Kansas City Immigration Court

If your court date is a Master Calendar Hearing, the judge will request an update on the case and ask what we want to do in your case. Usually this will involve asking for a continuance (more time in your case for us to do something, such as get a decision from USCIS) or a trial date. These hearings are usually less than 15 minutes long.

If your court date is an Individual Hearing, this is your trial date. We will present your application for relief from removal through your testimony. The Assistant Chief Counsel (the prosecutor) may cross-examine you, and the Immigration Judge may ask you questions as well. These hearings are usually 1-2 hours long.

At a Master Calendar Hearing, the judge will ask you to state your name, confirm your address, and if you would like for me to be your attorney. The judge will direct all other questions directly to me, as your attorney. 

At an Individual Hearing you will present your testimony through direct and cross examination. Prior to your Individual Hearing, we will have at least two appointments to practice your testimony. You will be expected to tell the judge the details of how and why you qualify to remain in the United States.

No. Even if the immigration judge orders you removed from the United States, you will not be taken into custody at your court hearing. 

This is true of almost all cases, but please let me know immediately if you have an outstanding order of removal or an arrest warrant. 

 If you fail to appear at your hearing and the Department of Homeland Security establishes by clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence that written notice of your hearing was provided and that you are removable, you will be ordered removed from the United States. Exceptions to these rules are only for exceptional circumstances.

In order to ask for a rescheduled date or a continuance, we need to request a continuance from the court. We will need to establish "good cause" for this request. Immigration court hearing dates are typically scheduled months or years in advance of the hearing date. Only extreme situations - such as a medical emergency - will qualify for a rescheduled hearing date.

If you have a conflict or potential conflict with your hearing date, please let me know as soon as possible. We can discuss if your situation qualifies for a continuance, and what documentation may be needed to submit a request. 

The immigration judge will make a final decision during or after your Individual Hearing. The judge may or may not issue his decision during your hearing. If the judge needs additional time to review the evidence, research legal issues, or does not have enough time during the hearing to make a decision, then we will be notified by mail with a written decision.

If you are applying for Cancelation of Removal, then there is a limitation to how many applications can be approved in a fiscal year (10,000). There is often a backlog of approvals, meaning that it could be several years before we receive the decision in your case.