FA R M L A B O R I N F O R M AT I O N B U L L E T I N
Voice of the Fields California
April 22, 2011
FREE
Volume 21, Number 4
Immigration scams on the rise
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n the state of California, only attorneys licensed to practice in state or federal courts can give you legal advice on immigration issues. Notarios, notary publics and immigration consultants may NOT represent you or give you legal advice. While in many other countries the word “Notario” means that the individual is an attorney, this is not true in the United States and they may not provide the same services that an attorney or accredited representative does. An immigration consultant can only give you non-legal advice such
as translating information to you or translating your answers for immigration forms, assist you in getting necessary documents, and (only if you ask) submit your forms to the United States Department of Citizen and Immigration Services (formerly known as Immigration and Naturalization Services or INS). An immigration consultant or “notario” may NOT give you legal advice on what immigration benefit you may apply for or what to say in an immigration interview. These consultants may not present himself or herself as someone who is
Dos and Don’ts The U.S. Department of Citizen and Immigration Services have produced the following guidelines to help you protect yourself: How to Protect Yourself from Becoming a Victim: 8 DO NOT sign blank applications, petitions or other papers. 8 DO NOT sign documents that you do not understand. 8 DO NOT sign documents that contain false statements or inaccurate information. 8 DO NOT let anyone keep your original documents. 8 DO NOT make payments to a representative without getting a receipt. 8 DO NOT pay more than a nominal fee to non-attorneys or make payments on the internet. 4 DO obtain copies of all documents prepared or submitted for you. 4 DO verify an attorney’s or accredited representative’s eligibility to represent you. 4 DO report any representative’s unlawful activity to USCIS, State Bar Associations and/or State Offices of Attorneys General.
qualified in legal matters or in immigration and naturalization procedures. If you are seeking help with immigration questions, you should be very careful before paying money to anyone who is not an attorney. Paying someone who is not qualified to help you in these affairs can cost you thousands of dollars and harm your immigration status. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services agency recently launched a crackdown against these fake immigration lawyers and are working with the California State Attorney’s office to help educate immigrants on how to spot them. The California Office of Attorney General has listed the following common immigration scams on its website (www.ag.ca.gov): n Making false promises and implying he or she has special influence with the INS. Nobody can guarantee you a work permit or any other immigration benefit. n Posing as an immigration consultant or lawyer when he or she is not qualified to do so. n Taking a consumer’s money and not delivering any services. n Persuading a consumer to lie on an application or to an INS agent. Continued on next page