 27829, May 21, 1998; 64 FR 25766, May 12, 1999]

§ 240.32 Hearing.

(a) Opening. Exclusion hearings shall be closed to the public, unless the alien at his or her own instance requests that the public, including the press, be permitted to attend; in that event, the hearing shall be open, provided that the alien states for the record that he

or she is waiving the requirement in section 236 of the Act that the inquiry shall be kept separate and apart from the public. When the hearing is to be open, depending upon physical facilities, reasonable limitation may be placed upon the number in attendance at any one time, with priority being given to the press over the general public. The immigration judge shall ascertain whether the applicant for admission is the person to whom Form I-122 was previously delivered by the examining immigration officer as provided in 8 CFR part 235; enter a copy of such form in evidence as an exhibit in the case; inform the applicant of the nature and purpose of the hearing; advise him or her of the privilege of being represented by an attorney of his or her own choice at no expense to the Government, and of the availability of free legal services programs qualified under 8 CFR part 3 and organizations recognized pursuant to § 292.2 of this chapter located in the district where his or her exclusion hearing is to be held; and shall ascertain that the applicant has received a list of such programs; and request him or her to ascertain then and there whether he or she desires representation; advise him or her that he or she will have a reasonable opportunity to present evidence in his or her own behalf, to examine and object to evidence against him or her, and to cross-examine witnesses presented by the Government; and place the applicant under oath.

(b) Procedure. The immigration judge shall receive and adduce material and relevant evidence, rule upon objections, and otherwise regulate the course of the hearing.

(c) Attorney for the Service. The Service shall assign an attorney to each case in which an applicant's nationality is in issue and may assign an attorney to any case in which such assignment is deemed necessary or advantageous. The duties of the Service counsel include, but are not limited to, the presentation of evidence and the interrogation, examination, and crossexamination of the applicant and other witnesses. Nothing contained in this section diminishes the authority of an immigration judge to conduct proceedings under this part.