Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer, Chief Administrative Law Judge

Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer, Chief Administrative Law Judge

Document type: Rule Publication date: 2026-04-30 Document number: 2026-08484

Abstract

On October 7, 2020, the Department of Justice (“Department”) published an interim final rule (“IFR”) amending the regulations governing the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (“OCAHO”). The amendments reflected changes related to the creation of the position of the Chief Administrative Law Judge (“CALJ”) and made additional related technical changes. This final rule adopts the provisions of the IFR with minor technical corrections.

Official sources

• Federal Register HTML page — searchable text version
• Federal Register PDF — official publication of record

Why this matters for immigrants

Federal Register publications under the Immigration topic tag have binding legal effect on:

• USCIS (immigration benefits, asylum, naturalization)
• ICE (enforcement, removal, detention)
• EOIR (immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals)
• CBP (border admissibility and inspection)

Final Rules (“Rule” document type) become binding law on the effective date stated in the document. Proposed Rules are not yet binding and may be modified or withdrawn after public comment. Always verify the most current version of any rule at federalregister.gov before relying on it for legal or filing decisions.

Related procedural information

• USCIS form library — federal immigration forms (I-130, I-485, N-400, etc.)
• Immigration court by state (EOIR) — courts that apply these rules
• BIA-recognized legal help by state — free representation
• Find an immigration attorney — for case-specific impact analysis

Last verified: 2026-05-27. General procedural information — not legal advice. Federal Register rules change frequently; always verify the current version at the source URL.

Recent fee, deadline, and contact context (2025-2026)

H.R.1 / OBBBA (One Big Beautiful Bill / Public Law 119-21) took effect 2026-05-29 and substantially changed USCIS fees. Asylum applications (Form I-589) now require a $100 filing fee and $100 Annual Asylum Fee (AAF) — both non-waivable per 8 U.S.C. 1802 and 1808. Other major fee changes: I-102 (replacement I-94) increased by $24; in-absentia removal-order arrest fee increased from $5,000 toward higher levels under separate DHS rulemaking (see Federal Register 2026-10082). Note: OBBBA’s TPS change was capping Form I-821 EAD validity at 1 year, not a fee change — the TPS application (Form I-821) fee remains approximately $50 under the 2024 USCIS fee rule (capped by INA § 244(c)(1)(B)), with no fee for re-registration.

Final Rules typically include a 30-day or 60-day delayed effective date from Federal Register publication. Proposed Rules receive a 60-day public comment period before potential finalization. Submit comments at regulations.gov referencing the rule’s docket number; comments become part of the rulemaking administrative record. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), USCIS, ICE, and CBP each have their own Federal Register agency tag — search federalregister.gov for “Immigration” topic OR the specific agency.

Verify all USCIS form fees at the official Fee Schedule before filing: uscis.gov/g-1055 (Form G-1055). USCIS Contact Center: 1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833) Monday-Friday 8:00am-8:00pm Eastern Time. ICE Detainee Locator System: locator.ice.gov/odls. EOIR immigration court hearings information: 1-800-898-7180 (case status) or justice.gov/eoir. The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin priority dates are published monthly around the 15th for the following month.