What Do Immigration Lawyers Do?
Degree Required | Bachelor's degree and Juris Doctor |
Key Responsibilities | Assist clients who are establishing lega ... |
Licensure | Pass the bar examination in the state wh ... |
Job Outlook (2020-2030) | 9% for all lawyers* |
Average Salary (2020) | $148,910 for all lawyers* |
Degree Requirements | Bachelor's degree, Juris Doctor degree |
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Licensure | Pass the bar examination in the state where you will practice |
Job Outlook (2020-2030) | 9% for all lawyers* |
Average Salary (2020) | $148,910 for all lawyers* |
5 rows · A bachelor's degree, a doctoral degree and a state-issued license to practice law are required ...
4 rows · Oct 20, 2021 · All immigration attorneys must be licensed law school graduates, potentially completing extra ...
5 rows · To become an immigration lawyer, you must earn a bachelor's degree and a Juris Doctor (JD) law ...
For most people planning to practice law, including immigration law, the JD is the standard degree. But some law school graduates go on to pursue other degrees or credentials requiring additional study, such as the Master of Laws (LLM) or the Doctor of Science of Law/Doctor of Juridical Science (JSD or SJD).
As an immigration attorney, you provide advocacy and administrative services to foreigners wishing to establish legal residence in the United States or handle the deportation process. According to the American Bar Association, immigration is constantly changing and requires varied skills.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a large number of law school graduates were expected to enter the workforce between 2018 and 2028, which will lead to significant competition for jobs. Most new attorneys begin in firms; however, about 20% of lawyers were self-employed in 2018, according to the BLS.
To become an immigration lawyer, you must earn a bachelor's degree and a Juris Doctor (JD) law degree; this means completing seven years of study beyond high school. There is no specific degree requirement at the baccalaureate level.
Similar occupations involving law could include specializing in fields like tax law, defense law, or international law. Lawyers in these fields represent clients or companies with problems in these areas.
In many situations, strong interpersonal skills are also needed. During any given day in immigration practice, an attorney may work with people who have undergone exceptionally traumatic experiences, including suffering persecution, human trafficking, or torture.
Immigration lawyers may represent clients in administrative courts, or they may counsel clients about their legal rights and obligations related to immigration, among other things. They also suggest courses of action based on their knowledge of immigration law.
Because immigration law provides you with a foundation to represent people who have immigration matters to resolve, but it also allows you to recognize how a person’s immigration status might impact them in many seemingly unrelated ways.
Another helpful resource is the American Immigration Lawyers Association, a national organization of more than 15,000 attorneys and educators who practice and teach immigration law. This nonpartisan nonprofit provides continuing legal education, information, and professional services.
High-level capabilities in reading and writing are a must, as is the ability to understand and communicate complex concepts and advocate for your client in an adversarial setting. Law schools both seek out these skills in applicants and cultivate them in their students.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median annual wage for all lawyers is about $120,000. Median salaries top $140,000 for those employed by the federal government, while pay for state and local government ranges from $85,000 to $93,000 annually.
The American Bar Association (ABA) advises anyone interested in a legal career, regardless of the chosen specialty, to pursue educational, extracurricular, and life experiences that will foster the strengths and abilities needed for success in the legal world.
In a similar vein, compassion and strong interpersonal skills are a must for most immigration attorneys. Attorneys are often encountering people during some of the worst parts of their lives, and this can be particularly true for some of the heartbreaking histories that lead people to immigrate to the United States.
earn the top of the pay scale at $161,000.
Immigration technically refers to the process of foreign-born individuals seeking to enter the country with the intention of becoming permanent residents, but the scope of immigration law has long since expanded to handle all categories of legal work dealing with any person entering the country who does not have citizenship. That includes students, tourists, businesspersons, and asylum-seekers, along with the traditional group of foreign-born individuals simply seeking better lives in the land of opportunity.
