E-31 Non-Substantive Form Revisions

OMB# 1125-0012
U.S. Department of Justice
Executive Office for Immigration Review

Request for Recognition of a Non-Profit Religious,
Charitable, Social Service, or Similar Organization

INSTRUCTIONS
PREPARATION OF APPLICATION:
To apply for Recognition of a Non-Profit Religious, Charitable, Social Service, or Similar Organization under 8 C.F.R. § 1292,
you must fully and accurately answer all questions on the attached Form EOIR-31. This form must be signed and submitted by
an officer or individual authorized to act for the organization. A separate Form EOIR-31 must be filed for each branch office of
an organization seeking recognition. In the event of a merger of two organizations that have already been individually accorded
recognition, the newly created organization must file a new application for recognition (Form EOIR-31). Your responses must
be typed or printed legibly in ink. Do not leave any questions unanswered or blank. As much as possible answer all questions
directly on the form. If there is no room to respond fully to a question, please continue your response on an additional sheet of
paper. Please indicate the number of the question being answered next to your response on the additional sheet of paper.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
You should submit documentary evidence to establish your organization’s eligibility for recognition. Failure to submit all
supporting documentation may result in the denial of your application.

RECOGNITION IS NOT ACCREDITATION:
Recognition, if granted, does not provide automatic accreditation to the organization’s employees or associates. A recognized
organization may seek from the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) accreditation of particular employees or associates by
requesting either full accreditation (allowing appearances before the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration Courts,
and the BIA) or partial accreditation (allowing appearances before DHS only) for such persons. There is an Optional Form EOIR-31A
to apply for accreditation There is no EOIR form for accreditation requests; rather, or an organization may request
accreditation make such requests on organizational letterhead, supported by documentary evidence, establishing that each
proposed representative is of good moral character and meets the requirements of 8 C.F.R. § 1292.2(d). Accreditation
requests may be requested made simultaneously with or subsequent to the filing of this recognition application (Form EOIR-31).
We caution that failure to demonstrate availability of staff with adequate knowledge and experience in immigration law and
procedure may result in the disapproval of the recognition application.
Please indicate on this form whether a simultaneous request for accreditation of an individual is being submitted. If so, please list
the name of the proposed representative and the type of accreditation being sought (full or partial). The request for accreditation
should include the following supporting documents: resume and certificates of training, letters of recommendation and evidence
of advocacy and research skills (if seeking full accreditation).

WHERE TO FILE:
This application and all supporting documents must be filed with the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA):
R&A Coordinator
Board of Immigration Appeals
Office of the Chief Clerk
5107 Leesburg Pike, Suite 2000
Falls Church, VA 20530-0001

PROOF OF SERVICE:
A complete copy of this application and any request for accreditation as well as all supporting documents must be served on
the local District Director for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of DHS and the local Chief Counsel for
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of DHS who have jurisdiction over the area in which the organization is
located.
Form EOIR-31

OMB# 1125-0012
U.S. Department of Justice
Executive Office for Immigration Review

Request for Recognition of a Non-Profit Religious,
Charitable, Social Service, or Similar Organization

For Official Use Only:

Date Received (mm/dd/yyyy)

Mail To:
Recognition & Accreditation Program Coordinator
Executive Office for Immigration Review
Board of Immigration Appeals, Clerk’s Office
Post Office Box 8530
Falls Church, VA 22041

Recognition & Accreditation Program Coordinator
Executive Office for Immigration Review
Board of Immigration Appeals, Clerk’s Office
5107 Leesburg Pike, Suite 2000
Falls Church, VA 22041

(preferred for most mailings)

(courier, overnight, or in-person deliveries)

1.

________________________________________________requests recognition pursuant to 8 C.F.R. § 1292.2(a) and

2.

(b) so that it may apply for accreditation of persons of good moral character to represent others in immigration
proceedings before the immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) of the Executive Office
for Immigration Review (EOIR) and/or the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS).
Organization’s Address: ____________________________________________________

NAME OF ORGANIZATION APPLYING FOR RECOGNITION

(Number and Street - No P.O. Box)
(City)

(State)

(Zip Code)

(Phone Number)

(Fax Number)

@ _______________________________
(Email Address)

3.

