We received this information from the Immigration Advocates Network.
BIA Accreditation:
A nonprofit that wants to provide legal advice to immigrants or represent them in legal proceedings needs to have a lawyer on its staff or be recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). “Recognition” is permission to offer the legal services. “Accreditation” is permission for a particular staff member to provide the legal services.
On Friday, March 20th, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) is offering a teleconference and webinar on the BIA Recognition and Accreditation Program. It will present an overview of the program for organizations interested in becoming recognized and preparing staff for accreditation. We want to alert you to resources on recognition and accreditation, available through the Immigration Advocates Network (IAN), our partners and other advocates.
Resources:
* A PowerPoint overview of the Recognition and Accreditation program at (immigrationadvocates.org/link.cfm?19287).
* A Folder in the “Capacity Building” section of IAN’s Library, with documents that explain the requirements for BIA recognition and accreditation at (immigrationadvocates.org/link.cfm?18835)
* Matter of Ayuda, 26 I&N Dec. 449 (BIA 2014), a recent decision to update and clarify the BIA’s interpretation of the term “nominal charges” for recognition applications at (immigrationadvocates.org/link.cfm?23998)
* Matter of United Farm Workers Foundation, 26 I&N Dec. 454 (BIA 2014 ), a recent decision holding that a recognized organization makes only one application for a staff person to be accredited at more than one branch office at (immigrationadvocates.org/link.cfm?23999)
* Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)
CLINIC provides a toolkit to help organizations and staff seek recognition and accreditation at (cliniclegal.org/resources/toolkit-bia-recogition-accreditation)
* Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)
Information about the BIA’s Recognition and Accreditation Program, including a roster of approved organizations and individuals and frequently asked questions at (justice.gov/eoir/ra.htm)
* World Relief
World Relief has information on its website about becoming recognized and accredited at (worldrelief.org/immigrant-legal-services/legal-support-network)