USCIS has posted an announcement on their Field Offices page that, effective May 18, 2026, attorneys and accredited representatives will no longer be allowed to appear telephonically at client field office interviews and in affirmative asylum and Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) 203 interviews at asylum offices, except in limited circumstances. 

This includes interviews for applications including, but not limited to:

• Form I-485, Adjustment of Status
• Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence
• Form N-400, Application for Naturalization

Applicants wishing to have legal representation must have their attorney physically present at the interview. This means that out-of-town attorneys would be required travel to attend the interview to join their clients. Applicants may also decide to hire a local attorney to attend the interview with them. 
USCIS has not provided any guidance as to what circumstances may allow for telephonic attorney attendance.

Contact the Law Offices of James D. Eiss today for questions related to interview appearance at the Buffalo Field Office. 

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 UPDATE 6/24/26 - The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) reached out to USCIS for further clarification on what limited circumstances may qualify for a telephonic appearance. No clarification was provided.

However, USCIS did provide a process for how those wishing to request a telephonic appearance can do so:

To submit a request for an exception to the Ceasing Remote Representation policy, an attorney or accredited representative with an approved Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative on record should submit a request through the USCIS Contact Center https://www.uscis.gov/contactcenter. The request will be reviewed at the discretion of the local USCIS Field Office or Asylum Office Director.