Don’t become a victim of unscrupulous “immigration consultants” or “tax consultants” known as notarios. Notarios cannot represent you in your
immigration process or your IRS process.
Many immigration clients come to me after they have been
“dupped” by a notario, and it is always more difficult, time consuming, and
first time.
The following stories are based on true events.
Juan married a US citizen 3 years ago, and wanted to file his papers to get his “green card” (permanent resident status), but he and his wife hadn’t filed their tax returns. They thought that Juan couldn’t file tax returns because he wasn’t legal
in the US yet, and didn’t have a Social Security card. His wife didn’t work, and had no income for the past 3 years. Juan learned that everyone who works in the US, has to file tax returns, so he went to a notario to prepare his tax returns. The notario checked the box marked “single” on the tax returns, even though Juan was
married each year, and the notario told Juan to pay the $3,000 that he owed to
the IRS directly to the notario and the notario would then pay the money to the
IRS.
The notario also filed immigration papers for Juan. Juan and his wife attended their interview at Immigration. At the immigration interview, the Officer
thought that Juan had a fake marriage with his wife, because his tax returns
showed him as “single” for 3 years. The Immigration Officer told Juan that he was going to deny the “green card”.
Juan went to the IRS office to correct, or amend his 3 years of tax returns, and learned that the notario had never even filed the tax returns or paid the $3,000.00 in taxes that Juan had paid to him!
Juan lost $3,000.00 and almost didn’t become a permanent resident.
Juliana went to a notario to file her immigration papers. The notario told her that there was a special new law that would allow her to get a green card, and the notario said that he “had connections and special influence” with Immigration. Juliana signed all the forms that the notario prepared and received her Employment card soon after. Juliana was very happy. But when she went to her interview at Immigration, the Immigration Officer asked Juliana where her husband was? Juliana said that she had never been married. The Immigration Officer asked Juliana to identify her signature on the papers, and told her that the papers were filed based on a marriage to a US citizen. The Immigration Officer charged Juliana with Immigration fraud, took her into custody and placed her in deportation/removal proceedings.
A victim of a notario can lose his chance to become legal in the US forever. Immigration Fraud can be a forever-bar from the US. It can result in banishment from the United States. Filing a false tax return can result in jail-time.
US immigration and tax laws are complex and challenging. Use your common sense. If a notario tells you something that sounds too good to be true… you are probably right. Don’t risk your dreams, or the dreams of your family.
