American Immigration Lawyers Association
Public records raise at least one point you should look into before giving.
What it says it does
THE AMERICAN IMMIGRATION LAWYERS ASSOCIATION (AILA) WAS ESTABLISHED TO PROMOTE JUSTICE, ADVOCATE FOR FAIR AND REASONABLE IMMIGRATION LAW AND POLICY, ADVANCE THE QUALITY OF IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY LAW AND PRACTICE, AND ENHANCE THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF ITS MEMBERS.
- Income
- $22.7 million
- Spending
- $20.7 million
- Employees
- 104
- Volunteers
- 700
- Highest pay
- $359,211, executive director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. How we rate
Financial health
We do not score finances when yearly spending is very small or the return has too little detail. The ratios stop meaning much at that size.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. How we rate
Governance
This return does not answer enough of the governance questions to score.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (5)
- ADVOCACY, LIAISON, AND IMMIGRATION POLICY: IN KEEPING WITH ITS MISSION TO PROMOTE JUSTICE AND ADVOCATE FOR FAIR AND REASONABLE IMMIGRATION LAW AND POLICY, AILA ADVOCATED FOR LEGISLATIVE CHANGES, CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT, AND ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES ON A WIDE RANGE OF IMMIGRATION ISSUES, INCLUDING DUE PROCESS IN ALL PROCEDURES AFFECTING PEOPLE'S IMMIGRATION STATUS, IMPROVED CASE PROCESSING TIMES, IMMIGRATION COURT REFORM, REDUCTIONS IN THE USE OF DETENTION AND UNNECESSARY ENFORCEMENT MEASURES, AND ENSURING A FAIR, HUMANE AND EQUITABLE LEGAL IMMIGRATION SYSTEM. AILA ORGANIZED A WIDE VARIETY OF ADVOCACY ACTIONS FOR OUR MEMBERS TO PARTICIPATE IN, INCLUDING A NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION LOBBY DAY, LETTERS TO CONGRESS CAMPAIGNS, AND COMMENTING ON REGULATORY AND POLICY CHANGES. IN ADDITION, AILA CONTINUED TO PUSH POLICY AND LEGAL POSITIONS ON A VARIETY OF SUBSTANTIVE AND PROCEDURAL ISSUES THROUGH OUR AILA MEMBER VOLUNTEER COMMITTEES, NGO WORKING GROUPS AND PARTNERSHIPS, AND FORMAL AND INFORMAL AGENCY LIAISON. AILA ALSO CONTINUED TO SUPPORT ITS MEMBERS BY TRACKING TRENDS IN AGENCY PRACTICES AND PROVIDING PRACTICE MATERIALS AND GUIDANCE.
- EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES: AILA'S FOCUS CONTINUED TO BE ON ENHANCING THE QUALITY AND VALUE OF OUR MEMBERS' LEARNING EXPERIENCE, WHILE ALSO EVALUATING PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS AND EXPANDING ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL MATERIALS. AILA IS A MAJOR LEGAL PUBLISHER DEDICATED SOLELY TO IMMIGRATION LAW AND PRACTICE, WITH OVER 39 PUBLICATIONS TO GUIDE MEMBERS THROUGH THIS EVER-CHANGING FIELD OF LAW. THIS INCLUDES THE AILA LAW JOURNAL, A MEMBER BENEFIT THAT IS PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH FULL COURT PRESS AND THAT WAS ACCESSED BY MEMBERS OVER 3,843 TIMES IN 2025. AILA'S IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL CONFERENCES, WEB SEMINARS, WEBCASTS, AND VIDEO ROUNDTABLES PROVIDE MEMBERS WITH A DIVERSIFIED PORTFOLIO OF LEARNING OPTIONS LED BY EXPERIENCED IMMIGRATION LAW PRACTITIONERS. AILA'S E-LEARNING SITE PROVIDES MEMBERS WITH ADDITIONAL E-LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL IN THE FORM OF LIVE AND PRERECORDED ONLINE COURSES. SOME LEARNING OPTIONS PROVIDE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES TO HEAR FROM REPRESENTATIVES OF VARIOUS GOVERNMENT AGENCIES THAT REGULATE IMMIGRATION LAW AND POLICY. THE OFFERINGS FOR 2025 PROVIDED A PLETHORA OF CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION (CLE)-ELIGIBLE PROGRAMMING INCLUDING THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE WHICH OFFERED COMPREHENSIVE FUNDAMENTALS TRACK AS WELL AS ADVANCED TRACKS COVERING THE MAIN AREAS OF IMMIGRATION, AS WELL AS PROGRAMMING TO ASSIST LAWYERS IN RUNNING THEIR PRACTICES INCLUDING WELLNESS AND TECHNOLOGY. AILA ALSO PROVIDED A WEALTH OF ONLINE EDUCATION RESOURCES AS PART OF MEMBERSHIP INCLUDING VIDEO ROUNDTABLES AND SEMINAR RECORDINGS. AILA'S WEBSITE, AILA.ORG, CONTAINS OVER 44,859 IMMIGRATION-RELATED DOCUMENTS IN THE INFO NET RESEARCH LIBRARY, MAKING IT ONE OF THE PRIMARY BENEFITS OF AILA MEMBERSHIP. AILA LINK IS AILA'S SUBSCRIPTION-BASED IMMIGRATION LAW RESEARCH DATABASE, WITH FULLY SEARCHABLE ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES ESSENTIAL FOR PRACTICING IMMIGRATION LAW. IN ADDITION, ALL AILA MEMBERS RECEIVED COMPLIMENTARY ACCESS TO THE FAST CASE RESEARCH LIBRARY, A SEARCHABLE DATABASE OF FEDERAL COURT AND BOARD OF IMMIGRATION APPEALS DECISIONS. AILA'S FLAGSHIP DAILY E-NEWSLETTER, AILA8, ALLOWS READERS TO PERUSE THE TOP 8 IMMIGRATION NEWS ITEMS OF THE DAY IN 8 MINUTES OR LESS. IN 2025, AILA DELIVERED OVER 100 EDUCATION EVENTS IN VARIOUS FORMATS AND PUBLISHED 12 NEW PUBLICATIONS, MOST OF WHICH WERE OFFERED IN BOTH PRINT AND DIGITAL FORMATS.
