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SUBCHAPTER A-GENERAL PROVISIONS

PART 1-DEFINITIONS

§1.1 Definitions.

As used in this chapter:

(a) The terms defined in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (66 Stat. 163) shall have the meanings ascribed to them in that section and as supplemented, explained, and further defined in this chapter.

(b) The terms "Act" means the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended.

(c) The term "Service" means the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

(d) The term "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Immigration and Naturaliza

tion.

(e) The term "Board" means the Board of Immigration Appeals.

(f) The term "attorney" means any person who is a member in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any State, possession, territory, Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia, and is not under any order of any court suspending, enjoining, restraining, disbarring, or otherwise restricting him in the practice of law.

(g) Unless the context otherwise requires, the term "case" means any proceeding arising under any immigration or naturalization law, Executive order, or Presidential proclamation, or preparation for or incident to such proceeding, including preliminary steps by any private person or corporation preliminary to the filing of the application or petition by which any proceeding under the jurisdiction of the Service or the Board is initiated.

(h) The term "day" when computing the period of time for taking any action provided in this chapter including the taking of an appeal, shall include Sundays and legal holidays, except that when the last day of the period so computed falls on a Sunday or a legal holiday, the period shall run until the end of the next day which is neither a Sunday nor a legal holiday.

(i) The term “practice” means the act or acts of any person appearing in any case, either in person or through the preparation or filing of any brief or other document, paper, application, or petition on behalf of another person or client before or with the Service, or any officer of the Service, or the Board.

(j) The term "representative" refers to a person who is entitled to represent others as provided in §292.1(a) (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), and §292.1(b) of this chapter.

(k) The term "preparation," constituting practice, means the study of the facts of a case and the applicable laws, coupled with the giving of advice and auxiliary activities, including the incidental preparation of papers, but does not include the lawful functions of a notary public or service consisting solely of assistance in the completion of blank spaces on printed Service forms by one whose remuneration, if any, is nominal and who does not hold himself out as qualified in legal matters or in immigration and naturalization procedure.

(1) The term "immigration judge" means special inquiry officer and may be used interchangeably with the term special inquiry officer wherever it appears in this chapter.

(m) The term "representation" before the Board and the Service includes practice and preparation as defined in §1.1 (i) and (k).

(Sec. 103, 66 Stat. 173; 8 U.S.C. 1103) [23 F.R. 9115, Nov. 26, 1958, as amended at 30 F.R. 14772, Nov. 30, 1965; 34 F.R. 12213, July 24, 1969; 38 F.R. 8590, Apr. 4, 1973; 40 F.R. 23271, May 29, 1975]

PART 2-AUTHORITY OF THE COMMISSIONER

§2.1 Authority of the Commissioner.

Without divesting the Attorney General of any of his powers, privileges, or duties under the immigration and naturalization laws, and except as to the Board, there is delegated to the Commissioner the authority of the Attorney General to direct the administration of the Service and to enforce the act and all other laws relating to the immigration and naturalization of aliens. The Commissioner may issue regulations as deemed necessary or appropriate for the exercise of any authority delegated to him by the Attorney General, and may redelegate any such authority to any other officer or employee of the Service.

(Sec. 201, 66 Stat. 173; 8 U.S.C. 1103, Reorg. Plan No. 2 of 1950, 15 F.R. 3173, 3 CFR, 1950 (Supp.) [23 F.R. 9117, Nov. 26, 1958]

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§3.1 Board of Immigration Appeals.

(a)(1) Organization. There shall be in the Department of Justice a Board of Immigration Appeals, subject to the general supervision of the Deputy Attorney General. The Board shall exercise so much of the Attorney General's power and authority under the immigration and nationality laws as he may delegate to it. The Board shall consist of a Chairman and four other members who shall be appointed by the Attorney General and shall serve at his discretion. A vacancy, or the absence or unavailability of a Board Member, shall not impair the right of the remaining members to exercise all the powers of the Board, and three members of the Board shall, at all times, constitute a quorum of the Board. There shall also be attached to the Board such number of attorneys and other employees as the Deputy Attorney General, upon recommendation of the Chairman, shall from time to time direct.

(2) Chairman. The Chairman shall direct, supervise and take final Board action in all matters relating to personnel, administration, and management, and shall establish internal operating procedures and policies of the Board. He shall designate a member of the Board to act as Chairman in his absence or unavailability. The Chairman shall be assisted in the performance of his duties by an Executive Assistant/Chief Attorney Examiner, who shall be directly responsible to the Chairman. The Executive Assistant/Chief Attorney Examiner shall serve as an Alternate Board Member when, in the absence or unavailability of a Board Member or Members, his participation is deemed necessary by the Chairman. Once designated his participation in a case shall continue to its normal conclusion.

(3) Board Members. Board Members shall perform the quasi-judicial function of adjudicating cases coming before the Board.

(b) Appellate jurisdiction. Appeals shall lie to the Board of Immigration Appeals from the following:

(1) Decisions of special inquiry officers in exclusion cases, as provided in Part 236 of this chapter.

(2) Decisions of special inquiry officers in deportation cases, as provided in Part 242 of this chapter, except that no appeal shall lie from an order of a special inquiry officer under $244.1 of this chapter granting voluntary departure within a period of at least 30 days, if the sole ground of appeal is that a greater period of departure time should have been fixed.

