master hearing

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salonichand

Registered Users (C)
hi, i went to IJ who hv gvn me a date for master hearing smwhr in april'09..is that called a final hearing or r thre sm more hearings after the master hearing? Initially, IO has retained certain original docs of mine for verification & my lawyer reminded about the docs to IJ also.....so...
1. when can i get my original docs back?
2. in the referral letter, it states tht i can apply fr work authorisation after 150 days whereas lawyer said u can apply aft 180 days, can u clarify it plz, if work authorisation is gvn wht is d right time to apply & for how long will tht b valid?

ur reply is helpful & appreciated, thnx in advance..
 
Next hearing date is called individual hearing. At this time if the judge reaches a decision it will be your final one, but many times the judge can postpone to a later date for any reason. All your documents you presented to the IO will be transferred to the court so your originals should be with the judge at your individual hearing. On the other hand if the documents are missing, your lawyer could use it as a defense.
You are eligible for a work permit 180 days after you filed for Asylum, at least I was.

All these questions and more will be easily answered by your attorney. Your lawyer is hired by you and respectfully is being paid for, so do not be afraid to ask anything you want concerning your case.
 
salonichand said:
hi, i went to IJ who hv gvn me a date for master hearing smwhr in april'09..is that called a final hearing or r thre sm more hearings after the master hearing? Initially, IO has retained certain original docs of mine for verification & my lawyer reminded about the docs to IJ also.....so...
1. when can i get my original docs back?
2. in the referral letter, it states tht i can apply fr work authorisation after 150 days whereas lawyer said u can apply aft 180 days, can u clarify it plz, if work authorisation is gvn wht is d right time to apply & for how long will tht b valid?

ur reply is helpful & appreciated, thnx in advance..
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I don't know what state you are in but here in New York City, I had to go to the court four times. Once you are referred to the IJ, your case starts all over again. In my case, in the first hearing, (I think it was called a master hearing), the judge asked me what I wanted to do, I told him I wanted to apply for asylum and need a little bit of time to gather my paperwork. He gave me four months. Next hearing(also called master hearing), I submitted the paperwork. My next date was three months later(individual hearing), this is when I got cross-examined by the judge and the DHS attorney. I was called two months later and I got the decision. In master hearing the court is full of people but in the individual hearing, it is you, the judge and the DHS attorney. Giving the IO the original documents is not a good idea. The DHS confiscated my passport, and it took me about 6 months to get the passport back.

You can apply for work authorization after 150 days. Remember whenever you request additional time from the IJ, your clock stops.
 
Hi, my clock is still running & i checked today , 143 days hv elasped. For filing I-765, my lawyer is charging 160$ as fees saying tht if i file myself, thre is a chance of getting declined which may lead to trouble. though i hv already attended first master hearing & got a date fr next master hearing on 1st week of may. Can anybody suggest me if it is advisable to fill form I-765 myself to save lawyer's fee or if i dnt apply correctly it may get declined as well. My lawyer told me tht it again take 3 mnths to get work permit whereas by d time i get it, i will hv to go fr next hearing, time is very crucial, plz someone advise me...
 
salonichand said:
Hi, my clock is still running & i checked today , 143 days hv elasped. For filing I-765, my lawyer is charging 160$ as fees saying tht if i file myself, thre is a chance of getting declined which may lead to trouble. though i hv already attended first master hearing & got a date fr next master hearing on 1st week of may. Can anybody suggest me if it is advisable to fill form I-765 myself to save lawyer's fee or if i dnt apply correctly it may get declined as well. My lawyer told me tht it again take 3 mnths to get work permit whereas by d time i get it, i will hv to go fr next hearing, time is very crucial, plz someone advise me...
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Do it yourself and save the $160 if you are confident. It is a straightforward form to fill. You can also do it online. You have to wait 150 days before you can apply.
 
Hi, i have already attended the master hearing in mid of sep'08 , tht time iwasescorted by my lawyer, IJ simply confirmed my name n lawyer, i replied in positive n then gvn me ano date for may'09. Now when i call up Immigration court information system it says ur next master hearing is on may 09. can anybody tell me will tht be my final/individual hearing, if so why the system says as ur next master hearing? any advise is appreciated before i see my judge next week ...
 
salonichand said:
Hi, i have already attended the master hearing in mid of sep'08 , tht time iwasescorted by my lawyer, IJ simply confirmed my name n lawyer, i replied in positive n then gvn me ano date for may'09. Now when i call up Immigration court information system it says ur next master hearing is on may 09. can anybody tell me will tht be my final/individual hearing, if so why the system says as ur next master hearing? any advise is appreciated before i see my judge next week ...
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What does your court papers say? Does it say Master Hearing or Individual hearing? If it says Master Hearing, the IJ may be expecting more evidence. During the Master Hearing, the court will be full with other people. In the Individual Hearing, it is just you, the IJ and the USCIS attorney.
 
Thanks Meshbahul for ur immead reply....my court paper say it as a master hearing only but when i attended it for the first time after getting referal notice from asylum office it was full of other people also & IJ has gvn all diff dates to all people....
 
If the hearing notice and the 1800 number both say your next hearing is a master calendar hearing, that is what is going to happen. This will not be your individual hearing, it will be just like your last master hearing with a lot of people there. At the May 09 master you will be scheduled for another hearing in the future. It could be another master, or it could be the individual hearing. In New York judges are already scheduling individual hearings for 2010, so you could still have a long time to wait until your case is finished.

As for the I-765, you can apply for it yourself, it is pretty easy. Once the clock is over 150 days you are eligible to apply. But you need to make sure you enter the right code [c8] at #16 and mail the form to the correct address. These are the parts that people get wrong most often and results in the application being denied. You also need to mail a copy of the acknowledgment letter from the USCIS that says your asylum application was filed and a copy of the hearing notice for your next hearing date.
 
salonichand said:
Thanks Meshbahul for ur immead reply....my court paper say it as a master hearing only but when i attended it for the first time after getting referal notice from asylum office it was full of other people also & IJ has gvn all diff dates to all people....
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I had two master hearing, one individual hearing and then the last hearing the decision was read out. Once the IJ makes sure that you have submitted all the evidence you want to submit, the IJ will schedule an Individual hearing. Atleast that is how it is in New York City. The whole process took me one year from start to finish.
 
Thanks senowen & mesbahul, yeah when i call 1-800 no. it says as ur next master calender hearing, the letter issued also says "presence waived for respondent for may 09 hearing", so i understood it as next master hearing only. For I-765, i m applying myself only, but plz can u advise me at # 15, it asks for current immigration status such as student, visitor etc...since i came here on B-1 visitor visa & currently I am out of status as my visa already got expired long ago and my asylum application is pending, wats to be filled? plz reply
 
The hearing notice says "presence waived for respondent"? That means you don't even have to show up. Only your lawyer needs to show up at the May 09 hearing.

As for #15 on the I-765, most people in your situation just put "asylum applicant" or "none"
 
Thanks Senowen, I appreciate u hv got gud knowledge about the process, I m almost ready to file I-765 as will be completing 150 days on Jan 6th. so getting ready with docs.Hoping to get the work permit after a mnth if everything goes well.U have been very helpful & ecouraged me a lot...
 
Today i got EAD card after a mnth of appying. I am really thankful to Senowen in gvng me tips to fill I-765 form & I cud save my $160, lawyer fees.Now I m heading to apply for SSN.
 
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