Immigration and Visa Scams: Signs and What to Do (2026)

How immigration and visa scams work

The target is someone with a lot at stake and little certainty about the process. Scammers exploit that with fake officials, fake websites, and fake helpers. USCIS lists several patterns on its common scams page: people posing as USCIS officials, fake social media accounts, emails, and websites that imitate USCIS, offers to “connect” you to a supporter for a fee, and people who sell “connections” or faster processing. The FTC also lists immigration authorities such as USCIS among the agencies that impersonators pretend to be, using threats and urgent demands for money.

Programs get their own scams. USCIS describes phishing emails that tell supporters to pay a fee before Form I-134A is reviewed under Uniting for Ukraine, when no fee applies to that form, and warns that denial letters with typos or other signs of inauthenticity may be fake. For the Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan processes, it says access is free and to be wary of anyone promising fast U.S. entry for a large payment. For Temporary Protected Status, it says not to pay or submit forms until USCIS publishes an official Federal Register notice. For the Diversity Visa program, it says the program is free and the State Department does not email people about selection.

Work and study are targeted too. USCIS warns about overseas or email job offers that require payment, saying working in the U.S. requires proper authorization. It warns students to attend an SEVP-certified school and to be cautious of threats or extortion, including from people posing as USCIS employees. It also says employers are not required to submit Forms I-9 to USCIS, so emails demanding them may be fraudulent and may link to non-government sites.

The most common harm comes from unqualified “help”. USCIS says a notario público is not authorized to provide immigration legal services in the US, because in the US notaries may only witness signatures and administer oaths. In the UK, the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) says unregulated advisers may have little or no knowledge of immigration law and cannot be held to account by the OISC or any other regulator, including for fees you have paid. Some victims are also exposed to trafficking; USCIS lists the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888.

What it looks like in practice

These are illustrative composites written for this guide to show the pattern. They are not quotes from a real victim or a real message.

The “fast-track” notario (illustrative)

A storefront advertises “immigration papers, low price, guaranteed”. The staff member fills in forms for you, charges a fee, and says your case will go faster because of “contacts”. Months later you learn the form was wrong, or never filed. USCIS says only USCIS can expedite a case, and that notarios cannot give immigration legal advice. Before paying anyone, check the licence of an attorney through your state bar or the American Bar Association, or an accredited representative on the EOIR roster, and keep copies of every form and receipt.

The fee demand by phone (illustrative)

A caller says your application has a problem and you must pay a fine today or face removal. They want payment by gift card or an app transfer. USCIS says it will never ask you to pay fees by phone or email, to transfer money to an individual, or to use Western Union, MoneyGram, PayPal, Venmo, or gift cards. Hang up. Check your case in your own myUSCIS account and contact USCIS through the official site.

The fake visa website (illustrative)

You search for how to apply and click a top result that looks official, charges a “service fee” on top of the real fee, and asks for your passport scan. USCIS says to check that a web address or email ends in .gov. For the UK, start on GOV.UK. Type the official address yourself, and compare any fee with the amount listed on the official page.

Nine warning signs of an immigration scam

1. A request for fees by phone, email, or payment app. USCIS says it will never ask you to pay fees by phone or email, or to transfer money to an individual. It does not accept Western Union, MoneyGram, PayPal, Venmo, or gift cards. See gift card scams.
2. A threat of removal, arrest, or a “fine” if you do not pay today. The FTC lists threats and urgent demands for money as marks of government impersonators, including those posing as immigration authorities. USCIS warns of extortion attempts by people posing as employees.
3. A promise of faster processing or a guaranteed approval. USCIS says only USCIS can decide whether to expedite a case. The OISC says a registered adviser should not claim they can influence your outcome or get priority processing.
4. Payment for free forms. USCIS says immigration forms are free on its All Forms page and you should not pay for them. It also says there is no fee for Form I-134A under Uniting for Ukraine.
5. A “notario” or unregistered adviser. USCIS says a notario público cannot give immigration legal advice in the US. In the UK, the OISC says unregulated advisers may not be held to account by any regulator.
6. An email or website that does not end in .gov. USCIS says legitimate U.S. government emails end in .gov, and to check that the web address or email ends in .gov. It does not routinely email approval notices.
7. An overseas job offer that needs payment. USCIS warns about job offers received overseas or by email, especially those requiring payment. Working in the US requires proper authorization. See job scams.
8. An offer to arrange a supporter, sponsor, or “connection” for money. USCIS warns about people offering to connect you with a supporter for your information, a fee, or other compensation, and says beneficiaries are not required to repay or work for a supporter.
9. Pressure to sign a blank form or one with false information. USCIS says never to sign a blank form or one containing false information, and to keep receipts and copies of all notices and forms.

How to check who is helping you with a visa or immigration case

1. Ask for the person’s credential before you share documents or pay. In the US, only an attorney or a DOJ-recognized accredited representative may give immigration legal advice.
2. Check an attorney’s licence with your state bar association or the American Bar Association, and an accredited representative on the EOIR Recognition and Accreditation roster, as USCIS advises.
3. In the UK, ask for the adviser’s 10-digit OISC registration number and look it up on the OISC register. A solicitor or barrister should be regulated by their own professional body.
4. Pay official fees only through the official site or your own online account. For the US, that means your myUSCIS account or Pay.gov. For the UK, start on GOV.UK.
5. Get a written fee agreement and a receipt for everything you pay. Keep copies of every form, notice, and message.
6. Ask yourself whether anything was promised that no agency can promise: speed, a guaranteed result, or an inside contact. If so, walk away.

If you already paid or gave details

Work through these in order. Speed matters most for the first two.

1. Stop paying and stop sharing documents. Do not send more money to “fix” a problem, even if a threat follows.
2. If you paid by card or bank transfer, call your bank or card issuer at once and ask them to stop or dispute the payment. For gift cards, wires, or crypto, contact the issuer or provider and ask for the money back. See the FTC’s steps by payment method.
3. If you gave a passport scan, A-Number, or Social Security number, go to IdentityTheft.gov (US) and follow the recovery plan. Change passwords on any account you shared.
4. Check your real case status in your own myUSCIS account, or on the official GOV.UK service, to learn whether anything was filed.
5. Talk to a qualified attorney or accredited representative about whether wrong or false information was submitted on your behalf. Do not fix it by filing more forms on a scammer’s advice.
6. Report it. USCIS says reporting fraud will not negatively affect your application. See below.
7. If you are being held, threatened, or forced to work, call 911 for emergencies or the National Human Trafficking Hotline on 888-373-7888.

Where to report

• United States: report immigration fraud to the FTC (ReportFraud.ftc.gov) and your state consumer protection office, as USCIS advises. Forward suspicious emails to USCIS.Webmaster@uscis.dhs.gov. Report Form I-9 scam emails to the FTC.
• Human trafficking (US): National Human Trafficking Hotline, 888-373-7888.
• United Kingdom: report an unregulated adviser to the OISC at info@oisc.gov.uk. If you lost money, report to Report Fraud (0300 123 2040); the Home Office contact page also directs suspected scams to Action Fraud, now Report Fraud. Forward scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and texts to 7726.
• Australia: Scamwatch and ReportCyber.
• Canada: the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, 1-888-495-8501.

More help from official sources

• USCIS: Common scams
• FTC: How to avoid a government impersonation scam
• OISC (GOV.UK): Risks of unregulated immigration advice
• GOV.UK: Contact the Home Office
• GOV.UK: Avoid and report internet scams and phishing

Scambaba is an independent educational project. Reporting and recovery options depend on where you live. How these guides are researched is on the editorial policy.

Frequently asked questions