What to Do After Receiving Form I-220B: Travel, Work, and Check-Ins

If ICE handed you Form I-220B, Order of Supervision, the agency has released you from custody after a final order of removal and placed you under conditions you must follow while you remain in the United States. The form is issued after the 90-day removal period has expired without your deportation being carried out, and it lets you live in the community as long as you report to ICE on schedule, stay within your approved travel area, notify your deportation officer of any changes, and continue to cooperate with efforts to remove you. Break those rules and you can be detained, fined, or prosecuted.

What the Order Requires You to Do

The conditions on your I-220B come from 8 CFR § 241.5, and nearly every order carries the same core set of obligations.

Appear before an immigration officer on the schedule your deportation officer sets, and answer questions under oath about your circumstances.
Give ICE written notice of any change of address or job. The form requires this 48 hours in advance of the change.¹
Keep working on a travel document and help the government obtain one from your home country’s consulate.²
Submit to a medical or psychiatric examination at the government’s expense if directed.
Follow any additional written conduct restrictions your officer imposes.

Your officer may also require a supervision bond. The regulation lets the officer set the amount at whatever level they believe will ensure you comply and surrender for removal when the time comes. If a bond is set, the minimum is typically $1,500.²

Where You Can and Cannot Travel

Most orders restrict how far you can travel from your registered address. The boundaries vary by field office and by case. Some people are limited to a metropolitan area, others to a specific county range. Even in-state travel may require advance written permission if it involves an overnight stay outside your approved area.

Request permission early and in writing when you need to travel for a medical appointment, a funeral, or a work obligation. Include the dates, destination address, and purpose, and attach supporting documents like a doctor’s appointment letter or an employer’s travel requirement. Get the approval in writing and carry it with you. Out-of-state travel and air travel face heavier scrutiny and are sometimes denied outright depending on the posture of your case.

Ankle Monitors and SmartLINK Check-Ins

Many people under an Order of Supervision are also enrolled in ICE’s Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP), which tracks compliance between in-person appointments. ISAP uses three tools: GPS ankle or wrist monitors, the SmartLINK mobile app, and telephonic voice-verification calls.³

SmartLINK requires check-ins through a smartphone using facial-comparison technology. The app matches your photo against your enrollment images and can verify your location at check-in. ICE sets your check-in frequency, and you can ask for a different time window through the app or during a scheduled visit with your case specialist.⁴

If you have a GPS monitor, keep it charged. Letting the battery die counts as a program violation. So does missing a check-in, missing a home visit, leaving the state without permission, or getting arrested. A missed SmartLINK notification is treated as seriously as skipping an in-person appointment. If you slip up, call your deportation officer or ISAP case manager right away rather than waiting for them to come to you.

Getting Permission to Work

Holding an I-220B makes you eligible to apply for an Employment Authorization Document under the (c)(18) category, which covers people with a final order of removal who are under supervision. You file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, and include a copy of the immigration judge’s removal order and a copy of your I-220B.⁵

Approval is discretionary. USCIS weighs several factors beyond eligibility on paper:

Economic necessity. Bank statements, rent receipts, and a breakdown of monthly expenses help show you need to work.
Dependent family members. A spouse or children in the United States who rely on you for support strengthens the case.
The anticipated time before your removal can actually happen.⁵

USCIS directs (c)(18) filers to a designated Lockbox. The correct address depends on where you live, so check the USCIS direct filing addresses page for category (c)(18).⁶ Online filing is also available for some categories.⁷ USCIS adjusted several immigration fees effective January 1, 2026, so confirm the current I-765 filing fee before sending anything. The wrong amount will get your application rejected.

If you cannot afford the fee, file Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, with your I-765. You qualify if any one of three things is true: you or a household member receives a means-tested public benefit, your household income is at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, or you are experiencing extreme financial hardship such as unexpected medical bills or homelessness.⁸ Attach supporting documents — benefit award letters, pay stubs, or a written explanation of your hardship — so the waiver isn’t denied for lack of proof.

One warning about renewals. The (c)(18) category was never included in the list eligible for automatic EAD extensions. If your card expires and you file a renewal, there is no grace period that lets you keep working while USCIS decides.⁹ File your renewal well ahead of the expiration date to avoid a gap.

Asking ICE for More Time

If you need more time in the country for medical treatment, a pending legal matter, or humanitarian reasons, you can file Form I-246, Application for a Stay of Deportation or Removal. This is separate from the I-220B and asks ICE to use its discretion to delay carrying out your removal.

File the I-246 in person at the ERO field office closest to your residence. The processing fee is $155, payable by cash, money order, or cashier’s check made out to “Department of Homeland Security.” The fee is non-refundable even if the request is denied.¹⁰

You need identity documentation in one of three forms:

An original passport valid for at least six months beyond the requested stay period.
A copy of a valid passport plus a birth certificate or other identity document.
Proof of a pending passport application, including proof of fee payment and copies of everything you submitted with it.¹⁰

Include a written statement explaining why you need the stay, with supporting evidence. For a medical request, provide documentation from a doctor covering diagnosis, treatment plan, prognosis, and any required assistance. Include police reports and court documents for every prior arrest and conviction. A separate application is required for each family member. The Field Office Director makes the decision, and there is no formal appeal if the stay is denied. Applications are commonly rejected for procedural mistakes: filing at the wrong office, using one form for multiple family members, forgetting to sign, or paying the wrong fee.

What Happens if You Break the Rules

The consequences of violating your Order of Supervision go past being taken back into custody. Federal law makes it a crime to willfully fail to comply with the terms of supervised release: a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment for up to one year, or both.¹¹

A separate provision targets anyone who willfully fails to depart, refuses to apply for travel documents, or actively prevents their own removal. That carries a potential prison sentence of up to four years, or up to ten years for certain categories of removable noncitizens, including those with aggravated felony convictions or terrorism-related grounds.¹¹

The I-220B itself warns that failure to comply “may subject me to a fine, detention, or prosecution.” The violations that most often trigger enforcement are missing scheduled check-ins, failing to report an address change, being arrested for any offense, and failing to cooperate with travel document efforts. If your order is revoked, ICE can detain you immediately and arrange your removal.

1
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE Form I-220B – Order of Supervision
2
eCFR. 8 CFR 241.5 – Conditions of Release After Removal Period
3
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Alternatives to Detention
4
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Alternatives to Detention Frequently Asked Questions
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Application for Employment Authorization
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Additional Information on Filing a Fee Waiver
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Extension
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Application for a Stay of Deportation or Removal
11
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1253 – Penalties Related to Removal