How to Verify an Immigration Attorney

Who Can Legally Provide Immigration Legal Services

Federal immigration law tightly restricts who may represent individuals before USCIS, the immigration courts, and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). Only two categories of practitioners are authorized:

Everyone else — immigration consultants, notarios, visa consultants, document preparers, paralegals working independently — is not authorized to provide immigration legal advice or represent clients before federal immigration agencies, regardless of how they advertise themselves.

How to Verify an Immigration Attorney (Bar License)

1. Ask the attorney for their full name and state bar number.
2. Navigate to the state bar association in the state(s) where they are admitted — most states have a free public lawyer search tool.
   • California: State Bar of California — calbar.ca.gov
   • New York: Attorney Registration, NY Courts — iapps.courts.state.ny.us
   • Texas: State Bar of Texas — texasbar.com/barcard
   • Florida: Florida Bar — floridabar.org/directories/find-mbr
3. Confirm: Active membership, no suspension, disbarment, or disciplinary proceedings.
4. Note that an attorney admitted in one state may practice immigration law in other states — immigration law is federal, so state bar admission anywhere in the U.S. generally authorizes federal immigration practice. However, confirm they hold at least one active U.S. state bar license.
5. For additional multi-state disciplinary history, check the ABA National Lawyer Regulatory Data Bank through the ABA's lawyer search tools.

How to Verify an EOIR Accredited Representative

1. Navigate to justice.gov/eoir/recognition-and-accreditation-roster.
2. Search by individual name or by the qualifying nonprofit organization name.
3. The roster will confirm recognition status (fully or partially accredited) and the organization through which they are accredited.
4. Note: EOIR accreditation is organizational — an accredited representative must be working through the recognized nonprofit. If they have left that organization, their accreditation may no longer be active.

Notario Fraud: A Critical Warning

In Latin American countries, a notario público is a highly trained legal professional with powers equivalent to a licensed attorney. In the United States, a "notary public" is a state-appointed official with narrow administrative powers (witnessing signatures, certifying documents) — not a legal professional authorized to provide legal advice.

Predatory practitioners — commonly called "notarios" in the immigration context — exploit this terminology confusion to sell unauthorized immigration services to Spanish-speaking immigrants. These services are often fraudulent, can result in deportation orders, and are a federal crime. The FTC and DOJ actively prosecute notario fraud.

If someone advertises immigration services with "notario" in their title or marketing, verify immediately — they are very likely practicing unauthorized law.

AILA Membership and Board Certification

The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) at aila.org maintains a member directory. AILA membership is a professional association indicator — it confirms the person is a licensed attorney who has joined AILA's immigration law organization. It is not a substitute for bar verification, but AILA membership does confirm the person is a licensed attorney who has committed to immigration law as a specialty.

Some states also offer board certification in immigration law (e.g., Texas has a Board Certified Immigration Attorney designation through the Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Verify board certification through the relevant state bar's specialization board if claimed.

Red Flags

• Cannot provide a state bar number — all licensed attorneys have one.
• Bar search returns suspended, disbarred, or inactive status — these practitioners cannot legally represent clients.
• Advertises as "immigration consultant," "visa specialist," or "notario" without being a licensed attorney or EOIR-accredited representative.
• Claims to practice immigration law but is not on the EOIR roster and not found in any state bar database.
• Charges fees for services an EOIR accredited representative is not authorized to provide (e.g., court representation beyond their scope).