AILA’s Advocacy Action Center allows you to advocate for legislative and policy reforms consistent with AILA’s principles and priorities.
Get InvolvedThe brand-new 18th edition of Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook is now shipping.
Order NowLearn how to tackle challenges like finding and retaining affordable staff, working better in a hybrid or remote environment, when and how to raise fees, and much more.
Register NowAILALink puts an entire immigration law library at your fingertips! Search the AILALink database for all your practice needs—statutes, regs, case law, agency guidance, publications, and more.
If you don’t already have an AILA.org account, you will need to create one and then sign in before you can apply online for AILA membership.
Create an Account Apply or Renew Online
Note: If you are unable to apply online and need a paper application sent to you, or have any questions, please contact membership@aila.org.
Founded in 1946, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is the national association of more than 16,000 attorneys and law professors who practice and teach immigration law. AILA is a nonpartisan, non-for-profit organization that provides continuing legal education, information, professional services, and expertise to its members through its 39 chapters and over 50 national committees.
There are five types of memberships - regular, nonprofit, senior, retired, and law student. Persons residing and practicing outside the United States may apply for international associate status. Paralegals of AILA members are eligible to gain access to many AILA research tools and educational opportunities. Government employees and members of the public can register for an account on AILA.org. See below for more information.
Regular National Dues are determined by your original AILA join date.
Chapter dues, which are also required, range from $25 to $100 and are determined by your geographical location of practice.
Online payment for your dues can be made using a Credit/Debit card. The use of a payment plan is available to Regular Members who wish to have their dues payment spread throughout the year. The payment plan can be requested during checkout and will split your dues into four payments, taken at intervals of 90 days. Please note that there is a one-time processing fee of $15 applied to the first payment. The remaining three payments will only be 1/4th of the total.
Learn More About Membership Create an Account Apply or Renew Online
If you are employed by a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit organization, which provides free or low cost legal services to immigrants, and you earn less than $84,000 annually, you may be eligible for the reduced National dues rate of $162. The organization must be the attorney's only source of income. All nonprofit members must provide proof of eligibility upon application and renewal.
If you qualify, you must submit a letter from your organization attesting to:
Omission of the above information will delay the process of your application.
Nonprofit Members are required to submit proof of their continuing Nonprofit Membership eligibility each year.
**Nonprofit Members are not eligible to partake in the Payment Plan for renewal**
Persons who have been AILA members for at least 25 years and who have reached the age of 65 are entitled, upon request, to be Senior Members.
As a current AILA member who is retiring from the practice of law, you may request the retired membership category and rate. Your state bar license must be completely retired at the time of request and membership renewal.
**Retired Members are not eligible to partake in the Payment Plan for renewal**
Students who are enrolled in a full-time capacity at an ABA or like body accredited law school may be eligible for Law Student Membership with AILA.
Persons residing and practicing outside the United States may apply for international associate status. Check eligibility requirements for becoming an international associate.
Persons residing and practicing outside the United States who are otherwise ineligible for membership in the Association may apply for International Associate status. Applicants must prove their eligibility to become an International Associate of AILA by submitting a current certificate or letter of good standing of the attorney licensing body of the country in which they reside and practice. Complete the online application to become an International Associate with payment and proof of active license.
Paralegals of AILA members are eligible to gain access to many AILA research tools and educational opportunities. Government employees and members of the public can register for an account on AILA.org.
If you are a paralegal or occupy another support staff role for an AILA member attorney, you are eligible to gain access to many AILA research tools and educational opportunities. Paralegals and support staff of non-member attorneys are not eligible for these benefits.
Because we recognize the important role that support staff play in a law practice, AILA offers special access to the following resources outlined below. This guarantees direct access to all the critical information on AILA.org that staff of AILA member attorneys need to support their supervising attorneys, without the attorney needing to share their own member login credentials (which is not permitted).
Support staff access includes:
Paralegals and support staff are not permitted access to the following AILA member benefits:
*We understand that paralegals and support staff play a critical role. There are certain member benefits that are provided exclusively for member attorneys. As such, member accounts should be associated with their emails and paralegals and support staff should have their own accounts.
**Support staff will be required to renew their access annually, and attorneys are not permitted to register as Paralegals.
***Last name must exactly match what's listed in our database.
Government employees can register by creating an AILA.org account. On the "Person-Type" field of the form choose "Government Employee" from the drop-down. Fill out the rest of the form and click "Create Account" when finished. An e-mail will then be sent to your government address with your login information. Users whose e-mail ends in .gov will receive automatic approval. If your email does not end in .gov, please contact the AILA membership department at membership@aila.org to set up your access.
Members of the public can register for an account on AILA.org and gain access to the Recent Postings Alert, saved searches and bookmarks, and more.
AILA Membership and International Associate Status can be cancelled at any time. However, a prorated refund will only be issued to those members or international associates who are no longer eligible according to AILA’s Bylaws.
Note: If you are unable to apply online and need a paper application sent to you, or have any questions, please contact membership@aila.org.
If you are unable to apply online and need a paper application sent to you, or have any other questions, please contact membership@aila.org
Should your employment situation change, you may need to adjust your membership type.
Please contact membership@aila.org for more information.From comprehensive online courses to quick tips and pointers on discrete topics, AILA University has something to fit the needs and learning objectives of all immigration professionals.
Visit NowAmerican Immigration Lawyers Association
1331 G Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
Copyright © 1993-
American Immigration Lawyers Association.
AILA.org should not be relied upon as the exclusive source for your legal research. Nothing on AILA.org constitutes legal advice, and information on AILA.org is not a substitute for independent legal advice based on a thorough review and analysis of the facts of each individual case, and independent research based on statutory and regulatory authorities, case law, policy guidance, and for procedural issues, federal government websites.