(3) Decisions on applications for the exercise of the discretionary authority contained in section 212(c) of the act, as provided in Part 212 of this chapter.

(4) Decisions involving administrative fines and penalties, including mitigation thereof, as provided in Part 280 of this chapter.

(5) Decisions on petitions filed in accordance with section 204 of the act (except petitions to accord preference classifications under section 203(a)(3) or section 203(a)(6) of the act, or a petition on behalf of a child described in section 101(b)(1)(F) of the act), and decisions on requests for revalidation and decisions revoking the approval of such petitions, in accordance with section 205 of the act, as provided in Parts 204 and 205, respectively, of this chapter.

(6) Decisions on applications for the exercise of the discretionary authority contained in section 212(d)(3) of the act as provided in Part 212 of this chapter.

(7) Determinations relating to bond, parole, or detention of an alien as provided in Part 242 of this chapter.

(8) Decisions of special inquiry officers in rescission of adjustment of status cases, as provided in Part 246 of this chapter.

(c) Jurisdiction by certification. The Commissioner, or any other duly authorized officer of the Service, or the Board may in any case arising under paragraph (b) of this section require certification of such case to the Board.

(d) Powers of the Board. (1) Generally. Subject to any specific limitation prescribed by this chapter, in considering and determining cases before it as provided in this part the Board shall exercise such discretion and authority conferred upon the Attorney General

by law as is appropriate and necessary for the disposition of the case.

(1-a) Summary dismissal of appeals. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (e) of this section, the Board may deny oral argument concerning, and summarily dismiss, any appeal in any deportation proceeding under Part 242 of this chapter in any case in which (i) the party concerned fails to specify the reasons for his appeal on Form I-290A (Notice of Appeal), (ii) the only reason specified by the party concerned for his appeal involves a finding of fact or a conclusion of law which was conceded by him at the hearing, (iii) the appeal is from an order that granted the party concerned the relief which he requested, or (iv) the Board is satisfied, from a review of the record, that the appeal is frivolous and filed solely for purpose of delay.

(2) Finality of decision. The decision of the Board shall be final except in those cases reviewed by the Attorney General in accordance with paragraph (h) of this section. The Board may return a case to the Service for such further action as may be appropriate, without entering a final decision on the merits of the case.

(3) Rules of practice; discipline of attorneys and representatives. The Board shall have authority, with the approval of the Attorney General, to prescribe rules governing proceedings before it. It shall also determine whether any organization desiring representation is of a kind described in §1.1(j) of this chapter, and shall regulate the conduct of, any may disbar for cause, attorneys, representatives of organizations, and others who appear in a representative capacity before the Board or the Service.

(e) Oral argument. Oral argument shall be heard by the Board, upon request, in any case over which the Board acquires jurisdiction by appeal or certification as provided in this part, except that oral argument shall not be heard on appeal from an order of a special inquiry officer under $242.22 of this chapter denying a motion to reopen or reconsider or to stay deportation, unless the Board specifically directs that oral argument be granted. If an appeal has been taken, request for oral argument, if desired, shall be included in the Notice of Appeal. The Board shall have authority to fix any date or change any date upon which oral argument is to be heard. The Service may be represented in argument before the Board by an officer of the Service designated by the Commissioner. The Board

shall convene for the purpose of hearing oral argument at its office in Washington, D.C., at 2:00 p.m., or such other time as it may designate on every day except Saturday, Sunday, and legal holidays.

(f) Service of Board decisions. The decision of the Board shall be in writing and copies thereof shall be transmitted by the Board to the Service and a copy shall be served upon the alien or party affected as provided in Part 292 of this chapter.

(g) Decisions of the Board as precedents. Except as they may be modified or overruled by the Board or the Attorney General, decisions of the Board shall be binding on all officers and employees of the Service in the administration of the act, and selected decisions designated by the Board shall serve as precedents in all proceedings involving the same issue or issues.

(h) Referral of cases to the Attorney General. (1) The Board shall refer to the Attorney General for review of its decision all cases which:

(i) The Attorney General directs the Board to refer to him.

(ii) The Chairman or a majority of the Board believes should be referred to the Attorney General for review.

(iii) The Commissioner requests be referred to the Attorney General for review.

(2) In any case in which the Attorney General reviews the decision of the Board, the decision of the Attorney General shall be stated in writing and shall be transmitted to the Board for transmittal and service as provided in paragraph (f) of this section.

[23 F.R. 9117, Nov. 26, 1958, as amended at 27 F.R. 96, Jan. 5, 1962; 27 F.R. 10789, Nov. 6, 1962; 29 F.R. 9709, July 18, 1964; 30 F.R. 14772, Nov. 30, 1965; 36 F.R. 316, Jan. 9, 1971; 40 F.R. 37207, Aug. 26, 1975]

§3.2 Reopening or reconsideration.

The Board may on its own motion reopen or reconsider any case in which it has rendered a decision. Reopening or reconsideration of any case in which a decision has been made by the Board, whether requested by the Commissioner or any other duly authorized officer of the Service, or by the party affected by the decision, shall be only upon written motion to the Board. Motions to reopen in deportation proceedings shall not be granted unless it appears to the Board that evidence sought to be offered is material and was not available and could not have been discovered or presented

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