Item | Average Cost |
---|---|
Hourly Rate | $150 – $300 |
Form Filing Assistance | $250 – $800 |
Green Card Assistance | $800 – $5,000 |
USCIS Fees | $460 – $700 |
Green Card Costs | ||
---|---|---|
State Department Processing | Not required | $325 |
USCIS Immigrant Fee | Not required | $220 |
Medical Examination | *Varies | *Varies |
Total | $1,760 | $1,200 |
I am applying for a re-entry permit (Application Type A) and I am: | Filing Fee | Total |
---|---|---|
13 or younger | $575 | $575 |
14 to 79 | $575 | $660 |
80 or older | $575 | $575 |
Immigration lawyers typically charge between $100 and $250 for a detailed consultation and many credit this to legal fees should you choose to hire them. Many also offer introductory calls at no cost – these are not meant to be detailed consultations, but an opportunity to share some context, get to know the lawyer and decide if you want to work with them. You’ll find many lawyers that specialize in removal / deportation cases do not charge any consultation fees at all.
However, a lawyer in California may have more exposure to the immigration issue you are facing. It is important to balance cost and experience.
Hiring an experienced attorney reduces the risk of paperwork errors, saving you time and money. If you do receive an RFE or denial for another reason, an attorney is also better equipped to respond to these situations.
If you are here unlawfully, an attorney can help you figure out if there is a path to legal status. If you’ve had any brush ups with the law, even if you weren’t convicted, you might be at risk for deportation. These are just a few scenarios in which the advice of an immigration lawyer is crucial.
Navigating U.S. immigration is incredibly time consuming and complex. If you need help with your immigration process, you can find pre-screened immigration lawyers with over a decade of experience on Ask Ellis. We look forward to helping you!
Note: If you come across a “notario” or immigration “consultant”, they are not lawyers and are not licensed to practice immigration law. Be very careful who you trust with your immigration needs. Navigating U.S. immigration is incredibly time consuming and complex.
Government filing fees are not optional (unless you qualify for a fee waiver. Whether you work with an attorney or file your paperwork yourself, you will incur these costs and they can be quite steep. Thousands of people immigrate to the U.S. each year without the help of an immigration lawyer.
On an hourly basis, the cost of an immigration lawyer ranges from $150 to $300.
Examples of immigration violations include entering without inspection, visa overstays, marriage fraud and misrepresentation on previous applications. Although immediate relatives of U.S. citizens can generally overcome a visa overstay without a lawyer, other relatives will need help.
The meeting may be in an office, but these days it is typically online (Skype, Zoom, etc.) or on the phone. An initial consultation may last 30 to 60 minutes. This gives you a chance to evaluate your chances of success and if you have confidence in the lawyer. For the lawyer, it’s an opportunity to get sell his or her services. It’s very common to find an initial consultation for $150 or less. However, some attorneys choose to charge their regular rates.
Most people are shocked at the cost of an immigration lawyer. While it can be expensive, certain people have needs that justify the expense. After all, a lawyer who specializes in immigration law can help you navigate a difficult situation. That may mean the difference between deportation and lawful permanent residence.
The truth is that not all lawyers are equal. Like any profession, there are good lawyers and not-so-good lawyers. Some attorneys practice in several areas. For example, a criminal defense or personal injury may do immigration law on the side for additional clients.
Sometimes you just have an unusual situation. A foreign diplomat adjusting status to permanent resident or a naturalization applicant with presumed disruption in the continuous residence requirement have more complicated cases. These circumstances are generally best addressed by a legal professional and justify the immigration lawyer cost.
Therefore, investing in the cost of an immigration lawyer is generally a good idea.
A fee is the amount you pay for legal services while costs cover things such as filing fees that are often charged by the US Immigration Service, as well as long-distance charges, photocopying, express mail etc.
Fill out the FREE Immigration Assessment form and get a response within 24 hours to see if you’re eligible.
For immigration programs such as Express Entry or Green Cards, hiring an immigration lawyer isn’t absolutely essential, but it can be beneficial if you’re unsure of how to proceed or want to increase your chances of success.
Contact VisaPlace today. All of our cases are handled by competent and experienced immigration professionals who are affiliated with VisaPlace. These professionals consist of lawyers, licensed paralegals, and consultants who work for VisaPlace Legal, an award-winning immigration firm that adheres to the highest standards of client service.
The immigration application process can be very difficult . These days, the rules and regulations make it increasingly difficult to qualify for a visa. Therefore, if you’re interested in immigrating to a different country, it is essential that your application is handled properly from start to finish. If you want to increase your chances of getting a visa, you should hire an experienced immigration lawyer.
Canada Immigration lawyers usually work on a flat or fixed-fee basis, however, some also work on hourly rates. If you’re being charged a flat fee, you basically enter into an agreement to pay a fixed amount of money for an attorney to represent you regarding a particular immigration issue. This could be anything from gaining a petition for an H-1B visa or to help with a labor certification application. The main advantage of a fixed fee is that you’re fully aware of your legal fees from the outset.
To be eligible, you must have worked at the foreign office of the company for one year in the three years prior to your application.