Immigration law has always been a contentious field, subject to the political winds fanned by the administration currently in power. But although some immigration lawyers specialize in working with undocumented immigrants and those who have run afoul of official channels, many more specialize in the routine processing of visa, residency, and citizenship applications. They advise would-be immigrants on the official requirements, and assist them in filing the paperwork required. And they help smooth over small, bureaucratic snags in the process, using their familiarity with the system and the codes.
Immigration lawyers may represent their clients, either individuals or businesses, in court or serve them outside the courtroom by offering legal counsel. However, most rarely frequent the courtroom. They deal with issues such as:
While the INA is the law of the land when it comes to immigration matters, most of the mechanics of pursuing visas or the coveted Green Card (better known to immigration lawyers as the I-551) for permanent residency and a path to citizenship are set out in regulations and processes set down by the agencies that manage the process.
That makes administrative law a significant component of most immigration practice. That includes appearing in front of immigration judges and appellate panels such as the Board of Immigration Appeals as well as filing and pursuing cases in the federal court system.
Pick a major that you're interested in. There's no pre-law undergraduate major, so law schools don't require you to have a certain major to gain admission. Take useful classes. The best classes to take will emphasize writing, reading, and critical thinking. Foreign language classes can also be helpful.
Large numbers of immigrants also came from Vietnam, China, the Philippines, India and Korea. Immigration to the US from Asian countries has continued to grow for several years and represents the largest group of immigrants to the US.
Jennifer Mueller is an in-house legal expert at wikiHow. Jennifer reviews, fact-checks, and evaluates wikiHow's legal content to ensure thoroughness and accuracy. She received her JD from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2006.
Send transcripts, letters of recommendations, and resumes to LSAC. Register for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). The LSAT is offered four times a year, in June, September/October, December, and February.
3. Register for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). The LSAT is offered four times a year, in June, September/October, December, and February. The September/October exam is the final one to take to qualify for fall admission.
Take required first-year courses. Typical first year courses are contracts, torts, Constitutional law, property, and legal writing. Earn good grades, as your grades are important to future employers. ...
Immigration Lawyer. Immigration is the act of entering a foreign country to take permanent residence. To become a citizen of another country however, certain guidelines set forth by immigration laws must be followed. Immigration lawyers help individuals from other countries take the steps needed to legally reside in the U.S.
For lawyers, the employment rate is projected to grow at a rate of about 8% according to the BLS. This is average for all U.S. occupations. Career prospects involving immigration law are excepted to continue increasing.
Temporary visas expire and are issued to people for various reasons, but most commonly to workers and students . Permanent visas, also referred to as “green cards,” allow a person to live in the country permanently, unless of course, they commit a crime and become deportable.
Immigration laws are so complex that perhaps U.S. tax laws are the only body of laws more complicated. In addition, even a minor mistake on paperwork can lead to serious consequences, such as a delay in the case or deportation. Immigration lawyers guide individuals through every step of the immigration process.
The standardized exam assesses a person’s reading comprehension, logical, and verbal reasoning proficiency. When admitting students, law schools use the LSAT score as one of their determining factors.
Immigration is serious business and the outcome of the case can significantly impact individuals. The process is also extremely complex, as is the procedure of hiring an immigration lawyer. Even if you have a recommendation from a close source, it is still pertinent to ask the right questions at the initial consultation.
Once the newly-minted lawyer is licensed, he is legally entitled to practice in almost any area of law (patent law is a notable exception). The lawyer will be subject to annual Continuing Legal Education (CLE) requirements to maintain his license to practice .
Immigration law is federal law, not state law. As a consequence, obtaining a license to practice law in any state will entitle you to practice immigration law anywhere in the United States without taking the time to join that state’s bar association.
Most US law schools offer few if any courses in immigration law. Additionally, immigration law is ignored on my state bar exams and bar review courses. Because of this, and because few immigration cases are published, the typical immigration lawyer’s knowledge comes from hands-on practice experience. The lawyer may start his career in a junior position at an immigration law firm, work his way up, and perhaps even open his own law office.