Page 459
COMBINED MANUAL
ISSUE DATE 11/2020
NON-CITIZENS – IMMIGRATION COURT ORDERS
0011.03.33
Some people obtain their immigration status or classification through an Immigration Judge’s order in Immigration Court. Immigration court orders are acceptable documentation of a person’s immigration status or classification. However, immigration court orders cannot always be verified correctly by the federal immigration status verification system, Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE). Immigration Court is part of the Department of Justice, while SAVE is operated by the Department of Homeland Security. These federal agencies have separate databases. Because communication is often delayed between these databases, SAVE often does not have updated information for people who have been granted an immigration status or classification through immigration court.
IDENTIFYING AN IMMIGRATION COURT ORDER
Immigration court orders vary in appearance. Some will be written in paragraph form while others will be a standard form with an X marked on the status or classification the judge is granting. Identify an immigration court order by looking for the following information: ● At the top of the document, the words: - “UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR IMMIGRATION REVIEW IMMIGRATION COURT”. OR - “ORDER OF THE IMMIGRATION JUDGE”.
● The court’s address.
● A judge’s signature.
● The person’s immigration status or classification, which can be found at the bottom of either: - The court’s cover page (before court clerk’s signature). OR - The court order (before the judge’s signature).
When a person presents an immigration court order: ● Inform the person that their immigration court order will be verified with the federal immigration court.
● Do NOT run a SAVE report.
● Immediately send in a PolicyQuest (PQ) and attach the immigration court order.
● DHS will verify the immigration court order and report back to the local agency through PQ.
The certification letter for Certified Victims of Trafficking is not an immigration court order. For more information, see 0011.03.30 (Non-Citizens - Trafficking Victims).