California · Business and Professions Code - BPC

BPC §22441.1: (a) A person engaged in the business or acting in the capacity of an immigration consultant shall satisfactorily pass a background check conducted by the Secretary of State.

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

Immigration consultants must pass a background check by the Secretary of State and may be disqualified for felony convictions, certain misdemeanors within 10 years, or failure to disclose arrests or convictions.

Read the full statutory text
(a) A person engaged in the business or acting in the capacity of an immigration consultant shall satisfactorily pass a background check conducted by the Secretary of State. (b) The Secretary of State shall disqualify an individual from acting as an immigration consultant for any of the following reasons: (1) Conviction of a felony. (2) Conviction of a disqualifying misdemeanor where not more than 10 years have passed since the completion of probation. A conviction after a plea of nolo contendere is deemed to be a conviction within the meaning of this paragraph. The list of disqualifying misdemeanors shall be the same as the disqualifying misdemeanors applicable to notaries public appointed and commissioned pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 8200) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code. (3) Failure to disclose any arrest or conviction in the disclosure form required pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 22443.1. (c) The Secretary of State shall complete a background check on every person engaged in the business or acting in the capacity of an immigration consultant who was bonded and qualified pursuant to this chapter on or before December 31, 2006. (d) The Secretary of State shall not file a bond, disclosure form, or photograph from a person who has failed to pass the background check required by this section.

Verify at the official source: California legislative text

Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.

MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.

This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.