Form EOIR-31 Request for Recognition of a Non-profit Religious, Chari

OMB# 1125-0012
U.S. Department of Justice

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

Executive Office for Immigration Review

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 or consolidation of two organizations
where one or both have already been individually accorded recognition, the newly created organization must file a new
application for recognition (Form EOIR31). 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. For more information on applying for
recognition, see the EOIR website at: http://www.justice.gov/eoir/ra/raroster.htm.

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, who are not licensed attorneys, 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, or an organization
may request accreditation 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
may be requested 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

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 District Director for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of DHS and the Chief
Counsel for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of DHS in the jurisdiction where the organization is
located. To identify the appropriate DHS offices, consult the UCIS website at http://www.uscis.gov/aboutus/find-uscis-office and the ICE website at http://www.ice.gov/comtact/opla .

Form EOIR-31
Rev. Oct. 2014

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:

1.

Date Received (mm/dd/yyyy)

Name of Organization Applying for Recognition

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

(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).

2.

Organization’s Address:

3.

Number and Street (Do not use P.O. Box)

City

State

Phone Number

Fax Number

Email Address

Zip Code

@

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, and if applicable, provide a brief, detailed
statement of the organization’s relationship to its parent organization.

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 a list of services, specifying the full range of charges and explaining when
charges are reduced or waived. Also provide 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, that 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.
q Yes
q No
If you answered yes, you must answer the following questions:
(a) Provide the name of the proposed representative:
(b) Indicate the type of accreditation sought for this individual:
q Partial q Full
(Attach a separate sheet if more than one accreditation request is being made).

SIGN HERE

X

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
Rev. Oct. 2014

PROOF OF SERVICE
(You Must Complete Both)

I,

,

(Print Name)

I,

,

(Print Name)

mailed or delivered a copy of this Form EOIR–31 and
its attachments to the District Director for USCIS
of DHS on

mailed or delivered a copy of this Form EOIR–31 and
its attachments to the Chief Counsel for ICE
of DHS on

at

at

(Date - mm/dd/yyyy)

(Number and Street)

(Date - mm/dd/yyyy)

(Number and Street)

(City, State, ZIP Code)

- SIGN
HERE

(City, State, ZIP Code)

- SIGN
HERE

X

X

HAVE YOU SUBMITTED?
q Completed Form EOIR-31, including proof of service
q Proof of nonprofit status (IRS document)
q Copy of Charter, Constitution, By-Laws and/or Articles of Incorporation
q Fee schedule for all immigration services provided and membership dues, if applicable
q List of law library contents and/or online resources
q Funding sources and budget
q Organizational chart and a description of the specific immigration legal services the organization will provide
q Staff resumes, certificates of training, letters of recommendation and evidence of advocacy and research skills
q Requests for accreditation with supporting documentation, if applicable
q 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)
q Copy of BIA decision on prior recognition application, if applicable
For more information about applying for recognition, visit the EOIR website at http://www.justice.gov/eoir/ra.htm.
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 20530.
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, charitable,
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
Rev. Oct. 2014