Where is My Immigration Bond Refund?

When an immigrant is arrested and detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, getting their loved one home is a top concern for family members. After the immigrant is declared eligible for release through an immigration bond, family members rush to pay it so that the immigrant can leave the ICE facility quickly. While this is primarily due to a concern for their well-being and to eliminate the overall disruption of the lives of everyone involved, immigration bonds can be expensive. In many cases, families cannot afford to pay the thousands of dollars required but they do so because they believe they will be able to secure a refund in the future. Sadly, obtaining an immigration bond refund is much more difficult than it initially seems and many are left questioning, where is my immigration bond refund?

In many scenarios, family members opt to pay an immigration bond directly at an ICE facility. Here, they must meet a number of requirements to make the payment. Some of these requirements include being a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident and providing a valid photo I.D. and social security card. They must also schedule an appointment at a nearby ICE facility to make the payment in person. Once this is done, the immigrant is released from ICE custody and able to return home. 

For a standard delivery immigration bond, the immigrant must then abide by all of the terms of their bond. They are required to appear at all future court hearings and to comply with any requests made by the ICE agency. If this is done, the bond will be canceled after the case is resolved in the immigration court system. It is important to note that the final ruling of the case does not alter the immigration bond refund in any way. Even if a loved one is deported, the bond sponsor will be eligible for a refund if the immigrant abided by the terms of their bond throughout the bond period.

At some point afterward, sponsors will receive a Notice of Bond Cancellation (Form I-391) in the mail. They must then submit this form along with Form I-305 to the Debt Management Center. If all goes as planned, the sponsor will receive an immigration bond refund within a few weeks. Unfortunately, a common pitfall of working with ICE is that it never works as smoothly as sponsors are led to believe. Instead, it can be difficult to obtain Form I-391 and even after submitting all of the necessary papers, it can be impossible or extremely time-consuming to actually get a refund.

To avoid wondering where your immigration bond refund is for months or even years after the case has concluded, consider using an immigration bond service instead. Here, you can pay the bond in full along with a small fee. The money is then held in escrow until the case is resolved in court. At this point, the money can then be refunded quickly with no hassle. Reach out to the experts at US Immigration Bonds today to learn more about immigration bond refunds.