Hundreds find there’s no ‘shortcut’ to a green card

In people’s desperation to obtain a green card fast, many put their trust in so-called immigration consultants who guarantee them a fast green card. Unknown to them, these consultants only want the fast green buck.

Recently, newspapers have reported that hundreds of aliens in California were caught up in a green card scam. Some have already been deported. More are under deportation proceedings, and many more are trembling in fear of being caught by the long hands of the law and also deported. And all they did was they trusted two unscrupulous immigration consultants with their money and their future in this country.

For 12 years, the two immigration consultants – identified by the Los Angeles Times in a recent article as John Choe and Daniel Lee – charged their clients up to $30,000 each for green cards that they obtained by bribing a veteran US immigration supervisor, Leland Sustaire, with 50 percent of the amount charged the clients.

The clients filled out the required forms and submitted the needed documents, and were told that for $30,000, the two immigration consultants could expedite processing of their green cards. The consultants told the clients most of the money would go to pay for attorney’s fees to an immigration law firm regarding their cases.

The clients did get their green cards fast, and the reputation of the two immigration consultants, known as KOAM Immigration Services grew, drawing more people to their consulting firm, consisting of established professionals – scientists, doctors, ministers, Silicon Valley software engineers and business owners – who, according to INS officials, were otherwise legally qualified to obtain green cards, and didn’t have to offer bribes to get one.

The victims said that they didn't know part of the amount they gave to Choe and Lee were to be given as bribes, and they had no idea the green cards were obtained illegally. The INS Supervisor forged the signature of another INS examiner, and authorized the green cards.

Everything was going well for the two consultants and the INS official until one day, federal investigators visited the INS official in his two-acre horse ranch and asked where his sudden wealth, of over $500,000, came from. He said he got it from his newly patented invention. Although no further investigation was conducted, the INS man was worried that investigators would catch up with him, or that Choe and Lee could be part of an organized crime and the crimelords would go after him.

In 1998, the INS officer eventually turned himself in, and confessed to accepting bribes. He cooperated with authorities that led to the arrest and eventual prosecution of Choe and Lee.

The immigration consultants have done their time, but their victims continue to suffer from the two predators‚ misdeeds. The victims now have to pay thousands of dollars to attorneys to defend them in immigration proceedings, and those who have not been apprehended spend sleepless nights wondering when they would be caught. Many of their green cards will "expire" soon, and the holders know they can no longer renew them.

There is a lesson to be learned from all this: People must accept the fact that there are no existing "shortcuts" or quick fixes to legalizing their status in the U.S. "Fast" green cards or "sure thing" processing are always the first clues to disastrous and costly scams. Never trust such an important matter as your immigration needs and your future in America to con artists who guarantee fast results. It is safer to go to a reputable attorney and go through the legal process in obtaining immigration benefits. In this case, the victims forgot to follow the traditional norm for safety – "When it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t true".

The victims were promised and got extraordinarily fast green cards, and nobody asked how and why. In the end, all they got was wasted time, wasted money, and probably wasted lives. Worse, they now have to spend more to get themselves out of the mess the two unscrupulous consultants put them in.

If you want a visa or a green card, the only way is to get it the legitimate way. Consult with a reputable immigration attorney. Not only will the attorney analyze your situation and help you obtain the immigration benefit in the most legal way, they keep themselves updated with all changes in laws. Remember, the only way to legalize your status is to do it legally.