Immigration consultant

An immigration consultant is a person who helps people to immigrate from one country to another country and through legal and documentation process to increase the chances of immigration for study, work, travel or business purpose. Immigration consultant are legal expert and have knowledge about immigration laws and visa laws and about the procedure of getting different types of visa.

In the United States, immigration consultants/notaries do not have formal immigration law training, and they are not allowed to answer even the most basic legal questions that every immigrant has when applying for an immigration benefit. Doing so would constitute the unauthorized practice of law, which is a crime.[1] Because of this, many organizations including the Central American Resource Center recommend that all persons seeking immigration assistance completely avoid notaries and immigration consultants and, instead, seek legal advice from a licensed attorney.[2]

Many governments have authorized bodies that provide licence to deserving immigration consultants who are thoroughly up-to-date about the Visa and Immigration rules of their country. Canada provides the certification through Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council, and Australia provides it through Migration Agents Registration Authority.

Origins

Immigration consultants started working in the 1960s when a large number of qualified people have started migrating from Asia and Latin America to U.S.A., Canada and Europe. Generally these developed countries have requirement of highly skilled professionals and so they have very strict and complicated rules for immigration and visa processing. To help aid people who need clarity regarding the Visa and Immigration rules of various countries, this concept of immigration consultancies has come forward.

References

  1. ↑ https://oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/immigration_consultants
  2. ↑ http://www.carecen-la.org/why_should_i_pay_a_notary_or_an_immigration_consultant_if_the_law_permits_him_her_to_do_practically_nothing_for_me
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