In order to obtain a PERM Labour Certification, your employer will have to prove that they were not able to find a suitably qualified U.S employee for the position. You will also need to be employed on a full-time, permanent basis.
Non-immigrant work visas are visas that are obtained for the purpose to work, invest, trade and do business in the U.S. Non-immigrant visas only apply for a limited time period and do not lead to permanent residency or citizenship.
Foreign nationals with extraordinary abilities in one of the below categories can obtain an O-1 non-immigrant visa. The purpose of the visa is for these individuals to engage in the activities in the U.S.
U.S Citizens and legal permanent residents are allowed to petition for foreign relatives to come live in the U.S legally. There are two categories, namely Immediate Relative Petitions and Family Preference Petitions. The category of family members that are allowed to come to live in the U.S differs if you are a U.S citizen versus only being a green card holder.
Applying for a visa or a green card can be costly and the hefty fees can easily become an obstacle towards fulfilling your dreams. This is especially considering you’ll probably have to pay an attorney to assist you in the process.
If you find an immigration lawyer who charges less, it doesn't necessarily mean he or she is not good or experienced —some lawyers might be keeping their overhead low, still making their name in the business (they're okay to use for a simple case), or philosophically opposed to charging high fees.
If you need to appeal your case, expect to pay even more. If the lawyer quotes an hourly rate instead, expect to pay between $100 and $350 per hour. Lawyers who work for larger law firms might charge more than lawyers who work on their own or with a smaller firm.
If the lawyers' fees are beyond your ability to pay, but you still need legal help, you have a number of options. One is to ask the lawyer to split the work with you . Using this arrangement, the lawyer would handle discrete tasks only, at the hourly rate: perhaps consult with you about the issue causing you difficulty, review a document, or attend an interview. You would handle the follow-up or rote work, such as filling out the application forms and translating or writing documents, statements, letters, and more.
In Northern California, for example, the range for a basic fiancé visa is typically between $750 and $2,000 (not including the adjustment of status application afterwards), and a marriage-based green card application runs from around $800 to $4,000.
Some good lawyers provide free consultations. But many have found that they can't afford to spend a lot of their time this way, since many immigrants have no visa or remedy available to them, which means the lawyer gets no work after the initial consultation.
For example, a lawyer might not agree to represent you in a USCIS interview if the lawyer wasn't hired to review your forms and documents before you submitted them to USCIS.
The lawyers who charge the highest rates aren't always the best ones, either. Then again, a surprisingly low fee could be a sign that the supposed lawyer really isn't one. Always check the lawyer's bar membership, and don't, under any circumstance, hire a "notario," "consultant," or other pretender, unless it's a qualified paralegal working under an attorney's supervision.
Be advised that withholding information may affect not only the cost for your case but also the approach we take. We understand that neglecting to mention some information (i.e., criminal, financial, etc.) may not be intentional and may later reveal itself during the filing proceedings. In these cases, if any additional work or fees are required, we will communicate them to you, the client.
Remember that your immigration status is a very serious matter which should be handled by only a qualified and experienced immigration attorney. Our immigration attorney fees are among the most competitive and our customer dedication is exceptional, bar none. Should you have any questions regarding the fees listed below, please don’t hesitate to contact our office to speak with a senior paralegal or lawyer.
Other factors that can affect the cost of legal assistance are the background and experience of the lawyer or firm, the firm’s reputation, and geographic location. Do your research when hiring an attorney ...
citizenship and immigration process. Immigration attorneys focus on the nuances of immigration law to aid you in your process. An immigration attorney can assist U.S.
An immigration attorney can assist U.S. citizens, permanent residents and undocumented immigrants, and can help with student visas, work visas and travel visas, including expired or overstayed visas.
In family-based immigration, a U.S. citizen petitions for permanent residence (a green card) on behalf of a spouse, a fiancee or other family members. Cases can take years to complete; once the application process is complete, there is a significant waiting period for visas for spouses, parents and unmarried children under 21.
Immigration laws are complex, and immigration cases can be emotionally and financially draining if you don't have the right advocate by your side. Research the attorney’s background and reputation, the cases they've handled, and their success rates — especially for complex cases.
In the rare cases when immigration lawyers charge by the hour, you could expect to pay somewhere between $150 and $500 per hour. Still, it might be more economical for you to pay by the hour in some circumstances, such as when you can complete and submit the forms and paperwork on your own, and you only need the attorney to give you legal advice and review the paperwork.
So they may charge more if your case involves complications like a criminal record or a history of arrests or deportation proceedings.
More than 9 in 10 readers who hired a lawyer had their citizenship applications granted.
More than nine in ten (91%) of our readers paid a flat fee to have their lawyers handle their citizenship applications. But the amount of those fees ranged widely. Nearly half (45%) of our readers paid between $1,000 and $2,000, while three in ten (30%) paid less than that. A quarter (25%) of readers paid more than $2,000.
Attorneys that receive reviews from their peers, but not a sufficient number to establish a Marti ndale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating, will have those reviews display on our websites.
Only a small proportion of readers (6%) hired nonlawyers to help with their citizenship applications. That makes sense, given the risks of hiring paralegals or notaries for immigration cases.