Each year, thousands of immigration-related cases are decided in the Federal Courts. In the deportation context, cases decided by Immigration Judges can be appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals and from there, nondiscretionary matters may be appealed to the appropriate U.S. Court of Appeals.
When the government fails to make a decision regarding a petition, an application or a visa for an unreasonably long time, the petitioner or applicant can request that a Federal Judge issue a Writ of Mandamus compelling the agency to take action on the pending matter.
Over the past 30 years, our law firm has won a number of significant victories for our clients in Federal Courts across the United States.
We hope that this page helps you understand the workings of the Federal Courts.
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“I’ve had a decade of experience with Mr. Shusterman’s law firm. I used them for my immigration needs from H1 to citizenship. It is safe to say this is one of the most competent, professional and knowledgeable law firms. If there is a firm that can handle any possible immigration case routine or otherwise; then this is it.”
- D. Chen, Phoenix, Arizona
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Federal Courts Immigration Cases is divided into the following subtopics:
- Success Stories
- General Information
- Federal Appellate Courts
- Practice Advisories From The American Immigration Council (AIC)
SUCCESS STORIES – FEDERAL COURTS CASES
- Petitions for Writs of Mandamus
- How to Force the USCIS to Approve Your Case
- Overcoming the FBI Name Check Backlog
- Mediation Prevails Over Litigation
- Victory for Foreign-Born Physicians in Federal Court
- Immigration Delays: Why Wait When You Can Litigate?
Federal Courts – General Information
- Immigration and the Supreme Court
- U.S. Courts: The Federal Judiciary
- Federal Judges Biographical Database
- Implementation of Next Generation Case Management and Electronic Case Filing for the 9th Circuit (10-27-14)
Federal Appellate Courts
| Supreme Court | 1st Circuit | 2nd Circuit | 3rd Circuit | 4th Circuit | 5th Circuit | 6th Circuit |
| Federal Circuit | 7th Circuit | 8th Circuit | 9th Circuit | 10th Circuit | 11th Circuit | DC Circuit |
- U.S. Court of Appeals (1st Circuit) – Audio Files of Oral Arguments
- U.S. Court of Appeals (3rd Circuit) – Audio Files of Oral Arguments
- U.S. Court of Appeals (4th Circuit) – Audio Files of Oral Arguments
- U.S. Court of Appeals (5th Circuit) – Audio Files of Oral Arguments
- U.S. Court of Appeals (7th Circuit) – Audio Files of Oral Arguments
- U.S. Court of Appeals (8th Circuit) – Audio Files of Oral Arguments
- U.S. Court of Appeals (9th Circuit) – Audio Files of Oral Arguments
- U.S. Court of Appeals (9th Circuit) – Videos of Oral Arguments
- U.S. Court of Appeals (9th Circuit) – Immigration Outline
Practice Advisories on Federal Courts – American Immigration Council
- Immigration Lawsuits and the APA: The Basics of a District Court Action (10-04-21)
- Litigation for Business Immigration Practitioners (6-10-21)
- Mandamus and APA Delay Cases: Avoiding Dismissal and Proving the Case (2-19-21)
- The Government Answered a Complaint Alleging Administrative Procedure Act Violations – Now What? (11-20-20)
- Requesting Attorneys’ Fees Under the Equal Access to Justice Act (8-14-20)
- Whom to Sue and Whom to Serve in Immigration-Related District Court Litigation (5-28-20)
- Guerrero-Lasprilla v. Barr: Implications for Judicial Review (3-31-20)
- Agency Delay Litigation: Opposing a Motion to Dismiss (10-04-19)
- Litigation for Business Immigration Practitioners (8-20-18)
- Practice Tip: Mandamus May Get Results When Nothing Else Works (9-14-16)
- Requesting Attorneys’ Fees Under the Equal Access to Justice Act (6-17-14)
- Immigration Lawsuits and the APA: The Basics of a District Court Action (6-20-13)
- Reinstatement of Removal (4-29-13)
- The Fugitive Disentitlement Doctrine: FOIA and Petitions for Review (4-29-13)
- Seeking a Judicial Stay of Removal in the Court of Appeals (5-25-12)
- How To File A Petition For Rehearing, Rehearing En Banc And Hearing En Banc In An Immigration Case (4-29-11)
- How to File a Petition for Review (2-28-11)
- Whom to Sue and Whom to Serve (5-13-10)
- Electronic Filing and Access to Electronic Federal Court Documents (4-13-09)
- “Finality” of Removal Orders for Judicial Review Purposes (8-5-08)
- Mandamus Jurisdiction over Delayed Applications: Responding to the Government’s Motion to Dismiss (4-8-08)
- Immigration Lawsuits and the APA: The Basics of a District Court Action (5-9-07)
- Return to the United States after Prevailing on a Petition for Review (1-17-07)
- Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) Fee Application (4-7-06)
- Federal Court Jurisdiction Over Discretionary Decisions After REAL ID: Mandamus, Other Affirmative Suits and Petitions for Review (4-5-06)
- Mandamus Actions: Avoiding Dismissal and Proving the Case (8-15-05)
- Judicial Review Provisions of The REAL ID Act (6-7-05)
- Suggested Strategies for Remedying Missed Petition for Review Deadlines or Filings in the Wrong Court (4-20-05)
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Carl Shusterman
Immigration Attorney Carl Shusterman has 40+ years of experience. He served as an attorney for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) from 1976 until 1982, when he entered private practice. He has testified as an expert witness before the US Senate Immigration Subcommittee. Carl was featured in SuperLawyers Magazine. Today, he serves as Of Counsel to JR Immigration Law Firm.