Sterling immigration court: location, hearings and what to expect on the day

Northern Virginia has two immigration courts, and a hearing notice names only one of them. If yours says Sterling, the Sterling immigration court is the one in Loudoun County, inside a commercial building on Ridgetop Circle.

This guide explains where the Sterling Immigration Court is located, how to confirm your hearing location, and what to expect when you arrive. The addresses, phone numbers and hours come from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). That is the Justice Department agency that runs the immigration courts.

Where the Sterling immigration court is and when it is open

The court lists its details on the EOIR page for the Sterling Immigration Court:

Address: 21400 Ridgetop Circle, Suite 200, Sterling, VA 20166
Phone: 703-674-4600
General email: [email protected]
Public hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Filing window: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Days: Monday to Friday, except federal holidays

Elevator access to the court floors begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m., and EOIR does not allow visitors on those floors once security has left for the day.

The court can also close for bad weather or another emergency. On a snowy morning, check the EOIR operational status page before you leave home.

Sterling immigration court at a glance: address, phone, hours and how to prepare for your hearing

How do you confirm that your hearing is in Sterling?

Start with the paper. The Notice to Appear, the document that opens a deportation case, may already state the date, time and place of your first hearing. If it does not, the court mails a separate hearing notice with that information, according to EOIR’s practice manual.

The same manual says the court sends any change of date, time or location by mail, to the address it has on record. If the court has an old address for you, the notice goes to the old address.

Then check online. EOIR runs the Automated Case Information System, known as ACIS, where you enter your A-Number and nationality. The A-Number is the registration number printed on your immigration papers. EOIR warns that ACIS does not display every case or every detail, and that only the documents issued by the court are official.

EOIR also runs an Automated Case Information Hotline at 1-800-898-7180. According to EOIR’s Policy Manual, the hotline gives the next hearing date, time and location. Treat ACIS and the hotline as a second check, not as a replacement for your notice. Our step-by-step guide explains how to check your immigration court date online or by phone.

If the notice and these tools do not match, call the court at the number above.

Keep your address current: two official wordings of the deadline

Two official texts state the deadline for reporting a move, and they are not worded the same way.

The regulation requires written notice “within five days of any change of address.”
The instructions on Form EOIR-33/IC, the court’s change of address form, say “within five working days.”

The prudent reading is the shorter one: count five days on the calendar, weekends included, and file before they run out. The form is on the EOIR forms page.

Getting to the court, parking and passing security

For parking, the court page says only this: street parking and paid parking are close by.

By bus, the court page points to Route 70 of Loudoun County Transit. The county’s current timetable runs that route between Leesburg and Sterling, with several stops on Ridgetop Circle. The county lists its local buses as free to ride. Look up stops and times on the Loudoun County Transit schedules page beforehand, because timetables change.

What should you expect at the door? Every visitor goes through security on every visit. These are the rules the court publishes:

You walk through a metal detector and your belongings go through an X-ray machine.
Officers may send you to a second inspection, with a hand wand and an X-ray of your shoes. You may be asked to take your shoes off.
Food and drinks are not allowed unless the immigration judge permits them.
Cameras and recording devices are prohibited in courtrooms and other EOIR space.

You may keep your phone with you, but the practice manual requires all devices to be turned off inside the courtroom.

Hearings start at the scheduled time, and the manual says you must be in the courtroom at that time regardless of any delay at security. The manual also says parties should arrive at the court before the scheduled time. EOIR does not publish a recommended number of minutes or a grace period. As general advice, leave a wide margin for traffic, parking and the security line.

What to bring to your hearing

EOIR does not publish a checklist for the day. Two items come straight from the official sources:

Your hearing notice or Notice to Appear, which shows the date, time and place.
A completed Form EOIR-33/IC if your address or phone number has changed. The judge verifies both at the hearing.

The rest is general advice, not a court requirement. Bring a photo ID if you have one, copies of anything already filed in your case, and any letter the court sent you.

On clothing, the practice manual asks attorneys for business attire and asks everyone else for “proper attire”. It gives no list.

What happens at a hearing

Most people begin with a master calendar hearing, a first hearing the manual describes as held for pleadings and scheduling. The judge explains the charges in plain language and tells you about your rights. One is the right to a representative at no expense to the government. The judge also sets deadlines and the next date.

If you do not speak English well, EOIR provides an interpreter at government expense. The manual asks you to request one at least 30 days before the hearing where you will need it.

Contested questions are decided later, at a merits hearing, which EOIR also calls an individual calendar hearing. There the judge takes evidence on challenges to the charges and on applications to stay in the country.

Every case is different, and how many hearings you will have depends on yours.

