What Is Form G-28? Representative, Filing, and Duration

Form G-28, the Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative, is the document that tells the Department of Homeland Security who is legally representing you in your immigration case. You file it with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and there is no filing fee. Once DHS accepts it, your attorney or accredited representative becomes your official point of contact, and the agency sends case notices, evidence requests, and decisions to them.

What the Form Actually Does

Form G-28 is a notice of representation, not an application for any immigration benefit. It does two things at once: it confirms that the person claiming to represent you is legally qualified to do so, and it authorizes DHS to share your records with that person.¹ Your signature on the form is your Privacy Act consent to the release of any records about you held in the systems of USCIS, ICE, or CBP.²

Without a properly filed G-28, DHS will not recognize anyone as your representative, even if you have hired and paid an attorney. Federal regulations require the form to be properly completed and signed before any appearance is recognized.³ If the form is submitted without a valid signature, USCIS processes your case as though no representative was designated at all.⁴

Who Can File a G-28 as Your Representative

Federal regulations limit who can appear on a Form G-28. The eligible categories are:⁵

Attorneys licensed and in good standing in any U.S. state, territory, possession, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
Accredited representatives who work for a nonprofit religious, charitable, or social service organization recognized by the Department of Justice and who have been personally accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Law students and law graduates not yet admitted to the bar, appearing under the supervision of a licensed attorney, accredited representative, or faculty member. They cannot be paid by the person they represent, and the DHS official must grant permission.
Reputable individuals of good moral character with a pre-existing relationship to you, such as a relative, neighbor, or friend, who appear without payment and with the DHS official’s permission. This category does not extend to anyone who regularly practices immigration law or holds themselves out as qualified to do so.
Accredited foreign government officials, appearing solely in an official capacity and with your consent, on behalf of the government to which you owe allegiance.

Attorneys Licensed Outside the United States

An attorney licensed in a foreign country cannot file a standard G-28. If your matter is being handled at a DHS office outside the United States, that attorney uses Form G-28I instead, and the DHS official overseeing the matter must grant permission for the appearance.⁶ Form G-28I cannot be used for cases pending at DHS offices inside the United States.

Immigration Court Is a Separate System

Form G-28 covers representation only before DHS agencies. If you are in removal proceedings before an immigration judge or the Board of Immigration Appeals, your attorney uses Form EOIR-28, issued by the Executive Office for Immigration Review. The two forms serve similar purposes in different parts of the immigration system.

What Information the Form Asks For

The form has five parts. Part 1 collects the representative’s name, mailing address, and contact information. Part 2 covers professional credentials: attorneys list every jurisdiction where they are admitted and their bar numbers, and accredited representatives provide the name of their recognized organization and the date of their accreditation. Part 2 also identifies which DHS agency the matter is pending before and the specific case or form number involved, such as Form I-485 for adjustment of status.¹

Part 3 is the representative’s formal notice of appearance and signature. Parts 4 and 5 belong to you and your representative. In Part 4 you provide your full name and USCIS Online Account Number, if you have one, then sign to confirm your consent to representation and the release of your records.¹

Where USCIS Sends Your Mail After You File

Part 4 has checkboxes that decide where USCIS sends documents in your case. These are worth reading carefully.

Item 1.a. sends original notices to your representative with copies to you.
Item 1.b. sends secure identity documents, such as Employment Authorization Documents or Green Cards, to your representative, with copies of accompanying notices to you.
Item 1.c. lets you receive notices containing your Arrival-Departure Record (Form I-94) yourself rather than having them go to your representative. You have to check this box to get them.¹

One restriction to know: USCIS will not mail secure identity documents to a private or business address in a foreign country. It will mail them to the U.S. business address of an attorney admitted abroad, or to an APO, FPO, or DPO military address.¹

How the Form Gets Filed

If you are filing a new application on paper, such as Form I-485 or Form I-130, the completed G-28 goes on top of the application packet. If your case is already pending and you are adding a representative later, mail the G-28 to the USCIS office processing your case, using the address on your most recent USCIS notice. Write “ATTN: G-28” on the envelope below the P.O. Box, and include your receipt number.⁷

Attorneys and accredited representatives with a USCIS online account can file the G-28 electronically. When a representative starts an application through the USCIS portal, the system builds the G-28 into the workflow, and you sign it by logging into your own USCIS online account before either form is submitted.⁸ Your email address has to match what appears on the application for the accounts to link.

If more than one attorney or accredited representative will appear on your case, each must file a separate G-28. Law students and law graduates are the exception; they list their information on the same G-28 filed by their supervising attorney rather than filing their own.¹

How Long the Representation Lasts

A G-28 stays in effect only for the specific matter it was filed on.³ It does not carry over to a new application or an appeal. If USCIS denies your application and your attorney files an appeal on Form I-290B with the Administrative Appeals Office, a new G-28 has to go with the appeal.¹ The same is true if you later file a separate application, even with the same attorney.

Changing or Removing Your Representative

To switch to a new attorney or accredited representative, you and the new representative complete and sign a new G-28 and mail it to the USCIS office where your case is pending, with “ATTN: G-28” on the envelope and your receipt number included. Check the Part 4 mailing preference boxes so notices go where you want them. Filing the new G-28 automatically replaces the previous representative on record.⁷

To continue your case without any representative, send a letter to the USCIS office handling your case stating that you want to withdraw your legal representative and will proceed on your own. Include your receipt number and write “ATTN: G-28” on the envelope. Once USCIS processes the letter, all future communication goes directly to you.⁷

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative
3
eCFR. 8 CFR 292.4 – Appearances
4
eCFR. 8 CFR 103.2 – Submission and Adjudication of Benefit Requests
5
eCFR. 8 CFR 292.1 – Representation of Others
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Form G-28I, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney in Matters Outside the Geographical Confines of the United States
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Your Form G-28
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Online Filing for Attorneys and Accredited Representatives