- PRACTICE AND PROFESSIONALISM TOOLS AND RESOURCES: AILA DEVELOPED VARIOUS RESOURCES TO HELP MEMBERS MAINTAIN PROFESSIONAL VALUES AND FOLLOW MANDATED PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT RULES. ONE SUCH RESOURCE IS THE AILA ETHICS COMPENDIUM DEVELOPED BY THE ETHICS COMMITTEE TO HELP IMMIGRATION LAWYERS NAVIGATE ETHICS RULES AND ETHICAL DILEMMAS THAT ARISE IN IMMIGRATION PRACTICE. IN ADDITION, THE ETHICS COMMITTEE CONTINUED TO PUBLISH A SERIES OF ARTICLES COVERING NEW ETHICAL ISSUES RAISED BY GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. AS A RESULT OF THE RAPID CHANGES TO THE PRACTICE OF IMMIGRATION LAW, AILA CREATED NEW RESOURCES TO HELP MEMBERS UNDERSTAND THE CHANGES, ESPECIALLY IN TECHNOLOGY, OCCURRING IN THE LEGAL MARKETPLACE AND HOW THOSE CHANGES INFLUENCE THE WAY IMMIGRATION LAWYERS DELIVER LEGAL SERVICES. IN 2025, OUR PROFESSIONALISM STAFF ALSO ENGAGED ONE-TO-ONE WITH MEMBERS DOZENS OF TIMES AT CHAPTER AND NATIONAL EVENTS TO RESOLVE ISSUES AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR PRACTICE NEEDS.
- WELLNESS AND SELF-CARE:IN RESPONSE TO MEMBER REQUESTS, AILA INCREASED RESOURCES FOR MEMBERS TO BETTER HANDLE THE RISING STRESS OF IMMIGRATION LAW PRACTICE. AILA CONTINUED TO ADD NEW RESOURCES TO THE LAWYER WELL-BEING CENTER (NOW, THE WELL-BEING CENTER), WHERE MEMBERS CAN TURN FOR ARTICLES ON REDUCING STRESS AND BUILDING RESILIENCE TO CHRONIC STRESS, LIVE VIDEO ROUNDTABLES ON A VARIETY OF WELL-BEING TOPICS, AND SHORT AUDIO RECORDINGS OF MEDITATIONS, AMONG OTHER RESOURCES. IN ADDITION, AILA ONCE AGAIN HOSTED ITS ANNUAL WELL-BEING WEEK IN LAW, ALONG WITH OTHER BAR ASSOCIATIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY 2025.
- PRO BONO RESOURCES:AILA HOSTED PRO BONO PROGRAMS TO HELP MEMBERS MEET THEIR PROFESSIONAL OBLIGATIONS TO PROVIDE FREE LEGAL SERVICES. AILA HAD SEVERAL PROGRAMS INCLUDING CITIZENSHIP DAY, THE AILA ANNUAL CONFERENCE CLINIC, AND THE MILITARY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (MAP) THAT MATCHED ACTIVE ENLISTED MILITARY PERSONNEL WHO NEED IMMIGRATION ASSISTANCE FOR THEMSELVES OR A CLOSE FAMILY MEMBER WITH AILA MEMBERS WHO VOLUNTEER THEIR SERVICES AT NO CHARGE. IN ADDITION, AILA EDUCATED MEMBERS ON A VARIETY OF OTHER PRO BONO OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE REMOTELY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(6) business league.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Caution.
The IRS master file records contributions to this 501(c)(6) business league as not deductible.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since July 1974.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.