Notarios and How They Can Affect Your Immigration Case

Notarios in the U.S. are not attorneys. They are not licensed to practice law in the state of Colorado. But that does not stop them from taking your money with the promise of filing immigration documents for you.

Last year the state of Colorado made it illegal for non-attorneys to engage in deceptive practices in immigration services. This means a person must be licensed or authorized to practice law in order to advise or assist people in their immigration matters. If someone calls themselves a “notario” and is not licensed to practice law, they cannot take your money to work on your immigration case.

Many times we see cases after they have already been filed by notarios, and there are often serious mistakes made, which could negatively affect a person’s immigration case. Notarios sometimes files forms with incorrect information about the immigrant, or sometimes they file the wrong form entirely. Many times they tell people here without status that they can get them a green card but a green card never comes. Notarios can cause a case to become fraudulently filed without the applicant even knowing anything is wrong. Notarios in the U.S. are perpetrating a scam, and immigrants and undocumented individuals should be wary of their services.

If you know someone who has had their immigration case damaged by a notario, you should consider filing a complaint with the Colorado Attorney General. You can send an email to stop.fraud@state.co.us, call 303-866-5189, or submit a complaint online at https://www.stopfraudcolorado.gov/.

If you have worked with a notario to pursue immigration status in the United States, you should also have your case reviewed by a licensed attorney to ensure you have not signed your name to documents with incorrect information or even misrepresentations. The attorneys at Joseph & Hall P.C. would be happy to evaluate your options and discuss your case with you. Please call us if you have any questions about your immigration case.