Immigrants who desperately want to become U.S. citizens can easily fall prey to scams promising them assistance in their endeavor. Immigration officials, lawmakers and immigration advocate groups in conjunction with States Attorneys are stepping up efforts to protect vulnerable immigrants from scams.
Many of the people who scam immigrants pose as immigration lawyers, promising them naturalization. One man in New York collected $75,000 from people hoping for citizenship by boasting he had 12 years’ experience with immigration law. By the time he was caught, many of his clients were awaiting deportation. These scammers posing as lawyers often don’t file the papers they are paid to handle or fill them out incorrectly.
Other companies have extorted hundreds of thousands of dollars by selling visa and immigration forms, which are free from Citizenship and Immigration Services. Other immigrants have been scammed by people such as accountants or lawyers, who are not qualified to deal with immigration laws.
The efforts to curtail the frauds immigrants are subjected to include informative advertising, which helps them identify bogus lawyers. There is also an increase in nonprofit agencies that provide immigrants with basic legal services.
Immigrating can be a difficult and costly, but most are willing to pay if they are being aided by a legitimate immigration attorney. If an immigrant has lost all their funds to fraud they may see their hopes of naturalization destroyed. Hiring a certified immigration lawyer is essential to guarantee an individual naturalization.
