Immigration Consultant Bond ($100,000)

California Business and Professions Code §22443.1 requires every licensed immigration consultant to maintain a $100,000 surety bond. This bond protects clients who pay for immigration document preparation services and suffer financial harm from the consultant's misconduct.

A notary public who also wishes to work as a bonded immigration consultant — and thereby lawfully charge the $15-per-person-per-form fee for entering data onto immigration applications — must hold this separate $100,000 bond. Their existing $15,000 notary surety bond does not satisfy the immigration consultant requirement.

The $100,000 bond is required alongside: registration with the county clerk as an immigration consultant, a separate written contract with each client, and posting a required consumer disclosure notice at the place of business. Missing any of these components means the person is not operating as a lawful immigration consultant.

Exam Tip: The contrast between the two bond amounts is a reliable exam question. Notary bond = $15,000. Immigration consultant bond = $100,000. A notary without the immigration consultant registration and $100,000 bond may not charge any fee for assisting with immigration forms — the notary bond grants no such authority.