In 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice authorized IMPORTA to practice immigration law through fully-trained Accredited Representatives.

Since then IMPORTA has grown to be the largest provider of immigration legal services in Santa Barbara County with a near 100% success rate. Under annual grants from the State of California, IMPORTA has been able to provide almost all immigration legal services without charge.

IMPORTA's work is focused on helping long-time local immigrants find a path to legal status and eventually to citizenship.                                                                                 Equally  important is educating immigrants on the dangers of trusting untrained and illegal "immigration consultants" who charge high fees for incompetent and often dishonest immigration legal work that often results in denied applications, loss of thousands of dollars, and that sometimes results in deportation.                                                                         In the case of local immigrants facing deportation in immigration court, we are committed to providing accurate case analyses and referring them to finding them pro bono attorneys, referring them to non-profit organizations that focus on deportation defense. If we conclude that they have an especially difficult case, we may refer them to consultations with experienced and trustworthy deportation defense attorneys.