U.S. Department of Justice
Executive Office for Immigration Review
Office of the Director
5107 Leesburg Pike, Suite 2400
Falls Church, Virginia 22041

Internet: www.usdoj.gov/eoir

EOIR OPENS VIRTUAL LAW LIBRARY ON THE INTERNET

Falls Church, VA - The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced today the opening of its Virtual Law Library (VLL) on its Web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir. This new feature contains a wealth of information to assist students and practitioners of immigration law.

Among its on-line resources, the VLL contains recent decisions rendered by the Board of Immigration Appeals (Board) and the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO). Board decisions include both precedent decisions dating back to 1976 and indexed decisions dating back to 1996. (Indexed decisions are those decisions not published by the Board but used as internal guidance.) OCAHO decisions include precedent decisions dating back to 1988.

Other items of interest in the VLL are links to the Board's Practice Manual, which provides basic information to persons involved in appellate proceedings and answers frequently asked questions about appeals and motions; the Recognized Organization and Accredited Representative Roster, which lists those organizations and persons authorized to appear before the Board, the Immigration Court, and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS); and the Suspended and Expelled Practitioner List, which lists those attorneys who have been formally suspended from practicing before the Board, the Immigration Courts, or the INS.

EOIR plans to update and expand the VLL to include earlier precedent decisions from the Board, an interactive index to recent precedent decisions, a search engine, and other enhancements.

Besides information specific to EOIR, the VLL contains links to a variety of on-line reference materials and other Internet sites related to immigration law and procedures. The VLL's Internet address is: http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir/vll/libindex.html. Comments, suggestions, and ideas concerning the VLL can be submitted to EOIR from the VLL index page.

EOIR is the component of the U.S. Department of Justice that is responsible for developing policies and directing activities related to the conduct of administrative hearings and appellate reviews on a variety of immigration issues, including the determination of individuals' immigration status in the United States. EOIR is headed by a Director who reports to the Deputy Attorney General. Its organization includes the Board of Immigration Appeals, and the Offices of the Chief Immigration Judge and the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer.

- EOIR -