- Agencies & Their Links
- Filing Fees
- Fillings Fees
- For Attorneys
- General
- Glossery
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AGENCIES
EOIR – Immigration Court
BIA – Appeals of Immigration Court Decisions
AAO – Appeals of USCIS Decisions
OPLA/OCC – Attorneys Representing the Government before EOIR
OIL – Attorneys Representing the Government Before Circuit Courts (& sometimes the BIA)
USCIS – Government Agency Granting Immigration Benefits
USCIS AO – Affirmative Asylum Offices
The relevant agencies most commonly encountered in immigration cases.
EOIR – Executive Office of Immigration Review
- EOIR Practice Manual
- EOIR Resources for Attorneys
- EOIR Forms
- EOIR Appendixes Containing Sample Documents
BIA – Board of Immigration Appeals
- Board of Immigration Appeals Precedent Decisions
- Board of Immigration Appeals Practice Manual
- BIA Headnote Interim Decision Chart
AAO – Administrative Appeals Office
The Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) conducts administrative review of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers’ decisions regarding immigration benefit requests
OPLA / OCC – Office of Principal Legal Advisor or Office of Chief Counsel
OPLA is under ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and it is the office that handles the prosecution of removal proceedings before the EOIR.
USCIS – U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is the federal agency that oversees lawful immigration to the United States.
Asylum Offices – USCIS Asylum Offices
Responsible for:
- Conducting protection screenings;
- Adjudicating asylum and refugee applications; and
- Adjudicating other immigration benefits both domestically and internationally.