A Word about Immigration Fraud

It so happens, that the immigration law practice in the United States is dominated by people of a dubious sort and of questionable moral character, as not to call them candidly: by charlatans. It is difficult to find a professional, licensed and an honest immigration lawyer. The New York Times once wrote, that someone like that is worth his weight in gold.

It may be, that the essence of the immigration law itself, an irrational and schizophrenic law, based on sanctioned legal fiction, demoralizes many who come into contact with it. It may be, that the fact that great number of the immigration clients are desperate, uneducated people, scared and unprotected by the very law which they oftentimes break, allows the charlatans who prey on them to feel they can act with impunity.

Some of these swindlers and thieves are sometimes even corrupted attorneys, whose gaudy advertisements may be found on the pages and portals of indifferent ethnic media. Some of them do not even take the trouble to obtain the legal training and license, but rather, insolently choose to impersonate an attorney, forcing their victims to call them such. What is the source of income of the tens, if not hundreds, of the “multi-service tourist agencies”, choking our neighborhoods like weeds? It does not come from sending parcels overseas.

One can find the victims of immigration fraud at every turn, from fraudulent affidavits of work experience and college diplomas, through non-existent employment sponsors, to United States citizen spouses, bought for large amount of money. Not a few million-dollar mansions of such immigration swindlers were paid for by the tears and sweat of defrauded immigrants.

It is easy to fall prey to such practices and it is therefore very important to be careful in one’s choice of an immigration representative. It is imperative to check if a chosen lawyer is indeed licensed to practice law, since only licensed representatives are allowed to practice before the Immigration Service. Such information is easily accessible on the Internet. A few helpful links may be found on our website.

A membership in the American Immigration Lawyers Association may be a helpful indication that we are at the right address. But not necessarily. It is always better to seek several consultations from different attorneys, before starting a case, and never, ever, to associate oneself with individuals, who are already known to operate without a license.