On Friday, January 7, 2022, EOIR announced that as of Monday, January 10, all non-detained, represented immigration court hearings would be conducted via WebEx or phone. Detained cases (whether represented or not) will proceed by WebEx or phone. Non-detained, unrepresented hearings will be rescheduled, unless the respondent calls the court to ask for a phone or WebEx hearing.
Please note that in many situations, conducting an asylum merits hearing via WebEx will prejudice the asylum seeker. Please contact your NIJC point-of-contact to discuss the possibility of filing a motion for an in-person hearing or for a continuance if you are representing an NIJC pro bono client with a merits hearing in January that will be impacted by this announcement.