Who is allowed to give immigration advice?
In the US, only lawyers and accredited representatives. USCIS says it plainly:
"Only an attorney or an accredited representative working for a Department of Justice recognized organization can give you legal advice and represent you in your immigration case." (USCIS: Common Scams)
"A notario público is not authorized to provide you with any legal services related to immigration." (USCIS: Common Scams)
Accredited representatives must work for an organization on the Justice Department's List of Recognized Organizations and Accredited Representatives (USCIS: Find Legal Services). The confusion your clients bring is real: USCIS notes that in some countries a notario is a lawyer with special credentials, but not in the United States.
| Who | May give immigration legal advice? |
|---|---|
| Lawyer in good standing in a US state, territory or D.C. | Yes |
| DOJ-accredited representative at a recognized organization | Yes |
| Notary public, "notario," immigration consultant, paralegal on their own | No |
What do the notario laws say?
They limit what non-lawyers may call themselves, mostly in Spanish-language ads. Two examples:
| State | Rule |
|---|---|
| California | A non-attorney may not "literally translate from English into another language, in any document, including an advertisement," titles such as "notary public," "licensed," "attorney" or "lawyer" that imply they are a lawyer. Translating "notary public" as "notario publico" or "notario" is expressly banned (Bus. & Prof. Code 6126.7). Immigration consultants face the same ban when they intend to mislead (22442.3) |
| Texas | A notary may not use "notario" or "notario publico" to advertise notary services. A notary advertising in a language other than English must state: "I AM NOT AN ATTORNEY LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN TEXAS AND MAY NOT GIVE LEGAL ADVICE OR ACCEPT FEES FOR LEGAL ADVICE." (Gov't Code 406.017) (Texas Secretary of State) |
The California Attorney General repeated the warning in June 2025: immigration consultants, "who may call themselves immigration experts, notarios, notaries public, or paralegals," cannot give legal advice (California Attorney General).
Other states have their own notario laws.
What rules apply to my own Spanish ads?
The same bar rules as your English ads, in Spanish. Two states spell out language-specific duties:
- California: a lawyer may not state or imply legal services in a language other than English unless the lawyer can actually provide them in that language, or the ad states, in that language, the job title of the person who speaks it (California Rule 7.1, Comment 5). "Se habla español" is fine if your Spanish speaker is a paralegal, as long as the ad says so.
- Florida: any words a rule requires "must appear in the same language in which the advertisement appears," and in every language if the ad uses more than one (Florida Rule 4-7.12(c)).
So in Florida a Spanish landing page needs its required statements in Spanish, and a bilingual ad needs them in both languages. For which labels your state requires, see attorney advertising disclaimer.
How do I get found by clients who search in Spanish?
Give them Spanish pages to land on. How to build and rank them is covered in second-language website SEO. For the listing itself, see Google Business Profile for lawyers.
Two points specific to immigration:
- Answer the notario question on your site, in Spanish. A page that explains, with the USCIS quotes above, who may legally help with an immigration case.
- Show your licence. Your bar admission and a link to the state bar's lawyer lookup give a careful prospect a way to check you are what a notario is not.
Is it different in Canada?
Yes. Canada licenses immigration consultants. Section 91 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act bars anyone from representing or advising a person "for consideration" on an immigration application or proceeding unless they are:
- a lawyer or other member of a provincial law society, including a paralegal, or a Quebec notary; or
- a member of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (IRPA, s. 91).
Breaking it can mean a fine of up to $200,000, two years in prison, or both, on indictment (IRPA, s. 91(9)). Canadian lawyers therefore compete with licensed consultants, not only unlicensed notarios, and Ontario lawyers follow the Law Society's marketing rules: see Ontario lawyer advertising rules.
Example
Los Angeles solo practitioner
She adds Spanish pages for asylum, family petitions and DACA renewals. Her Spanish ads say her intake paralegal speaks Spanish, by job title, as California's comment requires. A Spanish page titled "¿Puede un notario ayudarme con mi caso de inmigración?" quotes USCIS.
Houston firm and a local notario
A storefront nearby advertises "Notario Público, trámites de inmigración," which Texas law bars a notary from doing. The firm's own Spanish site explains, with USCIS's words, why a notario cannot give immigration advice.
Toronto lawyer
His competitors include licensed consultants, who may legally charge for immigration help. His Spanish and Portuguese pages state he is a licensed lawyer, as Ontario requires.
Different for you?
- You need the Spanish site built for search and AI answers: see second-language website SEO.
- Your Google listing is weak or suspended: see Google Business Profile for lawyers.
- You run Google Ads for the practice: see Google Ads for lawyers.
- You need the right disclaimers on every page: see attorney advertising disclaimer.
- You want Spanish search and listings run for you: see the SEO & GEO agent.