New Jersey immigration lawyers have always been aware of illegal entities scamming immigrants under the guise of providing immigration-related services. The New Jersey Atty. Gen.'s Office and the New Jersey division of Consumer Affairs have filed complaints against at least four allegedly fraudulent immigration services providers in the state.
According to Consumer Affairs, these four providers all claimed to be public notaries. The four businesses were based in Passaic and Hudson counties. The complaint accuses these businesses of trying to take advantage of the confusion regarding the powers of a public notary in the United States.
In several Latin American countries, a person known as a notarios publicos has the power to act as a lawyer, draft legal documents and give legal advice. However, immigrants in the United States must know that in this country, there are no such legal powers granted to any immigration consultants, public notaries or any other persons who claim to offer immigration-related services. Only qualified New Jersey immigration attorneys, or representatives who have been properly accredited and authorized by the federal government, have the legal authority to file immigration forms and other documents on behalf of clients.
According to the complaint, these businesses placed Spanish-language ads in local newspapers, advertising their immigration-related services. These ads offered help with naturalization, and targeted Spanish-speaking people who wanted U.S. citizenship.
The New Jersey immigration lawyers at our office are pleased to note that the New Jersey Atty. Gen.'s Office is cracking down on dubious companies that take advantage of unsuspecting immigrants.