Sterling or Annandale: how to tell which court has your case

Picture someone who drives to the court they know and learns at the security desk that the hearing is at the other one. By then there may be no time left to cross to the right building.

The two addresses, as EOIR lists them:

Court	Address	Phone
Sterling Immigration Court	21400 Ridgetop Circle, Suite 200, Sterling, VA 20166	703-674-4600
Annandale Immigration Court	7619 Little River Turnpike, Suite 400, Annandale, VA 22003	703-343-4000

EOIR does not publish a rule that sends certain ZIP codes or certain kinds of cases to one court or the other. Your home address will not tell you which court has your case. Your hearing notice will, and ACIS or the EOIR hotline gives you a second check. If your hearing is at the other court, see our Annandale immigration court guide.

Is the hearing online? EOIR’s list of immigration courts covers internet-based hearings for Sterling. It also says that people without a representative have an in-person hearing by default, and that anyone unsure whether the hearing is in person or online should call the court.

Can you appear by phone? The manual says the judge may allow it at some master calendar hearings, on a written or oral motion, and that you must appear in person unless the motion has been granted.

If the person with the hearing is detained, do not assume the hearing is in Sterling. Check the notice and ACIS, or call the court. Two of our guides can help: one for a family member detained by ICE in Virginia and one on the Chantilly ICE facility. ICE is Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency in charge of immigration detention.

If you cannot attend or you missed your hearing

Missing a hearing has a specific legal consequence. The Immigration and Nationality Act covers a person who received written notice and does not attend. That person “shall be ordered removed in absentia.” In plain terms, the judge can issue a deportation order without you in the room.

EOIR’s manual adds that there is no appeal from that order. What exists is a motion to reopen, a written request asking the same judge to undo the order and hear the case. The rules for that motion are strict:

You may file only one.
If you missed the hearing because of exceptional circumstances, such as a serious illness, you have 180 days from the order.
If you never received proper notice, or you were in federal or state custody, you may file at any time.

Missing a hearing is frightening, and it is also a situation the law anticipates. If it has already happened, speak with an immigration attorney about a motion to reopen now. Our guide on what happens if you miss a hearing goes through the process.

If the problem is distance because you moved, the answer is a motion to change venue. That is a request to transfer your case to another court. Under the venue regulation, the judge may grant it for good cause, and only if you give a fixed street address. Until the judge grants it, you must still appear in Sterling.

Immigration deadlines can be short

Do you know how much time you have left to act?

In immigration matters, deadlines are strict and rarely extended, and missing one can permanently remove options that were available to you. Building a strong case also takes time: gathering evidence, preparing documents, and reviewing your history. That means the real window to act is always shorter than the deadline itself.

Speak with an attorney (571) 503-7786 WhatsApp

Attorneys Khalid Shekib & Daniela Lucena · Alexandria, VA

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my hearing is in Sterling or Annandale?

Read your hearing notice, which states the place, and check your case in ACIS or on the EOIR hotline. EOIR publishes no rule that assigns cases by ZIP code. If the two disagree, call the court named on your most recent notice.

Can I change my hearing to another court?

You can ask. EOIR’s manual calls for a written motion with evidence, a fixed street address and a detailed explanation. The judge decides. Filing the motion does not excuse you from the hearing already scheduled.

Can my family come with me?

In most cases, yes. EOIR states that hearings are generally open to the public, although a judge may limit attendance or close a hearing. Children are the exception. The manual’s courtroom decorum rules say children who are not part of the hearing should not be brought to court.

Do I need a lawyer for a master calendar hearing?

The law does not require one, and the government does not pay for one. At that first hearing the judge gives you a list of free legal service providers. You may also ask for more time to find representation. Getting advice before the hearing is worth it, because the judge sets deadlines there.

What if I arrive late?

EOIR publishes no grace period. Its manual says any delay may result in the hearing being held without you, security lines included. As general advice, if you are running late, still go to the court and tell court staff when you arrive. If the judge has already issued an order without you, speak with an immigration attorney as soon as possible about a motion to reopen.

Before your hearing date in Sterling, check the address twice

The wrong building, a notice mailed to an old apartment, a line at the metal detector: each of these can be checked before the day.

At Law Group International, attorneys Khalid Shekib and Daniela Lucena represent people in immigration court across Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland, in English and Spanish. If you have a hearing date in Sterling, bring your notice to an attorney before that date.

Ready to prepare your case with an experienced immigration team?

Schedule a consultation

Khalid Shekib & Daniela Lucena · Law Group International

Offices in Alexandria, VA

(571) 503-7786 WhatsApp

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship with Law Group International. Immigration law changes often and every case is different, so speak with an immigration attorney about your own situation.

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