Free Case Evaluation

Evaluate your case with our experienced attorneys.

Get Started

Who Needs a Motion to Reopen (MTR)?

For individuals who received a deportation order simply because they failed to appear at their scheduled immigration court hearing (an in absentia order).

  • Lack of Notice: Proving that you never received the Notice to Appear (NTA) or hearing date notice due to a clerical error, wrong address, or agency failure.
  • Exceptional Circumstances: Demonstrating that your absence was caused by a severe medical emergency, serious accident, or circumstances completely outside of your control.
  • Automatic Stay of Removal: When you file a Motion to Reopen an in absentia order, your deportation is automatically paused until the judge makes a decision.

For immigrants whose home country conditions have drastically worsened or who have newly discovered, vital evidence that was unavailable during their original trial.

  • Changed Country Conditions: Showing that a new regime, recent political upheaval, or specific targeting has newly put your life in direct danger if deported.
  • Newly Discovered Facts: Presenting critical evidence that simply did not exist or could not be reasonably discovered during your initial hearing.
  • Overcoming Deadlines: Normally, you only have 90 days to reopen a case. We strategically use changed country conditions to bypass this strict deadline and file at any time.

For individuals whose previous immigration case was denied or mishandled due to the gross negligence, fraud, or incompetence of their former attorney or a fake "notario".

  • Lozada Claims: Building a formal, rigorous complaint demonstrating exactly how your prior legal representation failed you and violated your right to due process.
  • Missed Deadlines: Rescuing your case if your former lawyer completely missed critical filing deadlines, failed to submit necessary evidence, or gave you catastrophic legal advice.
  • Restoring Your Rights: Erasing the mistakes of your past attorney to give you a fair, second chance to present your case properly with competent, aggressive legal defense.
Who Needs a Motion to Reopen (MTR)?

Motions to Reopen (MTR) Lawyers: Overturn Unjust Denials and Stop Deportation

Receiving a final order of removal or a devastating case denial feels like the end of your American journey. It is not. Federal immigration courts and agencies make life-altering mistakes every day. When a judge denies your asylum claim, or when you receive an in absentia deportation order simply because the government sent your hearing notice to the wrong address, you have the absolute right to fight back. A Motion to Reopen (MTR) is your ultimate legal weapon to force the government to look at new, undeniable evidence and reverse their negative decision. At YellowLAW, we rip apart flawed rulings. We aggressively litigate MTRs to shatter unjust deportation orders, expose prior legal malpractice, and revive your legal status.

Filing a successful MTR requires far more than just asking a judge for a second chance. The standard of proof is brutally high. You must present compelling, previously unavailable facts that would physically alter the outcome of your original case. Our elite immigration litigators do exactly that. We hunt down the missing records, secure powerful expert testimonies, and deploy the aggressive legal strategies necessary to reopen your file and demand the approval you deserve.

Grounds for Reopening Your Immigration Case

Immigration judges will instantly reject a motion that simply re-argues old facts. Your filing must strike at the core of specific statutory requirements. We build bulletproof cases around the precise legal grounds that force the court's hand.

Legal Ground for MTR The Reality of the Claim Our Litigation Strategy
Newly Discovered Evidence Crucial documents, witnesses, or facts existed during your original trial but were impossible for you to obtain or present to the judge. We construct an airtight evidentiary timeline proving you exercised extreme diligence, forcing the court to admit the new evidence and re-evaluate your entire claim.
Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Your previous immigration lawyer committed severe malpractice, missed critical deadlines, or gave you catastrophic legal advice that ruined your case. We execute strict "Lozada" requirements, formally filing bar complaints against the fraudulent attorney and proving their incompetence directly caused your denial.
Changed Country Conditions The political or social landscape in your home country violently deteriorated after your asylum case was denied, creating a new, imminent threat to your life. We partner with top geopolitical experts and human rights organizations to produce undeniable documentation of the new regime changes, bypassing standard time limits.
Lack of Notice (In Absentia) The judge ordered you deported simply because you missed your hearing, even though the government mailed the notice to the wrong address. We subpoena court mailing logs and cross-reference postal records to prove a definitive failure of due process, automatically staying your deportation and rescinding the order.

Conquering the Unforgiving 90-Day Deadline

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) imposes a strict 90-day deadline from the date of your final order to file a standard Motion to Reopen. Missing this window usually destroys your chances. We do not accept defeat based on the calendar. Our attorneys utilize complex legal doctrines like equitable tolling to force the courts to accept late filings when exceptional circumstances prevented you from acting sooner. You can review the rigid federal timelines directly through the official USCIS Appeals and Motions guidelines, but navigating these bureaucratic traps requires elite legal firepower.

Stopping Physical Deportation: The Emergency Stay of Removal

Filing a motion does not put an invisible shield around you. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can still physically deport you while your MTR is sitting on a judge's desk awaiting review. The only exception is an MTR filed against an in absentia order, which triggers an automatic stay. For all other cases, we immediately file an emergency Stay of Removal alongside your MTR. We confront ICE enforcement directly, demanding they halt any deportation flights and release you from detention until the judge officially reviews your new evidence.

Why Trust YellowLAW to Resurrect Your Case?

Overturning a judge's order requires surgical precision and relentless aggression. We take apart the government's arguments piece by piece. We fund the extensive investigations needed to find the evidence your prior attorney ignored. Do not surrender your life in the United States to a bureaucratic error, a missed piece of mail, or bad legal counsel. Contact YellowLAW immediately. We take absolute control of the timeline, file the emergency motions to stop your deportation, and force the legal system to give you the justice you were denied.

Got Questions? We're on it.

Who Needs a Motion to Reopen (MTR)? • Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, under specific legal exceptions. If country conditions in your homeland have violently deteriorated, or if your previous attorney committed severe malpractice that ruined your case, we argue for "equitable tolling" to legally bypass the 90-day statutory bar and force the court to hear your case.

An appeal argues that the judge made a legal error based on the existing record of your trial. A Motion to Reopen argues that entirely new, material evidence has emerged that was completely unavailable during your original hearing, meaning the judge must look at fresh facts to decide your fate.

No. Unless your MTR is strictly challenging an "in absentia" removal order (meaning you missed court), filing the motion does nothing to stop ICE from deporting you. We must simultaneously file a separate emergency Stay of Removal to legally block your physical deportation while the judge reads the motion.

You received an "in absentia" order of removal. We file a specialized MTR to rescind this order. We must prove to the court that you never received the official Notice to Appear, or that "exceptional circumstances" like a severe medical emergency physically prevented you from attending the hearing.

Yes. Marrying a U.S. citizen creates a new path to a Green Card. We negotiate a joint motion with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or file an MTR with the court to reopen your removal proceedings, allowing you to adjust your status and remain in the country based on your legitimate marriage.