OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Legislature has approved a bill to regulate “notarios” engaging in unauthorized practice of law and passed it to the governor for final passage.
The measure seeks to crack down on immigration assistants who provide legal advice to immigrants seeking residency.
Supporters say these assistants, commonly known as “notarios” in Spanish, often do more harm than good in trying to interpret a very complicated area of law.
The bill requires that anyone giving immigration legal advice be a licensed attorney, to avoid situations where misguided or intentionally bad advice results in immigrants with legitimate claims to residency being deported.