By signing this form, you certify that the organization is a non-profit religious, charitable, social service, or
other (specify: _______________________________________________ ) organization established in the United
States. Attach proof of the organization’s non-profit status.

4.

If the organization is chartered, attach a copy of the Charter, Constitution, Articles of Incorporation, and/or By-laws.

5.

What charges or membership dues, if any, are charged to clients? ____________________________ Attach
a fee schedule, if applicable, with list of services, along with a detailed statement of the organization’s sources
and amounts of funding other than dues or fees.

6.

Attach a detailed statement regarding the knowledge, information, and experience in immigration and
nationality law and procedure available to the organization. Also attach a list of library and/or internet resources.

7.

Provide a description of the specific immigration legal services the organization will provide.

8.

Resumes and any immigration training certificates for staff members should be attached. A description and/or diagram
of the organizational structure of the organization should be included, which shows the supervision of staff members.
Any supervision or assistance provided by attorneys should be documented, including proof of the immigration practice
experience of the attorneys. Any arrangement to consult with other recognized organizations or attorneys should be
documented.

9.

Indicate whether an accreditation request is being made at this time.
Yes
No
If you answered yes, provide the name of the proposed representative: _____________________________________ .
Indicate the type of accreditation sought for this individual:
Partial Full
(Attach a separate sheet if more than one accreditation request is being made).
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SIGN HERE

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____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SIGNATURE

(Type or print) Name and title of authorized official of organization

You must complete the Proof of Service on the reverse

Form EOIR-31

PROOF OF SERVICE
(You Must Complete Both)
(Print Name)

I

,

(Print Name)

,

mailed or delivered a copy of this Form EOIR–31 and
its attachments to the local District Director for USCIS
of DHS on __________________________________
(Date - mm/dd/yyyy)

mailed or delivered a copy of this Form EOIR–31 and
its attachments to the local Chief Counsel for ICE
of DHS on __________________________________
(Date - mm/dd/yyyy)

at ________________________________________
(Number and Street)

at _______________________________________
(Number and Street)
(City, State, ZIP Code)
-

(City, State, ZIP Code)
-

SIGN
HERE
,

SIGN
HERE
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X

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X

I

,
HAVE YOU SUBMITTED?

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Completed Form EOIR-31, including proof of service
Proof of nonprofit status (IRS document)
Copy of Charter, Constitution, By-Laws and/or Articles of Incorporation
Fee schedule for all immigration services provided and membership dues, if applicable
List of law library contents and/or online resources
Funding sources and budget
Organizational chart and a description of the specific immigration legal services the organization will provide
Staff resumes, certificates of training, letters of recommendation and evidence of advocacy and research skills

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Requests for accreditation with supporting documentation, if applicable
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Written confirmation of any agreement(s) made to consult with other nonprofit organization(s) or private attorney(s)
on a pro bono basis in more complicated cases or other acceptable arrangements to demonstrate adequate
knowledge and experience in immigration law and procedure. Matter of EAC, Inc. (Recognition) 24 I&N
Dec 556 (BIA 2008)
Copy of BIA decision on prior recognition application, if applicable
For more information about recognized organizations, visit the EOIR website at http://www.justice.gov/eoir

Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number.
We try to create forms and instructions that are accurate, can be easily understood, and which impose the least possible burden on you to provide us
with information. The estimated average time to review the form, gather necessary materials, complete the form, and assemble the attachments is 2
hours. If you have comments regarding the accuracy of this estimate, or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions
reducing this burden, you may write to the Executive Office for Immigration Review, Office of the General Counsel, 5107 Leesburg Pike, Suite 2600,
Falls Church, Virginia 22041.
The information is authorized by 8 U.S.C. §§ 1103, 1229a, 1362 and 8 C.F.R. 1292.2 in order to request recognition of a non-profit religious, chararitable,
social service or similar organization. The information you provide is mandatory and required to obtain recognition. Failure to provide the requested
information may result in denial of your request. EOIR may share this information with others in accordance with approved routine uses described in
BIA-002, Roster of Organizations and their Accredited Representatives Recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals.

Form EOIR-31