Check before you pay anyone for immigration help
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Check before you pay anyone for immigration help
Only a lawyer or a DOJ accredited representative may give you immigration legal advice.
Their name: ______________________ Phone: ______________
What they say they are (circle one): Lawyer / Accredited representative / Consultant / Not sure
Check (about five minutes)
- Lawyer: found on apps.calbar.ca.gov (or 800-843-9053), eligible to practice, no discipline. Bar number: ____________
- Not on the EOIR disciplined list (justice.gov/eoir)
- Accredited representative: found on the DOJ roster with an active status. Full, or "(DHS only)"? __________
- Their nonprofit is on the DOJ roster and active
- Consultant: found on specialfilings.sos.ca.gov. Remember, still no legal advice.
Ask at the first meeting
- Have you handled cases like mine? How many?
- Can you represent me in immigration court, if I need it?
- What are my options, and the risks of each, including doing nothing?
- Could applying put me at risk? Why or why not?
- Is your fee flat or hourly? What is the total estimate?
- Which government fees will I pay on top?
- Will I get a written agreement in a language I understand before I pay?
- If I end the work early, what happens to money I already paid?
- Will you give me copies of everything you file, including Form G-28 or EOIR-28?
- How do I reach you, and how fast do you answer?
Stop if they
- Call themselves a notario or "immigration expert"
- Promise a result or claim friends at immigration
- Charge for blank forms, or to "get on a list"
- Want cash only, gift cards, wire transfer or a payment app
- Ask me to sign a blank or untrue form
- Want to keep my original papers
Free help: CLSEPA 650-326-6440 · Bay Area Legal Aid 1-800-551-5554 · donotlosehope.com/guides/legal-help-complete/
Do not write your Social Security number or bank numbers on this sheet.
From Legal Help Complete Guide. Facts checked October 21, 2026. Free information, not legal or medical advice.