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Know Your
Rights!
Anyone offering immigration help must follow
certain laws. These are some of the most important ones.
Any person who says
he/she is a lawyer must have a license from the State Bar of
any state. You can ask to see his/her license and write down
the number, and you can call the State Bar where he/she is licensed
to find out if the license is valid. A person who does
immigration papers but is not a lawyer is called an immigration
consultant.
An immigration
consultant must obey these laws:
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Give you a
written contract that:
● is in your own language
● says you can cancel for any reason within 72 hours
● that says how much money you have to pay
● that says what kind of application the person will file for
you
-
Pay a $50,000
bond to the Secretary of State and give you proof of the bond.
-
Have a big sign
in his/her office saying he/she is not an attorney and show that
the bond has been paid.
-
Never pretend to
be a lawyer.
-
Never say he/she
has special influence with the INS.
-
Never file any
document for you without going over it with you and explaining
it to you.
-
Never keep your
original documents and refuse to return them unless you pay.
-
Never tell you to
lie on an application.
What to do if someone has cheated you:
If the person cheating you is a lawyer, call the State Bar where he
is licensed. In New York, that number is 1-518-463-3200.
If the person cheating you is not a lawyer, you can call
Watch our for
immigration scams!
Be careful when
getting someone to help you with your immigration papers.
Don't be fooled by false promises. You could lose your money
AND be removed or deported from the United States.
If someone
says:
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We can get you
work permits right away
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We offer no-risk
immigration
-
We can get US
visas for you and your family in a few weeks
-
We know people at
USCIS and can get your papers done quickly
THESE ARE LIES!
DON'T BELIEVE THEM!
Here are some things you can do to protect
yourself:
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Never sign any blank application papers.
-
Never sign any paper or immigration form
that you do not fully understand. (Get someone you trust to
translate it for you.)
-
Never sign any documents that contain
false or inaccurate information.
-
Always demand a written contract for any
immigration services when you are not working with a recognized
agency.
-
Never sign a contract that you don't
understand.
-
Watch out for anyone who wants you to pay
immediately.
-
Always get copies of the papers prepared
for you.
-
Never let anyone keep your original
documents (example: birth certificates, marriage
certificates).
-
Do not pay more than a nominal fee to
someone who is not an attorney or make payments on the internet.
-
Get a receipt for any money you pay. (Make
sure it has the amount paid, the date paid, your name, and the name
of the person or business that you paid.)
-
Never work with someone who will not answer
your questions.
-
Verify that your attorney is licensed or
your representative is accredited by the BIA.
Further
Warning. . .
Some people, such as notaries public, immigration consultants and
lawyers, assure undocumented persons that they can obtain work
authorizations or green cards because they have lived in the country
for ten years or more.
Many people refer to
this as short-term documentation or documentation for the time
being. However, this is incorrect. The law these people
are mistakenly referring to pertains to cancellations of removal and
CAN ONLY BE GRANTED BY A JUDGE DURING A DEPORTATION HEARING.
This law provides a
remedy only to those persons who are in deportation proceedings.
It is very difficult to obtain relief from removal through
cancellation of removal, largely due to the need to demonstrate more
than just the ten-year residency requirement. This form of
relief against deportation only applies to persons who have a
spouse, child, or parent who is a citizen or permanent resident.
In order to obtain a cancellation of removal in this manner, one
must prove that the citizen or resident family member would suffer
"exceptional and extremely unusual hardship" if deportation goes
forward. Because this last requirement is so difficult to
demonstrate, many such cases are denied.
BE CAREFUL! BE
SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SIGNING!
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