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New Gum Springs Civic Association
Unauthorized Practice of Immigration Law
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For the background on this initiative, click on the link below for the executive
summary. In the meantime, please read and be aware of the following information provided from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services, Department of Homeland Security who have partnered with the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice Access
to Justice Program to educate the public and/or stakeholders regarding information that is available to them.
To: US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Customers:
Avoid Misleading Online Businesses and Fees USCIS has received a large number of applications prepared by an online business that charges users to complete USCIS forms. In most cases, the charge for preparing an application is the same as the USCIS filing fee. When applicants pay these businesses online using an electronic check, the applicant is only paying for the service provided to prepare the application, and not the actual USCIS filing fee. As a result, applicants attach a copy of a cashed electronic check when mailing their applications to USCIS. However the applicant paid the Online business, but not the USCIS filing fee. Because the applicant has not paid the USCIS filing fee, USCIS cannot process these applications and must return them to the applicant. USCIS urges applicants to carefully read the user agreements provided by non-government websites. This information should help the applicant determine what services he or she is paying the online service provider for and minimize the possibility that the application will be rejected for the reasons noted above. USCIS reminds applicants to avoid: Dot.com websites that identify themselves as being an official government website Remember: Official government websites always include “.gov”, not “.com” in the web address Websites that charge applicants for blank USCIS forms It is FREE to download USCIS forms on http://www.uscis.gov/forms or to order forms by calling USCIS at (800) 870-3676. For how to avoid immigration services scams and identify who is authorized to provide legal advice, see: http://www.uscis.gov/avoidscams Don’t Be Fooled by Copycat Immigration-Help Sites When you go online to download and fill out immigration forms, ensure that you know the difference between official government websites and websites run by private businesses. See our recent Blog posting on this topic: http://blog.uscis.gov/2011/09/dont-be-fooled-by-copycat-immigration.html |