New laws on the books will protect New Yorkers seeking immigration help from being victimized by con artists charging fees for services that are never provided.


Today Governor Cuomo announced that individuals who defraud New Yorkers seeking immigration related assistance will be subject to felony and misdemeanor charges. Common immigration scams include false promises of residency and citizenship, the sale of immigration forms that are actually free, unwarranted threats of deportation, as well as individuals posing as lawyers who are unauthorized to practice law.


Along with the fact that immigration assistance fraud in the first and second degree will be new crimes under the penal law, the new law will also give authority to the first state-level immigration integration office in the country--called "The New York State Office for New Americans...which was created by Governor Cuomo in 2013 with the goal of offering additional support to New York's immigrant population.