While the Internet has enabled attorneys in U.S. immigration law to better serve clients around the world, it has also opened up new dangers to the unsuspecting immigrant wishing to live and work in the United States. The unauthorized practice of immigration law is becoming a problem, and could have adverse consequences to the immigrant wishing to make a life in the United States.
Many people assume incorrectly that any person can represent an individual in immigration matters.
This is not true. In order to pass the stringent criteria of the Bar Examination, a person has to pass both substantive areas of the law and an ethics portion. In order to qualify, the organization must establish that it makes only nominal charges and assesses no excessive membership dues for persons given assistance, and that it has at its disposal adequate knowledge, information and experience. The foreign national faces several risks by using these services. Furthermore, immigration law has been compared to the Internal Revenue Code in its complexity, and several law courses in Immigration Law exist to train attorneys in the practice of immigration law.