Does anyone have any suggestions on how to market that a passed the Immigration Forms Specialist training and/or how I would use that to expand my business?
Jst be careful, doing paperwork for immigration is lawyers territory, if you mess a client documents you can be liable for a lawsuit and other consequences…
From NNA:
Please note: NJ and OR prohibit non-attorneys from acting as immigration consultants. CO, NC and TN prohibit non-attorney Notaries from representing themselves as immigration consultants or experts on immigration matters. Fluency in a second/foreign language is highly recommended if you intend to work with immigration clients.
My 2 cents on this… If I have the duties of an Immigration Forms Specialist down right, one would assist someone else in preparing (filling out) such forms for entry into the US. Which I would also assume requires being fluent in other languages is required as well. I myself would never notarize something I took part in drafting, as I see it as a conflict of interest, among other legal issues. (hence how do you satisfy the valid ID requirement per Patriot Act standards to notarize)? If notarization isn’t part of the deal, then why not? Just advertise and maybe get with your local Immigration (USCIS) office and let them know your certified. Either way, something I personally can’t touch, mainly because I only know one language
Immigration attorneys need form specialist’s especially if you speak Spanish! Go to every immigration Attorney in your area! I’m in AZ and I’m consistently booked!
Just my .02 FWIW on a point of clarification - there’s a big difference between an “immigration forms specialist” and an “immigration consultant” - I bring this up because both terms have been used in this thread interchangeably which, IMO, is inaccurate.
And to add to the states with restrictions on it, I don’t believe CA allows it - notaries are not allowed to complete immigration forms unless they are a licensed immigration consultant.
Immigration consultant and immigration specialist are the same. In order to be an immigration consultant/immigration specialist you have to be trained on immigration forms that is why and NNA is offering that training class. Would not recommend taking that class unless your state allowed notaries to be immigration consultant/specialist. But what the heck do I know I only worked for the US immigration and naturalization service in Portland Maine from 1989-1992!
I am not authorized to be an immigration consultant/specialist in the state of Colorado. Only licensed attorney can do that.
Probably a matter of semantics but think of it this way
Immigration Consultant/Immigration Specialist - can not only complete forms but can advise clients and guide them through the process
Immigration Forms Specialist - can help fill out forms - no advice, no guidance, no authority or decision making as to best ways.
The NNA got into this because CA won’t allow their notaries to complete I-9 forms as they claim one must be an immigration consultant to complete it - so they saw another revenue stream available to pick a notary’s pocket…sorry but that’s my opinion of the training - just like their Trusted Agent training and their Enjoa…all useless and fallen by the wayside.
JMO
I think of it this way.
A lawyer licensed in any state can assist immigrants in choosing and filling out forms, represent the immigrant at administrative hearings, and represent the immigrant in federal court. This is true no matter what state the lawyer or immigrant are physically located in, and no matter what state bar the lawyer is a member of, because it is the federal government that is recognizing the lawyer’s authority.
Non-attorney “Accredited Representatives” work within a non-profit “Recognized Organization” (which has an attorney overseeing operations) may "represent aliens before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which includes the immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)." I notice that the California law recognizes these federally-approved representatives. I haven’t looked at the other states.
Some states forbid anyone who isn’t a lawyer or Accredited Representative from doing any immigration work. Some don’t have any law about it, so anyone could provide non-legal assistance. And some, like California, require registration with the state to provide non-legal assistance.
My personal inclination is that if a person knows enough about immigration law to decide what forms should be filled out and what the answers should be, they are able to fill them out themselves. If they don’t have that level of knowledge, they should be working with an immigration lawyer. A forms specialist would only be a good idea if the specialist was working closely with an immigration lawyer. As for translators, it seems to me that words have so many shades of meaning, and words related to immigration have specialized meanings that don’t come up in general conversation. So a knowledge of conversational Spanish, or whichever language, wouldn’t be enough to do a good job with immigration forms.
I came across a program where you can get certified and licensed… don’t know where that is now. But if certified and licensed which I believe in the state of AZ is allowed you can add that to your notary business ( if my memory serves me correct but I don’t swear by that). I passed on that because other than English I am not blessed with being able to speak another language.
FYI when my son and I immigrated from Canada in 2000 I filled out and submitted my own forms without the help of an attorney. I guess my legal studies degree did not go to waste after all
Key words there…
Found the information for AZ…
Legal Document Preparer Program
Effective July 1, 2003, all individuals and businesses preparing legal documents for others without the supervision of an attorney in good standing with the State Bar of Arizona, must be certified under Rule 31 , and Arizona Codes of Judicial Administration § 7-208 and § 7-201.
The Legal Document Preparer Program certifies non-attorney legal document preparers in Arizona who provide document preparation assistance and services to individuals and entities not represented by an attorney. Legal document preparers may provide general legal information but may not give legal advice.
All I can say is that we used to look at mountain and mountain of applications and the ones that the lawyers submitted with petition letters will be reviewed more closely, otherwise applications will be sitting at the bottom of the pile for a very long long time, some for a decade.
The lucky ones will get to go through series of interviews. This is where the power of persuasion is key that’s why you really need lawyer’s help and a good translator!