Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22442.5 · Chapter 19.5. Immigration Consultants
Bus. & Prof. Code, § 22442.5
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
(a) An immigration consultant who provides immigration reform act services shall establish and deposit into a client trust account any funds received from a client prior to performing those services for that client.
(b) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Immigration reform act” means either of the following:
(A) Any pending or future act of Congress that is enacted after October 5, 2013, that authorizes an undocumented immigrant who either entered the United States without inspection or who did not depart after the expiration of a nonimmigrant visa, to attain a lawful status under federal law. The State Bar shall announce and post on its Internet Web site when an immigration reform act has been enacted.
(B) The President’s executive actions on immigration announced on November 20, 2014, or any future executive action or order that authorizes an undocumented immigrant who either entered the United States without inspection or who did not depart after the expiration of a nonimmigrant visa to attain a lawful status under federal law. The State Bar shall announce and post on its Internet Web site when an executive action or order has been issued.
(2) “Immigration reform act services” means services described in Section 22441 that are provided in connection with an immigration reform act.
(c) The immigration consultant providing immigration reform act services for the client may withdraw funds received from that client only in compliance with either of the following:
(1) After completing one or more of the itemized services described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 22442, and only in the amount identified as the cost of that service or those services pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 22442.
(2) After completing one or more of the documents listed, and only in the amounts listed, pursuant to paragraph (4) of subdivision (b) of Section 22442.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 6, Sec. 3. (AB 60) Effective June 17, 2015.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=BPC§ionNum=22442.5.
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- sha256 6d7af625f422c985b9a2ae9c80dd9245ca6e19fd96d02cd9900e4ec22daf481f
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- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
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