Purchase Your California Immigration Consultant Bond
California statutes define the specific services non-attorney immigration consultants may perform, and the prerequisites you must meet in order to register with the state.
As the nation’s leading bond provider for the nation’s Notaries, the NNA makes it easy to obtain your state-required immigration consultant bond.
$100,000 2-year Bond
Price: $1,700
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How to Become an Immigration Consultant in California
An immigration consultant is defined by the state as a person who is authorized to provide non-legal assistance or advice on immigrant matters. California law requires that immigration consultants:
Submit the following to the Secretary of State:
- Copy of current $100,000 surety bond
- Completed Immigration Consultant Disclosure form
- Copy of valid and current photo identification
- 2” x 2” passport photo
- $30 filing fee
- Copy of Request for Live Scan form
A California Immigration Consultant may not:
- Give any type of legal advice
- Make claims promising or implying a special influence with the immigration process or Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)
- Advertise as a Notario Publico or other foreign-language translation of “Notary Public.” Also, you may not literally translate “licensed,” “lawyer,” or “attorney” to imply that you are an attorney.
- Assist in the selection of forms or advise as to answers
- Make false or misleading statements to a client while providing services to the client
- Apply fees higher than nominal, fair market prices for your administrative services
- Charge a client or referral fee to another for services that you, as an immigration consultant, cannot provide to the client
A California Immigration Consultant may:
Provide nonlegal assistance on immigration matters including:
- Completing forms provided by a federal or state agency only when answers are dictated by the immigrant applicant
- Translating a person's answers to questions posed in USCIS forms
- Making copies of supporting documents (e.g. birth certificates)
- Submitting completed forms on someone's behalf to the USCIS if specifically requested to do so
- Provide referrals to persons who could undertake legal representation activities for someone in an immigration matter
What is The Difference Between A Notary Bond and Immigration Consultant Bond?
Immigration bonds protect the public against errors committed during the immigration consulting process, not those involving notarization. If you are currently a Notary and apply to become an immigration consultant, you will be required to post the mandatory immigration bond.
Your Best Source for Your California Immigration Consultant Bond
The NNA has provided surety bonds and Errors and Omission (E&O) coverage to millions of America's Notaries since 1957. We have the expertise to help to ensure that you're properly equipped to comply with state law as you register to perform your important duties in service to America's immigrant population.
Strict laws govern California's Immigration Consultants and violators can be fined up to $100,000. They may even be sent to jail for up to a year.
Subject to Underwriter Approval
Underwritten by Merchants Bonding Co.
IMPORTANT
If you are a California Notary working on immigration-related cases — and you are not registered as an immigration consultant — offering advice or assistance is considered unauthorized practice of law and can result in harsh penalties, including fees, suspended commission, or even criminal charges. Proper signage and other supplies, not offered by the NNA, may be required for Immigration Consultants in California. To learn more about what an immigration consultant can and cannot do, visit the California Department of Justice website.