The California Immigration Consultant industry will remain intact for now, as a bill that would have banned the practice has stalled in the state legislature.
Assembly Bill 638, authored by Assemblymember Anna Caballero, had been approved by the State Assembly in May and was set to be reviewed by the Senate Appropriations Committee. But the author decided to pull the measure from the committee’s agenda.
AB 638 proposes to eliminate immigration consultants, which would create a sizeable gap in the availability of low-cost immigration services.
“This effort is a tremendous example of the power of grassroots advocacy,” said Bill Anderson, Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Notary Association. “Since this bill was introduced, we have worked with attorneys, hundreds of registered and bonded immigration consultants, and other associations serving the immigrant community to oppose it.”
Among the groups that joined with the NNA in opposing AB 638 were:
- The Latin American Immigration Association;
- The National Association of Immigration Consultants; and
- The National Association of Immigration Professionals.
“The NNA will continue to work with our coalition partners to defeat AB 638 once and for all, and protect California’s legitimate immigration consultants, who provide invaluable, nonlegal assistance to our immigrant community,” Anderson said.