§ 1003.31 Filing documents and applications.

(a) All documents and applications that are to be considered in a proceeding before an Immigration Judge must be filed with the Immigration Court having administrative control over the Record of Proceeding.

(b) Except as provided in 8 CFR 1240.11(f) and 1208.4(d)(3), all documents or applications requiring the payment of a fee must be accompanied by a fee receipt from the Department of Homeland Security, an alternate proof of payment consistent with § 1208.4(d)(3), or by an application for a waiver of fees pursuant to § 1003.24. Except as provided in § 1003.8(a) and (c), any fee relating to Immigration Judge proceedings shall be paid to, and accepted by, any Department of Homeland Security office authorized to accept fees for other purposes pursuant to § 1103.7(a) of this chapter.

(c) Subject to § 1208.4(d) of this chapter, the immigration judge may set and extend time limits for the filing of applications and related documents and responses thereto, if any, provided that nothing in this section shall authorize setting or extending time limits for the filing of documents after an asylum application has been filed that would cause the adjudication of an asylum application to exceed 180 days in the absence of exceptional circumstances, consistent with section 208(d)(5)(A)(iii) of the Act and § 1003.10(b). If an application or document is not filed within the time set by the immigration judge, the opportunity to file that application or document shall be deemed waived.

(d) The Service may file documents under seal by including a cover sheet identifying the contents of the submission as containing information which is being filed under seal. Documents filed under seal shall not be examined by any person except pursuant to authorized access to the administrative record.

[57 FR 11572, Apr. 6, 1992, as amended at 60 FR 34089, June 30, 1995; 61 FR 18908, Apr. 29, 1996; 61 FR 19976, May 3, 1996; 61 FR 21228, May 9, 1996; 61 FR 46374, Sept. 3, 1996; 62 FR 45149, Aug. 26, 1997; 67 FR 36802, May 28, 2002; 85 FR 81750, Dec. 16, 2020]