Finding immigration help

Warning: Notario públicos (or immigration consultants) cannot give immigration advice.

In the U.S., notario públicos (or immigration consultants) are not lawyers. They do not have formal training in immigration law.  And, they are not authorized by the U.S. government to represent you in your immigration case. They may certify your identity and your signature, but they are not qualified to give immigration advice or help with an immigration application.

• Avoid immigration consultants and visa consultants. 
• Avoid travel agencies and real estate offices that offer immigration advice. 
• Do not believe anyone who tells you that there is a secret new immigration law or an amnesty. 
• Do not believe anyone who says he or she has a special connection with any U.S. government agency.

Since notario públicos and immigration consultants do not have formal training in immigration law, they often file the wrong immigration applications and miss important filing deadlines. These mistakes can prevent you from getting legal immigration status in the future. Some notario públicos and immigration consultants just take your money and never file your immigration application.

Notario públicos and immigration consultants remain in business because immigrants are afraid to complain about them. If you have been harmed by a notario public or immigration consultant, go to www.stopnotariofraud.org or call (202) 442-3363 for a list of agencies that can help you.

You should only get immigration advice from (1) a licensed lawyer or (2) an accredited representative of a not-for-profit agency recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) of the U.S. government.

To represent you in an immigration case, a lawyer must have a state license. Here is how to check:

• Ask the lawyer, “In what state are you licensed to practice law?”  You can also ask to see the license and write down the license number.
• Then, contact the “state bar association” or the state court system to find out how to check if the license is "valid" and if the lawyer is in “good standing.” For a list of state bar associations, visit the American Bar Association website
• Do not use a lawyer on this list. Lawyers on this list are banned from work on immigration cases. 

An accredited representative is a person who works for a not-for-profit agency recognized (approved) by the U.S. Department of Justice. They have permission to represent people in immigration applications or cases, depending on their qualifications. To check if someone is an accredited representative, or if an organizations is recognized, go to https://www.justice.gov/eoir/recognition-accreditation-roster-reports 

Visit our immigration topic, here to find a list of immigration legal aid providers in your area. Simply, select the issue that best describes your legal problem, put in your zip code and then look under "Find Legal Aid in NYS".

If you do not qualify for free or low-cost immigration help, contact the American Immigration Lawyers Association for a referral to a licensed immigration lawyer.

This guide was prepared for general information purposes only. The information it contains is not legal advice. Legal advice is dependent upon the specific circumstances of each situation. Also, the law may vary from state to state. Some information in this guide may not be correct for your state. To find local resources, visit LawHelp.org and select your state. 

This guide was created by the Legal Aid Society of Northeastern New York in partnership with the New York LawHelp Consortium and Pro Bono Net, with support from the Legal Services Corporation Technology Initiative Grant program.